2020 - State of the Recruiting Class thread

[Ricochet]

EJ Holland posted a photo of his coffee on twitter. Who committed?

I don't know anything about that but I do know that he made a FC(FutureCast) pick today for Chris Tyree to ND.

 

[irishmarine]

I love all of these under the radar commit notifications these guys are sending out. I am just waiting for the Shamrock to appear from Coach Kelly

 

[NDMIA]

How many projected scholarship athletes return in 2020 now

QB - 4
RB - 6
TE - 6
WR - 11
OL - 15
DL - 19 (Jamir Jones projected redshirt)
LB - 12
DB - 12 (Gilman & Crawford counted but doubtful to return)
ST - 4
TOTAL - 89 Scholarships

It’s pretty amazing that it is June 17th and ND is pretty much good on numbers at every single position except for one on their roster. They’re obviously recruiting WR and DB heavily still with DB being a focus because of the need for 5-6 guys potentially in this class. The rest of the class is now just shooting for the best players you can get your hands on. ND’s now got 6+ months to recruit high level prospects and maybe see if any want to flip, any start showing more interest and maybe want to make it to campus for a game day visit. I’d love to see maybe another WR or two if they’re top end talent which ND already seems to be in heavy with (McMillan, Henning, Odunze, Watts, Brunelle). DB we’ll get a lot more clarity on as the next 10 days go by because they’ve got 4 guys visiting this weekend (Gonzalez, Nixon, Offord, Bartleson). After that it’s seeing if you can get traction with maybe a Jay Hardy, maybe Phillip Webb decides to consider ND at some point, or maybe Cody Simon gets a spot in the class, but at this point, the base of the class is very close to finished and the numbers are getting close to met so ND can go big game hunting which is fantastic.

 

[NDIrish88]

How many projected scholarship athletes return in 2020 now

QB - 4
RB - 6
TE - 6
WR - 11
OL - 15
DL - 19 (Jamir Jones projected redshirt)
LB - 12
DB - 12 (Gilman & Crawford counted but doubtful to return)
ST - 4
TOTAL - 89 Scholarships

It’s pretty amazing that it is June 17th and ND is pretty much good on numbers at every single position except for one on their roster. They’re obviously recruiting WR and DB heavily still with DB being a focus because of the need for 5-6 guys potentially in this class. The rest of the class is now just shooting for the best players you can get your hands on. ND’s now got 6+ months to recruit high level prospects and maybe see if any want to flip, any start showing more interest and maybe want to make it to campus for a game day visit. I’d love to see maybe another WR or two if they’re top end talent which ND already seems to be in heavy with (McMillan, Henning, Odunze, Watts, Brunelle). DB we’ll get a lot more clarity on as the next 10 days go by because they’ve got 4 guys visiting this weekend (Gonzalez, Nixon, Offord, Bartleson). After that it’s seeing if you can get traction with maybe a Jay Hardy, maybe Phillip Webb decides to consider ND at some point, or maybe Cody Simon gets a spot in the class, but at this point, the base of the class is very close to finished and the numbers are getting close to met so ND can go big game hunting which is fantastic.

Just reading ISD article below and it seems like WR is going to be potentially larger. Am I reading the last paragraph right? How many WRs are they taking or is Watts a swing WR/DB? The last pargraph is below.

"Ideally, Notre Dame is able to get Brunelle, Watts, Melton and Offord on board soon and then focus on McMillan and Henning along with the necessary defensive backs to round out a strong class."



https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/9751/2020-recruiting-what-now

 

[zelezo vlk]

Apparently Watts is open to playing DB and he might end up there. I wonder if that's a plan B or just bringing in an athlete

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Apparently Watts is open to playing DB and he might end up there. I wonder if that's a plan B or just bringing in an athlete

You should check out his highlight video. I was very impressed by his defensive film.

 

[NDIrish88]

You should check out his highlight video. I was very impressed by his defensive film.

I agree

 

[NDMIA]

Just reading ISD article below and it seems like WR is going to be potentially larger. Am I reading the last paragraph right? How many WRs are they taking or is Watts a swing WR/DB? The last pargraph is below.

