Upshot for the Rest of the Class (2014 Edition)

[Emcee77]

Why can't I find a profile for Pete Mokwuah? Rivals has him as a 3* Rutgers committed 300lb DT.

What do you mean? He's listed by all the major services:

Pete Mokwuah
Pete Mokwuah - Yahoo! Sports
Scout.com: Pete Mokwuah Profile
Football Recruiting - Peter Mokwuah - Player Profiles - ESPN

Or do you mean on this site? Likely no one has gotten around to making one. He came on the radar mere days ago, and then only because Surge brought inside info to the board.

 

[Cpnd1]

@ISDUpdate: The latest on #NotreDame & 2014 #Rutgers DT commit Peter Mokwuah (Premium) http://t.co/LsgIccHihX

 

[Ironman8]

I found this very interesting: There is a thread on ISD about Mokwuah, and Coach D (whose opinion I might care about most of any ND related recruiting analyst) ranked the ND DT targets in terms of his want as such:

1. Mokwuah
2. Cage
3. Griffin
4. Saywers (after a gap)

He loves the upside of Mokwuah. He thinks he will need a lot of coaching, and is probably the lowest in terms of current ranking if he had to play now, but his upside is much greater than the rest. He also thinks the upside of both Cage and Griffin are considerably above Sawyers.

I just thought that was really interesting and worth sharing, especially since most here want Sawyers most, and Mukwuah is seemingly an afterthought for some. Cage as well to a lesser degree.

 

[ACamp1900]

So is the latest with this Griffin offer? If we are right in it with him and Cage is a longshot.........?

 

[stlnd01]

I found this very interesting: There is a thread on ISD about Mokwuah, and Coach D (whose opinion I might care about most of any ND related recruiting analyst) ranked the ND DT targets in terms of his want as such:

1. Mokwuah
2. Cage
3. Griffin
4. Saywers (after a gap)

He loves the upside of Mokwuah. He thinks he will need a lot of coaching, and is probably the lowest in terms of current ranking if he had to play now, but his upside is much greater than the rest. He also thinks the upside of both Cage and Griffin are considerably above Sawyers.

Mokwuah is definitely under the radar. I'm no expert on the upside of high school defensive linemen. I would wonder about his competition at St. Joseph By the Sea in Staten Island, and his lack of interest from anyplace outside low-tier BCS schools in the Northeast. But, then, he committed early. And he's a big boy. With some coaching, who knows. I'll take all four, myself.

 

[PANDFAN]

nothing earth shattering

nothing earth shattering

Scout.com: Scout 300 Commitment Tracker (1/22)
biggins and huffman
both have ju ju and quick not picking ND

 

[Irish8248]

 

[Fbolt]

Unfortunately, I can see that happening. Sigh....

 

[IrishLax]

Just got to get 2 DTs. It's really sad how we dropped the ball on DT recruiting since '12 and I squarely blame Diaco. It's similar to how we laughably only signed 2 ILBs from '11 to '13 because no one met his stupid ideal fit parameters.

I hope (and expect) VanGorder to grasp how you recruit to depth/need and then keep open lines of communication with additional prospects in case something changes. We do that on offense and with DB recruiting... but we're going to pay the price for Diaco's shody front 7 recruiting this year and next if anyone gets hurt.

 

[Fbolt]

Just got to get 2 DTs. It's really sad how we dropped the ball on DT recruiting since '12 and I squarely blame Diaco. It's similar to how we laughably only signed 2 ILBs from '11 to '13 because no one met his stupid ideal fit parameters.

I hope (and expect) VanGorder to grasp how you recruit to depth/need and then keep open lines of communication with additional prospects in case something changes. We do that on offense and with DB recruiting... but we're going to pay the price for Diaco's shody front 7 recruiting this year and next if anyone gets hurt.

Agreed

 

[vuirish]

Just got to get 2 DTs. It's really sad how we dropped the ball on DT recruiting since '12 and I squarely blame Diaco. It's similar to how we laughably only signed 2 ILBs from '11 to '13 because no one met his stupid ideal fit parameters.

I hope (and expect) VanGorder to grasp how you recruit to depth/need and then keep open lines of communication with additional prospects in case something changes. We do that on offense and with DB recruiting... but we're going to pay the price for Diaco's shody front 7 recruiting this year and next if anyone gets hurt.

