Arizona State’s offense has been putting up some big numbers. The defense has made some strides, but the ASU squad is coming off hanging 6 TD in the second half alone against USC. What is the most important defensive group (DL/LB/Secondary) facing ASU? Why? Any players to watch? 

It always comes down to the defensive line.  If Nix and Tuitt are on top of their game and cane generate some pressure without the need to blitz, the defense can get back to playing more how they did last year. If Sheldon Day is able to play this week, that should help get Nix and Tuitt going again since day was playing very well prior to his injury.  If Day sits out again this week though and Nix and Tuitt don’t have their best games of the season, Diaco is going to have to dial up some more blitzes and the problems that have been plaguing this defense all season will rear their ugly heads again this weekend.

Our quarterback situation continues to be interesting. Which QB do you think gives the Irish the best chance to win and why?

Most Notre Dame fans don’t want to hear this or don’t want to believe it, but its Tommy Rees.  Hendrix hasn’t shown that he can be much of a passer on the college level and it doesn’t appear as though Zaire is ready yet – especially since he had a bout with mono already this season.  Even if Zaire was ready and didn’t miss the time he did, it probably wouldn’t make much sense to burn his redshirt now either with Golson coming back in January.  The quarterback situation is unfortunately what it is right now.  Rees is capable of playing much better than he has been the last two weeks, but he also isn’t suddenly going to start winning games on his own either.

With 2 losses any dreams of reaching another title game have been laid to rest. How do you see this game impacting the rest of the regular season?

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So let’s see how this class is doing compared to last years class at the same time. Needs for each year are different. Scholarship numbers change; however, by looking at the quantity and quality of the recruits we can get a better idea of how this class is shaping up.

So in May of 2012 where did we stand?

Well we had 12 verbal commitments. Eight 4 star recruits, and four 3 star recruits. We hit the Offensive side of the ball early, in particular the line. Five of twelve were OL, with two more being TEs. Our lone QB, 2 WRs round out the offensive side of these recruits. The only defensive recruits were a pair of defensive backs.

With the offensive line and defensive backfield being the primary concerns in 2012 most of the holes were filled early.

12 commits with a 3.67 star average, 10 Offensive, 2 Defensive.

What does May of 2013 look like?

We’ve got 9 verbal commitments. One is a 5 star recruit, five are 4 stars and three 3 stars. Again, it seems offensive early and often with a target on the line. Three lineman, a TE, RB, and a WR. Only three defensive prospects, a LB as well as two very welcome additions to our burgeoning stock of elite defensive lineman.

This year we had less holes to fill than in 2012, and no real area that is a glaring need. The areas of need include TE, OL, and maybe DL if you had to choose them. The needs again seemed to have been addressed early.

9 commits with a 3.78 star average. 6 Offensive, 3 Defensive.

There are some interesting similarities to these classes. 2012’s class ended up with 24 players, meaning half of the players were already in the fold at this time. Due to scholarship restrictions I believe this next class of 2013 may only have around 18 players, and maybe less depending on who leaves or stays with the program for various reasons. So it seems the target for the staff is to be half way home in May.

Both classes went after the offensive side of the ball early, in particular the lineman. A deep, experienced line that keeps reloading is the hallmark of a great program. This is true on both sides of the ball. It seems that this staff understands that and has addressed lack of depth on the offensive lines the past two recruiting cycles as early as possible. While in 2012 we didn’t have much on the defensive line early, we already have 2 commits for 2013. It looks like the area of emphasis early in cycles for this staff is the line, and I for one wholeheartedly support this, as games are won and lost in the trenches. (see-all of last year)

2012’s IrishMob13 demonstrated what I’d call the most visual impact of the “twitter era” on recruiting I’ve seen. I’m not sure if the coaches had much to do with this (they may have after the Tee Shepard/Deontay Greenberry debacle) but the way the previous class stuck together, as well as recruited each other seemed to be unique. As communication has become easier, it is interesting to see how this impacts recruiting. Maybe this has gone on to this extent before, only it was next to impossible to see unless you were in the all star camps.

This year’s “GoldenArmy14”  is beginning to do the same. As mentioned by Keith Arnold over at Inside the Irish Elijah Hood in particular has begun to recruit. This is a good sign about the strength of his commitment as well as the ability of the staff to sell a recruit. After a few de-commitments and transfers of elite prospects in early years, the coaches seemed to have reined in all of those issues.  When you convince a recruit to not only commit, but to preach his convictions to other elite kids making the same type of decision then you are doing something very well.