"Ideally, Notre Dame is able to get Brunelle, Watts, Melton and Offord on board soon and then focus on McMillan and Henning along with the necessary defensive backs to round out a strong class."



https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/9751/2020-recruiting-what-now

I think the WR position is going 3-4 for sure. Didn’t mean they’re done with numbers for every position. I think 11 WR’s for 2020 would be fine but they definitely are shooting for 3 or more. I’d love to see Henning and McMillan in the class and that’s why I’d love to see Henning commit before Brunelle and Watts but I don’t think that happens. I think they’ll all commit some time in July/August before their seasons but we’ll see which order. But even if they add 2 WR’s and 3 DB’s they’ll be at 18 and they’ll have room to add more guys. At that point that’s why I’m bringing up the BPA scenario which should be very real this fall. Lots and lots of dudes could potentially find their way into the BPA conversation and we’ll see what ND does. Right now it’s hoping WR and DB boards get answers soon.

 

[IrishLax]

In general, I think taking only 2 OL... especially when you look at what is left in the '18 class... is risky. An injury, transfer, suspension, etc. and you're swimming in dark, dangerous, shark infested waters.

I get why ND is doing it. Tight numbers and an abundance of "swing" guys all able to play inside. But you cannot plug-and-play true frosh OL like you can at other positions, which means veteran depth is incredibly valuable on the OL. We have 9 guys right now over three classes and two of those players look like "misses" so you're really talking about 7 total bodies over 3 years... that's living dangerous unless you get some solid 5th year contributors from the '17 class to bridge the development of the guys you recruit in '21.

 

[NDMIA]

In general, I think taking only 2 OL... especially when you look at what is left in the '18 class... is risky. An injury, transfer, suspension, etc. and you're swimming in dark, dangerous, shark infested waters.

I get why ND is doing it. Tight numbers and an abundance of "swing" guys all able to play inside. But you cannot plug-and-play true frosh OL like you can at other positions, which means veteran depth is incredibly valuable on the OL. We have 9 guys right now over three classes and two of those players look like "misses" so you're really talking about 7 total bodies over 3 years... that's living dangerous unless you get some solid 5th year contributors from the '17 class to bridge the development of the guys you recruit in '21.

I’m with you that it is risky but I think ND put a hard line in the sand when it came to talent for their OLine. I think they realized that they don’t need to take Kevin Pyne, Zak Zinter and Reece Atteberry to fill up numbers or anything like that because they can afford now to just go after big time talent. As far as what is left with big time talent or the 4 star level dudes that ND contended for, there’s not too many stones unturned. ND got Paris Johnson on campus several times, they got Turner Corcoran on campus, Luke Wypler was from a pipeline area but he wanted into OSU’s class, Trey Wedig is a Wisconsin OLine born and bred and that’s not changing, Chad Lindberg isn’t leaving the state of Texas period, Geirean Hatchett was always Washington’s to lose, Bryn Tucker liked ND a great deal along with Walker Parks but you’re not gonna say no to Clemson these days, Roger Rosengarten wasn’t a fit or hated his visit (idk the truth), and Peter Skoronski just wanted something else. Oh yea and Jimmy Christ was a pipeline kid to UVA with his brother there. I agree it is risky to do only 2 OL in a cycle but ND did a great job of getting loads of guys on campus and trying to convince them to get on board. That has set them up for the next 6 months to perhaps keep in touch with dudes in case someone gets cold feet or that team has an awful season. I’d bet a lot of dollars that Paris Johnson will get, and continue to get phone calls from ND as long as he picks up the phone and maybe he rethinks his position when Coach Stud leaves after the season (likely leaves). No reason to force lower 3 stars or worse players when you have 6 months to continue looking and a 2021 class with much more favorable ND recruits for OLine.

 

[Luckylucci]

In general, I think taking only 2 OL... especially when you look at what is left in the '18 class... is risky. An injury, transfer, suspension, etc. and you're swimming in dark, dangerous, shark infested waters.

I get why ND is doing it. Tight numbers and an abundance of "swing" guys all able to play inside. But you cannot plug-and-play true frosh OL like you can at other positions, which means veteran depth is incredibly valuable on the OL. We have 9 guys right now over three classes and two of those players look like "misses" so you're really talking about 7 total bodies over 3 years... that's living dangerous unless you get some solid 5th year contributors from the '17 class to bridge the development of the guys you recruit in '21.

I do think it's a little bit of a gamble but my question would be, at what point are you having this concern, 21'? 22'?

Because I just don't see it. Feels like quite a few things would have to go wrong for us to be starting true freshman anytime soon.

 

[fightingirish26]

None of these guys have even played their senior seasons yet. It's entirely possible some late bloomers could pop up on the board during and after the season if there is room.

