Notre Dame secured another huge commitment today, when Montvale (NJ) St. Joseph Regional four-star ran back Audric Esteem committed to play ball for Fighting Irish. The 6-1, 215 pounds in the 2021 class withdrew from Michigan and found a home in South Bend.
This is a strong win for the back coach Lance Taylor, special teams coordinator Brian Polian, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Irish Illustrated was told a short time ago that this duo loves the strength, toughness, Estime’s ability to get extra yards after contact and the fact that he is one of the most complete back in the country.
Estime had a remarkable year. He developed extremely well this year, rushing 127 times for 1,336 meters and 17 scores against some of the best competitions in New Jersey. He also showed the ability to catch football, as he represented 12 catches for 115 meters and two scores. All this was done in six games.
247 National Director of Sports Research Barton Simmons loves what Notre Dame receives in Esteem. He thinks he has a chance to make a difference at the next level.
“I thought he was a good player in junior movies, but he seems to have taken things to a different level as a senior,” Simmons said. “He’s an excellent size, he’s been incredibly productive, and while he may not have the rare long speeds, his inclination and vision speaks to a player who would fit very well in the Notre Dame physical running game.”
In a feature from the National Recruitment Director 247Sports Steve Wiltfong with regional head coach St. Joseph Dan Marangi, Estime is a talented back who has the best years of football ahead.
“I think he’s just matured,” Marangi told Wiltfong. “He turned only 17 years old, from a technical point of view, he could really be just a junior in high school. He is very young in his class. Big leap in maturity there.
“He dedicated himself out of season and knew what he had to work on. The beatings on him, whatever they could have been, really worked to improve them. Everything came together. His training regimen changed as he worked on his core and it was amazing. He also struggled with a few injuries in the second year and in the junior year and this year was as healthy as possible in a football season. “
In this feature from Wiltfong, Marangi added that Estime is a complete back. It will clearly fit well at Notre Dame.
“I see a guy who can do anything,” Marangi said. “He can be a cow-bell, give him the ball 30 times. He will pass protected, he will catch the ball, great hands, he will be able to run between the devices and he will surprise you when he will make a single cut and he will leave stretching the field. He runs away from high-ranking and quality defenders. How many guys want to get in front of him when running at full speed with a low buffer level? He had a sensational senior season in which he showed more evasiveness in an individual situation and runs with more power, in addition to the fact that he is a threat of rupture ”.
According to the 247Sports Composite ranking, Estime is the 245th overall player in America, the 12th to return nationally and the 3rd in New Jersey in the 2021 class.