Another big boy is headed north

On Friday, 4-Star offensive lineman Sullivan Absher announced his commitment to join Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class. The 6’7” 290 pounder from Belmont, North Carolina, chose the Fighting Irish over his other two finalists; the Clemson Tigers and NC State Wolfpack.

Absher is a consensus top 200 player overall in the 2023 class and one of the best from the state of North Carolina (On3 has him as the #2 player in the state). While holding offers from all over the south and the east coast, Absher was predicted to land at Clemson with Dabo Swinney and company. After a visit to see the Irish play the Blue-Gold game on an unofficial visit, Absher seemingly flipped his decision direction. While at Notre Dame, Absher was with fellow North Carolinian Sam Pendleton — who is also a part of Harry Hiestand’s haul in his return to the Notre Dame sideline.

247 Evaluation:

Verified size with plus length. Well-proportioned frame with room for development. Multi-sport profile includes basketball. Lines up at tackle for South Point and is physical, devastating run blocker. Athleticism shines through when in space. Fires off quickly, up and into defensive player. Plays with quick feet and balance. Has strong base and once engaged is able to push defensive player back at point of attack. Scrapes and gets to second level easily. Plays with strong, heavy hands and finishes blocks consistently. Excellent down blocker. Lateral movement is very good and allows for wide splits. Lacks pass pro experience since South Point rarely passes but athleticism and length should aid in development at college level. Team threw 52 passes (16 completed) in 15 games so not much chance for in-game experience. Has to work on sitting in base and using kick step during in-game situations. Strong initial punch in running game should translate into pass pro sets. At times, bends at the waste in run blocking so needs to be more consistent with sinking hips. Multi-year starter at Power 5 level with Top 20 program. NFL late round draft pick potential with ability to climb higher.

Absher is now the 13th commitment of Notre Dame’s 2023 class — which is still the #1 class in the country at the moment (by a lot). This class is well on its way to being elite on signing day, and could likely be the best class for the Irish since 2008.

The Irish continue to fill this class with blue-chip talent from around the country. While there is still a significant need at WR and at QB (hello Dante Moore) Marcus Freeman and his staff are doing a fantastic job at addressing needs and not just going out to go big game hunt as we saw in the Charlie Weis era.

Another big OL from the Carolinas? LFG!

FIST PUMPS UP FOR SULLY!