So originally, I think everyone could agree that the quarantine's effect on ND recruiting would be negative. A huge recruiting weekend was cancelled that likely might have tipped the scales in ND's favor for some recruits and/or landed some big time recruits. It seemed as though not getting kids on campus would kill our momentum.
However, now that ND is willing to accept commitments without a visit, is it possible that this may actually help ND in some regards?
When it comes to kids where distance is a concern, of course, this will still greatly hurt ND. But with kids who are not concerned about where they play (eg Philip Riley), I believe ND can shine during this period. Think of Stanford, who lacks the ability to showcase a great gameday atmosphere, they thrive during out of season recruiting because the attention goes away from what they offer on the football field to what they offer off of it. Not to say that ND does not have a good gameday atmosphere, but rather the things that separates ND from the other blue bloods are things that get often overshadowed while at other schools -- academics, faith, school history, a walkable-beautiful campus, etc.
When a kid goes to Clemson or LSU or Ohio State on a visit, they are likely shown the flashier side of things: giant crowds, big cities, hot girls, college parties, etc. But now on empty campuses across America, there are none of these things. Tours are being done virtually, by coaches walking about their campuses and offering film reviews and slide presentations. I have to believe that this plays into academic schools' favor with Notre Dame being at the forefront of that.
Of course kids will still commit to these other big time programs because they understand the stage they will be playing on there, and they believe they can be successful there. But for any recruit willing to venture from home and who cares about cultural fit and academics, ND has to feel pretty good about what they can still successfully showcase during this time.
