Notre Dame eyes elite 2027 wide receiver talent. Discover top prospects like Quentin Burrell and Cade Cooper poised to elevate the Irish offense.
Notre Dame has upped its wide receiver recruiting in recent seasons, but the Irish need to take it to another level with the 2027 class. Position coach Mike Brown landed his best class at Notre Dame in 2026, hauling in a talented five-man class that gave the program both impact players and a much-needed boost in depth. The 2027 class needs to add a boost in big time, high ceiling talent.
Notre Dame has an impressive board of prospects to work with, and I expect more players to be added over the next month. But if Notre Dame is able to land 2-3 of the players currently on the board the odds of this being a big time class is extremely high, and it will give Brown the kind of impact class he needs to silence the critics of his recruiting ability.
I continue my analysis of Notre Dame's 2027 recruiting board with a look at the Irish wide receiver targets. The article is on the IB Premium board, but here's a sample of the breakdowns:
QUENTIN BURRELL
Height/Weight: 6-2, 195
Hometown/High School: Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel
Burrell is one of the most dominant high school receivers in the country, racking up 67 catches for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior while leading Mount Carmel to a state title. It was his second straight 1,000-yard season and he's already caught over 30 touchdown passes. Notre Dame remains a top contender for Burrell, who is also very high on Michigan, Missouri, Arizona State and others.
Burrell has the size to play the boundary but the all around skillset and ball skills to play both sides of the formation. Burrell has an advanced feel for the game, showing the route running prowess and athletic skill to be a strong separator. He uses his size and strength to outplay defenders for the ball, and he shows a good feel for using his body to shield defenders from the ball. His feel for getting open against both man and zone is really impressive. His strong hands and ball skills are outstanding, and he is a strong contested catch player. Burrell is a quality athlete and shows good downfield speed. If there was one knock on his game it would be his lack of elite speed, but his all-around game more than overcomes that.
CADE COOPER
Height/Weight: 6-3, 190
Hometown/High School: Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep
Notre Dame offered Cooper in late January but he's quickly become a top target, and he's one of the most underrated receivers in the country. His big time talent immediately pops off on film. Cooper hauled in 44 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. He was on campus in January and will return for an official visit this summer. I would expect the staff to also work to get him back on campus in March or April.
One of my big pet peeves with young receivers is how they come off the line, but that is not the case with Cooper. He absolutely explodes off the line and plays with the urgency I like at the position. He's a nightmare off the line against press coverage thanks to his top notch foot quickness and feel for winning off the line. He tends to loop a bit too wide after he wins, but that can be fixed. Cooper has a natural feel for the game and he knows how to win off the line, he can find the soft spots against zone and he shows as good route running package for his age. His size, speed and athletic skill set is quite impressive, but what really stands out the most is his elite ball skills and ability to win contested catches. Cooper has big time tools.
JULIUS JONES JR.
Height/Weight: 5-11, 175
Hometown/High School: Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas
Jones is the number one receiver on my board at wide receiver, and it has nothing to do with who his dad is. Jones is just that good of a prospect in my view, and I evaluate him as a borderline five-star talent already, but his upside is clearly that of a five-star. Notre Dame is a legitimate player for him, with Marcus Freeman and Mike Denbrock also being involved in his recruitment. Oregon is another major player for him, and Jones has a top eight that includes the Irish, Ducks, Texas, LSU, Miami, Florida, Florida State and Michigan. Jones caught 51 passes for 750 yards and eight scores as a sophomore and hauled in 58 passes for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
Jones is an electric athlete. He explodes off the line and gets to top speed as well as any receiver in the country. I absolutely love the urgency with which he plays throughout the route. He is dynamic after the catch but also has the speed to get over top of the defense. There is no doubt he can be a home run hitter, but he also has the tools to be a volume pass catcher. Jones is an incredibly smart young football player that has a football IQ that matches his athletic tools. Jones is an advanced route runner for his age, and he competes extremely well for the football. Jones has the kind of contested catch skills you normally see from a taller player. His body control, explosiveness out of breaks and ability to work into open spots makes him extremely difficult to defend. Jones has the combination of route running, athleticism and ball skills to play any position in the Notre Dame offense. Jones is a big time football player and I'll be surprised if he's not a 5-star when I do my re-grades for the 2027 class.
To read the breakdown of the rest of the prospects on the board - like Xavier Sabb, Tae Walden, Easton Royal and others, you must be a premium IB member. To read it CLICK HERE.
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