Last year’s recruiting class was one of the best in the country. In recent recruiting history we’ve had trouble, or been perceived to have trouble landing big defensive difference making recruits. That idea has been slowly laid to rest after we’ve consistently grabbed top tier defensive recruits, with last years class of Jaylon Smith, Max Redfield, and Eddie Vanderdoes perhaps being the most star studded defensively in a very long time.

So where do we stand? I’d say with respect to last year we stand in about exactly the same place, with slightly better talent. However, this year we’ve got less holes to fill. As we move forward in this cycle it will be interesting to see not only how many recruits we get, but the overall quality. I believe if we do well we will see an equally or more impressive class than last year. We may also strike out going after elite talent and not fill up the class. The way things have been going leads me to believe the former is more likely.

The post Recruiting: Where do we stand? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Sam Mustipher OG/OT

Andrew Trumbetti  ATH/DE

Greer Martini ILB

Jay Hayes  DT/OT

Jimmy Byrne OT

Justin Brent WR

The post Now 6 in 2014 Recruiting Class appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Again this will be a slim class as most projections have the scholarship number at about fourteen about fourteen scholarships available. With this in mind, even though Notre Dame has offered nearly everyone in the top 50, we have only listed the “Top Targets” below as those believed to have the most interest in Notre Dame.

*Denotes available 5th year

Commits: Jay Hayes

Need level- Medium to High

Top Targets-Enoch Smith Jr., Thomas Holley, Khairi Clark

Assessment- The linchpin of the 3-4 defense, this should always be an area of need. We have a lot of people that could be moved here, and one commit already. We should hit this every year, and have been able to get elite talent here the past few years.

I’m assuming the Louis Nix III will be going pro, even though he will have one year of eligibility left. He’ll have his degree, and his senior day, leaving him very little motivation to hang around for another year.

A strikeout on elite talent wouldn’t be terrible considering some of the current talent and current DEs that could shift to DT if need be. However, not land a DT in this class would make this a large area of need the following year.

Need level-Low to Medium

Top Targets- Deondre Clark, Malik McDowell, Andre Trumbetti, Andrew Williams

Assessment- Even if we lose Tuitt to the draft, we’re still pretty deep at DE. But, as football is won in the trenches, I expect the Irish to be after very elite talent here, and be OK with a miss if it happens.

There is some talent in the linebacking corps that could be mover here if they don’t find a home because of young talent, or if we strike out and need it. Justin Utopo comes to mind.

Commits – Greer Martini

Need level- High

Top Targets- Nyles Morgan, Raekwon McMillan

Assessment-While Smith could slide inside to fill this gap, we’ll assume he stays at OLB until we know different. Being 2-deep at this spot isn’t ideal. The three that will be left all have a good deal of eligibility left, but I think this will be the biggest position of need on the defense. We wouldn’t be immediately hurting if we missed, but it would be a gap that would show up down the road if we missed in this cycle.

Need level- High

Top Targets- Dillon Bates, Clifton Garret

Assessment-Very interesting looking ahead this far to think about what Williams, Councell, and Rabasa will turn into after four years in the program.  Same as ILB, there’s a good deal of eligibility here but you just don’t like to risk injury problems. Further, if one of these gentleman needs to be moved to OLB then it will strain the ILB corps more. We’ll hope to get elite talent, but we’d take a RKG with a lower rating I think.

Need level-  Medium

Top Targets- Parrker Westphal, Jalen Tabor

Assessment- There’s a chance Lo Wood might not take his 5th year(or even have it offered). Even if we lose him, the Irish are 2-deep at the CB spot. However, the staff has been known to move players to and from this position and you simply don’t pass up elite talent if you can get it. Further, great CBs allow for more blitzes, exotic coverages, and other high risk/high reward defenses. Although this position not necessarily a major area of need, the value of the raw talent at this position makes landing recruits here quite desirable.

Need level-low

Top Targets- Quincy Wilson, Jamal Adams

Assessment- Several of these young men were highly touted recruits and I expect one or two of them to step up and live up to their billing. Several of these young men have a lot of eligibility left.

This year the secondary finally evolved into no longer being a liability, but, with these kids, it may be able to make the leap to strength. Elite talent like Redfield might even struggle to press for time, although I’d be shocked to not see him on the field somewhere in the secondary. I think a few of these gentleman will live up to their billing, and Redfield is so physically talented, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone got moved over to CB.

We can miss here and be ok for a year, but if we can get another Redfield its a no-brainer.

 _________________

Overall it is exciting to look at the names on this list. This is who’s left after next year.

Attrition to people going pro is a problem you get with having great talent on your team. The coaches have gotten some “6 Star” recruits before, so maybe we can hold on to some hope of these kids staying longer than expected.

That said, the defense is in a similar position to the offense. Outside of linebacker we don’t have any specific needs. We don’t have highly rated recruits everywhere, but we’re close. We lack a true “shut down” corner, but I thought we did pretty good with the secondary last year, and have some recruits coming.

Overall I say we’re loaded for at least two years right now, and have the opportunity to add to the spoils. With this comes the ability to practice harder, substitute more, and continue the tradition of excellent defenses. If anything keeps us a contender for the next few years, its the names on this defense.

I’m really excited to watch these kids in the next few years. I just wonder when the defense will start to score more… or is that greedy??

The post 2014 Needs & Wants: Defense appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Let’s take a look at each offensive position group to try to gauge what we need and who our top targets currently are. Given our last few recruiting classes were near full, (barring transfers or early departure for the pros) I’d say around 14 spots will be left for the rest of the class. This is a good problem to have, one we haven’t had in ages. Top targets listed here are the targets believed to be the most “gettable”, targets that have interest in ND and an offer from ND.

* indicates fifth year option.

Need level-Medium

Top Targets- Brandon Dawkins, John Wolford

Assessment- Coach Kelly said he’d take a QB with every class. Not taking one is always a risk considering injuries and transfers. Whether or not taking a QB every year contributed to Kiel’s transfer is debatable, but having Zaire makes his transfer much more comfortable.  Golson will have two years of eligibility left, and Zaire four (assuming a redshirt) after next year. I believe that still keeps us in pretty good shape.

Need level- Low

Top Targets- Sony Michel, Jalen Hurd, Elijah Hood

Assessment- Atkinson, McDaniel and Carlisle* will all be going into their Senior year. Not sure if all of the first three will still be RBs after next season, but the eligibility will be there. This bunch of backs gives us the chance to really only go after the elite talent. RB is another position you like to take every year, but considering the depth and the lack of available scholarships in this class we may not take anyone with less than 5 stars. If we don’t take anyone this will become a position of need the following year.

Need level- Low to Medium

Top Targets- Mark Andrews, Terry Googer, Corey Holmes, Josh Malone, Jacob Mcrary, Michiah Quick, Artavis Scott, Thadeus Snodgrass

Assessment- Similar to the rest of the skill positions, we are relatively deep at all the receiver positions. However, Massa is a converted QB and hasn’t seen much action. Let’s say 1 or 2 of these young men don’t pan out. We’d still be okay at the position, but we’d like to have some security. I’d expect us to take one or maybe even two WRs if the right kids join, but wouldn’t be panicked if we didn’t. Some of the younger WRs seem to have pretty good potential. We’ll see how they turn out.

Need level-   Medium to High

Top Targets- Nic Weishar, Jeb Blazevich, Tyler Luatua, Ian Bunting

Assessment- I believe we will have a very good starting TE out of these five, possibly even two really good TEs. The potential is there to have an elite tight end, as we’ve grown accustomed to over the last few years. However, not having a backup at any position is a risk we shouldn’t afford. Welch is recovering from a season ending injury, sometimes you never make it back. Furthermore, there were more than a few times we reaped the benefits of the mismatches this type of athlete can create. Niklas and Eifert on the field last year had to be a nightmare to try to gameplan against, even if we didn’t do it that frequently. A miss here isn’t the end of the world, but it’d make TE a huge need the following year with the gaps left by three leaving.

Need level- Low to Medium

Top Targets- Mason Cole, Jamarco Jones, KC Mcdermott, Orlando Brown, Braden Smith, Bentley Spain, Natrell Curtis, Alex Bars

Commits- Jimmy Byrne

Assessment- The loss of Nichols hurts a bit at this position. We have one commit, but expect this to be hit harder. We’d like to get at least one more in this class.  The ability to redshirt players in the trenches helps immensely. Further, being able to go live without being concerned about injuries can be a factor in late season games, as was recently touched on by Coach Kelly. This looks a little bare, but if some of the interior lineman are versatile enough to slide outside we would be able to fill any holes left by injuries/going pro/graduation etc.

Need level- Low to Medium

Top Targets- Same as outside lineman.

Assessment-  Three Seniors on the inside, and another potential 5th year. With three spots inside (two Gs, one C) and four seniors this would look to be pretty ideal. We’d have experience across the board and a sub if the unthinkable happened. After that, it seems to dwindle a bit. Just one junior, but this years strong class of three will be sophomores. I’d say we need to take at least one here, possibly two. It’s the same arguments as the exterior lineman with regard to redshirting/going live.

————————

Losses of Kiel and Nichols create a little more need, but nothing that becomes an immediate need. For the offense it seems that we have got to the point that we have the luxury of targeting only the elite talent at the skill positions. The best teams are often at this point and this allows them to target the “difference makers”, that top level athlete that can win you football games almost by themselves.  On the OL C/G maybe an issue, but we just hauled in a great class of OL so it’s not panic time if we strike out this year. With the small # of spots available and a nice full depth chart, we should compete for only the best of the best this year. The other side of the coin is keeping the depth chart nice and full requires full recruiting classes if you can get quality players. I believe it will be easier to fill any perceived needs for this class, and give us the chance to really get out there after the blue chips.

The post 2014 Needs & Wants: Offense appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Let’s take a look at who’s came to South Bend.

Kylie Fitts DE 6’4”, 245 lbs, 4 stars

Former USC commit. Had his scholarship pulled by Kiffin two days before he enrolled. Classy! Fitts looks like a well balanced DE that can stop the run or rush the passer. Would fit nicely at DE.

Eddie Vanderdoes DT 6’4”, 310lbs, 5 stars

Former USC commit. Eddie is a monster at DT and has offers from everywhere. Given our current starter/backup are out the door next year, he would add much needed depth. We still have Sheldon Day avaialble to move up, but in our scheme having a NT that can eat up double teams is essential.

Sebastian LaRue WR 5’11”185 4 stars

Former USC commit. Great speed. Plays bigger than 5’11”. Would be a nice addition to a receiving corps that is still searching for a real go-to guy.

[Correction 1/28 11:38 ET] As mentioned below, LaRue cancelled his visit. In fact, he committed to Texas A&M. Apologies for the oversight.

Durham Smythe TE 6’5” 230 lbs 4 stars

Former Texas commit who committed to the Irish during the weekend. Grew up cheering for the Irish. Even with Heueurman, we’ve seen injuries and TEs going pro early. Always good to have depth at this position, because 2/3 TE sets can create huge mismatches in both the run and pass game.

Deon Hollins Jr. OLB/DE 6’2” 220 lbs 4 stars

Current UCLA commit. Would be nice to flip him. He’s the kind of athlete the staff loves, one with the versatility to play as a LB or line up on the line. Good hands, strong tackler, and great speed for his size.

So at most, should Folston de-commit, we could take three more in this class (which would remove both 5th year options of Fox/Calabrese). I’d say Vanderdoes is the most important piece left. With at four spots open, you have to wonder if the staff was saying “Commit before he does!” and if Smythe’s decision was possibly spurred by a similar though.

Definitely nice to be in this position at this time of year.

Who do you want? Who would you take? Who do you think we’ll get? Discuss!

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A few questions have been answered, some rumors confirmed. Danny Mattingly and Jamel James indeed jumped ship. I do like the staff policy of continuing to look for recruits if recruits continue to take visits, and it seems to have paid off here.

We also lost a big piece of our class in Alex Anzalone. While Anzalone cited Kelly’s flirtation with the NFL, I wonder if that’s the only reason. His father is a Florida grad, and he has flipped from OSU to ND to Florida back to ND again and then finally enrolling early at Florida. While he reaffirmed his commitment after the beating at the hand of Alabama in Miami, I have a hard time believing that the game didn’t influence him at least somewhat. He’s enrolled at Florida, so no flipping back. A tough loss, but it happens (see Gunner Kiel).

While I was quite high on Jamel James, replacing him with a recruit like Greg Bryant is absolutely fine by me. He is one of the best young players available, and rated near the top of the charts on all rankings sites. With Riddick and Wood gone as well, this is a great pickup. According to most his commitment is directly due to our on the field success, and we wouldn’t be getting a kid this good under 8-5 circumstances. To the victor go the spoils.

Danny Mattingly was another recruit I was more than content with. However, replacing him with Max Redfield is another  move we can all more than live with. Redfield becomes what is said to be the first 5 star Safety to commit to Notre Dame since the star rating system has been in effect. While I think the secondary has played pretty well this year, having an athlete with his size and speed back there should help us make the leap to elite in the back end in the near future.

