Notre Dame added a third consensus four-star offensive lineman to its recruiting class of 2022 on Thursday with the somewhat unexpected commitment of Aamil Wagner. The Ohio product chose the Irish over Kentucky and Penn State, as well as some chase from Ohio State.
In that regard, pulling a highly-touted recruit out of Ohio is a notable win for Notre Dame, Wagner (Wayne High School; Huber Heights, Ohio) the No. 23 offensive tackle in the class, per rivals.com, and the No. 202 overall player. Doing so when he is only three hours from Lexington where his brother is a graduate assistant, that garners the description of somewhat unexpected.
It may have helped, and certainly did not hurt, that both Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens graduated from Wayne High School. Even if they are on the opposite side of the ball, Wagner knows someone on the Notre Dame coaching staff can relate to most any Huber Heights reference.
In the more obvious regard, adding another long-armed, broad-shouldered, powerful four-star tackle to a class that already includes consensus four-star Ty Chan (Lawrence Academy; Groton, Mass.) is a recruiting win that fits in line with Irish roster construction trends for years now.
Wagner is the 22nd commitment in the current class, which can first put pen to figurative paper during the early signing period beginning December 15. Notre Dame has made a habit of securing nearly all its National Letters of Intent on that Wednesday, and there is no indication 2021 will be any different.
Tackles aren't supposed to move like this. This is a special effort and a perfect example of why Wagner is a special prospect IMO. Really excited about the player he can become in two or three years pic.twitter.com/BlTyBOSqnj
— Jamie Uyeyama (@jamieuyeyama) November 11, 2021
