Notre Dame football recruiting target Austin Alexander and Union (Ky.) Cooper High rolled to a 49-7 victory over Covington (Ky.) Scott on Thursday night. The Jaguars scored all 49 points in the second half to achieve their biggest margin of victory of the 2023 season.
Blue & Gold attended the Week 8 romp to watch Alexander, a four-star EDGE rusher in the 2025 class, in the eighth game of his junior season. Despite Alexander’s limited reps in the blowout victory, his performance did not disappoint.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder is the No. 321 overall player, No. 25 EDGE nationally and No. 2 prospect in Kentucky in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. In On3’s own rankings, Alexander is the No. 195 player, No. 18 at his position in the country and the No. 2 Kentucky recruit.
Alexander will return to Notre Dame on an unofficial college recruiting visit Saturday. Until then, here are five thoughts on his Week 8 high school performance.
1. Often, when covering a college football recruit at a high school game, it’s easy to pick apart what player is a Power Five prospect. They typically look the part and are the center of attention. Occasionally, their traits immediately draw attention.
That was not the case with Alexander.
The Cooper High junior holds a much lower profile. He’s not an athletic specimen that would achieve an eye-popping SPARQ score. After all, Cooper did not need him to be a worldbeater on Thursday night. He and his team dominated its opposition in the two meaningful quarters.
Nonetheless, Alexander is a really good football player.
2. Alexander blocked a punt on the game’s opening drive. He made it look effortless, which basically was because while watching film, he discovered a Scott High tendency that opened a clear lane for the play. He took advantage of it the first chance. It paid off big for the Jaguars. They scored on the ensuing drive. It was a dominant team effort all around.
Alexander almost had a second-blocked punt. But Scott’s punter fumbled the snap. So, instead, he registered a tackle for loss on the play. He added two solo tackles on the night and had a few quarterback hurries.
Alexander was clearly on another level compared to his peers Thursday night.
3. Although Alexander might not be an Olympic athlete — he does not need to be either — he still has speed. He told Blue & Gold that his fastest 40-yard dash time is about 4.7 seconds. That pace was evident on offense.
Alexander caught a screen pass that he took 59 yards down the sideline to the end zone. He raced by the Scott secondary and stayed in bounds. Even though he weighs over 240 pounds, Alexander is still a highly effective high school wide receiver. He had 13 catches in the week prior.
Alexander is also a natural runner. He moves with ease and transitions smoothly from one angle to the next. It looks effortless on offense and transfers seamlessly on defense.
4. Alexander has a similar build to Joshua Burnham. They’re both around 6-3. Notre Dame recruited Burnham as a linebacker coming out of Traverse City (Mich.) Central and eventually moved him to vyper. In contrast, Alexander is already a ready-made vyper candidate.
Alexander plays a stand-up weakside EDGE rusher position for Cooper High. But he can also play with his hand in the dirt and handle interior offensive linemen in high school. He plays with a tactical approach rather than overpowering opponents. But don’t mistake that for a lack of strength.
In the offseason, Alexander added about 25 pounds to his frame. He still had a lean build. Unlike Burnham, Alexander will not need to add about 40 pounds upon college enrollment. With at least 14 months until he could enroll in a Power Five program, it’s reasonable for Alexander to add another 15 pounds easily. He’s done well keeping the weight on during the season.
5. Notre Dame already has three defensive line commits in Davion Dixon, C.J. May and Joseph Reiff. The 6-4, 225-pound May is also a vyper candidate. Reiff (6-5, 230) and Dixon (6-3, 305) project as interior defensive linemen.
Highland Home’s May is a four-star recruit, No. 232 overall player, No. 19 EDGE nationally, and No. 14 prospect in Alabama. Reiff, who attends Elmhurst (Ill.) York is the No. 392 overall player, No. 40 defensive lineman nationally and No. 11 prospect in Illinois. Dixon of Miami Palmetto is the No. 372 overall player, No. 39 defensive lineman nationally and No. 57 prospect in Florida. Dixon and Reiff are three stars.
Meanwhile, the Irish also target vyper Dominik Hulak and EDGE Damien Shanklin. Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception’s Hulak is the No. 407 overall player, No. 39 linebacker nationally and No. 12 prospect in Illinois. Shanklin of Indianapolis…
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