chyrspchuck
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Really enjoyed Bryan Driskell's blog *free content* on ISD, I agree with a lot of what he has to say, especially the need for a couple of stud DB's in the 2011 class.
Notre Dame Football - Recruiting - A Look Ahead
Notre Dame Football - Recruiting - A Look Ahead
Recruiting - A Look Ahead
Written by Bryan Driskell Friday, 05 February 2010 13:51
After signing 23 players to scholarships for the Class of 2010 the Irish coaches will now be able to shift their entire focus on the Class of 2011. After having to spend so much time playing catch up in order to finish off this particular class they will now have to play catch up with the Class of 2011. The Class of 2010 was a very nice foundational class, but this staff must build upon this foundation with another good class next February. Here’s how I see it all shaping up:
As I count the Irish have the Irish will have 63 juniors, sophomores, and freshman on the roster next fall. If I am correct they also will have nine seniors who will have a potential 5th year of eligibility. Those players are Gary Gray (CB), Brandon Walker (K/P), Harrison Smith (S), Steve Paskorz (FB), Taylor Dever (OT), Andrew Nuss (OG), Mike Ragone (TE), Emeka Nwankwo (DE), and possibly Matt Romine (OT). Romine is the one player I am not completely certain on concerning eligibility. Of those nine players I would expect at least five to return with a potential for seven of those players to return. For the purposes of this discussion we will assume that six of those nine players return. I am including Gary Gray in the group of players who will come back for a 5th year, but a strong senior season for him could lead him to declare for the NFL Draft. So he is another potential player who could not return for the 2011 season which would open up a scholarship. But for now we will go with six 5th year seniors returning. I also will project that both Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph have monster junior seasons which will vault them to the 1st Round of the NFL Draft. That’s two more scholarships. I refuse to project that any players will quit or transfer, so I’m going to count all the remaining players on scholarship.
So that leaves Notre Dame with by my count 18 scholarships for the Class of 2011. It could be more, it could be as few as 15. But we will go with 18 for the purposes of this blog. The primary needs of this football team are obvious. They need to improve their depth along both lines. They need some depth at linebacker. We all have discussed the need for depth and talent increases in the secondary. Here is how I see this class shaping up.
QUARTERBACK (1-2 scholarships): I truly believe that unless your circumstances are unique (having 5 or more similar styled quarterbacks on your roster) it is wise to bring in a quarterback every recruiting cycle. You want to avoid seasons where you bring in three similar styled quarterbacks, as the Irish did this past fall, but Coach Kelly was in a situation where it was necessary. Coach Weis failed to bring in a quarterback in the last cycle, and with Jimmy Clausen leaving they were in a bad numbers situation. This made the three quarterbacks in this class necessary. Not getting a quarterback in this class will not be a bad thing, but I still think the Irish can and should bring in at least one quarterback. There are basically three criteria I would look for in evaluating which quarterbacks should be offered. 1) Can this quarterback be better than the guys I just signed? I do not see the point in offering another Tommy Rees or another Luke Massa. You already have those kids. I want to see a quarterback who could be better than the guys you have. 2) Is this quarterback a different style of player? All four of the guys at Notre Dame now are passer’s first who can run a little bit as well. It would not be a bad idea to bring in a guy who perhaps is a bit more of a running threat. He doesn’t have to be a run first player, but he would have to be a guy who is truly dynamic with his legs and can also throw the football. 3) Can this quarterback play another position? If they sign a second quarterback this is an absolute must in my opinion. I would also not be too upset if this kind of player is the only type of quarterback they bring in next February.
RUNNING BACK (1-2 scholarships): Two is a must if the Irish move one or more of their current running backs to another position. With Jonas Gray, Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood, and Cameron Roberson all having multiple years of eligibility remaining this is not a position of huge need from a numbers standpoint. How if Theo Riddick is moved to wide receiver on a permanent basis, or moved to defense, or if Cierre Wood is moved to defense, or any other type of move takes place than the need for a couple of backs grows. If they keep the status quo they will be fine with bringing in only one pure running back. There is a chance more could sign, but anymore than the 1-2 focused on here would have to be players who have the ability to move to another position of need (linebacker, safety, cornerback).
WIDE RECEIVER (2 scholarships): I would expect to see the Irish coaches focus on bringing in at least two more wide receivers in this class. First of all I say this, despite signing four players last year, because I believe at least one of the current incoming players will eventually land on the defensive side of the ball. Secondly, I expect the Irish to lose Duval Kamara and Michael Floyd next fall. There is talent left on the roster, but by the time this class arrives Goodman and Walker will be seniors and Evans will be a junior. I would like to see the Irish “shoot big” for receivers in this class. By that I do not mean nor do I care if they are highly ranked players; rather, what I’m referring to is for the staff to focus on bringing in guys who could be dynamic players in this offense. One guy I have seen already who I think is outstanding is DeAnthony Arnett. Getting him would be huge!!
TIGHT END (0-1 scholarships): I rarely advocate not landing a player at any offensive or defensive position; so I am not advocating for it here. But with a bit of a numbers crunch this is one position where the Irish could get away with not landing a player in this class. Despite the fact you will see Kyle Rudolph and Mike Ragone both be gone after this class finishes their freshman year, the Irish are still okay numbers wise. I see both Alex Welch and Derek Roback combining with Tyler Eifert and Jake Golic to give the Irish solid depth at the position. Eifert has a ton of ability for Kelly’s offense, so his health is a big key. If he isn’t healthy moving forward the need for a TE in this class increases.
