Notice Farrell's jab...
Wieneke: What are your general impressions of the recruiting class to date?
Farrell: "Not bad. Over-ranked a little bit by some other recruiting web sites, and some of these guys will be getting bumps. (Offensive lineman) Mike McGlinchey is a kid I really like upon second look. You've got (wide receiver) Corey Robinson, who could be a sleeper and a steal.
"I think it's pretty good. If I were to rate it, it'd be a B. The O-line class I'd say is probably an A-minus. They got their quarterback (Malik Zaire). I want to see (cornerback) Rashad Kinlaw again. I want to see (wide receiver) James Onwualu again. I want to see if these guys can be, in Onwualu's case, can he be Golden Tate?
He's built like that. Can Kinlaw be, is he just a great athlete or is he a kid that's going to be a great football player?
"I would say right now probably a B. And I know Notre Dame fans don't want to hear that, but you've got to compare them to who they're recruiting against and honestly you might as well lump them into the Big Ten, and Ohio State and Michigan are both As. So you can't give Notre Dame an A if you're comparing them to those two. I would say a B right now."
Lemming: "So far so good. They still need a big-time running back and a big-time wide receiver. They need help at linebacker. They still need safety help. With Lynch gone they might need a defensive end or outside linebacker or two.
"So they're definitely not done. They still need to go after guys. Almost everybody they've gotten is a real good player. They're in line. They could still have a top-10 year, but they've got to finish strong."
Wiltfong: "Offensive tackle and corner were the needs, and you see them addressing them. The thing that you've got to like about Brian Kelly and Notre Dame is that this staff sees the needs and then they go out and take care of them.
"So far, so good. Offensive line was a huge need and they went out and landed five highly touted guys. Corner was a big need after what happened last year and they go out and land a top-100 guy in Rashad Kinlaw, and Devin Butler had a great offer list. And they're in on some other top-notch corners as well, whether it be a Cole Luke, or Leon McQuay, who wants to visit this summer.
"I'm a big fan of taking one quarterback a year and they got a really good one there. They got some guys that they think can be playmakers for them at receiver in James Onwualu and Corey Robinson.
"With the tight end spot, going back to John Carlson and Anthony Fasano and Kyle Rudolph and now Tyler Eifert, Mike Heuerman appears to be maybe that next guy, along with Ben Koyack, who's already on the roster."
quality CB and Davonte who might end up on that side of the ball. Got depth and some diamonds in the rough at safety. Really addressed most needs and added the #1 QB, 2 really good DL and one high-upside OT on top of all of that. Considering the results this season, I'll take it.
