Notre Dame Football Recruiting: 3-Star cornerback Ryan Barnes commits to the Irish

The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish recruiting class got a huge addition on Saturday. Ryan Barnes, a 6’2” 180 pound cornerback from Maryland made his commitment known with a smooth announcement video.

Barnes chose the Irish over a hefty offer list that includes the Clemson Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Florida State Seminoles, Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Bulldogs, Maryland Terrapins, and many others.

This isn’t an average 3-Star player.

Despite being the lowest rated recruit in the class so far, there is an expectation with Barnes that is equal to a top end 4-Star ranking. From 247’s Steve Wiltfong:

“Ryan Barnes checks a lot of boxes at the cornerback position including instincts, length and ball skills. A highly recruited player that has good balance and body control and shows sound tackling ability as well. A versatile skill set, Barnes could end up at any of the positions in the secondary for the Irish long term. The question mark is speed, but with ND sitting on one of the best strength and conditioning staffs in the country there is a lot to work with regarding Barnes.”

Barnes is the 11th commitment for the Irish in the 2021 class — a class that has been left for dead by some fans. Notre Dame held off a seemingly imminent decommitment of David Abiara, and with the addition of Barnes, they are now the 11th ranked class in the country according to 247 Sports.

As the class takes shape, we can start to understand just how small it will have to be because of 2021 scholarship numbers. Most agree this will be about a 20 man class, which if you remember, is almost never an amount that lands a class in the top 10 — let alone the top 5.

Mike Mickens is making his presence known out on the recruiting trail, and with Barnes and Riley in the fold at cornerback, Notre Dame’s future depth chart at corner is looking much better than it did just 12 months ago.

FIST PUMPS UP FOR BO!