Notre Dame Recruiting- A Work in Progress

IRISHbluehen

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Notre Dame Recruiting Preview
Hey guys,
I know I haven’t posted much on here, or at all for that matter, but I was extremely bored at work yesterday. I decided to do a write up on Notre Dame recruiting at this time. Since no one else that I know is as insane about ND recruiting as to read a 2000 word write up on it, I figured some people on here may find it informative. I apologize for any spelling errors as I had to keep one eye on my boss while I wrote it.

QB

Looking like the irish will strike out on their number one target, Gunner Kiel. He is rumored to be deciding within the next few weeks and recent chatter has pointed to IU where his brother is presently the starting QB. The suspected leader for months now has been OU and Bama has been mentioned as well. After Kiel, the next target is Maty Mauk, a shotgun, spread QB with gaudy high school stats. It was long expected that Mauk would commit soon after his last visit but that commitment never came. It has been rumored that Mizzou was making a run at him as well as Michigan. He will be on the ND within the next month for a 7 on 7 tournament so a commitment is possible then. The Irish were also interested in the nephew of the great Jim Kelly, Chad Kelly. He has since cut Notre Dame from his list. Notre Dame has already started recruiting a few big name QBs from the 2013 class. The highlight of this group is Corey Todd of Florida. His body type and bruising running style have garnered him comparisons to Tim Tebow. It is possible that the Irish skip on a QB this cycle so don’t be surprised if that happens. Then again its only June so who knows.

RB

Running back is a huge position of need for the Irish during this cycle. With only 4 scholarship RBs on the roster at this time look for ND to take 2 in this class. The highlight of the class is Keith Marshall who is arguably the best RB in the nation. He has talked about taking a visit to South Bend sometime and was supposed to be here for the Spring game. He is good friends with ATH Ronald Darby and Darby has been in his ear recruiting him to play together. An official visit for the USC game has been talked about but nothing is set at this time. Mike Frank of rivals.com has said that he thinks ND has a better shot at Marshall than many think and that he will give them a long look. Popular opinion states that UGA is the favorite. After Marshall there are several other replacements. William Mahone is a bruising, between the tackles back from the state of Ohio. He will be visiting ND sometime during June. PSU looks to be the main competition for the services of Mr. Mahone. Another Marshall, Byron, has shown Irish interest but the news on him has been quiet lately. Look for this to be a battle with most of the Pac 12 especially the CA schools. Brian Kimbrow is a hot recruit out of the state of TN. Notre Dame recently offered one of his teammates. He has publicly stated that Vanderbilt is his favorite at this time which many people have seen as a head scratcher. Will Kimbrow spurn the Irish for a bottom-feeder SEC team? Only time can tell.

WR

WR is also a position of need for this class. Floyd will be gone after this season and the Irish will need a new go to receiver. The obvious choice to replace him is the number 1 player in the class Dorial Green-Beckham. DGB is one of the better prospects in a long time and has garnered comparisons to Randy Moss without the attitude problem. He has visited Bama, OU several times and Mizzou. There are rumors that he will be making a visit to ND sometime this summer but these reports can neither be confirmed or denied. His adoptive father, John Beckham, is good friends with Zeke Motta's father so there may be some sort of Notre Dame in but that is still yet to be seen. Get him on campus and there's a chance but to me, this looks like a OU vs Mizzou battle. The irish already have commitments from two WRs. Deontay Greenberry, Shepard's cousin, has blown up on the 7 v 7 circuit. He is already a four star on Rivals and hopefully will continue to show well. They also have a commitment from Justin Ferguson, a big bodied WR from Fla. He is more of an under the radar pick up but could develop into a solid player for the Irish. Bryce Treggs seems to be the top target for the slot position. He was blown away on his visit and there were rumors that he wanted to verbal on the spot. There seems to be some outside pressure to stay on the West coast, namely Cal. Look for this recruitment to go awhile. Another slot prospect for the Irish is Zac Brooks out of Arkansas. He is explosive and seems to be legitimately interested in the Irish. He wants to get up to SB for a visit sometime this summer. He is one of my favorite recruits in this class. His coach was recently interviewed on Rivals and he talked about how Zac really is a Notre Dame-kid so take that for what its worth. Amara Darboh is another prospect that seems to be highly interested. It was rumored that he would commit after the Spring game but no such commitment has come. It should also be noted that one of his HS teammates will be walking on to the ND team this fall. Malik Gilmore is another big body receiver that has been said to be high on ND.