 

[stlnd01]

What I don’t quite get is it feels like we’re under-recruiting numbers this year at several positions. OL, inside LB, arguably RB. While we load the hell up on DBs (who haven’t yet committed) and, to a lesser extent, WRs.

I know there are reasons at each position, and it’s a small class, and someone with a better handle on the overall numbers will surely explain them. But I can’t help but worry a little about depth chart troubles that could crop up in a couple years if the wrong guys get hurt/transfer/suspended and don’t pan out.

 

[BobbyMac]

I've followed MIA's flow charts and there's just too many good players to fail.

Also, I think Quinn is like HH in the fact that he doesn't use the depth chart to plug in a different player at each position, it's a hoops style 6th man who can play a couple positions or a starter slides into the injury slot and the the 6th man fills his spot. Next year, Lugg's that guy and it sounds like Dirksen and Gibbons are next.

If they land a class in 2021 that looks something like:

Crippen
Fisher
Tengwell
Davidkov/Sutton
Swinney/Mugharbil

They will be fine.

 

[BobbyMac]

I do think it's a little bit of a gamble but my question would be, at what point are you having this concern, 21'? 22'?

Because I just don't see it. Feels like quite a few things would have to go wrong for us to be starting true freshman anytime soon.

This. I'm looking at a '22 chart right now of:

GS
Patterson
Dirksen
Mabry

R-Jr
Correll
Carroll
Kristofic
Olmstead

R-So
Baker
Carmody

R-Fr
Crippen
Fisher
TBD-3 --- Let's say Tengwell
TBD-4 --- David Davidkov or Eli Sutton
TBD-5 --- Yousef Mugharbil or Bastian Swinney

Fresh
Hunter Whitenack --- Done deal
TBD-2 --- Julian Armella
TBD-3 --- Brody Meadows
TBD-4 --- Fisher Anderson

I have no worries about this unit

 

[NDMIA]

I've followed MIA's flow charts and there's just too many good players to fail.

Also, I think Quinn is like HH in the fact that he doesn't use the depth chart to plug in a different player at each position, it's a hoops style 6th man who can play a couple positions or a starter slides into the injury slot and the the 6th man fills his spot. Next year, Lugg's that guy and it sounds like Dirksen and Gibbons are next.

If they land a class in 2021 that looks something like:

Crippen
Fisher
Tengwell
Davidkov/Sutton
Swinney/Mugharbil

They will be fine.

Bottom line, keep between 13-15 scholarship OLineman on your roster at all times and get as much talent at those numbers as possible. They're LOADED with guys who return in 2020 so 2 this cycle isn't the worst thing. Someone mentioned above about why so many DB's this cycle where they might be underrecruiting OL or other positions. Well, ND currently has 12 scholarship DB's for 2020 and very likely 10 (Crawford and Gilman are gone) and that's simply not enough to field a competitive football roster. Yes, ND would likely use 6 DB's or 7 during a season, but people forget about special teams and if injuries happen then you've got Clarence Lewis playing real football minutes in his first year on campus which would be a huge mistake. That's why ND needs 5-6 freshman so that by fall camp of 2020, maybe 1 or 2 of those freshman have it together enough to play some spot minutes and play well on special teams. The last bunch of seasons, ND has carried 14-16 scholarship DB's and if you see that 10 are likely back including Clarence Lewis then you see that ND needs a bunch of DB's. Ideally 1-2 that could contribute a little freshman year too.

 

[NDIrish88]

Bottom line, keep between 13-15 scholarship OLineman on your roster at all times and get as much talent at those numbers as possible. They're LOADED with guys who return in 2020 so 2 this cycle isn't the worst thing. Someone mentioned above about why so many DB's this cycle where they might be underrecruiting OL or other positions. Well, ND currently has 12 scholarship DB's for 2020 and very likely 10 (Crawford and Gilman are gone) and that's simply not enough to field a competitive football roster. Yes, ND would likely use 6 DB's or 7 during a season, but people forget about special teams and if injuries happen then you've got Clarence Lewis playing real football minutes in his first year on campus which would be a huge mistake. That's why ND needs 5-6 freshman so that by fall camp of 2020, maybe 1 or 2 of those freshman have it together enough to play some spot minutes and play well on special teams. The last bunch of seasons, ND has carried 14-16 scholarship DB's and if you see that 10 are likely back including Clarence Lewis then you see that ND needs a bunch of DB's. Ideally 1-2 that could contribute a little freshman year too.

