Since the de-commitment of rivals.com three-star Isiah Canion (Warner Robins High School; Ga.) on July 1, Notre Dame has been looking for a similar shifty and speedy receiver. On Friday afternoon, the Irish found one in consensus three-star receiver Logan Saldate (Palma H.S.; Salinas, Calif.). Saldate’s commitment also served as a de-commitment from Oregon State, an instantaneous flip, where he had been committed since the end of May.
Saldate has not even visited South Bend yet, spending last month knocking between Oregon State, Cal and Oklahoma State. He holds scholarship offers from Arizona, Washington and Washington State, as well.
“It really took a lot of family talks to really make the final decision,” Saldate said to Inside ND Sports. “But it’s Notre Dame, first of all. I feel like if I passed up this opportunity, I’d kick myself in the butt later on.”
At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Saldate is not a replica of Canion, now committed to Georgia Tech. Canion stands 6-foot-4, though weighing only 190 pounds. Saldate brings more muscle on his frame, as well as a bit more experience at receiver, not splitting his time as thoroughly on defense as Canion does.
The first clip of Saldate’s highlight reel shows him returning a kickoff for a touchdown despite the kickoff coverage clearing having an angle on him approaching the sideline. Saldate has undeniable open-field speed.
He shifts his hips through tackles and with his narrow frame, that works especially well, yet he has upper-body strength you may not expect from those physical measureables. Sure-handed, Saldate is aggressive to the ball in the air, both on offense and defense.
All of which is to say, he is not a big target, but he could be a potent one. With a 10.8-second 100-meter dash complementing his high-school career as an accomplished long jumper, Saldate has clear athleticism although development will be needed to remain productive at the next level.
Saldate joins consensus four-star Cam Williams (Glenbard South H.S.; Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and consensus four-star receiver Micah Gilbert (Charlotte Christian H.S.; N.C.) as the third receiver in the class, now with 21 total commitments.
Respect my decision. #GOIRISH #THINKBIG @KTPrepElite @BrandonHuffman @TomLoy247 @jak_rtz @samspiegs @Andrew_Ivins @CoachCarnazzo @ByKyleKelly @NotreDame247 @ISDUpdate @MikeTSinger @KSBWDrea pic.twitter.com/uljc9sMiWF
— Logan Saldate (@SaldateLogan) July 21, 2023