OL

OL recruiting is always a priority for a team that wants to be elite. ND needs to continue to do a good job recruiting the OL if they want to be successful. Games are won at the line of scrimmage. This year look for 3 or four lineman to be taken. The irish already have 2 commitments, Taylor Decker out of OH and Mark Harrell from NC. Mark Harrell projects to be an interior lineman at the next level and Decker is destined to be a tackle. The other one or two spots are for the more elite prospects ND is going after this cycle. Andrus Peat is the first name that comes to mind. He is a mountain out of AZ. He was also supposed to be present for the spring game but had to cancel. He has talked about taking a visit to ND in the middle of June so stay tuned to see if that does indeed occur. The next elite prospect is John Theus. He has long been considered a UGA lean but recently put ND is in top 6. He has also talked about a visit over the summer. He is best friends with John Heck, ND legacy. Watch for a Heck offer if the staff thinks they could land both as a package deal.(not a fan of offering someone just for the package but you do what you gotta do) The next prospect is Zach Banner from WA. He is a UWash legacy but is wide open at this time. He has set up an official visit for the USC game. He wants to play both fball and bball at the next level but logic would point to his future as a huge bookend tackle. Josh Garnett is another stud from CA that has been very quiet but has shown ND interest. The transfer of Prestwood also makes the number for this upcoming cycle a little different.

DL

The irish pulled in a historic DE hall last year. Tuitt, Ishaq, and Lynch will be names long remembered by Irish fans even if they never contribute on the field (which seems highly unlikely judging by Lynchs performance in the spring game) Dont look for the Irish to go after a large number of DEs in this class. Chances are they will want to sign one or two DEs but they definitely want at least one stud that can project into Diaco's scheme as a NT at the next level. Tommy Schutt is a big prospect that could play NT but news on him has cooled as of late. Aziz Sh!ttu, previously a stanford verbal, has reopened his recruitment and has shown interest in the Irish. He is a stud that could play inside or outside. Look for this to be a long battle. Sheldon Day is another possible NT but he doesnt have the lower body strength yet. He has already visited ND several times. Jarron Jones is a mammoth DL out of upstate New York who is a soft verbal to PSU. He has already stated that he will be taking a visit to ND sometime this summer and then again for an official visit. He is a little tall for a NT so look for him as a possible DE. Korren Kirven is a relatively new recruit visiting in June.

LB
LB is another position that the Irish loaded up on last cycle. Look for Kelly to put a premium on the number of prospects he is willing to take in this class. The most highly regarded OLB in this class was Noor Davis. He pulled a bit of a shocker when he verballed to Stanford over ND and UF. He has stated that he will take official visits and has promised the Irish one of these visits. I have a feeling that Noor may end up in the blue and gold. The next prospect after Davis is Ifeadi Obdenigho (sp). He has placed ND on his short list and has previously been to campus. Look for this to be a ND Stanford battle with Stanford leading at this time. The irish recently got a commitment from David Perkins, a local standout who projects as an OLB or power back at the next level. The best prospect is Noah Spence. He was supposed to be at a junior day at ND in feb but could not attend due to inclement weather. ND needs a visit in order to be a real player for Spence. I personally watched Spence play in the PA state championship game and I can say he was dominant on the field. He is a dynamic pass rusher and can be seen all over the field. PSU looks to be the early favorite. I anticipate a 430 AM Diaco visit for Spence. As for ILB, the prospects are very few. James Ross was an early offer but has since committed to Michigan. David

