Notre Dame commits Brenan Vernon, Keon Keeley make first Rivals 250 for 2023 class

Brenan Vernon moved up one spot in the new Rivals 250 rankings released this week, but the jump still left him one spot short of five-star status. 

Rivals slated the Notre Dame commit from Mentor, Ohio, as the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2023 class as the No. 3 strongside defensive end. The top seven prospects all received five-star ratings. Rivals will eventually name around 30 prospects as five-star recruits in its final rankings, so the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Vernon certainly has a shot at shedding his four-star rating at some point. 

Notre Dame has offered all seven of the recruits rated as five-star prospects by Rivals. Three of them have already visited Notre Dame’s campus: defensive end David Hicks Jr. (No. 3), offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor (5) and athlete Sonny Styles (6). Styles is the younger brother of Irish freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. 

Vernon was joined by fellow Notre Dame commit Keon Keeley in the first Rivals 250 for the 2023 class. Keeley, a 6-5, 230-pound product of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep, made his debut at No. 106 overall as the No. 3 weakside defensive end. Rivals previously ranked only the top 100 in the 2023 class. 

Notre Dame safety target Adon Shuler, who is scheduled to announce his commitment decision Sunday, was pegged as the No. 15 safety and No. 213 overall in the 2023 class. The 6-0, 190-pound product of Irvington (N.J.) High visited the Irish in late July and is also considering Maryland and Penn State.

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The updated Rivals 100 included 63 recruits with Notre Dame offers. Twenty-seven of those offered recruits have already visited Notre Dame: Hicks, Proctor, Styles, Vernon, CB AJ Harris (No. 11), DE Jayden Wayne (12), OL Cayden Green (16), RB Justice Haynes (17), LB Drayk Bowen (22), TE Duce Robinson (24), LB Jaiden Ausberry (27), OL Chase Bisontis (29), QB Dante Moore (35), CB Ryan Yaites (45), CB Justyn Rhett (47), OL Alex Birchmeier (56), LB Ta’Mere Robinson (59), WR Carnell Tate (68), S Caleb Downs (77), S Peyton Bowen (78), RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. (81), DT Luke Montgomery (82), TE Jaxon Howard (91), OL Harris Sewell (93), CB Malik Muhammad (94), TE Mac Markway (95) and DE Derrick LeBlanc (100). 

Commitments in the 2023 class haven’t been widespread at this point in the recruiting cycle. Only two of those 27 offered Notre Dame visitors in the Rivals 100 have committed elsewhere: Birchmeier (Penn State) and Markway (Florida). 

Rivals ranks Notre Dame’s two commitments as the third-best collection in the country for the 2023 class. The Irish are behind No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia, who both have four commitments.

Follow ND Insider Tyler James on Twitter: @TJamesNDI.