Notre Dame beats out Boston College for plenty of recruits. The Irish offering a player before Nebraska does is not particularly noteworthy. But when those are the only Power Five offers a player holds, they stand out a bit more. Consensus three-star linebacker Teddy Rezac (Westside High School; Omaha, Neb.) committed to Notre Dame on Friday afternoon, the first linebacker to join the Irish class.
Notre Dame offered Rezac a scholarship less than a week ago. In the interim, he visited South Bend and received a scholarship offer from his homestate power. One of those clearly held more weight than the other.
All three service academies also sought Rezac, as did FCS powerhouses (and regional fits) North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. Noting a Coastal Carolina offer does not much further explain the Irish want.
At 6-foot-3 and 195 or so pounds, Rezac has a frame that will naturally hold more weight. He plays with range, via a combination of speed and decisiveness, that should fit nicely as the linebacker/safety flex that a Rover has increasingly become. In other words, Rezac will grow into the size to stop the run but is quick enough to cover any running back or tight end on a receiving route, as well as plenty (though not all) of receivers.
It is difficult to gauge length in highlights against high school competition in Nebraska, but simply wondering that suggests Rezac’s wingspan will be another asset at the next level. He dabbles at receiver currently, not a position he should be considered at in the future, but his strong hands could become an entertaining defensive disruption.
Projecting Rezac at Rover will immediately elicit comparisons to current Irish fifth-year Rover Jack Kiser. Coming from lower-level Indiana high school football, Kiser was also considered a recruiting reach, a consensus three-star prospect debating between Notre Dame and Purdue, fully leaning into his Mr. Indiana Football designation.
The 2023 season will be Kiser’s third as a starter. He finished No. 2 in tackles last season and may have led the Irish in defensive playmaking per snap played.
If that is Rezac’s ceiling, then Notre Dame making him a priority now makes sense, but like Kiser needed two seasons to grow into a defensive playmaker, Rezac will have a multi-faceted learning curve to navigate.
The 15th commitment in the Irish class of 2024, Rezac bumped Notre Dame up to No. 2 in the team rankings, per rivals.com, trailing only Michigan (16 commitments) and edging ahead of Ohio State (13). Then come LSU(14) and Georgia (11).