It is a little bit of a gamble but I think Liam and Kraemer come back next year. Just a hunch. There will be so many bodies on the line it is ridiculous.

 

[IrishLax]

Bottom line, keep between 13-15 scholarship OLineman on your roster at all times and get as much talent at those numbers as possible. They're LOADED with guys who return in 2020 so 2 this cycle isn't the worst thing. Someone mentioned above about why so many DB's this cycle where they might be underrecruiting OL or other positions. Well, ND currently has 12 scholarship DB's for 2020 and very likely 10 (Crawford and Gilman are gone) and that's simply not enough to field a competitive football roster. Yes, ND would likely use 6 DB's or 7 during a season, but people forget about special teams and if injuries happen then you've got Clarence Lewis playing real football minutes in his first year on campus which would be a huge mistake. That's why ND needs 5-6 freshman so that by fall camp of 2020, maybe 1 or 2 of those freshman have it together enough to play some spot minutes and play well on special teams. The last bunch of seasons, ND has carried 14-16 scholarship DB's and if you see that 10 are likely back including Clarence Lewis then you see that ND needs a bunch of DB's. Ideally 1-2 that could contribute a little freshman year too.

You want more than that though from a recruiting standpoint to have 15 on the roster. Bama took a 2 person class few years ago, and bookended that with two classes of 5 and a class of 6. ND is consistently fortunate to get OL staying 4/5 years which is exactly what you want, but in general you want to be signing about 4 OL each year with your “light” years being 3. If you recruit 4 per class you’ll usually end up with something like 2-3-3-4-4 gets you 16ish. ND typically has 2ish 5th year players, and loses about 1 guy to attrition in each class by the time they’re upperclassmen.

There is only 1 player from the ‘18 crop people think can be a high level player. No one knows anything about the ‘19 class but you can assume to hit on at least 2 given their lofty rankings. So the year that is potentially dicey is the ‘22 season when this class is true juniors because heaven forbid something bad happens with attrition, etc. then you are reliant on freshmen/RS freshmen. That’s fine if those players are Quenton Nelson, it’s less fine if they’re Steve Elmer or Robert Hainsey. It is extremely difficult to ask young players to immediately contribute on the OL.

 

[arrowryan]

This makes for a good offseason conversation. But who would know more about this than Quinn and Kelly? No one. There's probably a reason why they're only taking 2 OL in this class. I think Zeke, Quinn, and potentially Kristofic will be read to roll by year 2 and will be main stays for the next 3-4 years after that.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

This makes for a good offseason conversation. But who would know more about this than Quinn and Kelly? No one. There's probably a reason why they're only taking 2 OL in this class. I think Zeke, Quinn, and potentially Kristofic will be read to roll by year 2 and will be main stays for the next 3-4 years after that.

Yeah. They have to feel pretty good about the young talent or they'd be adding another prospect.

 

[NDMIA]

You want more than that though from a recruiting standpoint to have 15 on the roster. Bama took a 2 person class few years ago, and bookended that with two classes of 5 and a class of 6. ND is consistently fortunate to get OL staying 4/5 years which is exactly what you want, but in general you want to be signing about 4 OL each year with your “light” years being 3. If you recruit 4 per class you’ll usually end up with something like 2-3-3-4-4 gets you 16ish. ND typically has 2ish 5th year players, and loses about 1 guy to attrition in each class by the time they’re upperclassmen.

There is only 1 player from the ‘18 crop people think can be a high level player. No one knows anything about the ‘19 class but you can assume to hit on at least 2 given their lofty rankings. So the year that is potentially dicey is the ‘22 season when this class is true juniors because heaven forbid something bad happens with attrition, etc. then you are reliant on freshmen/RS freshmen. That’s fine if those players are Quenton Nelson, it’s less fine if they’re Steve Elmer or Robert Hainsey. It is extremely difficult to ask young players to immediately contribute on the OL.

Yea I know you obviously recruit more than 15 guys over a 4-5 year period because attrition absolutely happens on the OLine. I’d have preferred to see 16 signed for 2020 so if Kraemer or Eichenberg or a transfer happen then they’re at 15 and it’s no problem. But still, they’ll need to be more than 2 transfers or early departures for there to be a concern about numbers for the 2020 season and for 2021, ND was planning on bringing in lots of guys in that class. I think the staff has decided that for their 3rd spot they’d rather have a 2021 guy or a top end 2020 and they’re not in play for any right now so they’re attacking 2021 right now.