Would have liked for Connor Strachan get a more serious look. He will be a stud for BC.

 

[Wild Bill]

Would have liked for Connor Strachan get a more serious look. He will be a stud for BC.

And his hair is luxurious.

 

[vuirish]

And his hair is luxurious.

Dan Fox 2.0.

 

[PANDFAN]

And his hair is luxurious.

he is def too short for linebacker

 

[irishog77]

Just got to get 2 DTs. It's really sad how we dropped the ball on DT recruiting since '12 and I squarely blame Diaco. It's similar to how we laughably only signed 2 ILBs from '11 to '13 because no one met his stupid ideal fit parameters.

I hope (and expect) VanGorder to grasp how you recruit to depth/need and then keep open lines of communication with additional prospects in case something changes. We do that on offense and with DB recruiting... but we're going to pay the price for Diaco's shody front 7 recruiting this year and next if anyone gets hurt.

If Juju doesn't come to ND (which is quite likely), ND will have signed 1 safety in the last 2 cycles. One. I don't care what kind of quality depth there is on the depth chart, a serious piper is going to have to be paid in a couple years.

And his hair is luxurious.

Yes, A glorious mane

 

[ResLife Hero]

If Juju doesn't come to ND (which is quite likely), ND will have signed 1 safety in the last 2 cycles. One. I don't care what kind of quality depth there is on the depth chart, a serious piper is going to have to be paid in a couple years.

Butler, Kinlaw, Redfield, Baratti, Shumate and Turner...

All those guys could be safeties IMO.

Unless you meant last 2 including the current one. Then I still think those first 3 could do fine.

 

[PANDFAN]

Butler, Kinlaw, Redfield, Baratti, Shumate and Turner...

All those guys could be safeties IMO.

Unless you meant last 2 including the current one. Then I still think those first 3 could do fine.

tranquil as well

 

[irishog77]

Butler, Kinlaw, Redfield, Baratti, Shumate and Turner...

All those guys could be safeties IMO.

Unless you meant last 2 including the current one. Then I still think those first 3 could do fine.

I am including this cycle, which is why I included Juju in the post-- if he doesn't come, then Redfield is the only S signed the last 2 cycles.

Sure, I think Kinlaw and and Butler could play S...but then that depletes the CB depth.

I don't think this is some dire situation. Certainly not if Juju comes to ND. But I think it's something to keep an eye on. I've been a little critical of BK over the years saying he tends to "overrecruit" at positions (yes, sometimes out of necessity), causing an imbalanced roster and/or depth. And then you have a small class like next year...and then maybe a couple guys leave early for the NFL or transfer...and then your stuck having to overrecruit a specific position all over again and/or absolutely needing freshmen to come in and play and contribute right away.

tranquil as well

Wasn't part of the hold up in his offer though over the staff evaluating him as a LB? That they weren't quick to offer him as a S, but then figured he could play MLB or DOG or whatever, then decided to offer? I could be wrong.

If the current class holds up, then LB isn't necessarily a need anymore. Maybe he can play S now. However, I'm a little hesitant to be excited about him as a S...when the staff didn't ever seem to be excited about him as a S.

 

[Luckylucci]

I am including this cycle, which is why I included Juju in the post-- if he doesn't come, then Redfield is the only S signed the last 2 cycles.

Sure, I think Kinlaw and and Butler could play S...but then that depletes the CB depth.

I don't think this is some dire situation. Certainly not if Juju comes to ND. But I think it's something to keep an eye on. I've been a little critical of BK over the years saying he tends to "overrecruit" at positions (yes, sometimes out of necessity), causing an imbalanced roster and/or depth. And then you have a small class like next year...and then maybe a couple guys leave early for the NFL or transfer...and then your stuck having to overrecruit a specific position all over again and/or absolutely needing freshmen to come in and play and contribute right away.



Wasn't part of the hold up in his offer though over the staff evaluating him as a LB? That they weren't quick to offer him as a S, but then figured he could play MLB or DOG or whatever, then decided to offer? I could be wrong.

If the current class holds up, then LB isn't necessarily a need anymore. Maybe he can play S now. However, I'm a little hesitant to be excited about him as a S...when the staff didn't ever seem to be excited about him as a S.

