2022 - State of the Recruiting Class thread

[Dale]

Would be less upsetting if they hadn’t over confidently cancelled visits and ended recruiting so many of the good plan B’s potentially forcing future plan C and D to get numbers. Receiver was well documented as the big need this cycle and it is lagging bad. Sometimes s@$& happens but early in the cycle they self selected out of many that logically should have been on the board and recently they dipped out on ones they may end up quickly regretting keeping in play. I would say well weird year and maybe lesson learned but this is a known part of recruiting and should not catch professionals off guard

Who’s visits are you saying we cancelled?

 

[SBirishlawyer]

I am probably being a little vague/macro saying that. In my hurty feelings I am referring to whatever is going on with Turner-Bradshaw. Backing off copeland, griffin, and groves. Also kind of winston the safety because since only the defense can close lately I am half expecting jo jo from last class or jake pope to end up at receiver to keep numbers up. I realize all of those receivers I named they valued less than anderson and Ayomanor but between telling recruits to finish visits and wanting to take the high ground and not waste a recruits one of five officials if they are not a take right now.. the playing nice can leave ya holding your junk when the hot chick goes home with the closer.

 

[ThePiombino]

ND offensive recruiting at the moment.....

Bottom line is Rees is green and Del apparently isn't a good recruiter. What did we expect? Jury is out on Taylor, too.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Bottom line is Rees is green and Del apparently isn't a good recruiter. What did we expect? Jury is out on Taylor, too.

I didn't expect much, as even when the positive Singleton vibes hit I posted something to the effect of " I want to believe it". Truth is, outside of OL and TE, I don't trust anything when it comes to offensive recruiting. They have their fair share of wins, don't get me wrong. But the losses are what is keeping from ND taking the next step and we are seemingly sold false information from the staff/recruiting sites (whether it's intentional, which I doubt, or a terrible read on the situation, which is where my money is). I would much rather have "real" insights versus some of the rainbow pumping. But that doesn't sell well.

 

[NDMIA]

So I compiled a list of guys at WR this cycle and added guys based on their offer list. Basically it was an educated guess looking at academic offers (BC, Vandy, Northwestern, ND, Stanford, Ivy League, etc.)

.9882 5* Kevin Coleman

.9836 5* Caleb Burton

.9834 5* Evan Stewart

.9738 4* Kaleb Brown

.9710 4* Tetairoa McMillan

.9683 4* CJ Williams

.9634 4* Tyler Morris

.9624 4* Brenen Thompson

.9511 4* Kaden Saunders

.9510 4* Kojo Antwi

.9491 4* Tobias Merriweather

.9421 4* Darrius Clemons

.9387 4* Andre Greene Jr.

.9353 4* Antonio Williams

.9200 4* De’Nylon Morrissette

.9159 4* Nicholas Anderson

.9151 4* Reggie Fleurima

.9139 4* Dane Key

.9020 4* Dakota Twitty

.8937 4* Joseph Griffin

So part of me looks at this list and says well dang ND offered a ton of these guys. Not a few but actually a ton of these guys and they’re not like Syracuse just throwing out 400 offers. I’m pretty sure they checked interest and had some communication. So at that point what more can you expect from them if the kids aren’t interested.

The bigger part of me says holy crap that’s a ton of dudes with high academic offers. Btw I left a bunch of guys that had one high academic offer if I wasn’t convinced on the academic stuff (even left off some ND offered dudes that might’ve had the old needs to work on some things-line down the road). The fact that there’s this many guys of this caliber in this cycle that could fit the mold academically is worrisome to me that ND can’t strike at WR. Now I certainly hope they get CJ and Tobias. However, you can’t convince Darrius Clemons who’s a super high academic kid to even come for an OV. What about offering Reggie Fleurima who would come to ND if offered. What about Dane Key who’s within driving distance or Dakota Twitty who had Ivy League offers. What happened to Joseph Griffin who’s a BC commit and high academic kid. Maybe they’re very confident in Williams, Merriweather, Walker and Ayomanor but it’s just weird that this cycle fit ND’s bill quite well in terms of potential fits academically and they’re struggling seemingly to get their top rated kids and having a big board. There have been cycles I’ve been frustrated without much reason at WR recruiting where honestly there weren’t a whole bunch of fits in that cycle but this can’t be used as an excuse this cycle and they’ve got tons of spots they can use and need!