 

[NDIrish88]

Just read the mid week musings from Driskell and he stated that after Offord and Watts potentially committing, as well as adding a pure safety, ND may slow down recruiting for a little bit. That would mean they would end up at 18 commits.

I have seen it posted that ND wants to take a max of 21, if necessary. EJ Holland also said that Will Nixon was a take as well. If Nixon wants in and the 21 max is true, then that would leave 2 spots open for any flip candidates or new evals for 2020. Apparently the staff really likes the roster they have right now, but I have a feeling with attrition, injury, etc ND will get to 21.

 

[NDMIA]

Just read the mid week musings from Driskell and he stated that after Offord and Watts potentially committing, as well as adding a pure safety, ND may slow down recruiting for a little bit. That would mean they would end up at 18 commits.

I have seen it posted that ND wants to take a max of 21, if necessary. EJ Holland also said that Will Nixon was a take as well. If Nixon wants in and the 21 max is true, then that would leave 2 spots open for any flip candidates or new evals for 2020. Apparently the staff really likes the roster they have right now, but I have a feeling with attrition, injury, etc ND will get to 21.

21 commits would bring ND’s schollys to 96 for 2020 with 11 Graduate Seniors. If they do 21 or less then they won’t be at 85 by August 2020. I think the class gets to 22-23 eventually by February. For numbers needs I think 1 WR (Xavier Watts) and 3-4 more DB’s is basically all ND needs. Everything else will be bonuses added to the roster. I’d love to get Nixon, Watts, and Offord for the rest of the summer and then push for top dudes and flips (Jerrin Thompson, Christian Gonzalez, Malcolm Greene, and flips).

 

[NDIrish88]

21 commits would bring ND’s schollys to 96 for 2020 with 11 Graduate Seniors. If they do 21 or less then they won’t be at 85 by August 2020. I think the class gets to 22-23 eventually by February. For numbers needs I think 1 WR (Xavier Watts) and 3-4 more DB’s is basically all ND needs. Everything else will be bonuses added to the roster. I’d love to get Nixon, Watts, and Offord for the rest of the summer and then push for top dudes and flips (Jerrin Thompson, Christian Gonzalez, Malcolm Greene, and flips).

From what Driskell was saying, he thinks that ND may keep more 5th year seniors than expected.

 

[NDMIA]

From what Driskell was saying, he thinks that ND may keep more 5th year seniors than expected.

ND's had a small attrition year this offseason and they had 10 guys leave before their eligibility was up. Most years it is between 10-15 guys leaving before their eligibility is up. I do think there are some probables to return as Grad Seniors, but ND should be okay with overshooting a bit.

 

[NDMIA]

QB (4 Scholarships)
RS SR Ian Book
RS SO Phil Jurkovec
RS FR Brendon Clark
FR Drew Pyne

DONE. Also done with 2021. Now onto 2022 and Brady Allen.

RB (6 Scholarships)
RS SR Tony Jones Jr.
RS JR Jafar Armstrong
RS SO Jahmir Smith
RS SO C'Bo Flemister
RS FR Kyren Williams
FR Chris Tyree

DONE. I think unless Tony Jones Jr is guaranteed to go then I think they'll be perfect with 2020. 2021 has Lance Taylor going hard after some big boys and the key is getting them on campus early (Will Shipley & Camar Wheaton (6/8/19) & Donovan Edwards (1/26/19)).

TE (6 Scholarships)
SR Brock Wright
SR Cole Kmet
RS SO George Takacs
RS SO Tommy Tremble
FR Michael Mayer
FR Kevin Bauman

DONE. Cane Berrong also coming right behind Mayer and Bauman. Can't get much better than that.

WR (12 Scholarships)
RS SR Javon McKinley
SR Isaiah Robertson
SR Michael Young
JR Kevin Austin
RS SO Braden Lenzy
RS SO Micah Jones
RS SO Lawrence Keys III
RS SO Joe Wilkins Jr.
RS FR Cam Hart
RS FR Kendall Abdur-Rahman
FR Jordan Johnson
FR Jay Brunelle

.9003 4* Rome Odunze - NV - FAR - Never Visited
.8777 3* Xavier Watts - NE - 8h - 9/29/18 & 4/11/19 & 6/22/19

I think Watts commits before the season and they'll be done with 2020 WR recruiting. Rome Odunze is offered and expressed interest in eventually visiting but I don't think it goes anywhere because he's got a lot of different schools interested in him and ND should be full by fall.