There's your answer.

 

[Luckylucci]

I'll agree Hog that S needs to addressed next year but this years strategy was right, IMO. Plenty of depth currently. Make a play for the very high quality prospects and if you miss, address the depth the following year.

 

[IrishLax]

Would have liked for Connor Strachan get a more serious look. He will be a stud for BC.

At least we hit a freaking home run this year at linebacker. They did in fact take a long hard look at Strachan after the season but simply liked Sykes and Morgan better. Not to mention they have Hill, Tranquill, and Yeargin who all have some flexibility to play "ILB" depending on the particular scheme/situation.

If Juju doesn't come to ND (which is quite likely), ND will have signed 1 safety in the last 2 cycles. One. I don't care what kind of quality depth there is on the depth chart, a serious piper is going to have to be paid in a couple years.

I actually don't see this as much of an issue. There's a reason they passed on Hendrix this year (which is a questionable move, but I understand it). Let's look at the eligibility 2 years out in 2015:

Shumate (1 year remaining)
Farley (1 year)
Hardy (1 year)
Redfield (2 years)
Barratti (2 years)
Turner (2 years)
+ any 2015 recruits + Prosise in a pinch.

So that's 6 veteran safeties for 2015, then in 2016 you'll have 3 vets + your 2015 signees as sophomores + 2016 signees. So definitely no hole in 2014 or 2015, and then you don't end up with a hole in 2016 unless something goes very wrong in 2015 recruiting AND you lose Redfield/Barratti. Both of those occurring is very unlikely.

And with LB no longer being a serious need, there is a strong belief that Tranquill can stay lean and play strong safety.

 

[connor_in]

And his hair is luxurious.

It's sad how Lindsey Lohan's addictions have affected her looks

 

[irishog77]

At least we hit a freaking home run this year at linebacker. They did in fact take a long hard look at Strachan after the season but simply liked Sykes and Morgan better. Not to mention they have Hill, Tranquill, and Yeargin who all have some flexibility to play "ILB" depending on the particular scheme/situation.



I actually don't see this as much of an issue. There's a reason they passed on Hendrix this year (which is a questionable move, but I understand it). Let's look at the eligibility 2 years out in 2015:

Shumate (1 year remaining)
Farley (1 year)
Hardy (1 year)
Redfield (2 years)
Barratti (2 years)
Turner (2 years)
+ any 2015 recruits + Prosise in a pinch.

So that's 6 veteran safeties for 2015, then in 2016 you'll have 3 vets + your 2015 signees as sophomores + 2016 signees. So definitely no hole in 2014 or 2015, and then you don't end up with a hole in 2016 unless something goes very wrong in 2015 recruiting AND you lose Redfield/Barratti. Both of those occurring is very unlikely.

And with LB no longer being a serious need, there is a strong belief that Tranquill can stay lean and play strong safety.

Yeah, as I said, i don't think it's dire, but there's no guarantee Farley and Hardy will be back in '15, as both will have graduated. Same in '16 with Turner and Baratti. I think odds are quite slim all, or even most, would leave before taking their 5th year, but you never really know.

The problem with depth next year is the next cycle will be so small. Across the board, the staff will only be able to take 1, maybe 2, players at every position. I think they may try and take something like 2 RB's, 3 OL, 1 Qb, 1 TE (or not at all), 2 Wr's, 2 DL, 2 LB's and 3 DB's. That's 16 spots. Not much room for error in their evaluations and landing their targets.

 

[Irish8248]

This year was supposed to be a small class too, like 20 tops -- Now look at it, max out at 27... Just wait and see, I imagine it will fall in the low 20s

 

[IrishLax]

Updated with lots of new tidbits for everyone. Dropped Griffin, added Mokwuah now that he has an OV locked in.

 

[dwshade]

Much appreciated.

 

[irishfan]

Thanks LAX.

 

[dwshade]

Would love to finish with Quick and Izzy on offense to add some explosiveness and Alexander, Sawyers and Mokwuah to defense. Really want this Mokwuah kid.

 

[Goldedommer44]

Where did lax post the update?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Where did lax post the update?

He keeps the original post in this thread updated.