DB

DB is a big priority for this cycle and has been evidenced by the staffs aggressiveness on the recruiting trail. They already have commitments from 2 of the top 10 CBs in Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard. They also have two safety commitments in CJ Prosise and Nicky Barratti. There have been rumors that Barratti wants to play QB in college so keeping his commitment may be a challenge. The Irish are still in the running with several other big time prospects. Shaq Thompson, the number 1 safety in the land, has talked about taking a visit to ND. Deon Bush from FLA has also talked about taking a visit to ND this summer. The dui from Don Bosco prep, Yuri Wright and Elijah Shumate, have also shown a large amount of interest. Yuri Wright has been rumored to be a ND lean earlier in the year but only time can tell. Geno Smith is also a big time recruit from the state of GA that is taking a visit to ND in the next month. He has shown good interest in the Irish but recently named Auburn and Bama as his favorites. Never know what could happen when him and his MOM visit later this month.

Hope everyone enjoyed this. This is all based on my personal feelings. No inside info or anything like that. If anyone has specific questions I can answer them to the best of my ability. I’ll try to post an update to this whenever I get a chance. GO IRISH
-IRISHBluehen
 

Couv Domer

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Notre Dame Recruiting Preview
Hey guys,
I know I haven’t posted much on here, or at all for that matter, but I was extremely bored at work yesterday. I decided to do a write up on Notre Dame recruiting at this time. Since no one else that I know is as insane about ND recruiting as to read a 2000 word write up on it, I figured some people on here may find it informative. I apologize for any spelling errors as I had to keep one eye on my boss while I wrote it.

QB

Looking like the irish will strike out on their number one target, Gunner Kiel. He is rumored to be deciding within the next few weeks and recent chatter has pointed to IU where his brother is presently the starting QB. The suspected leader for months now has been OU and Bama has been mentioned as well. After Kiel, the next target is Maty Mauk, a shotgun, spread QB with gaudy high school stats. It was long expected that Mauk would commit soon after his last visit but that commitment never came. It has been rumored that Mizzou was making a run at him as well as Michigan. He will be on the ND within the next month for a 7 on 7 tournament so a commitment is possible then. The Irish were also interested in the nephew of the great Jim Kelly, Chad Kelly. He has since cut Notre Dame from his list. Notre Dame has already started recruiting a few big name QBs from the 2013 class. The highlight of this group is Corey Todd of Florida. His body type and bruising running style have garnered him comparisons to Tim Tebow. It is possible that the Irish skip on a QB this cycle so don’t be surprised if that happens. Then again its only June so who knows.

RB

Running back is a huge position of need for the Irish during this cycle. With only 4 scholarship RBs on the roster at this time look for ND to take 2 in this class. The highlight of the class is Keith Marshall who is arguably the best RB in the nation. He has talked about taking a visit to South Bend sometime and was supposed to be here for the Spring game. He is good friends with ATH Ronald Darby and Darby has been in his ear recruiting him to play together. An official visit for the USC game has been talked about but nothing is set at this time. Mike Frank of rivals.com has said that he thinks ND has a better shot at Marshall than many think and that he will give them a long look. Popular opinion states that UGA is the favorite. After Marshall there are several other replacements. William Mahone is a bruising, between the tackles back from the state of Ohio. He will be visiting ND sometime during June. PSU looks to be the main competition for the services of Mr. Mahone. Another Marshall, Byron, has shown Irish interest but the news on him has been quiet lately. Look for this to be a battle with most of the Pac 12 especially the CA schools. Brian Kimbrow is a hot recruit out of the state of TN. Notre Dame recently offered one of his teammates. He has publicly stated that Vanderbilt is his favorite at this time which many people have seen as a head scratcher. Will Kimbrow spurn the Irish for a bottom-feeder SEC team? Only time can tell.