OL (15 Scholarships)
RS SR Tommy Kraemer
RS SR Liam Eichenberg
SR Robert Hainsey
RS JR Aaron Banks
RS JR Joshua Lugg
RS JR Dillan Gibbons
RS SO Jarrett Patterson
RS SO Cole Mabry
RS SO John Dirksen
RS FR Quinn Carroll
RS FR Zeke Correll
RS FR Andrew Kristofic
RS FR John Olmstead
FR Tosh Baker
FR Michael Carmody

DONE. Gotta hope the attrition stays to a minimum between now and August of 2020, but I think OL is usually kept to a minimum of guys leaving and looking for better options. Also, Liam Eichenberg and Tommy Kraemer are 5th year starters if they return so that seems likely unless they're getting drafted.

 

[NDMIA]

DL (18 Scholarships)
RS SR Jamir Jones
RS SR Ade Ogundeji
SR Kurt Hinish
RS JR Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
RS JR Kofi Wardlow
JR Jayson Ademilola
RS SO Ovie Oghuofo
RS SO Ja’Mion Franklin
RS SO Justin Ademilola
SO Jacob Lacey
RS FR Isaiah Foskey
RS FR Nana Osafo-Mensah
RS FR Hunter Spears
RS FR Howard Cross III
FR Jordan Botelho
FR Rylie Mills
FR Aidan Keanaaina
FR Alexander Ehrensberger

.9781 4* Phillip Webb – GA – FAR – Never Visited – Made his top 11
.8688 3* Jared Ivey – GA – FAR – Never Visited

Should be done, but made Webb's top 11 and have heard on some podcasts that Jared Ivey was a guy ND was interested in who could eventually find his way to campus in the fall. I think this is a BPA position where they'd only take someone now who blew them away. As it stands, the DLine looks incredibly deep and talented for the 2020 season and beyond.

LB (12 Scholarships)
RS SR Jonathan Jones
SR Jordan Genmark-Heath
RS JR Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
RS JR Drew White
JR Shayne Simon
JR Bo Bauer
JR Paul Moala
RS SO Jack Lamb
RS FR Osita Ekwonu
RS FR JD Bertrand
RS FR Marist Liufau
RS FR Jack Kiser

I disagree with no Cody Simon, but that doesn't change the fact that ND has a lot of talent and numbers at LBer for 2020. I don't think Jonathan Jones is back in 2020, but ND is loaded with high 3 and 4 star prospects who have a lot of eligibility left.

DB (13 Scholarships)
RS SR Alohi Gilman
RS SR Shaun Crawford
RS JR Avery Davis
JR Houston Griffith
JR Tariq Bracy
RS SO Derrik Allen
RS SO DJ Brown
SO Kyle Hamilton
RS FR Isaiah Rutherford
RS FR KJ Wallace
RS FR Litchfield Ajavon
FR Clarence Lewis
FR Landen Bartleson

.9625 4* Lathan Ransom – AZ – FAR – 2/23/19 & 6/8/19
.9243 4* Jerrin Thompson – TX – FAR – Never Visited
.9142 4* Makari Paige – MI – 3h15m – 4/4/17 & 3/3/18
.8973 4* Malcolm Greene – VA – FAR – Never Visited
.8958 4* Christian Gonzalez – TX – FAR – 6/22/19
.8937 4* RJ Moten – NJ – FAR – Never Visited
.8884 4* Cameron Martinez – MI – 2h – 6/23/18 & 11/10/18
.8851 3* Mordecai McDaniel – DC – FAR – 4/6/19
.8738 3* Will Nixon – TX – FAR – 3/2/19 & 6/22/19
.8702 3* Caleb Offord – MS – FAR – 6/8/19 & 6/22/19
.8702 3* Elijah Gaines – VA – FAR – Never Visited
.8647 3* Rickey Hyatt Jr. – OH – 4h15m – Never Visited
.8539 3* Ramon Henderson – CA – FAR – Never Visited

Hopefully we see Caleb Offord and maybe Will Nixon come into the fold in the summer. Ideally ND could land 3 or even 4 more DB's in this class. I think they'll continue to hold a spot or two for some flip candidates or some higher rated guys. Barring a shock from Lathan Ransom, it should be a class almost entirely made up of 3 star recruits at DB which isn't ideal when ND needed 5-6 strong DB recruits where some could get minutes right away.

