Notre Dame Will Win - Eventually
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I’m the writer for small conferences and independents, so I should probably sprinkle in some coverage of Notre Dame. If I was the BCS, I’d write solely about the Fightin’ Irish and maybe add a feel good article about another team every couple of years or so. Notre Dame gets so much press because they’re Notre Dame, the same reason they can go 3-9 and still end up with the 9th best recruiting class. Notre Dame will always be able to recruit based off of their name, and this year’s class will help take a big step toward where the Irish have traditionally been.
Notre Dame finally gets more help on defense, adding DEs and ESPN top 150 players Ethan Johnson and Darius Fleming, who should help out sophomore linemen Ian Williams and Kerry Neal, top 150 players from last year that each played in all 12 games as true freshmen. They also add potential playmakers Steve Filer (ILB) and 6’1” 185 lb. safety Jamoris Slaughter, whose coverage skills and instinct should help him contribute immediately and reduce the loss of senior Tom Zbikowski. His pure athleticism could turn him into the gem of the recruiting class.
On the other side of the ball the class is focused on skill players, the most interesting of which is the #2 rated quarterback prospect Dayne Crist. The battle between him and last year’s #1 quarterback Jimmy Clausen is one almost any division 1 team would love to have. The winner will have a young but talented receiving core to throw to. Sophomore Mike Ragone and Freshman Kyle Rudolph are the leading candidates to replace leading receiver and tight end John Carlson. True sophomore Duval Kamara should lead an extremely young group of receivers and will look to improve on his 357 yards and 4 touchdowns. Also look for one of the incoming freshmen to make some plays. Mike Floyd at 6’4”has the size to step in right away and should be a favorite target for the quarterback, especially if the offensive line doesn’t improve.
Notre Dame is rebuilding and that should continue again this year. With that said, they won’t be near as bad as last year. Give them another couple of years and last season will be long forgotten. They will go through another year of growing pains but expect to see more talent than last year’s team. Look for them to progress during the year and offer a tight game against USC in the season finale. This might not be the year that the Irish return to the top, but with the talent they have and being Notre Dame, that time is not far off.
