Notre Dame Gets Offensive During Irish Invasion
- Max Uretsky
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
As the 2026 recruiting class starts to crystallize for most teams, with many of the top prospects across the country already declaring their future college destinations, scouting departments are beginning to turn their attention to 2027, 2028, and beyond. Notre Dame hosted a healthy number of those prospects during this month's Irish Invasion event.
Art by The Irish Tribune
Both sides of the ball were well represented, and included some players who are already garnering a lot of attention nationwide. With only one year's worth of film on the 2028 class, I wanted to zero in on some of the 2027 standouts that made the journey to South Bend and what their potential fits would be, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
QB - Malachi Zeigler (Benton, LA)
Zeigler is a true dual-threat QB that fits today's game to a tee. He has the mobility to extend plays from the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield and also possesses enough explosiveness as a runner to hurt teams when he pulls the ball down and takes off. His arm strength is very evident on film, as he effortlessly pushes the ball downfield with minimal lower-body torque. He throws the ball with very good velocity and has the zip to fit it in tight windows. His accuracy is good at the short and intermediate levels, and seems to be even better on deep throws, hitting the WR in stride consistently. His processing time post-snap will need to take a big jump between now and his senior year, and more consistent footwork and lower body mechanics will help to unlock even more arm strength. He is currently a 4-star prospect and a top 10 QB in the 2027 class, who could jump even higher up the rankings with more development.
QB - Emmett Queen (Fort Mitchell, KY)
Queen, a top 10 player in the state of Kentucky, has prototypical size for a QB, currently listed at 6'4" and 215 pounds. He gets to the top of his drop quickly with solid footwork and can scan through multiple progressions before delivering the pass. He displays very good competitive toughness with the way he is willing to stand tall in the pocket and absorb hits to ensure he is able to make the throw. He has the accuracy you would want at all three levels, and has excellent ball placement on throws inside the Redzone which is where you want to be most efficient. Queen has a clear willingness to give his guys a shot downfield on 50-50 balls when he reads one-on-one coverage, which leads to some big plays. His arm strength is a bit limited as of now, which could be due to some throwing mechanics issues, mainly the dip of the elbow on release, so it's an area I'll be paying attention to the further he gets into his high school career.
WR - Rob Larson (Folsom, CA)
Larson is not considered a blue-chip player yet, but he has a lot of the physical tools to be able to change that before long. The 6'2" WR already has 7 offers, and that number is likely to keep growing. His ability to get off press coverage with quick hands and good footwork at the LOS is impressive for such a young player. Larson has an excellent catch radius that allows him to win jump balls and snag inaccurate passes out of the air. He is a natural hands catcher who does not let passes get into his body. Larson is proficient when it comes to tracking deep shots over his shoulder, and has the courage and toughness to be physical at the point of attack and catch through contact. He is a tough runner after the catch and will consistently fight for extra yardage. Route running and getting his head turned back to the QB too early are two areas of improvement for Larson going forward. Notre Dame is always looking for receiving talent, and I expect Larson to stay on their radar for at least the foreseeable future.
RB - Jerry Beard (Bogart, GA)
Notre Dame knocked it out of the park when it came to 2026 running back recruiting, with the commitments of a couple of 4-stars in Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton. The class of 2027 has plenty of talent at the position as well, and you don't have to look much further than Beard. The 4-star out of the Peach State is a true home run hitter and is already one of my favorite 2027 prospects. Beard has a great blend of patience and explosiveness, and once he hits the hole, he has elite acceleration and the breakaway speed to be a big-time playmaker. He is shifty in close quarters and easily makes first and second-level defenders miss, and can create quick separation from defenders. Beard plays with impressive vision, both when making his initial read of which hole to hit and also in the open field when setting up downfield blocks to help spring him for more yardage. Arm tackles do not bring him down, leading to plenty of extra yardage. He can be split out wide and become a receiving threat, not just underneath but vertically as well. Because of his top-notch burst and ability to read blocks, he also provides plus value as a return man on special teams. As is the case with all young running backs, we will need to see how he holds up in pass protection the more he is asked to do it.
Notre Dame will field one of the most talented rosters in the country this upcoming season, and to ensure that is the case for years to come, it is never too early to start looking ahead to future classes. This is just a small glimpse into the type of offensive players Marcus Freeman and his staff have their eyes on, and it will be interesting to see which players stick on the big board for the Fighting Irish as time goes on. You can never be too deep at any given position, given today's climate in college football, so the more targets you go after, you more hits you will get.
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