OFFENSIVE LINE (3-4 scholarships): Despite the issues with numbers and depth, the Irish have landed some talented linemen over the past couple of seasons. As far as “prospects” you won’t find many groups better than Zach Martin, Chris Watt, Matt James, Alex Bullard, Christian Lombard, and Tate Nichols. Throw in the group of Trevor Robinson, Mike Golic Jr., Lane Clelland, and Braxston Cave. Three of that last group of players will have two years of eligibility left when this class arrives. Having said that, an influx of numbers and talent is still wanted and needed. A huge class of 5 or 6 linemen is not necessarily what the Irish need. What is needed, however, is at least 3 or 4 players with ability that fit Coach Kelly’s offense. If they can play right away great! But this class is going to be more needed for down the road needs rather than immediate needs. If the Irish land only three players they better be pretty solid players. I prefer four. The only real position that needs addressed is center. Golic and Cave will be seniors (with a possible 5th year) and Bullard is not a true center, at least not yet. If you can land a big time center, do it!
DEFENSIVE END (3 scholarships): This is one of the top need areas for the next recruiting cycle. Not only do the Irish need to improve their depth, they could seriously use a significant talent boost as well. When this class enters Notre Dame as freshmen Ethan Johnson, Kapron Lewis-Moore, and Sean Cwynar will all be seniors. I project Tyler Stockton to this position and look for him to be a very productive player at the DE position, and I like the signing of Kona Schwenke as well. But the DE position is very important for this defense. It doesn’t necessarily need the nation’s top DE, as that will be hard to get for a 3-4 defense. What it does need are some big bodied, quick, and strong players who can anchor, get a push, and free up the backers for big plays. Expect to see at least one “upside” player at this position, but I’d also like to see at least one player who can come in and be ready to play within his first two seasons. This is one position I’m keeping a keen eye on for this cycle. What I will also keep an eye on is what kind of player this staff is truly looking for. Do they want the longer, thicker, stronger players who can anchor like we see at Alabama? Or are they looking for players with good size, but with more of an emphasis on shooting gaps and getting penetration?
NOSE GUARD (1-2 scholarships): This position is not a huge area of need for immediate playing time with Brandon Newman, Hafis Williams, and Louis Nix all returning. Newman and Williams will be seniors but will have an extra year of eligibility each. Nix will only be a sophomore. There is a need at this position for the future, but that future will come relatively early. The Irish will need to land a player who could be ready to at least contribute in a reserve role by his sophomore season. Two bodies would be nice, only one is truly necessary.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (2-3 scholarships): The Irish should be loaded at this position for the next two seasons with Darius Fleming, Kerry Neal, and Steven Filer all have super potential for this position. The problem is that Neal is done after this season and both Fleming and Filer will be seniors in 2011 without any eligibility remaining. That leaves Dan Fox, Prince Shembo, and Justin Utupo as the only OLB’s who I see fitting the mold of what the Irish are likely to look for at the position. A player like Danny Spond could move here, but even if he fits outside instead of inside, there are still serious depth issues. I love the upside of Fox, Shembo, and Utupo in this defense but the Irish will absolutely need at least two players for this position for depth, but also need an infusion of talent. This might arguably be the most important position in this class.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (1-2 scholarships): This is a position that will be in relatively good hands for the next couple of seasons. Manti Te’o is only going to be a sophomore this season. Anthony McDonald will be a senior with an extra year of eligibility remaining, as will David Posluszny. Carlo Calabrese will have three years remaining and Danny Spond and Kendall Moore will also have at least three years left. There is not a need for a ton of players at this position. What I would like to see is the Irish really go after a player they identify as a special talent. If you don’t have depth issues you might as well go after a special player. It’s not a must, as I will always take a good, tough football player.
SAFETY (2 scholarships): If the Irish end up moving one of three potential safeties as I see it (Austin Collinsworth, Daniel Smith, Cierre Wood) then the depth issues are not as severe. I like some of the talents they have in Zeke Motta, Dan McCarthy, and Chris Badger but I do not see a true difference maker in this group. Teams have won championships without difference makers at safety, but it is always nice to have. This unit needs a serious talent upgrade as well as some much needed depth. Sure, Jamoris Slaughter could move to safety, as could Robert Blanton. But if you move those kids to safety who starts at cornerback in 2011? I like Slaughter quite a bit as a cornerback. One player at cornerback who I really think could develop into a solid safety is Lo Wood.
CORNERBACK (2-3 scholarships): Even if Gary Gray returns for a fifth year, when this class enters college the Irish will have Gray and Blanton in their final year and Slaughter will be a senior with only one extra year left. After that it is only Spencer Boyd and possibly Lo Wood. This position needs a serious upgrade in talent and depth. If the Irish don’t land at least 2 to 3 players in next year’s class who can play cornerback they will be in serious, serious trouble in 2011. What is going to be interesting to watch is what kind of cornerback this staff will target. Part of that depends on what type of coverages they want to play, the other part depends on what regions they want to go hardest after. It will be interesting to watch.
