Written by Connor D'Aquila⏐Writer⏐Twitter/X: @ConnorDaquilaIT
Photo by The Irish Tribune
The All-American Bowl started off in an exciting fashion for Notre Dame faithful, as four-star edge Christopher Burgess announced his commitment to the Irish. Immediately following, three ND commits in the class of 2024 competed against the best of the best in high school football. We expected to see four Notre Dame pledges in action, but star receiver Cam Williams went down with a minor leg injury in practice and was unable to play in the game. We did get to see Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Kedren Young, and Bryce Young flash their potential. Guerby Lambert was also invited to the game, but was unable to participate throughout the week due to a minor injury from his high school season. Below, we will recap reports from practices and observations from the game of the Notre Dame pledges.
Cam Williams
All reports out of practice were promising for star Wide Receiver Cam Williams, who appears to be one of the most exciting players in the 2024 class. The injury was unfortunate, as it would have been interesting to see him compared to guys like Jeremiah Smith and facing off with star DBs like KJ Bolden and Jamari Howard. Limited clips from practice displayed impressive catches as well as the quickness and speed he already showed in high school. Soon enough, however, we will be able to see Cam in the blue and gold, as he is scheduled to be an early enrollee.
Bryce Young
Everything out of practice was very positive on the defensive end and son of NFL hall-of-famer Bryant Young. Young had a breakout season with Charlotte Christian this year and was one of the biggest risers in recruiting rankings from Notre Dame’s class. On display in the game and in practice was Bryce’s combination of size, athleticism, and explosiveness, which we can only expect to continue improving as he makes his way to South Bend and gets time with the strength and conditioning team. In practice, he was bullying some highly-touted offensive linemen and earned the start for the game. In the game, he was not as impactful as was seen in practice, but there were flashes that should give fans plenty of confidence he will continue to develop and become a star in South Bend. He may not be a year-one starter, but he should be a big-time player eventually.
Kedren Young
Young had a monster senior season in Lufkin, Texas, and his combination of size and speed should excite the Irish as he makes his way to South Bend. Again, reports out of practice were positive, but carries were scarce in the actual game. In practice, he flashed some receiving ability beyond what was seen on high school film, and I thought his quickness looked great. He put himself in good position to perform on Saturday, but between having to split the workload and a run-light offense, his production was limited. He would gain single-digit yards on only three carries and had some blocking plays, but it was a very limited sample size. Still, the future certainly looks bright at the running back position and Young should be a mainstay in the room.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
KVA was arguably the most impressive Notre Dame commit we saw throughout the week and on Saturday. He was consistently ranked among the top players at practice and demonstrated his ability to be a day one player at Notre Dame in the game. From the opening drive, Kyngstonn was all over the field and making big-time stops for the West defense. He had multiple tackles for loss and was clearly a leader on the team. His instincts and knowledge of the game are ever-evident, and the potential he has is undeniable. He will be in South Bend next week, and that is sure to be the start of an exciting career.
It was great to see so many future ND players featured in this prestigious game, and their performances were all promising. KVA stood out, but the rest flashed the potential to be stars, which is a testament to the impressive job Marcus Freeman has done recruiting in this cycle. CJ Carr also received an invite to the game, but he opted to join the team for bowl practices instead. The future is certainly bright for the Irish.
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