WR

WR is also a position of need for this class. Floyd will be gone after this season and the Irish will need a new go to receiver. The obvious choice to replace him is the number 1 player in the class Dorial Green-Beckham. DGB is one of the better prospects in a long time and has garnered comparisons to Randy Moss without the attitude problem. He has visited Bama, OU several times and Mizzou. There are rumors that he will be making a visit to ND sometime this summer but these reports can neither be confirmed or denied. His adoptive father, John Beckham, is good friends with Zeke Motta's father so there may be some sort of Notre Dame in but that is still yet to be seen. Get him on campus and there's a chance but to me, this looks like a OU vs Mizzou battle. The irish already have commitments from two WRs. Deontay Greenberry, Shepard's cousin, has blown up on the 7 v 7 circuit. He is already a four star on Rivals and hopefully will continue to show well. They also have a commitment from Justin Ferguson, a big bodied WR from Fla. He is more of an under the radar pick up but could develop into a solid player for the Irish. Bryce Treggs seems to be the top target for the slot position. He was blown away on his visit and there were rumors that he wanted to verbal on the spot. There seems to be some outside pressure to stay on the West coast, namely Cal. Look for this recruitment to go awhile. Another slot prospect for the Irish is Zac Brooks out of Arkansas. He is explosive and seems to be legitimately interested in the Irish. He wants to get up to SB for a visit sometime this summer. He is one of my favorite recruits in this class. His coach was recently interviewed on Rivals and he talked about how Zac really is a Notre Dame-kid so take that for what its worth. Amara Darboh is another prospect that seems to be highly interested. It was rumored that he would commit after the Spring game but no such commitment has come. It should also be noted that one of his HS teammates will be walking on to the ND team this fall. Malik Gilmore is another big body receiver that has been said to be high on ND.

OL

OL recruiting is always a priority for a team that wants to be elite. ND needs to continue to do a good job recruiting the OL if they want to be successful. Games are won at the line of scrimmage. This year look for 3 or four lineman to be taken. The irish already have 2 commitments, Taylor Decker out of OH and Mark Harrell from NC. Mark Harrell projects to be an interior lineman at the next level and Decker is destined to be a tackle. The other one or two spots are for the more elite prospects ND is going after this cycle. Andrus Peat is the first name that comes to mind. He is a mountain out of AZ. He was also supposed to be present for the spring game but had to cancel. He has talked about taking a visit to ND in the middle of June so stay tuned to see if that does indeed occur. The next elite prospect is John Theus. He has long been considered a UGA lean but recently put ND is in top 6. He has also talked about a visit over the summer. He is best friends with John Heck, ND legacy. Watch for a Heck offer if the staff thinks they could land both as a package deal.(not a fan of offering someone just for the package but you do what you gotta do) The next prospect is Zach Banner from WA. He is a UWash legacy but is wide open at this time. He has set up an official visit for the USC game. He wants to play both fball and bball at the next level but logic would point to his future as a huge bookend tackle. Josh Garnett is another stud from CA that has been very quiet but has shown ND interest. The transfer of Prestwood also makes the number for this upcoming cycle a little different.

DL

The irish pulled in a historic DE hall last year. Tuitt, Ishaq, and Lynch will be names long remembered by Irish fans even if they never contribute on the field (which seems highly unlikely judging by Lynchs performance in the spring game) Dont look for the Irish to go after a large number of DEs in this class. Chances are they will want to sign one or two DEs but they definitely want at least one stud that can project into Diaco's scheme as a NT at the next level. Tommy Schutt is a big prospect that could play NT but news on him has cooled as of late. Aziz Sh!ttu, previously a stanford verbal, has reopened his recruitment and has shown interest in the Irish. He is a stud that could play inside or outside. Look for this to be a long battle. Sheldon Day is another possible NT but he doesnt have the lower body strength yet. He has already visited ND several times. Jarron Jones is a mammoth DL out of upstate New York who is a soft verbal to PSU. He has already stated that he will be taking a visit to ND sometime this summer and then again for an official visit. He is a little tall for a NT so look for him as a possible DE. Korren Kirven is a relatively new recruit visiting in June.

LB
LB is another position that the Irish loaded up on last cycle. Look for Kelly to put a premium on the number of prospects he is willing to take in this class. The most highly regarded OLB in this class was Noor Davis. He pulled a bit of a shocker when he verballed to Stanford over ND and UF. He has stated that he will take official visits and has promised the Irish one of these visits. I have a feeling that Noor may end up in the blue and gold. The next prospect after Davis is Ifeadi Obdenigho (sp). He has placed ND on his short list and has previously been to campus. Look for this to be a ND Stanford battle with Stanford leading at this time. The irish recently got a commitment from David Perkins, a local standout who projects as an OLB or power back at the next level. The best prospect is Noah Spence. He was supposed to be at a junior day at ND in feb but could not attend due to inclement weather. ND needs a visit in order to be a real player for Spence. I personally watched Spence play in the PA state championship game and I can say he was dominant on the field. He is a dynamic pass rusher and can be seen all over the field. PSU looks to be the early favorite. I anticipate a 430 AM Diaco visit for Spence. As for ILB, the prospects are very few. James Ross was an early offer but has since committed to Michigan. David

DB

DB is a big priority for this cycle and has been evidenced by the staffs aggressiveness on the recruiting trail. They already have commitments from 2 of the top 10 CBs in Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard. They also have two safety commitments in CJ Prosise and Nicky Barratti. There have been rumors that Barratti wants to play QB in college so keeping his commitment may be a challenge. The Irish are still in the running with several other big time prospects. Shaq Thompson, the number 1 safety in the land, has talked about taking a visit to ND. Deon Bush from FLA has also talked about taking a visit to ND this summer. The dui from Don Bosco prep, Yuri Wright and Elijah Shumate, have also shown a large amount of interest. Yuri Wright has been rumored to be a ND lean earlier in the year but only time can tell. Geno Smith is also a big time recruit from the state of GA that is taking a visit to ND in the next month. He has shown good interest in the Irish but recently named Auburn and Bama as his favorites. Never know what could happen when him and his MOM visit later this month.

Hope everyone enjoyed this. This is all based on my personal feelings. No inside info or anything like that. If anyone has specific questions I can answer them to the best of my ability. I’ll try to post an update to this whenever I get a chance. GO IRISH
-IRISHBluehen

Nice summary IrishBluehen!
One quick comment on OL; Josh Garnett is from WA, not CA. His father played D for UW, and as you mentioned, he'll be tough to pull away. Zach Banner's only legacy to UW is that his sp*rm donor is former UW all-american Lincoln Kennedy, but Zach does not consider Kennedy his dad and doesn't have any real contact with him, so probably an easier get than Garnett.
 

Ricochet

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well done, however you had a typo of CA instead of WA, though it was obvious that you meant WA.

Sorry to nitpick as the post was great but also wanted to point out that while according to the recruiting services that iShaq is listed as a DE because most programs are 4-3 but he's without question a LB and not part of the DE haul.

Also Noah Spence is being recruited as a DE and not a OLB like once thought, this is from Spence himself.
 

Whiskeyjack

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Not a bad summary, but your wall of text made my eyes bleed.
 

IRISHbluehen

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Thanks for the feedback everyone I apologize for the length, I got on a roll and couldn't stop ill make sure I cut down on the word count in the future
 

Whiskeyjack

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Thanks for the feedback everyone I apologize for the length, I got on a roll and couldn't stop ill make sure I cut down on the word count in the future

It wasn't the length so much as the formatting. Better spacing, bolded section titles, etc. would help a lot.
 

OCIrish

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Bluehen-fine summary, I might add that Garnett might not be that tough a pull as he and Banner are really good friends and have discussed playing in college together.
 

beryirish

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I began to slur my words together as I was reading.....good write up though
 

CtDomer

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One other nit: "Mike Frank of Rivals.com"

I think Mike would take exception, at least if you are referring to Mike Frank of Irish Sports Daily
 

MacIrish75

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You fellas would make excellent high school English teachers! Good post, dude...typos and all.
 

MadMasher

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Nice post man very informative. Gotta agree with macirish75. Anyone that wants to take that much time typing up a post with that much info get props in my book. Besiders the typos makes it feel like I wrote it myself... LOL





Caught a skunkbadger in my livetrap this morning. :cannibal:
 

Irish Man3

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I have the strange yet confident feeling that Kimbrow and Redmond end up at UT.

Visited the campus in Knoxville for the 5th time this past weekend. I think he is throwing Vandy out there as a leader to get Tennessee to offer Redmond. Once they do, I see him at Rocky Top as well.
 

timm3117

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Thanks for the post! Not that I read it. :) Recruiting bores the **** out of me. The coaches get paid to deal with that stress, I don't. :)
 

NYIrish14

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I have the strange yet confident feeling that Kimbrow and Redmond end up at UT.

Totally agree it seems like Ten. kids beat around the bush alot saying their going to visit this school, and are interested in this school blah blah blah and in the end they wind up a UT. Just like last year with Cameron Clear and Antonio Richardson they both talked alot about other schools but in the end wound up where they were expected to. But on another note, Spence is being recruited as a 3-4 end now?? Not a OLB?? When did this happen?
 

Ironman8

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Great Hansen article on 5 recruiting issues for the staff (sorry for the length, but I really liked the article):

Lather, rinse, repeat?

It’s not just a template for shampooing heads. College football recruiters could take a cue from it.

It’s the “repeat” part that apparently trips up so many.

“After a coaching staff assembles a great recruiting class, there’s a natural complacency, it seems,” CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. “And that’s been a particularly disturbing pattern at Notre Dame.

“Notre Dame has not put together great classes, back to back, since 1989 and 1990. Head coach Brian Kelly has a chance to do it this year, but he won’t be able to do it alone. All nine assistants have to do their part. And that hasn’t happened very often at Notre Dame in the past 20 years.”

Kelly has amassed a class of 10 players so far, heavy in defensive backs and wide receivers, with national signing day roughly 7½ months away. The following are the five pressing issues that will shape whether the 2012 class is framed as great-to-the-second-power or another disappointing encore.

1. The Must-Get Guys

Lemming doesn’t sense urgency from the Notre Dame staff in landing an elite quarterback recruit in this class, but the recruiting analyst views it as the No. 1 remaining priority.

“I think you have to take a top quarterback in every class,” Lemming said. “They (the Irish coaching staff) think they have four impact guys right now, but what if one or two of them decided to transfer? That’s why I’d put Gunner Kiel at the top of the wish list. The problem is I don’t think Notre Dame is going to end up with him.”

Who will the Irish end up with? The following is what Lemming believes the wish list should look like:

* The Impact Quarterback: Lemming thinks the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Kiel, the nephew of former Notre Dame QB Blair Kiel, will end up at Alabama, Oklahoma or Michigan. Kiel, Lemming’s No. 2 overall prospect, is a senior-to-be at Columbus (Ind.) East High School.

Another elite QB whom Lemming said would project well into ND’s offense is Cyler Miles from Mullen High in Denver, but Miles committed to Washington earlier this month.

“That may leave Maty Mauk,” Lemming said of the 6-2, 185-pound Kenton, Ohio product, whose only other offers are from Cincinnati, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and Vanderbilt.

* The Game-Changing Running Back: Lemming projected Barry Sanders of Heritage Hall High in Oklahoma City as the best fit.

The problem is the 5-11, 190-pounder and son of NFL Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders just eliminated the Irish from consideration.

The nation’s No. 10 prospect on Wednesday whittled his list to four finalists: his dad’s alma mater — Oklahoma State, Florida State, Alabama, and Stanford.

The good news is the running back crop this year is as deep as it’s been in a decade.

* The Elite Left Offensive Tackle: Andrus Peat, the No. 15 player nationally regardless of position, recently took an unofficial visit to ND, per Lemming.

The 6-7, 305-pound Peat plays at Corona Del Sol High in Tempe, Ariz. The Irish do have an impending transfer from Florida State, in freshman Jordan Prestwood, who fits the elite mold as well. He is expected to arrive in August, then sit out the 2011 season to satisfy NCAA transfer requirements.

