5-star Sonny Styles highlights Notre Dame visit weekend

On3 imageby:Jeremy Crabtree•11/05/21•

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With Notre Dame hosting Navy this weekend, it’s not as marquee of a game as in previous weeks. But it’s still a game weekend in South Bend. The Fighting Irish plan on using Saturday to host a solid group of prospects on campus.

It doesn’t get any bigger than five-star athlete Sonny Styles of Pickerington (Ohio) Central. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound junior ranks as the No. 8 player in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Styles is one of the most wanted targets in the 2023 class. He has developed into one of the biggest battles in recent memory between Notre Dame and Ohio State. There are others on his list, like Clemson, Florida and Penn State. But this really is a battle between the Irish and Buckeyes.

His father, Lorenzo Styles, was a linebacker at Ohio State from 1991-94. Style’s brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., was a national-level recruit and is now a receiver at Notre Dame.

Styles raved about his visit to Ohio State for the Penn State game, so it’ll be the Irish’s turn to hold serve for him.

Recent Notre Dame commit helping recruit Styles, others

Also heading to campus this weekend is new Notre Dame commitment Drayk Bowen, who committed to the Irish earlier this week. The On3 Consensus four-star linebacker picked Notre Dame over Auburn and Clemson. Bowen now plans to do his best to recruit other players to join him in the class, especially Styles.

Styles says Bowen is a “guy I’d want to play with.” Plus, Bowen is going to do what he can to help lure Styles to South Bend.

“I want other recruits to find their home, and I’m going to work to bring them here,” Bowen told Mike Singer of BlueandGold.com. “That’s a big thing I want to do.”

Other notable visitors for Notre Dame

On3 Consensus four-star junior linebacker Phil Picciotti of Perkasie (Pa.) Pennridge will be on campus at Notre Dame this weekend. Penn State, led by primary recruiter Brent Pry, has done a great job recruiting Picciotti and the Nittany Lions are in good shape for him.

But this weekend’s visit will be a good opportunity for Notre Dame to continue to showcase why they would be a good fit, too. He was offered by the Irish about a month ago.

Roseville (Mich.) High’s Amare Snowden, a coveted cornerback in the 2023 class, will be making a return visit to South Bend.

Notre Dame offered the 6-2, 189-pound corner on June 7. That was one day after he showed out at the Irish Invasion camp. Snowden also holds offers from Cincinnati, Nebraska, Penn State, West Virginia and others.

More names coming to campus

While this weekend’s game won’t have the 100-plus visitors as in past weeks, Notre Dame still will have some other quality names in town.

Other headliners that should be at the game: