2018 - State of the Recruiting Class thread

[BobbyMac]

With the four players suspended, there is no way ND hits 85 now.

I would think Bracy has to start off at RB now. Can't think of any other backs they could and at this stage.

They could sign 29 this class by counting 4 of the EE's to last year class which was only 21 signees.

Is that how that works???

 

[sharksamardzija8345]

With the four players suspended, there is no way ND hits 85 now.

I would think Bracy has to start off at RB now. Can't think of any other backs they could and at this stage.

I think they were dismissed, not suspended.

 

[beryirish]

Maybe Kelly got word from all their targets that they want to commit to ND so Kelly just said fuck it you’re all off so he could make room

 

[NDMIA]

Harold Joiner
Keaontay Ingram
Mychale Salahuddin
Jashaun Corbin

We offered Ingram and Corbin months ago. Only 4 unsigned 4* RB’s left this cycle. Pretty disappointing if they can’t get one of those 4 to at least visit and tell them they could arrive tomorrow and be the #3 RB on the team. Not many power 5 teams can offer that.

 

[BobbyMac]

Harold Joiner
Keaontay Ingram
Mychale Salahuddin
Jashaun Corbin

We offered Ingram and Corbin months ago. Only 4 unsigned 4* RB’s left this cycle. Pretty disappointing if they can’t get one of those 4 to at least visit and tell them they could arrive tomorrow and be the #3 RB on the team. Not many power 5 teams can offer that.

Mychale Salahuddin and his teammate Noah Boykin would make a nice package deal bout now.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Harold Joiner
Keaontay Ingram
Mychale Salahuddin
Jashaun Corbin

We offered Ingram and Corbin months ago. Only 4 unsigned 4* RB’s left this cycle. Pretty disappointing if they can’t get one of those 4 to at least visit and tell them they could arrive tomorrow and be the #3 RB on the team. Not many power 5 teams can offer that.

Joiner just committed to Auburn 2 days ago, so I think that ship has sailed.

 

[NDMIA]

Salahuddin has offers from Navy, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Virginia, USC, Boston College, UNC, Maryland, Florida and Wisconsin. Can I call the ND Football office who’s supposed to be “checking his transcripts” and tell them he’s passed the test. Get him up there for a visit! Have Kelly sit in Boykin and Salahuddin’s living room and don’t leave until they decide to head up together.

 

[slick7410]

Jon HIllman from BC might be looking to grad transfer. Visited Rutgers, from St. Peter’s prep. Numbers nothing special last few years, but he’s a big back. Wonder if he’d get a look for depth for a year, went for 122 vs. ND this year

 

[dublinirish]

Jon HIllman from BC might be looking to grad transfer. Visited Rutgers, from St. Peter’s prep. Numbers nothing special last few years, but he’s a big back. Wonder if he’d get a look for depth for a year, went for 122 vs. ND this year

also friendly with the Ade twins, they tweet each other alot

 

[stlnd01]

Jon HIllman from BC might be looking to grad transfer. Visited Rutgers, from St. Peter’s prep. Numbers nothing special last few years, but he’s a big back. Wonder if he’d get a look for depth for a year, went for 122 vs. ND this year

Ooh. Would take that. Especially if we think there’s a shot CJ or McIntosh makes it back onto the team eventually, a one-year rental would make sense. Would have played in HS with Wimbush too, right?

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

Jon HIllman from BC might be looking to grad transfer. Visited Rutgers, from St. Peter’s prep. Numbers nothing special last few years, but he’s a big back. Wonder if he’d get a look for depth for a year, went for 122 vs. ND this year

I would love this if the staff doesn't like, or can't get any that they do like, of the RBs that are still unsigned. Better to only have the scholarship taken up one year than give it to someone who is a reach just so we can have depth. It could also help RB recruiting next year because there would only be 2 RBs on the roster, so we should be able to sell an elite RB on early playing time.

