This past Wednesday marked one of the most exciting (non-gameday) days associated with college football, National Signing Day. As of 7:00am local time, recruits all across the country were allowed sign with a school and fax in their Letter of Intents. While having a top rated recruiting class does not necessarily translate to on-the-field success, it certainly makes it easier to have talent. On Wednesday, the University of Alabama signed the top ranked recruiting class according to Rivals.com. This was the 5th time in 6 years that Alabama has garnered such ranking. These top-rated recruiting classes have helped Alabama win 3 out of the last 4 BCS National Championship. As Notre Dame found out on January 7th, there is a major talent gap between Alabama and everyone else. To win a national title, Notre Dame needs to close that gap. On Wednesday, Notre Dame took a huge step in the right direction.
Notre Dame was able to haul in an impressive class of recruits that placed them 3rd in the country. In all, 24 teenagers agreed to join the Fighting Irish. Amongst those recruits were four 5-star players, fourteen 4-star players, and six 3-star players. To demonstrate how impressive this class looks on paper, only three 5-star players signed with Notre Dame in the previous three classes combined. While Notre Dame has certainly had good recruiting classes under Head Coach Brian Kelly, none have come clo€se to this one. In Kelly’s first year, a shared class with former coach Charlie Weis, the Irish ranked 14th. In 2011, they ranked 10th, and in 2012 they ranked 20th. Throw in the 21st ranked class in 2009 during the last full Weis’ season, and it is remarkable to think Brian Kelly led the Irish to an undefeated season without a “great” recruiting class. This year’s 3rd ranked class shows what winning can do to help recruiting. If Notre Dame can continue to reach BCS bowl games, then they should be able to consistently have top 5 recruiting classes. It will be interesting to see how Brian Kelly can develop this kind of talent, and what kind of success he can have in closing the gap with Alabama.
I would like to breakdown this class by position, and talk about what I expect each player’s future to look like. Let’s take a look at the new members of the Fighting Irish.
Quarterback-The lone recruit for the quarterback position is Malik Zaire (4-stars). Zaire is the 3rd rated dual-threat quarterback in the country and appears to be an ideal fit for Brian Kelly’s spread offense. Zaire has enrolled early this spring, and will have both spring and summer practices to learn the offense. With that being said, I fully expect Zaire to be redshirted this season. Notre Dame currently has four other scholarship quarterbacks on their roster in Everett Golson, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, and Gunner Kiel, so there is a logjam at the position. With Golson, the presumed starter, having 3 years of eligibility remaining, and Kiel with 4 years left, it may be a few years before Zaire makes an impact on the field.
Running Back-With running backs Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick now gone, Notre Dame recruited this position extremely hard. Their efforts landed them two big recruits out of the state of Florida. The first is 5-star back, Greg Bryant. Notre Dame has not had a 5-star running back since James Aldridge in 2006, and they hope that Bryant will have a better career. The second is 4-star back, Tarean Folston, who joins Notre Dame because they were able to hold off Auburn’s late push to try and steal Folston. With Bryant and Folston, Notre Dame has landed two “SEC-type” running backs. Bryant gives the Irish a powerful back that can also break one for 60-yards, whereas Folston will provide more speed and run outside the tackles. Neither recruit has enrolled early, but I expect both to have a shot for playing time. In fact, it would not surprise me if Greg Bryant starts on August 31st vs Temple. At the very least, Bryant should receive carries early on during the season, and could be the “featured back” come mid-season. Folston should also have a shot at earning playing time, but I would not be surprised if Kelly redshirts him. Notre Dame already has a speedster in George Atkinson III, and Kelly may want to save his eligibility for when Atkinson leaves after 2014. With Atkinson, Bryant, USC transfer Amir Carlisle, and Will Mahone coming off a redshirt from 2012, the Irish backfield should be loaded once again.
