Notre Dame linebacker recruits could be best group in country

[zbikowski88]

Good article by Tyler James on the linebacker recruits for the IrishMob13 with insights from Lemming and Farrell
Notre Dame linebacker recruits could be best group in country - southbendtribune.com

Outdueling the rest at linebacker position

Rankings Rivals 247Sports Ht. Wt
Jaylon Smith 1 OLB 1 OLB 6-3 218
Alex Anzalone 6 OLB 5 OLB 6-3 232
Doug Randolph 12 OLB 18 OLB 6-3 236
Danny Mattingly 13 TE 25 OLB 6-4 215
Michael Deeb 30 ILB 33 ILB 6-2 237

 

[NDhoosier]

Definitely excited about this group so far. Our lowest rated player (Deeb) is still very good at what he does... He seems like a Carlo Calabrese type of player who is very good at stuffing the run. I think he is rated low because he isnt as versatile as the others...

I like the addition of Mattingly, dont get me wrong, but I dont know where he fits in with this group... He is a DOG type LB right now, but Jaylon Smith is also a DOG type, and I doubt Mattingly will play much over Smith.

 

[Kak7304]

Definitely excited about this group so far. Our lowest rated player (Deeb) is still very good at what he does... He seems like a Carlo Calabrese type of player who is very good at stuffing the run. I think he is rated low because he isnt as versatile as the others...

I like the addition of Mattingly, dont get me wrong, but I dont know where he fits in with this group... He is a DOG type LB right now, but Jaylon Smith is also a DOG type, and I doubt Mattingly will play much over Smith.

Gives us more versatility with different personnel groupings. I could see Deeb and Mattingly being used like Carlo and Fox.

 

[Luckylucci]

The more I read, the more excited I get because this group could be really really good over 4 years. Especially because outside of jaylon they won't be asked to play that much right away. Also, I believe that Anzalone could be an all American and future pro inside linebacker.

 

[OCIrish]

Gives us more versatility with different personnel groupings. I could see Deeb and Mattingly being used like Carlo and Fox.

I completely agree with this in the sense that Mattingly gives you somebody who moves well in space and can cover better than what I see Deeb being able to cover.

 

[Luckylucci]

So I had to read it twice(a little slow today) but Farrell says that jaylon is one of the best linebackers in his 11 years of recruiting! That is a huge
compliment

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Jaylon is just an absurd athlete. Future All American.

 

[Kak7304]

I completely agree with this in the sense that Mattingly gives you somebody who moves well in space and can cover better than what I see Deeb being able to cover.

With the wide range of offenses encountered in college football, it's good to have guys that can do both. We play some smash mouth teams where a run stuffer like Deeb/Carlo are good and then many spread teams where Mattingly/Fox are a better choice.

 

[OCIrish]

With the wide range of offenses encountered in college football, it's good to have guys that can do both. We play some smash mouth teams where a run stuffer like Deeb/Carlo are good and then many spread teams where Mattingly/Fox are a better choice.

I could not agree more!!

 

[scUM Hater]

Pure speculation at this point. Please dont compare anyone to calabrese, it is unfair. Pass coverage.... I hope they are as advertised though, been through this too much

 

[ResLife Hero]

My hope is that with our depth, we see a lot of Jaylon as a freshman and have the luxury of redshirting Mattingly (who I think will end up even better than Spond). That would give us 2 sick DOG linebackers within 2 years and a lock to fill that position for the next 5 years.

To me, the DOG position is what makes this defense work or not because it allows us to avoid shifting personnel just to cover a slot receiver.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

Pure speculation at this point. Please dont compare anyone to calabrese, it is unfair. Pass coverage.... I hope they are as advertised though, been through this too much

Ridiculous comment. Go back and watch the UM game and get back to me.

 

[NDhoosier]

Calabrese is considered a pure run-stuffing MLB, and I am saying Deeb is the same type of LB. I am not comparing talent between them, heck, Deeb could be better than Calabrese later down the road, who knows. But i consider them a very similar type of MLB, I think others would agree.