 

[Crazy Balki]

The laughable bad takes and ignorance is getting out of hand.

The world isn't imploding because we lost a guy who isn't near the top of our boards. Christ. R-E-L-A-X.

 

[Ndaccountant]

The laughable bad takes and ignorance is getting out of hand.

The world isn't imploding because we lost a guy who isn't near the top of our boards. Christ. R-E-L-A-X.

If you think this limited to one WR, not sure what to tell you. They couldn't close on singleton apparently. It's a very real possibility that they go ofer on Wisconsin OL. QB recruiting this cycle was clumsy at best. We were told June would be magical and while Freeman delivered, the offense, well, didn't. CJ williams will be a great add. But he can't be the only great add if we want to take the next step.

 

[arrowryan]

If you think this limited to one WR, not sure what to tell you. They couldn't close on singleton apparently. It's a very real possibility that they go ofer on Wisconsin OL. QB recruiting this cycle was clumsy at best. We were told June would be magical and while Freeman delivered, the offense, well, didn't. CJ williams will be a great add. But he can't be the only great add if we want to take the next step.

Schrauth, to me, is the only true loss since Notre Dame was in the driver's seat for so long. It is difficult to go into another state and defeat the local team for a recruit. To be honest, Penn State had no reason losing out on Singleton and Wisconsin letting 3 OL leave the state.

Landing Singleton would've been the icing on the cake to what they've brought in (Tyree, Estime, Diggs, and Price). Notre Dame's backfield is in very good shape.

Notre Dame is OLU, but Wisconsin is not far behind. Wisconsin coaches would've deserved some serious side eye from their fans if they let those guys leave the state. A OL class of Chan-Tanona-Wagner-Craig is pretty dang good.

I am not excusing Rees and company's recruiting, though. They need to tighten their shit up now.

 

[Trait Expectations]

Schrauth, to me, is the only true loss since Notre Dame was in the driver's seat for so long. It is difficult to go into another state and defeat the local team for a recruit. To be honest, Penn State had no reason losing out on Singleton and Wisconsin letting 3 OL leave the state.

Landing Singleton would've been the icing on the cake to what they've brought in (Tyree, Estime, Diggs, and Price). Notre Dame's backfield is in very good shape.

Notre Dame is OLU, but Wisconsin is not far behind. Wisconsin coaches would've deserved some serious side eye from their fans if they let those guys leave the state. A OL class of Chan-Tanona-Wagner-Craig is pretty dang good.

I am not excusing Rees and company's recruiting, though. They need to tighten their shit up now.

Agreed 100%. There is a reason we haven't pulled a Wisconsin linemen in 2-3 decades. Harry never got a Wisconsin OL. I hope we continue going after Schrauth.

Need to see them close now.

 

[irishandy]

The laughable bad takes and ignorance is getting out of hand.

The world isn't imploding because we lost a guy who isn't near the top of our boards. Christ. R-E-L-A-X.

This 100%...makes me wonder how many of these posters were around in 2011 with the Lynch, Tuitt, and Ishaq recruiting drama.

 

[Rockin’Irish]

I’m staying optimistic that we’ll see positive recruiting news over the next two weeks which will help us feel some momentum

 

[Dale]

I think once July cycles through, and we may not know 100% the answer, it will be interesting to hear how many guys told ND in some effect, “I’m coming” but didn’t shut down their recruitments end up committing. Anderson very much could be in that group but that’s still speculation. Singleton sounds like could be. There’s the other group of “I’m coming” and they shut it down and are just thinking in private or taking time to form their announcements, which I think we have at least 1 there. This is my problem with the silent term because both groups are getting meshed together often times. In reality, the first group is nothing more than “ND leads”, and the hope would be the staff thinks that as well and weren’t presuming things closed.

