'26 CA LB Talanoa Ili (Offer)

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notredomer23

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NDPhilly said:
Man we're "In the Mix" for so many studs. Just need to land a few more than the typical Freeman class to get near the top 5.
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Was just thinking the same. I will wait and see still on that top 100 talent, but the floor of this class is certainly higher than any other cycle it would seem.
 
IAIrish

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notredomer23 said:
Was just thinking the same. I will wait and see still on that top 100 talent, but the floor of this class is certainly higher than any other cycle it would seem.
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I was thinking that too, but wasn't the vibe similar last February thru June? We all know how that turned out. Or are we getting a playoff/ natty appearance bump?

If what Merck claims to be true that ND will selectively enter the nil for high schoolers in '25, which positions do they select to allocate?

Dline is clear given MF's oline/ dline program driven mandate and qb clearly. But how do they account for elite prospects at other positions?

It's a fascinating subplot within crootin.
 
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NDFAN2008

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NDPhilly said:
Man we're "In the Mix" for so many studs. Just need to land a few more than the typical Freeman class to get near the top 5.
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I think if we are gonna start being competitive with NIL like Merek said we should land a few 5 star recruits this cycle
 
CanadalovesND

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NDFAN2008 said:
I think if we are gonna start being competitive with NIL like Merek said we should land a few 5 star recruits this cycle
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I think the first step us as fans should expect is for ND to win a few more of those Top 100 battles. Best to temper expectations a little. Five stars are great and all, but as much as ND have been missing five-stars from their classes, getting a few more Top 100 players should be the priority.

Speaking back on last years class, if ND was able to land DT Wiggins, WR Derek Meadows, and a Top 100 EDGE rusher, 90% of us would have called that fantastic.

Baby steps, young Padawon.
 
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notredomer23

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IAIrish said:
I was thinking that too, but wasn't the vibe similar last February thru June? We all know how that turned out. Or are we getting a playoff/ natty appearance bump?

If what Merck claims to be true that ND will selectively enter the nil for high schoolers in '25, which positions do they select to allocate?

Dline is clear given MF's oline/ dline program driven mandate and qb clearly. But how do they account for elite prospects at other positions?

It's a fascinating subplot within crootin.
Click to expand...

At this point last year I don’t think that was the case unless we’re counting Deuce and Taylor in the class. There was already a handful of lower rated guys committed and not more than a handful of top 100 guys interested. Could totally just be perception this year, but almost all the OVs seem to be top 250 guys. All the new offers are top 250 guys rather than reaching for projects. Really the only recent 3 star offer I can think of off top of my head is Mueller. Maybe they still only end up with a couple top 100, but I’d bet today they have more than ever kids in that 100-300 range come NSD.

Probably a combination of playoff bump, better NIL, etc.
 
IrishLion

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NDPhilly said:
Man we're "In the Mix" for so many studs. Just need to land a few more than the typical Freeman class to get near the top 5.
Click to expand...

My conspiracy is that even if ND landed an appropriate amount of top-100 kids early on to warrant top-5 consideration later, the usual suspects would drop a few of those top-100 kids in the rankings during the cycle simply for committing to ND rather than SEC/B1G powers… so a top-5 class is gonna require more top talent than the usual top-5 class, if that makes sense
 
BobbyMac

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If they land Ili, King, Davis and Caldwell at hybrid my fecking head will explode. They'd have a LB room that would lap Jones, Pritchett, Stams and Stonebreaker. It would be like having 3 Crables.

Hold up, I got a lil carried away. It'd be like having 1 Crable and two standard fare All Americans since there's only one Crable.
 
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Big23Head

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This article indicates USC is increasing their pursuit, seems obvious, but I did not realize this part:

Ili, who transferred from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran to Kahuku (Hawaii) High this offseason
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247sports.com

USC continues Talanoa Ili pursuit with latest visit as Trojans push for elite LB

Kahuku (Hawaii) High's Talanoa Ili, who is the No. 3 linebacker in college football's 2026 recruiting class, visited USC for another in-depth look at the Trojans. Here's what he said about his latest trip to Los Angeles.
247sports.com 247sports.com
 
SeekNDestroy

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PolishDomer

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Hey anyone hear some rumblings ND is slowly getting back in on Ili? Especially with Tank King being quiet? Hearing some things myself...
 
BobbyMac

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Get a film crew and take KVA & Madman over to Stop 2 beach in Michigan City on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend then pack it up and head to Indy in whoever has the nicest NIL sled and get them on Gasoline Alley with Mike Tirico. Then back up to Wrigley for a game in the Bleachers on Memorial Day with Wiltfong & Shane Gillis.

Then send it to Talanoa to show him… There’s more than corn round Indiana.
 
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