Wide Receiver-The wide receiver position was pretty weak after the departure of Michael Floyd following the 2011 season. Last year, TJ Jones and Davaris Daniels emerged as starters and should be one of the top tandems in the country next season. In addition, 3 freshmen (Chris Brown, Davonte Neal, and Justin Ferguson) either redshirted or played sparingly last season and should now be ready for larger roles. Joining Notre Dame’s receiving corps will be four 4-star recruits. Two of the four are already in South Bend as early enrollees. James Onwualu and Corey Robinson (son of former NBA star David Robinson) should have a leg up on the other two recruits. William Fuller and Torii Hunter Jr. (yes, that Torii Hunter) are the other two receivers set to join the Irish this summer. Hunter has just started to recover from a broken leg, and will have a lot of work to do to see the field this season. Given the injury, I am expecting a redshirt. Onwualu, Robinson, and Fuller will all have a chance to prove if they can play, but I am not expecting much of an impact from any of them this season. It is hard for wide receivers to make an immediate impact, and Kelly has already shown he is willing to redshirt talent at the position. With Daniels, Jones, Daniel Smith, Brown, Neal, and Ferguson already ahead of the four newcomers on the depth chart, playing time will be slim. Expect the four recruits to learn the offense this year and become a very strong group in a couple years.
Tight End-“Tight End U” has lost another prospect to the NFL in Tyler Eifert. To help fill the void, Notre Dame has signed three recruits in Mike Heuerman, Durham Smythe, and Jacob Matuska. Out of the three, Heuerman has the best chance to make an impact next season. Heuerman is a 4-star recruit and has enrolled this spring. With spring and summer practices, Heuerman has a chance to step right in and fill some of the void left after Eifert’s departure. At 6 foot 4 inches and 220 pounds, Heuerman has the body type and athleticism (4.69-40 yard dash) to replace Eifert’s role when he was spread out wide and ran wide receiver type routes. Durham Smythe (3-stars) has more of a natural tight end’s body and should eventually take on the blocking role that junior Troy Niklas did this past season. Smythe figures to be more of a project and will likely redshirt this season with Heuerman, Junior Ben Koyack, and Niklas all ahead of him on the depth chart. Jacob Matuska (3-stars) has been rumored to be moving to either defensive end or offensive tackle. Given this news, expect a redshirt and for it to take a few years before he makes an impact.
Offensive Line-Since Brian Kelly has arrived, he has constantly stated that recruiting offensive lineman will be a top priority. This recruiting class is no exception. On Wednesday, Notre Dame was able to sign five massive offensive linemen. To illustrate that, the five recruits’ average height is 6 foot 6.4 inches and 290.4 pounds. With four or five years to grow and develop this groups could turn into the biggest lines in the country. Since Notre Dame has been recruiting the offensive line so hard, and have 3 returning starters, these guys will not be forced into action. Out of the five, early enrollee Steve Elmer (4-star) has the best chance to make an impact next season. Brian Kelly has already called him “the best offensive lineman in the country” when comparing him to other recruits. Elmer will have a chance to learn and develop over the spring and summer practices, so expect him to play some this season and maybe even start later in the season if an injury occurs. The remaining four, John Montelus (4-stars), Hunter Bivin (4-stars), Mike McGlinchey (4-stars), and Colin McGovern (3-stars) will all be joining the Irish for summer camp. I expect these four to either be redshirted or only used if Notre Dame were to need them due to injury later in the season. In the end, these five recruits have a chance to build something special together and form a formidable line for years to come.
Defensive Line-The defensive line has always been Brain Kelly’s other main recruiting focus since he took the job following the 2009 season. Since Kelly has recruited the position so heavily the last couple years, he did not need to acquire a handful of recruits. Instead of focusing on quantity, Kelly was able to get two elite prospects at the position. Isaac Rochell (4-stars) committed to Notre Dame last summer and will join the Irish this summer to compete for playing time at defensive end. With Kapron-Lewis Moore gone, the Irish will need a replacement a defensive end. Right now, sophomore Sheldon Day should have the advantage after receiving a lot of playing time this year. However, I think Rochell’s talent will be hard to ignore and I expect him to receive playing time by rotating in on the defensive line. Along with Rochell, the Irish will welcome Eddie Vanderdoes (5-stars) to South Bend this summer when he officially committed and signed on Wednesday night. Perhaps the last commitment for the Irish will prove to be the best one, because I expect Vanderdoes to make an immediate impact. Louis Nix III will return for his senior season at nose guard, but Vanderdoes is too talented to sit on the bench. I expect Nix and Vanderdoes to be rotating quite a bit to keep both guys as fresh and explosive as possible. I would not be surprised to see Vanderdoes on the field during passing situations to provide a pass rush up the middle, and he will also be used during short-yardage and goal-line situations. Needless to say, the Irish have added more talent to an already elite group of lineman of Nix, Day, Stephon Tuitt, and Jarron Jones.