ST (4 Scholarships)
RS SR John Shannon
SR Jonathan Doerer
SO Jay Bramblett
FR Alex Peitsch

Only thing that could change here is if Harrison Leonard is good enough to play and warrant a full scholarship in which case 5 scholarships special teamers could be deemed too many, but we'll see. I'm comfortable with Polian in charge of this position group because he's able to convince a top 10 kicker in his class to become a walk on which is pretty impressive and recruit the #1 LS in the country along with the #1 or #2 punter in the country in Jay Bramblett in his class.

 

[NDMIA]

Overall (90 Scholarships)
Graduate Seniors - 11
Commits - 15
Projected Class Take - 21

By taking 21 ND would be at 96 scholarships which would technically have 11 graduate seniors to cover their butts in case everybody decided to return they could show the door to all the graduate seniors, but that will never happen and guys will absolutely leave early. Ian Book I'm guessing is gone, Javon McKinley unless he has some miraculous ability that appears will be gone, Jonathan Jones unless he finds a starting gig in that very competitive front 7 will leave, and Alohi Gilman and Shaun Crawford are almost 100% gone unless something crazy happens. The way I see it is ND will maybe grab 3 commitments from 2020 guys before fall starts (Offord, Watts, and Nixon are my guesses) and then they've got the whole fall to get 2-3 BPA on board.

This also highlights the fact that ND needs to and make a strong point to get 2021's on campus for gameday experiences this fall. I still think one of ND's best times to visit is for a game in the fall and a lot of these 2020 guys who ND recruited really hard saw ND 1 time in the spring and maybe for an OV in the summer. If you get guys on campus twice like that then it is fine, but it is harder to get guys to commit to ND off of 1 visit in the summer for an OV or something like that. I think they did a really solid job of doing that last fall, but they need to continue that and even grow that visitor list come this fall because ND's recruiting classes are done for the most part by the time senior fall rolls around for these guys. A guy like Will Shipley is someone I really hope can get to ND this fall for a game and Camar Wheaton comes back to ND for a game. That would really put ND in a great position going into the following spring to host them for OV's or something like that.

 

[stlnd01]

This also highlights the fact that ND needs to and make a strong point to get 2021's on campus for gameday experiences this fall. I still think one of ND's best times to visit is for a game in the fall and a lot of these 2020 guys who ND recruited really hard saw ND 1 time in the spring and maybe for an OV in the summer. If you get guys on campus twice like that then it is fine, but it is harder to get guys to commit to ND off of 1 visit in the summer for an OV or something like that. I think they did a really solid job of doing that last fall, but they need to continue that and even grow that visitor list come this fall because ND's recruiting classes are done for the most part by the time senior fall rolls around for these guys. A guy like Will Shipley is someone I really hope can get to ND this fall for a game and Camar Wheaton comes back to ND for a game. That would really put ND in a great position going into the following spring to host them for OV's or something like that.

It feels like the Early Signing Day, and the more "fit"-oriented approach BK has taken to recruiting the last few cycles (locking in guys who want ND, as opposed to hats-on-the-table drama queens) really makes this more important. It's crazy to think it's only July 3, 2019 and they're basically done recruiting 2020 aside from two or three BPA kind of slots, especially when you recall the crazy Januarys of not so long ago.
But, yeah, to recruit this way, especially for ND, you need to get guys on campus for games in the fall of their junior year.

 

[NDMIA]

It feels like the Early Signing Day, and the more "fit"-oriented approach BK has taken to recruiting the last few cycles (locking in guys who want ND, as opposed to hats-on-the-table drama queens) really makes this more important. It's crazy to think it's only July 3, 2019 and they're basically done recruiting 2020 aside from two or three BPA kind of slots, especially when you recall the crazy Januarys of not so long ago.
But, yeah, to recruit this way, especially for ND, you need to get guys on campus for games in the fall of their junior year.

ND’s an appealing place when visiting at any time of the year. Even more so when visiting in the summer. But that all pales in comparison to experiencing a gameday at ND. I don’t think ND’s doing anything wrong I’m just highlighting how recruiting for 2021 is essentially done by July 1, 2020 so everything needs to be pushed up. Last year was one of their best recruiting visits in a long time in terms of getting 2020’s on campus in the fall but hopefully that only grows for the 2021’s this fall.