Notre Dame just missed out on their best chance at a top running back in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Will Shipley, the five star running back from North Carolina, chose Clemson over Notre Dame today, leaving the Irish without their top target on the board.
Shipley had been at one point favored to the Irish, but the general trend of his recruitment since February put him with the Tigers. When college campuses around the country shut down around March 12th, and therefore college visits, that brought a significant blow to Notre Dame’s efforts with the nation’s #1 all-purpose back, who had a scheduled official visit with several Irish commitments set for March 22nd.