Notre Dame lands Louisiana RB Logan Diggs

Notre Dame has struck big on one of its top priority targets in this 2021 cycle.

On Wednesday, Archbishop Rummel (La.) running back Logan Diggs committed to the Irish. USC, Ole Miss, Arizona State and Memphis were other finalists for the three-star prospect out of the New Orleans Metro area.

Diggs is currently tabbed as the No. 13-ranked prospect from the state of Louisiana and the No. 29-ranked back in the country entering his senior season. He's first tailback to join Notre Dame's 2021 recruiting class, which entered the day with the No. 14-ranked haul with 13 total commitments.

Notre Dame has enjoyed some success in The Boot in years past, particularly in and around the Crescent City. Since 2015, the Irish have signed four players out of Louisiana, three of which have come from New Orleans. That includes Bo Wallace, Michael Young and, most recently, Lawrence Keys III, who hailed from John Curtis, Destrehan and McDonogh 35, respectively. Jilly Tillery was a Shreveport, La., native who prepped at Evangel.

"I felt like it was the perfect time for me (to commit) because I’ve done a lot of thinking and research over time and I feel like I have no circumstances holding me back to finally make my decision. We are in a weird time right now and you never know what may happen, so better now than never."

"Notre Dame was the choice for me because they’ve always been consistent and treated me like family from Day 1 ... Also, coach Terry (Joseph) is from New Orleans. (He) has a strong-line connection with Rummel ... he played for coach (Jay) Roth and coach Roth (and I) had several talks and he informed me how good of a person coach Terry is. Lawrence Keys also helped me by breaking down his experience at Notre Dame, but Coach Terry had a big impact on my decision and it’s a lot that went into it."

"It came down to USC, Ole Miss, Arizona State, Memphis and Notre Dame. The biggest things that went into my decision was relationships I had with the coaches, a fair shot at earning the right to come in and play immediately and the degree of course. They (Notre Dame) separated themselves by the communication and the staff and recruiting class. Me and (running backs) coach (Lance) Taylor have a good relationship and he actually coached Christian McCaffrey in college and the NFL. That was big for me and the 2021 class and fan base recruited me just as hard as the staff."

"Coach Terry Joseph, Coach (Tommy) Rees, Coach Taylor, and coach (Brian) Kelly played big roles (in his recruitment). Coach Terry is a from here so it’s a mutual trust. Coach Taylor and Rees because there’s NFL experience and (they both) know what it takes to get to the next level and coach Kelly has been coaching for 30-plus years and is a competitor, he wants to win but most importantly, he wants to make sure I get my degree and leave Notre Dame a better man."

"I believe my future in South Bend will be great. You can expect someone who’s gonna come in with a chip on his shoulder ready to work. I am going to compete and work hard for everything I want. (I'm) ready to prove everyone who has doubted me wrong."

Diggs is a 6-foot, 195-pound multi-sport athlete that also competes in both basketball and track and field. He has verified track times of a 7.57-second 60-meter and a long jump of 19' 4.25". Diggs also participates in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles events.

Diggs was injured as a sophomore for Rummel in 2018, but enjoyed a breakout season last fall piling up 924 yards on 165 carries and scoring five touchdowns rushing. He added another 186 yards receiving on 26 receptions and another four scores. Overall, he accounted for 1,110 yards from scrimmage with nine trips to the end zones and a 5.6 yards per carry average.

There's a lot to like about Diggs in regards to his frame, combination of speed and physicality running the football, his ability to catch out of the backfield and so on, but the biggest obstacle right now is production. He has a ton of untapped potential that was revealed while anchoring Rummel's offense to a 13-0 record through the vaunted New Orleans Catholic League en route to beating recent state champion Baton Rouge Catholic in the Division I title game.

Diggs is a well-rounded prospect that specializes in outside runs and can be an effective receiver out of the backfield. He has quick feet and is elusive in space, can quickly change direction and has great burst and is super twitchy. Diggs is a second gear when he reaches the second level of the defense and flashes a ton of home-run threat potential.

My first time watching Diggs, he saw action in the slot for Rummel. He has good hands and he's a playmaker with the ball in his hands. In space, he can be twitchy enough to keep a defender off-balance but doesn't shy away from contact and can be physical running downhill.