WATCH: On3 analyst breaks down key Notre Dame recruits Keon Keeley and Dante Moore

On3 imageby:Ashton Pollard05/10/22

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Notre Dame is in the process of building a special 2023 class, one which is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation according to the On3 Consensus team rankings. There is a long way to go, but the 12 commits that make up the group at this point are elite high school talents, with a few currently slated as some of the top in the country.

On Tuesday, On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power joined Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer to discuss Notre Dame’s No. 1 target still on the board, quarterback Dante Moore, and the top commit already in the 2023 class, EDGE Keon Keeley.

Moore brings a quick release to the gridiron

The 6-2, 210-pound signal-caller would be the biggest Notre Dame quarterback commit in over a decade. That’s if the Irish can land him, of course. Currently, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Notre Dame as the favorite to land the Detroit Martin Luther King quarterback (49.1 percent). LSU and Oregon trail behind at 24.4 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively. A brief look at his film indicates he has a very bright future at the college level and beyond.

“I think the thing that sticks out about him, dating back to when he was a freshman, is he has a really quick release,” Power said. “He’s a natural thrower of the ball. I’d say outside of (Arch) Manning, he probably has the second-fastest release of the top quarterbacks in the class.”

Power touted the product Moore has put on the field as a top reason he is ranked so high; he doesn’t just have the tools, he’s shown he knows how to use them.

“Moore has done it on Friday nights, and his production is probably the best of (the quarterbacks in the class).”

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Keeley’s flexibility separates him from the pack

The EDGE out of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep is the top recruit and only five star according to On3 Consensus in Notre Dame’s 2023 class at this time. On3 ranks him as the No. 3 overall recruit in the class, only behind quarterbacks Manning and Malachi Nelson.

“His initial ranking was just based off the physical upside: the stature, the athleticism,” Power said. “He has a basketball background, good length.

“I think as we saw during his junior year, he’s just a dominant player. The light switch flipped…which is really encouraging to see for what we view as a high-upside pass rusher to be that productive on a consistent basis.”

Power added Keeley finished his junior season with 34 tackles for loss and 16 sacks, numbers which pop off the page.

“One thing that separates Keeley from some of the other top EDGEs right now is his ability to bend around the edge,” Power added. “He can dip. He’s just a very flexible athlete compared to some of the others who are more power speed rushers and have one-dimensional games.”

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