Notre Dame receivers coach Chansi Stuckey should not need much navigational help when he makes closing visits to the newest Irish receiver commit as this recruiting cycle closes. Rivals.com three-star Isiah Canion (Warner Robins High School; Ga.) joined Notre Dame’s class of 2024 on Thursday from Stuckey’s hometown.
Canion chose the Irish over scholarship offers from the likes of Vanderbilt, Stanford and Mississippi State. He was visiting Indiana last month when he added on a stop to South Bend that led to a Notre Dame offer. He returned to South Bend last weekend for the Blue-Gold Game, closing a busy April that also included visits to North Carolina State, Duke and Florida State.
His speed largely spurred Canion’s recruitment. He has clocked a verified 40-yard dash of 4.51 seconds, and on the field that looks like the clock may have been a tick slow. He blows past his competition in Georgia, and at 5A, Warner Robins is on the bigger end of Georgia high schools, meaning that competition should be trusted as stout enough for comparisons.
Playing both defensive back and receiver at high school, not to mention dabbling at quarterback, Canion can track deep balls well, and he flashes quick hands when he is trying to snag a pass in traffic. At 6-foot-3, his frame is long enough that he can contend in traffic without much trouble, and his stride certainly adds to that speed.
Yes, that was a passing mention of Canion playing quarterback. On the plus side, cue up four years of Notre Dame fans wanting a trick play featuring a double pass from Canion. On the negative side, all those positions in high school will leave Canion a bit raw at receiver, perhaps needing a year of Stuckey’s tutelage to fine-tune his route-running.
Canion is the 11th Irish commitment in the class of 2024 — first able to officially sign with Notre Dame in just less than eight months — and the second receiver, joining consensus four-star Cam Williams (Glenbard South H.S.; Glen Ellyn, Ill.).
