The son of an NFL Hall of Famer and a Notre Dame first-team All-American, rivals.com four-star defensive end Bryce Young (Charlotte Christian High School; N.C.) committed to the Irish on Saturday, following in his father’s footsteps.
Bryant Young’s son, Bryce projects to the edge of the defensive line, rather than tackle like his father, though how Bryce holds weight could lead to a future at tackle. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds right now, he will assuredly add 10-20 pounds in the next two years before he becomes a key piece of Notre Dame’s line.
Young chose the Irish over finalists Michigan, USC and Tennessee. He visited Notre Dame for last week’s Blue-Gold Game, finishing a month stretch that included visits to Michigan and USC. He was also offered a scholarship by Iowa, Miami, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Young plays mostly in an upright role in high school, hence rivals.com ranking him as a linebacker, though his size rules out a future at linebacker. His long wingspan and fast first step off the snap should create problems for offensive tackles in college.
Young has some strength in his length, oftentimes lacking from players as juniors in high school. He will need to add more and work on his pass-rush moves once facing genuine collegiate offensive tackles, particularly since he is not always in a clear pass-rush role at Charlotte Christian H.S. His role there often requires him to read the play before committing in a direction, something that should help his diagnostic abilities at the next level.
The 12th commitment in Notre Dame’s class of 2024, Young is the third defensive lineman, joining consensus four-star tackle Owen Wafle (Hun School; Princeton, N.J.) and last week’s commitment from defensive end Cole Mullins.
Bryant Young was a first-team All-American in 1993 at Notre Dame before being the No. 7 overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft. He spent his entire 14-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, winning Super Bowl XXIX. Young was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2022.
Go Irish ☘️#AGTG #GoIrish @CoachWash56 @Marcus_Freeman1 @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/eRs6FqzrIm
— Bryce Young (@BryceYoung_22) April 29, 2023