“Prestwood has the potential to be one of the top tackles in the country, but you need more than one,” Lemming said. “The great programs don’t just have one great player at a position. They have several.”

“Prestwood has the potential to be one of the top tackles in the country, but you need more than one,” Lemming said. “The great programs don’t just have one great player at a position. They have several.”

Another elite tackle — Zach Banner of Lakes High in Lakewood, Wash. — recently scheduled an official visit for ND the weekend of the USC game (Oct. 22). Banner is a 6-8, 320-pounder and No. 17 on Lemming’s list.

Springfield, Mo., wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is Notre Dame's -- and seemingly everyone else's -- No. 1 recruiting target.

A new name that may move into ND’s offensive tackle mix is Kyle Kalis, a 6-5, 302-pounder from Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward High School. Kalis, the nation’s No. 61 prospect, decommited from Ohio State earlier this week and has an offer from Notre Dame.

* The Prototype Wide Receiver: Dorial Green-Beckham isn’t just the No. 1 prospect nationally for 2012. The 6-6, 220-pound wide receiver from Springfield, Mo., is being touted as a taller, more complete and saner version of NFL Pro Bowl receiver Randy Moss, who almost landed at Notre Dame in 1995.

“Dorial Green-Beckham is the best receiver Notre Dame has ever recruited — ever,” Lemming said. “He’s got more talent than Tim Brown.”

He also has a long list of suitors and has yet to visit the ND campus.

* The Next Great Front-Seven Defensive Prospect: Lemming said ND’s greatest need in the front seven, after last year’s historic haul, is a Manti Te’o-esque middle linebacker to eventually replace junior Manti Te’o.

“Unfortunately, there are not a lot of those kind of guys — knockout inside linebackers — still out there,” Lemming said, “And Notre Dame isn’t in the mix with the few that do exist.”

The Irish are in contention for Noah Spence, though. Spence is a 6-4, 245-pound defensive end from Bishop McDevitt High in Harrisburg, Pa., the same school that produced former Irish All-American Ricky Watters. Lemming has Spence listed as the No. 4 overall prospect regardless of position.

“The truth is Spence could play inside linebacker or outside linebacker too,” Lemming said. “He’s that good.”

2. Setting the stage for fall

It’s the part of recruiting that doesn’t translate well to blogs and Twitter tweets, but it’s the necessary summer groundwork that makes the difference between legitimate celebration and spin control come February.

Communication.

“You’ve got to form relationships with the players, get close to the players in the summer,” Lemming said. “If you don’t, you’re going to get eliminated in the fall, when players start to pare down their lists.”

The key, Lemming said, is to be resourceful, since coaches can’t reach out to players at this time of year. What they can do is reach out to high school coaches and ask them to have the players call, e-mail — even come visit the college coaches in person.

“It’s difficult to tell which schools are doing a great job with that now,” Lemming said. “But it will become very apparent a few months from now who did their jobs.”

3. Playing the numbers game

Lemming estimates Notre Dame has extended 200 scholarship offers for what amounts to 25 or fewer spots in next February’s recruiting class.

“Some schools have way more than that — up to 400 or 500,” Lemming said. “And I blame the NCAA for opening up Pandora’s Box.”

A recent rule change shortened the window in which written scholarship offers can be extended. The old date for the first offers to go out was Sept. 1 of a prospect’s junior year. The new date is Aug. 1 of a prospect’s senior year.

“It means there’s way more ambiguity in the process, which hurts the prospects way more than the schools,” Lemming said.

So how do schools end up with the roughly 25 players they want and not a bunch of B-listers and C-listers?

Juggling, says Lemming.

“It’s an art form,” he said. “You establish a pecking order, and then you expertly handle that pecking order.”

That means some offers have expiration dates, especially for the more-marginal prospects. You wait for the great ones and leave room for them.

And in between?

“Some kids you have to string out,” Lemming said. “A coach will tell them, ‘Take your visits, have fun, enjoy yourself.’ What they’re really saying is, ‘We want you if our top options fall through.’