Linebacker-Manti Te’o is gone. But, Prince Shembo, Carlo Calabrese, Dan Fox, and Danny Spond all return with ample starting experience. Despite that, Notre Dame still added three strong recruits to the mix. Leading the way is Jaylon Smith (5-stars). Smith comes into Notre Dame this summer as the 3rd rated prospect overall in the country, as well as the top linebacker. If Smith was an early enrollee, I would think he would have an excellent chance at starting out of the gate. Since he isn’t, Smith will have little time to prove that he is better than the experienced bunch the Irish already have. Given his position as drop linebacker, Smith will be competing with Danny Spond for one of the outside linebacker spots. Brian Kelly has already stated that the best player will start. On Wednesday Kelly was asked about the possible position battle, “If Danny Spond is [among] the best 11, he’s playing. If Jaylon Smith is [among] the best 11, he’s playing.’’ Given those statements, I expect Smith to give Spond a run for his money. Smith is a tremendous athlete, as evident with his 1,625 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, and will at the very least receive playing time early on. I expect Spond to win the job initially, but think that Smith will be the starter by mid-season. Doug Randolph (4-stars) and Michael Deeb (3-stars) are the other two linebackers coming to Notre Dame this summer. Randolph is an outside linebacker and is projected to play the cat position. The cat position is currently occupied by senior Prince Shembo, and don’t think Randolph will get much playing time this season. Therefore, I would guess that Randolph is redshirted and groomed to take over for Shembo starting in 2014. Michael Deeb comes to South Bend this summer as a middle linebacker project. Brian Kelly wants him to get bigger, and with plenty of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, a redshirt is certain for this season.
Secondary-Perhaps the weakest position in terms of talent and depth for Notre Dame last season was the defensive backfield. To help counter that, Brian Kelly was able to bring in four talented newcomers that will join the Irish this summer. Max Redfield (5-stars) headlines the group. Redfield is a safety recruit, and his impact this season depends greatly on the status of Jamarious Slaughter. Slaughter is in the process of appealing the NCAA’s decision to reject his request to a 6th season of eligibility. If Slaughter wins the appeal, he will start alongside with Matthias Farley. If Slaughter loses the appeal, then I expect Redfield to start immediately. Notre Dame would have too big of a need at the position, and Redfield is too talented for that not to happen. Even if Redfield doesn’t start because Slaughter stays, expect an ample amount of playing time during nickel and dime situations. Adding to the Irish cornerback positions will be Cole Luke (4-stars) and Devin Butler (3-stars). Luke comes in as the 11th rated cornerback in the country and should see the field in passing situations. Luke has talent to compete for a starting job, but Bennett Jackson and KeiVarae Russell are both returning and both should still start. Butler is considered the lesser prospect, but Brian Kelly hinted that he will also have an opportunity to compete for playing time. Given Notre Dame’s lack of depth at the position, I don’t expect a redshirt, and Butler could see limited action this fall. The last recruit to join the secondary is athlete Rashad Kinlaw (3-stars). Kinlaw could play either receiver or defensive back, but as of now appears to be headed towards the defensive side of the ball. Given his lack of position uncertainty, I would expect a redshirt coming his way this season. In all, the Irish have added great talent and depth to a relatively weak group.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Update: Jamarious Slaughter has lost his appeal for a sixth season. Therefore, I expect Max Redfield to have a tremendous opportunity to win a starting role this fall.
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