 

[Green Mountains]

I think once July cycles through, and we may not know 100% the answer, it will be interesting to hear how many guys told ND in some effect, “I’m coming” but didn’t shut down their recruitments end up committing. Anderson very much could be in that group but that’s still speculation. Singleton sounds like could be. There’s the other group of “I’m coming” and they shut it down and are just thinking in private or taking time to form their announcements, which I think we have at least 1 there. This is my problem with the silent term because both groups are getting meshed together often times. In reality, the first group is nothing more than “ND leads”, and the hope would be the staff thinks that as well and weren’t presuming things closed.

When thinking about Anderson, Singleton, etc, I wonder if those young men were willing to "commit" but wanted to keep taking officials and not shut down the recruiting process. If that were the case, ND saying, "don't commit, take your officials, work your process" makes sense. Walker aside, ND commits are locked in and have generally shut down the recruiting process. Which I think we all like much better than having a bunch of soft commitments.

 

[Dale]

When thinking about Anderson, Singleton, etc, I wonder if those young men were willing to "commit" but wanted to keep taking officials and not shut down the recruiting process. If that were the case, ND saying, "don't commit, take your officials, work your process" makes sense. Walker aside, ND commits are locked in and have generally shut down the recruiting process. Which I think we all like much better than having a bunch of soft commitments.

The long term view of that approach would be both that they are less likely to decommit as well as even transfer in the current age. So it has its merits, it’s just how we end up here with some. Small sample size though.

 

[BobbyMac]

The laughable bad takes and ignorance is getting out of hand.

The world isn't imploding because we lost a guy who isn't near the top of our boards. Christ. R-E-L-A-X.

Anderson wasn't near the top of the board??? Come on now. He wasn't in my class of 4 but he was my next man in.

Depending how one defines 'top of the board' he was either on it, at it or knocking on the door.

 

[Luckylucci]

They tried to get Anderson to commit which means he's a top target for them. Anderson is on record with Rivals saying that they tried to get him to commit. Then someone on staff told Loy that Anderson was done. It's not uncommon for guys to silently commit and then deny it publicly, but clearly it wasn't nearly as done as they thought it was.

As one of the founding members of the "I don't care about stars but the staff getting their top targets" committee we can't have it both ways. We can't cheer for 3 star, top of the board, guys that the staff really wanted which we do often. But, then cast aside the misses on guys they tried to get commit as no big deal. This was a recruiting blunder and a PR blunder, in one.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Anderson wasn't near the top of the board??? Come on now. He wasn't in my class of 4 but he was my next man in.

Depending how one defines 'top of the board' he was either on it, at it or knocking on the door.

Williams
Merriweather
Walker
Ayomanor
Griffin
Anderson

Anderson would be a nice get, but he isn't Williams or Merriweather. Those are the top of the board guys.

 

[Trait Expectations]

Williams
Merriweather
Walker
Ayomanor
Griffin
Anderson

Anderson would be a nice get, but he isn't Williams or Merriweather. Those are the top of the board guys.

No, they aren't. The staff hasn't been pressing for Griffin but they were for Anderson.

 

[NDisme]

Agreed 100%. There is a reason we haven't pulled a Wisconsin linemen in 2-3 decades. Harry never got a Wisconsin OL. I hope we continue going after Schrauth.

Need to see them close now.

to be fair, Harry was busy going into Ohio State’s backyard for guys they wanted. Wisconsin doesn’t have 3 top 100-250 lineman year in and year out.

 

[NDIrish88]

So if the DB group finishes with 4 and maybe they land X as well as Sneed, are we just waiting on WR to finish? Any other spots open perhaps? Maybe another OL?

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I was thinking we need another OL for sure. I think we may have a couple roster openings due to the portal as well. I still don’t know how those count towards our max class size.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I’m staying optimistic that we’ll see positive recruiting news over the next two weeks which will help us feel some momentum

Stay tuned ....for these are the days of our lives

 

[NDIrish88]

I was thinking we need another OL for sure. I think we may have a couple roster openings due to the portal as well. I still don’t know how those count towards our max class size.

Another OL and probably 3 WRs to add I am guessing. Singer mentioned maybe 5 OL.

