Four-star OT Elijah Paige decommits from Notre Dame football
Notre Dame has lost a commitment in its 2023 recruiting class. Phoenix Pinnacle’s Elijah Paige, the No. 352 overall recruit and No. 23 offensive tackle per the On3 Consensus, announced Thursday that he would be backing off of his pledge.
“I would like to thank the amazing staff at Notre Dame for the opportunity they offered and the time they spent recruiting me,” Paige tweeted. “This decision has been very difficult. After many prayers and conversations with my family, I have decided to decommit from the University of Notre Dame.”
The four-star recruit originally committed to Notre Dame June 10 — a few days after officially visiting campus — picking the Irish over likes of UCLA, USC, Michigan State, Washington and Miami.
Paige spoke to Blue & Gold in late August and affirmed that he was solid with his pledge, also noting that he would be visiting Notre Dame for the Clemson game.
“It’s been great,” Paige previously told Blue & Gold about his commitment. “Notre Dame is the only school I talk to now. I keep in contact a lot with Coach [Marcus] Freeman and Coach [Harry] Hiestand, and that’s been nice. The recruiting process was a real blessing, but it got stressful after a while. It’s nice to only hear from one coaching staff and know where I want to go.”
However, it’s clear that in the past few weeks that other schools have continued their pursuit of him, and WeAreSC.com, the On3 website covering the Trojans, had been reporting on Lincoln Riley’s program targeting Paige.
Notre Dame still has four offensive line commits in its 2023 class. Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman’s Charles Jagusah, Topeka (Kan.) Hayden’s Joe Otting, Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan’s Sam Pendleton and Belmont (N.C.) South Point’s Sullivan Absher is the group position coach Harry Hiestand has committed.
The Fighting Irish are down to 22 commits in the cycle. The Irish have one On3 Consensus five-star recruit (Jagusah) along with 19 four-star prospects and two three-stars.
On3’s own rankings list Paige as a three-star prospect, the No. 34 overall offensive tackle nationally and No. 7 recruit from his home state of Arizona.
On3 scouting report on Paige
“Elijah Paige is an offensive tackle who has seen some growth and development over the past year. He’s added good weight, getting up to over 6-foot-6 and north of 300 pounds. Paige looks to have solid length and should be able to stick at tackle at the next level in that regard. He plays with good technique and moves well functionally on Friday nights.
“Paige is competitive and will mix it up as a run blocker. He also shows the framework to develop in pass protection. He tested as an average athlete in the combine setting prior to his junior season. Paige can continue improving his base and functional strength — that could be an area where we see some improvement over the course of his senior year given his physical growth.”