“If you’re a coach, you just can’t put all your eggs in one basket. You’ve got to have backup plans. You just don’t want those backup plans to jump over the guys you really want and commit early, so you have to finesse the process.”

4. Unofficial vs. official visits

The official visit is the one recruits like to talk about. It’s also the one the school pays for.

It’s the one with the bells and whistles, the one where the volume’s cranked up, the most beautiful girls on campus just happen to cross the recruits’ paths, the one with the best parties and the best food.

It’s not necessarily the one that wins over a recruit, even at a place like Notre Dame.

“The unofficial visit is usually shorter,” Lemming said of the visits in which the recruits pay for everything, including transportation, to campus, “but it can be much more personal.

“On an official visit, the coach is preoccupied with winning the game. You usually get a little time with him on Sunday morning. With an unofficial, you can really get to know the coach. And Notre Dame’s campus in the summer is such an historic place. It’s memorable and magical.

“Part of what makes for a great recruiting year is getting your top prospects on campus in the summer, so they’ll want to come back again in the fall. If they don’t visit unofficially, it’s easier for them to say ‘no’ later on.”

5. A penchant for retention

In the last recruiting cycle, the Irish lost five players to decommitments at one point, but ended up with three of the five flipping back. Defensive end Aaron Lynch pushed away Florida State at the 11th hour and enrolled early at ND. Stephon Tuitt fought off the extreme pressure to stay home and attend Georgia Tech, thus signing with the Irish.

And Prestwood, who enrolled early at Florida State, ended up coming full circle as well. He has left FSU with the intention of enrolling at Notre Dame in August as a rare transfer.

“I’ve never seen anything like that at Notre Dame and I’d like to say you’d never see it again,” Lemming said. “But never say ‘never.’ ”

The biggest names are the ones most at risk, and that means defensive backs Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard, and wide receiver Justin Ferguson.

“Poaching has become part of the recruiting process,” Lemming said. “When a kid commits, you have to go in protection mode now. I think the Notre Dame staff learned a lot from last year.

“It was a staff that had no experience with national recruiting at a big-time program, and they got caught with their pants down. But they rebounded well. They learned quickly.

“So now they have that knowledge as they continue to work on the class of 2012. So far, it’s a good start. But Notre Dame fans expect great. Can Brian Kelly do it? The jury’s still out.”

Notre Dame football: 5 pressing issues shaping next Irish recruiting class - Page 3 - southbendtribune.com
 
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beryirish

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24/7 Early Top DB Classes

1. Notre Dame
Brian Kelly may have an offensive reputation but he’s been all defense on the recruiting trail. Following last year’s defensive line haul that was better than any other group in the country, Notre Dame is on pace to match the trenches with skill. Tee Shepard has proven himself to be among the national elite at cornerback this spring and Ronald Darby is one of the fastest players in the country at any position. COMMITMENTS: Ronald Darby, Tee Shepard, Nicky Baratti, C.J. Prosise.


Defensive backs: The top classes


I noticed Gold put this quote on 2012 Class Rankings Thread....my bad....I guess it's too good to not post again
 
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aubeirish

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I think Kelly thinks that on offense he can make good to great happen, and that on defense you need great to do great. At least, that's what it looks like to me.
 

Whiskeyjack

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I think Kelly thinks that on offense he can make good to great happen, and that on defense you need great to do great. At least, that's what it looks like to me.

From a February BK presser:

Q. This quote was attributed to you, I think it was kind of paraphrased during the Sun Bowl. You can manufacture offense but you have to recruit defense. I don't know if you actually said that or not.

Brian Kelly: Well, you can't fake it on defense. You can fake it a little bit on offense. But defensively, you know, you gotta win the one on one match ups. You've got to win those match ups. Sometimes you cannot block the defensive end and option him. Sometimes you can do things with misdirection.

But on defense, it's about players making plays, and you can't hide there. And so the recruiting efforts start with the defensive line, and they work out from there. And you can't fake it on defense. You've got to be able to you've got to be able to recruit the players.
 
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