Class Impact: Notre Dame Lands Talented Linebacker Anthony Sacca

Notre Dame has added another talented player to its No. 1 ranked 2025 class, this time landing a commitment from Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph Prep linebacker Anthony Sacca. The Fighting Irish beat out Alabama, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Duke to land Sacca.

Let's break down how this commitment impacts the Notre Dame 2025 class and the Fighting Irish depth chart.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Sacca is the 19th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2025 class. Sacca is also the 9th defensive player to join the class. He is the second projected linebacker for Notre Dame, and the third high school linebacker to commit in the class, joining Josiah Kia and Dominik Hulak.

Notre Dame has recruited the linebacker position quite well in recent seasons, but multiple position moves and a departure from the 2022 class has impacted the numbers needs. Notre Dame is looking to take three true linebackers in the class, but if the right players want to join there's a chance they could get to four. This does not include Hulak, who is considered a hybrid player that is projected to play the "Money" position.

Landing Sacca not only gives Notre Dame one of its top defensive targets, it also gives them a second true linebacker in the class. Although there was potential for him to be a Rover early in his prep career, the weight gains now have Sacca projected more as an inside linebacker. Landing him now gives the Irish a second overall linebacker, and at least one backer that is a pure inside projection. Kia could still be used outside, although he too could end up inside down the road.

NOTRE DAME FIT

An outstanding free safety in 2022, Sacca initially projected as more of a Rover in the Irish defense. As a junior, however, he added a bit more weight and moved down into the box. The transition was smooth from an instincts and physicality standpoint, and if he can continue to fill out the way he has so far his game is a much more natural fit inside now. Sacca's range and coverage instincts fit quite nicely at the Will spot, but he has the kind of frame and strength potential to be a bigger version of JD Bertrand as a Mike in the Irish defense. There are still some flashes on his junior film of the player that looked like a Rover, but the inside is likely where his future lies. But the fact you can see parts of all three linebacker positions in Sacca's game makes his versatility something the Irish coaches will likely be quite fond of.

FILM BREAKDOWN

One thing I like about evaluating Sacca's film is the fact he has played against top notch competition from all over the country. You can watch him against IMG, Gonzaga (DC), St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), Lakeland (Fla.) and of course the top schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. You notice him no matter who the opponent is, and there's something to be said about that.

Sacca is a long, rangy athlete that always showed the body to grow into a box defender. He's now listed anywhere between 215-225 pounds, and there's more room for him to fill out, get even stronger and easily get to 230+ pounds. Sacca was always a willing hitter, even as a safety, but the added weight and strength he gained as a junior allowed him to play a more physical and violent game.

Sacca is a quality all-around athlete, and his athleticism grades out even better as a linebacker than it did as a safety. He's nimble, shows good balance, his change of direction skills are fluid and natural, and he has relatively good natural strength. His speed is what really projects better to linebacker, and Sacca shows the kind of side-to-side range that you want and need from the Will position. His downhill explosiveness fits well at the Mike position as well, and his ability to accelerate allows him to get to the ball in a hurry.

It appeared as though Sacca lost just a little bit of his speed with the added weight during his junior season. You'd see it flash at times, so it's still in there. Perhaps playing closer to the ball was a factor, perhaps the extra weight is the reason. Either way, the fact that it was there at times leads me to believe that with another year at that weight, and with another year of physical maturity, he'll get more used to the weight and show even more explosiveness as a senior.

Sacca is a high football IQ defender, and his ability to adapt to playing in tight quarters as a box defender in 2023 was really impressive. But it's his comfort playing in space that stands out to me. He is patient when he needs to be, but Sacca also shows the athletic skills and range needed to be an impactful coverage player at Will, and it grades out even higher as a Mike. Yes, he can run and hit, and that part of his game will get better as he gets older, but in today's game you need linebackers that can cover, and Sacca can really cover.

There are plenty of technical parts of his game that will continue to need refinement as he gets more used to playing in tight quarters. Footwork, proper block destruction, blitz timing, angles, etc. are all things that will need continued development as he makes the transition. But with Sacca's combination of length, athletic skills and football smarts he already made that transition effectively in year one, and his second year should really show off his linebacker skills. This is a strong pickup for the Irish, who covet linebackers with length, athleticism and the ability to impact in all facets of the game, which Sacca does.

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