 

[NDMIA]

.9267 4* Joseph Ossai - 9/2 ND 10/7 Texas 11/4 TAMU
.9196 4* Andrew Chatfield - 11/11 OU 1/13 Miami 1/20 Florida
.9095 4* Jeremiah Martin - 10/7 TAMU 10/28 OU 1/20 Utah 1/27 Oregon 2/3 Wash
.9058 4* Malcolm Lamar - 12/16 FSU
.8996 4* Elijah Wade - 9/16 Cal 10/21 UCLA 11/4 Nebraska 12/9 Vandy

I pointed out a little while back that we had a shortage of pass rushers in the program (Kareem, Hayes, Okwara, Ogundeji, Wardlow, Ademilola) and that need hasn't changed. I understand we lost MacCollister to transfer and few DT's to dismissals and transfer, but that hasn't changed the fact that we've needed more pass rushers for months. And now, with 19 days before signing day, we are "looking at transcripts" of DE recruits. I absolutely love this class, but who the hell fell asleep at the wheel on this one??? The need has been there and we are saying no to 4* recruits like Devin O'Rourke, Malik Vann, and don't even get me started on John Waggoner (would ask out of his NLI if he could go to ND, oh and he's a 4*, fits the pass rush mold at 6'5'' 230). I really hope the staff is able to scoop up a DE equivalent to MTA this late in the cycle because that would be fantastic, but I think someone dropped the ball heavily on this position of need.

 

[Irishman77]

Our 3 biggest problems depth wise are
1. OL
2. Linebacker
3. Running back

The white / emptiness on the above pdf are glaring

 

[Domina Nostra]

Our 3 biggest problems depth wise are
1. OL
2. Linebacker
3. Running back

The white / emptiness on the above pdf are glaring

LB the problem is quality depth, but there are lots of bodies.

 

[Luckylucci]

LB the problem is quality depth, but there are lots of bodies.

Correct, and this is what is so difficult for some to understand. And it's hilarious because we literally cover it ALL the time. There is numbers, and there is talent. You can control numbers, but you can't always control the talent. You can recruit it, but it doesn't have to be interested. That's why development and coaching is so important in college football.

 

[Luckylucci]

.9267 4* Joseph Ossai - 9/2 ND 10/7 Texas 11/4 TAMU
.9196 4* Andrew Chatfield - 11/11 OU 1/13 Miami 1/20 Florida
.9095 4* Jeremiah Martin - 10/7 TAMU 10/28 OU 1/20 Utah 1/27 Oregon 2/3 Wash
.9058 4* Malcolm Lamar - 12/16 FSU
.8996 4* Elijah Wade - 9/16 Cal 10/21 UCLA 11/4 Nebraska 12/9 Vandy

I pointed out a little while back that we had a shortage of pass rushers in the program (Kareem, Hayes, Okwara, Ogundeji, Wardlow, Ademilola) and that need hasn't changed. I understand we lost MacCollister to transfer and few DT's to dismissals and transfer, but that hasn't changed the fact that we've needed more pass rushers for months. And now, with 19 days before signing day, we are "looking at transcripts" of DE recruits. I absolutely love this class, but who the hell fell asleep at the wheel on this one??? The need has been there and we are saying no to 4* recruits like Devin O'Rourke, Malik Vann, and don't even get me started on John Waggoner (would ask out of his NLI if he could go to ND, oh and he's a 4*, fits the pass rush mold at 6'5'' 230). I really hope the staff is able to scoop up a DE equivalent to MTA this late in the cycle because that would be fantastic, but I think someone dropped the ball heavily on this position of need.

Per usual, your lists often read like a 7 year olds Xmas wish list. Not much ND can do about those guys not being interested. We recruited the heck out of the one that was, Ossai, and he simply will not leave Texas. We offered 25 DE prospects, per 247, and actively recruited approx. a dozen of them. None were interested.

I don't believe we have a "numbers" shortage at "pass rusher". It's 6 players for 2 spots or a 3 deep, depending on how view Justin A. All have at least 2 years of eligibility.

Prior to the exit of MacCollister, the staff viewed another DE as a luxury, and rightfully so, numbers weren't a need so they went after the "big fish", that had interest, that being key here. They recruited quite a few players early, Ossai, Smith, Ojulari, Chatfield, McClain, Oweh, etc. Then they even went after Enagbare and Langham later in the cycle, but, again, not much interest. Nothing you can do there besides recruit them.

Similar to your posts on DB recruiting, which turned out to not be a big deal, I'm assuming this will be the same.

 

[irish4ever]

LB the problem is quality depth, but there are lots of bodies.

That's why it was soooo important for Te'von Coney to return for his senior season.

 

[NDMIA]

Per usual, your lists often read like a 7 year olds Xmas wish list. Not much ND can do about those guys not being interested. We recruited the heck out of the one that was, Ossai, and he simply will not leave Texas. We offered 25 DE prospects, per 247, and actively recruited approx. a dozen of them. None were interested.

I don't believe we have a "numbers" shortage at "pass rusher". It's 6 players for 2 spots or a 3 deep, depending on how view Justin A. All have at least 2 years of eligibility.

Prior to the exit of MacCollister, the staff viewed another DE as a luxury, and rightfully so, numbers weren't a need so they went after the "big fish", that had interest, that being key here. They recruited quite a few players early, Ossai, Smith, Ojulari, Chatfield, McClain, Oweh, etc. Then they even went after Enagbare and Langham later in the cycle, but, again, not much interest. Nothing you can do there besides recruit them.

Similar to your posts on DB recruiting, which turned out to not be a big deal, I'm assuming this will be the same.

We can continue to pull in lower rated 3* recruits like Ogundeji, Justin Ademilola, Wardlow, and strike gold with some higher rated prospects like 4* Kareem, Hayes, and Okwara and we'll be fine. We also have 10/16 scholarship guys are 290lbs and above. We can hope these 3* guys develop and I'm sure some will because I think Mike Elston is a good coach, but this is an example as to why I'm so excited about the 2019 DL recruiting with all of the big time recruits that are interested. It's fine to bring in a developmental guy or two if you have 7-9 DE's and can afford to, but if we want to compete with the Ohio State's, Clemson's, or Alabama's of the world then we will have to increase the talent at the position. This is by no means red alert because we have 3 fantastic pass rushers in Okwara, Hayes, and Kareem but I'm not sure who is behind them.

 

[Luckylucci]

We can continue to pull in lower rated 3* recruits like Ogundeji, Justin Ademilola, Wardlow, and strike gold with some higher rated prospects like 4* Kareem, Hayes, and Okwara and we'll be fine. We also have 10/16 scholarship guys are 290lbs and above. We can hope these 3* guys develop and I'm sure some will because I think Mike Elston is a good coach, but this is an example as to why I'm so excited about the 2019 DL recruiting with all of the big time recruits that are interested. It's fine to bring in a developmental guy or two if you have 7-9 DE's and can afford to, but if we want to compete with the Ohio State's, Clemson's, or Alabama's of the world then we will have to increase the talent at the position. This is by no means red alert because we have 3 fantastic pass rushers in Okwara, Hayes, and Kareem but I'm not sure who is behind them.

I understand this point and that is the difference between numbers and talent. Your last post made it seem very clear that you are worried about numbers. I don't believe numbers are a major issue at this point. In any given cycle numbers can and should be controlled, somewhat easily by the staffs recruiting efforts. However, talent is less controllable, as I illustrated above. Not much the staff can do besides recruit the heck out of said players. Which we did, and they weren't interested. I realize it's frustrating, I'd like to have Oweh or Ossai in this class. However, it's important we note the difference between numbers/need and talent.