 

[Luckylucci]

Some of it probably depends on who they can get. They’ll take 2 more DL if it’s Moss and Lucas. They take two OL if it’s Rice and Wagner. But I think as far as needs, it’s 2 more DB’s, 3 WR’s, and 1 OL.

 

[IrishLax]

All WRs are basically the same unless you have some freak athletic traits that give you upside or are so well rounded + polished that you're a "sure thing." Guys in that latter category are super rare, a lot of "#1" WRs don't do shit because they aren't actually good WRs they're just really fast or really fast + really big. Guys like Jerry Jeudy coming out of HS are the only true "sure things."

Outside of that, it's a total grab bag. Someone like CJ Williams might be awful or he might be a Keenan Allen style route runner who can't be covered. See it all the time with guys like Trent Irwin who are supposed to be "elite route runners" that then don't actually produce. Someone like Anderson could end up being an NFL player or he could just be an end of the roster body. I just have a hard time caring.

The big problem for ND is not losing guys like Anderson... it's failing to get traction with guys like Kaleb Brown and Tyler Morris. Kaleb Brown has great traits, and while maybe not a true "sure thing" he's close. Tyler Morris is more meh, but he's still a guy where recruiting/relationships is the main reason we weren't a factor and he's certainly as talented as anyone we're looking at for a filler WR in this class.

 

[Dale]

All WRs are basically the same unless you have some freak athletic traits that give you upside or are so well rounded + polished that you're a "sure thing." Guys in that latter category are super rare, a lot of "#1" WRs don't do shit because they aren't actually good WRs they're just really fast or really fast + really big. Guys like Jerry Jeudy coming out of HS are the only true "sure things."

Outside of that, it's a total grab bag. Someone like CJ Williams might be awful or he might be a Keenan Allen style route runner who can't be covered. See it all the time with guys like Trent Irwin who are supposed to be "elite route runners" that then don't actually produce. Someone like Anderson could end up being an NFL player or he could just be an end of the roster body. I just have a hard time caring.

The big problem for ND is not losing guys like Anderson... it's failing to get traction with guys like Kaleb Brown and Tyler Morris. Kaleb Brown has great traits, and while maybe not a true "sure thing" he's close. Tyler Morris is more meh, but he's still a guy where recruiting/relationships is the main reason we weren't a factor and he's certainly as talented as anyone we're looking at for a filler WR in this class.

Not sure I understand the Morris point given the rest of the post. Morris 100% falls into the “basically the same” category of the three you mentioned and we had traction before he called it a week after a knee injury. Walker and Ayomanor if they snag him also are at least closer to the athletic traits spectrum.

 

[BobbyMac]

Someone like CJ Williams might be awful or he might be a Keenan Allen style route runner who can't be covered. See it all the time with guys like Trent Irwin who are supposed to be "elite route runners" that then don't actually produce.

And when you get the route runner you have to have a QB that will/can throw it to all of those routes. In the BK era, seems I've seen a lot more sideline jump balls to Eifert, ESB, Boykin, Claypool, McKinley than I have guys working their tree like TJ Jones or Slippery Fox.

Is it ironic that Tommy was the guy delivering those lobs to Eifert and now he's the guy calling the lobs?

 

[Luckylucci]

 

[tussin]

For the past few months, I've been reading articles on The Athletic and listening to ISD podcasts stating that ND now has a renewed focus on recruiting with the big boys and that the strategy is paying off. Has this success been overstated? I see that our class is #2 right now and that's awesome, but the average recruit ranking is more or less the same that it has been the past ten years or so.

 

[NDIrish88]

For the past few months, I've been reading articles on The Athletic and listening to ISD podcasts stating that ND now has a renewed focus on recruiting with the big boys and that the strategy is paying off. Has this success been overstated? I see that our class is #2 right now and that's awesome, but the average recruit ranking is more or less the same that it has been the past ten years or so.

Probably a bit of a blend still. You could also make the argument that there are quite a few underrated prospects that are committed as well. Devin Moore is a 4 star on rivals but a 3 star all other sites as an example.