Notre Dame finished with the No. 16 recruiting class in 2016, on the heels of a 10-win season. The Irish could be set up for an even more successful 2017 class on the recruiting trail. Here are five reasons why Brian Kelly's program could be in line for a major windfall of talent:
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1. Strong 2013-16 classes will yield wins, and wins will yield another strong class
Brian Kelly has some big holes to fill, with the departed 2015 standouts including linebacker Jaylon Smith, receiver Will Fuller and offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley.
Kelly has recruited very well the past few seasons, though, so filling some of those holes will be achievable.
From 2013 to 2016, Notre Dame landed 13 offensive line commits ranked as four-stars, nine of which were ESPN 300 prospects. That's a ton of talent -- deep talent -- and those prospects should be entering their prime in terms of performance.
Quarterback evaluation and selection has also been good to Notre Dame, as Irish fans saw last year when Deshone Kizer stepped in for an injured Malik Zaire.
Kizer and Zaire are both back, and another excellent quarterback waits in the wings -- ESPN 300 prospect Brandon Wimbush.
There are still some question marks on the roster, but the way Notre Dame has recruited over the past four years should have them set up for the kind of season that will resonate with 2017 recruits.
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2. Favorable, home-weighted schedule will help with momentum on the trail
Notre Dame has just three true road games -- Texas, NC State and USC. The rest are at home with the exception of the Army game, held at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Michigan State comes to South Bend early in the season and that will be a test, but if Notre Dame can win that one, the Irish will be on their way to the kind of hot start that will only help recruiting in this class. And more home games also mean more opportunities to impress visiting recruits.
The highest-ranked class Notre Dame had under Kelly was the 2013 group, which finished No. 4 in class rankings on the heels of a national championship appearance. Like that season, on-field momentum gave way to recruiting trail momentum.
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3. Young, energetic coaches
Kelly has made a few important hires since arriving at Notre Dame, some that have had a major impact on the Irish's recruiting efforts.
Among those hires are offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford.
Kelly hired Sanford before the 2015 season at the age of 32, and Sanford made a big impact on the offense in his first season. Despite dealing with adversity, injuries and while teaching a new playbook, Notre Dame’s offense seemed to get better every week.
Sanford is also a big part of recruiting for Notre Dame, bringing a lot of energy and youth to the table. He, along with running backs coach Autry Denson and director of player personnel Dave Peloquin, help give Notre Dame a shot in the arm on the trail.
Add in offensive line coach, Harry Hiestand, who has been a big part of the offensive line recruiting success, and Notre Dame has a solid staff ready to do some damage in the 2017 class.
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4. Local competition is tougher, but Notre Dame is at its best nationally
The presence of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Mark Dantonio at Michigan State and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan means there is a lot of competition for prospects around the Great Lakes region. With Illinois' hire of Lovie Smith, there is going to be an even bigger fight to grab the top prospects in the area.
That shouldn’t slow Notre Dame down, though, as the program maintains a national profile that allows them to pluck top recruits from all over the country.
From 2013 to 2016, the Irish landed prospects from 26 different states, including ESPN 300 prospects from 16 different states and one from Canada.
The staff has landed the most prospects during that time from the state of Florida (14), followed by Ohio (10), California (8), Illinois (8), Indiana (7), Texas (7), Michigan (5) and New Jersey (4).
The Irish already have four prospects committed in the 2017 class and all four are from different states -- Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida.
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5. The foundation is already there
As mentioned, Kelly and his staff have four commitments in 2017. All are ESPN Jr. 300 prospects, and all four address needs.
Tight end Brock Wright out of Texas leads the charge, and is joined by fellow TE Cole Kmet and offensive linemen Josh Lugg and Dillan Gibbons.
Notre Dame is also firmly in the mix for some of the top prospects in the 2017 class, including running back A.J. Dillon, offensive lineman Trey Smith (who plans to visit in May), receiver Osiris St. Brown and a host of other elite recruits.
If the staff can reel in a few of those names and land a top-tier quarterback in this class, this class could end up eclipsing the 2013 group in terms of quality and rank.