 

[irishff1014]

https://www.southbendtribune.com/ne...cle_93ab5a50-fc71-11e7-803e-931dc104ae66.html

 

[IrishTusker]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bit of a sobering thought when looking at raw talent among other college football heavyweights. Here’s the number of Top 40 prospects signed the past five years by…<br><br>Alabama 27<br>Georgia 16<br>USC 16<br>Ohio State 13<br>Clemson 12<br>Notre Dame 1</p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/954054103772082179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[stlnd01]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bit of a sobering thought when looking at raw talent among other college football heavyweights. Here’s the number of Top 40 prospects signed the past five years by…<br><br>Alabama 27<br>Georgia 16<br>USC 16<br>Ohio State 13<br>Clemson 12<br>Notre Dame 1</p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/954054103772082179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It is striking how few truly elite recruits we sign. At a certain level I think that must be intentional. BK got burned a bunch of times chasing five stars who didn’t fit. Now focus on quality players who want to be at Notre Dame.

 

[Rizzophil]

It is striking how few truly elite recruits we sign. At a certain level I think that must be intentional. BK got burned a bunch of times chasing five stars who didn’t fit. Now focus on quality players who want to be at Notre Dame.

You think we don’t want elite players, intentionally

 

[Whiskeyjack]

According to 247, we've signed 4 top-40 recruits: Kraemer, Jaylon, Redfield and Kiel.

I'd say the bigger concern is our bust rate on highly rated recruits.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

According to 247, we've signed 4 top-40 recruits: Kraemer, Jaylon, Redfield and Kiel.

I'd say the bigger concern is our bust rate on highly rated recruits.

Following up on this, let's look back at each recruiting class since 2011 and see how many of our top recruits have panned out. And to increase the sample size, we'll look at everyone who was ranked in 247's top 100:

2011 - Lynch, Ishaq, Tuitt, Koyack, Hegarty (1 star, 1 solid contributor, and 3 busts)
2012 - Kiel, Neal and Shumate (1 contributor and 2 busts)
2013 - Jaylon, Redfield, Bryant, Bivin (1 star, 1 contributor, and 2 busts)
2014 - Morgan, Nelson, Brent (1 star, 1 solid contributor, and 1 bust)
2015 - Wimbush, Mack, Hoge, Williams (2 solid contributors* and 2 busts)
2016 - Kraemer, Eichenberg (2 solid contributors*, and 0 busts)

*There's still time for these guys to turn into stars.

21 total recruits ranked in the top 100. Only three (14%) legitimate stars and 10 (47%) busts. So regardless of how many we're bringing in... we're not ever gonna compete regularly for championships again when nearly half of our top recruits are simply washing out of the program.

 

[stlnd01]

You think we don’t want elite players, intentionally

No. Not that. It was nice to have Jaylon Smith. But many elite players are not good fits - academically, personality-wise, whatever - and maybe BK learned you’re better off not forcing a round peg into a square hole.

 

[BobbyMac]

Any chance the staff would take 3 RB's this cycle?

They are in contact with some really interesting <strike>2019</strike> 2018 RB's right now besides C'Bo.

 

[Luckylucci]

Any chance the staff would take 3 RB's this cycle?

They are in contact with some really interesting 2019 RB's right now besides C'Bo.

3 RB's for 19'?

If that is the class you a referring to, I'd take something like this. Williams (APB/athlete), Pure RB, 2LB's, and Steele Chambers. That way you've hit your need on RB's and LB's with some movable parts based on skillset.

 

[BobbyMac]

3 RB's for 19'?

If that is the class you a referring to, I'd take something like this. Williams (APB/athlete), Pure RB, 2LB's, and Steele Chambers. That way you've hit your need on RB's and LB's with some movable parts based on skillset.

Talking 2018.

I wouldn't have thought this but they got in contact with a couple of guys after they had C'Bo set up. Obviously could be Plan D but with 3 leaving, the math is there to support the idea.

* Just saw my 2019 typo above.


.

 

[Luckylucci]

Talking 2018.

I wouldn't have thought this but they got in contact with a couple of guys after they had C'Bo set up. Obviously could be Plan D but with 3 leaving, the math is there to support the idea.

* Just saw my 2019 typo above.


.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't take 3 in 18'. I'm a pretty big fan of some of the athletes in the 19' class, that I'd rather leave a spot for an RB/athlete type.