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This time next week, Notre Dame's class of 2016 recruiting efforts will be in full swing. With the March 21st Junior Day set to serve as the unofficial start date to the recruiting season for the Irish, the operation will only pick up with scholarship offers, visits and commitments.
But before everything gets lost in the shuffle, it's time to address a certain group of prospects for the Irish.
Notre Dame - traditionally - has had success recruiting the relatives of current and former Irish athletes. The class of 2016 looks like it will be no different. The Fighting Irish have already made contact with at least six prospects that have direct ties to the school.
- Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell Rivals250 linebacker Julian Okwara is the brother of current Notre Dame defensive end Romeo Okwara.
- Rochester (N.Y.) Aquinas Institute three-star linebacker Jamir Jones is the brother of current Notre Dame nose guard Jarron Jones.
- New Orleans (La.) Brother Martin three-star tight end Irvin Smith is the son of former Notre Dame tight end Irvin Smith Sr., a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
- Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek three-star offensive guard Chandler Tuitt is the cousin of ex-Irish defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
- Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star safety D.J. Morgan is the second cousin of former Notre Dame women's basketball star Skylar Diggins.
- And then there's Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy long snapper John Shannon, who is the grandson of Dan Shannon, an All-American end/linebacker at Notre Dame back in 1954.
It's a wide-ranging list that looks like an anomaly, but there have been instances before where Notre Dame has had an influx of relatives.
Back in 2012, when the program made its magical run to the BCS National Championship Game, there were three sets of brothers on the team: Mike and Jake Golic, Zack and Nick Martin, and Josh and George III Atkinson.
In 1990, it was Tony and Reggie Brooks who shared the same last name on the roster. Tony ran for 451 yards in a deep backfield, while Reggie played cornerback.
But the most notable set of brothers might have been Ross and Jim Browner from 1975-77. Ross finished fifth in Heisman voting during Notre Dame's 1977 championship season and Jim recovered a school single-season record six fumbles. In 1976, another Browner, freshman fullback Willard played regularly, before transferring. The 1977 national champs also had starting junior center Dave Huffman, while little brother Tim was a freshman reserve guard.
While it's unlikely that another duo or trio of brothers will emerge in the coming years (both Jarron Jones and Romero Okwara are seniors, which means they will graduate before the next class enrolls), the next wave of relatives is certainly possible.
Notre Dame has already offered Okwara and has invited both Jones and Shannon to campus for the Junior Day on March 21. Morgan is set to visit in April, while Tuitt and Smith are just now starting to get evaluated by the staff.
"It's funny," Jones said when asked about all the relatives being recruited. "Me and Jarron were just talking that the other day. He said when he and Romeo [Okwara] were in high school, he was a four-star and Romeo was a three-star. Now it's flipped the other way around. I'm a three-star and Julian is a four-star."
Rankings aside, Notre Dame has already positioned itself to land each one of the relatives because of one simple reason: The Irish coaching staff prides themselves on selling the Notre Dame "experience" and they have all seen it first hand. For someone like Okwara, that makes a difference.
"Notre Dame is the first school that really started talking to me," he said. "The coaches said they were going to offer a scholarship, and they did. So they stuck by their word, which means a lot."
Okwara is the relative most likely to join the program given his talents, but others like Jones, Morgan and Shannon could certainly enter the fold.
Regardless of which players the coaching staff decides to pursue this cycle, it's clear that before the recruiting rush begins next week, there is already a core group of prospects that know a thing or two about Notre Dame. And that's making the job for Irish head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, somewhat easy, before the dash to National Signing Day.
This time next week, Notre Dame's class of 2016 recruiting efforts will be in full swing. With the March 21st Junior Day set to serve as the unofficial start date to the recruiting season for the Irish, the operation will only pick up with scholarship offers, visits and commitments.
But before everything gets lost in the shuffle, it's time to address a certain group of prospects for the Irish.
Notre Dame - traditionally - has had success recruiting the relatives of current and former Irish athletes. The class of 2016 looks like it will be no different. The Fighting Irish have already made contact with at least six prospects that have direct ties to the school.
- Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell Rivals250 linebacker Julian Okwara is the brother of current Notre Dame defensive end Romeo Okwara.
- Rochester (N.Y.) Aquinas Institute three-star linebacker Jamir Jones is the brother of current Notre Dame nose guard Jarron Jones.
- New Orleans (La.) Brother Martin three-star tight end Irvin Smith is the son of former Notre Dame tight end Irvin Smith Sr., a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
- Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek three-star offensive guard Chandler Tuitt is the cousin of ex-Irish defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
- Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star safety D.J. Morgan is the second cousin of former Notre Dame women's basketball star Skylar Diggins.
- And then there's Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy long snapper John Shannon, who is the grandson of Dan Shannon, an All-American end/linebacker at Notre Dame back in 1954.
It's a wide-ranging list that looks like an anomaly, but there have been instances before where Notre Dame has had an influx of relatives.
Back in 2012, when the program made its magical run to the BCS National Championship Game, there were three sets of brothers on the team: Mike and Jake Golic, Zack and Nick Martin, and Josh and George III Atkinson.
In 1990, it was Tony and Reggie Brooks who shared the same last name on the roster. Tony ran for 451 yards in a deep backfield, while Reggie played cornerback.
But the most notable set of brothers might have been Ross and Jim Browner from 1975-77. Ross finished fifth in Heisman voting during Notre Dame's 1977 championship season and Jim recovered a school single-season record six fumbles. In 1976, another Browner, freshman fullback Willard played regularly, before transferring. The 1977 national champs also had starting junior center Dave Huffman, while little brother Tim was a freshman reserve guard.
While it's unlikely that another duo or trio of brothers will emerge in the coming years (both Jarron Jones and Romero Okwara are seniors, which means they will graduate before the next class enrolls), the next wave of relatives is certainly possible.
Notre Dame has already offered Okwara and has invited both Jones and Shannon to campus for the Junior Day on March 21. Morgan is set to visit in April, while Tuitt and Smith are just now starting to get evaluated by the staff.
"It's funny," Jones said when asked about all the relatives being recruited. "Me and Jarron were just talking that the other day. He said when he and Romeo [Okwara] were in high school, he was a four-star and Romeo was a three-star. Now it's flipped the other way around. I'm a three-star and Julian is a four-star."
Rankings aside, Notre Dame has already positioned itself to land each one of the relatives because of one simple reason: The Irish coaching staff prides themselves on selling the Notre Dame "experience" and they have all seen it first hand. For someone like Okwara, that makes a difference.
"Notre Dame is the first school that really started talking to me," he said. "The coaches said they were going to offer a scholarship, and they did. So they stuck by their word, which means a lot."
Okwara is the relative most likely to join the program given his talents, but others like Jones, Morgan and Shannon could certainly enter the fold.
Regardless of which players the coaching staff decides to pursue this cycle, it's clear that before the recruiting rush begins next week, there is already a core group of prospects that know a thing or two about Notre Dame. And that's making the job for Irish head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, somewhat easy, before the dash to National Signing Day.