So that’s two 4 star recruits out, two 5 star recruits in. Not too shabby. A RB for a RB and a LB for a S. Doesn’t seem to shake too much up. But, a surprise “get” also popped up. Tarean Folston, another highly sought after RB from Florida, joined the Irish Mob.

So where does that leave us? 85 is our magic number.

Now the numbers look like this:

• 17 Freshmen
• 22 Sophomores
• 18 Juniors
• 22 Verbal Commitments

That’s 79. There are also 9 seniors eligible for return for a fifth year and one for a possible sixth. Let’s run down the options there.

• Eifert – Going Pro
• Stockton – Unlikely to come back due to depth
• Golic – Unlikely to come back due to depth/lack of finding position
• Tausch – Lost his job to Brinzda
• Wood- Going Pro
• Martin- Back
• Watt- Back
• Calabrese- Unknown
• Fox- Unknown
• Slaughter (Sixth Year) – Petition denied, currently appealing

That’s five gone (likely six, unless the NCAA surprises everyone), two back, and two question marks, bringing our magic number to 83, even if we keep Fox and Calabrese. So that leaves two spots open in the class, and if we get a transfer/ don’t offer someone a 5th year there are a couple more.

Given the current roster and state of recruiting affairs I believe only two men would be allowed to fill those spots. Eddie Vanderdoes, a monster 5 star DT and former USC commit, or Priest Willis, a 5 star CB. Priest Willis looks like a real long shot, with us out of his top schools.  While either would be a lovely addition to the class, we could miss both and potentially still be the best class out there. We could get both and have to find room for them. At the end of the recruiting cycle its a nice change to be thinking about  just tacking on a couple more 5 star recruits, even given our recent loss.

The post Is The #1 Recruiting Class Full? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Steve Elmer– 4 star OT- 6’6” 310 lbs 4.33 GPA

First member of what would become the “IrishMob13”, Mr. Elmer has been a member since 2011. Slated to play OT, but like most lineman will likely be moved around until the staff finds his strengths. A big, strong kid who could theoretically push for playing time.  Would be nice to “red shirt” him, but it is also good to have someone available to step in in and emergency, even as a freshman. With room to grow and an extra 1/2 year to get acquainted, hopefully he will be a big piece of the O-Line in the future.

James Onwualu – 4 star ATH- 6’2” 205 lbs 4.2 GPA

James joins a crowded depth chart as he is projected as a WR, but could slide into that hybrid RB position. Early on listed as a 3 star but caught the attention of all but one recruiting service and earned his 4th star. Apparently has been quoted saying he’s never lifted a weight a day in his life, so it will be interesting to see if he puts on some pounds after Longo gets to him. Really like this kid, seems to be a very balanced wide receiver. Looks like should be able to go deep and hurt you, or just burn you on a short pass. Reminds me of a cross between Floyd and Tate at the high school level.

Malik Zaire – 4 Star QB 6’1” 190 lbs 3.0 GPA

Coach Kelly said he’d take a QB every year, this year is no different. Zaire is an interesting prospect and part of the Elite 11. Seems almost to good to be true, a mobile QB that keeps his eyes down field and has all the throws. He’s entering what seems like a logjam at QB, but with Hendrix and Rees both going to be Seniors he’ll likely get his shot sooner or later. I expect him to redshirt considering Gunner Kiel enrolled early last year and will likely get the reps Malik would be after. It will be interesting to see if he gets his chance at the field, changes position, or transfers. I for one would like to see what he can do for us. Oh, and he’s a lefty.

Corey Robinson – 4 Star WR 6’4” 200 lbs 4.4 GPA

Son of the Admiral and not a bad athlete himself. A raw receiver, Robinson didn’t play football his whole life. We’ve got a lot of WRs on the roster right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he redshirted as well. However, he’s got the size, hands, speed, and athleticism to be a big time WR. He could easily bulk up to 225 in a few years. If he’s coached up well and works hard in the weight room we could have a steal at WR here. Him getting in early leads me to believe its only a matter of time. Another athlete that picked up a 4th star after he was committed just goes to show how well these coaches recruit. Also has shown time and again to be an excellent citizen.

Mike Heuerman – 4 Star TE 6’4” 220 lbs 3.3 GPA

Welcome to TE-U Mr. Heuerman. Another in what is becoming a long line of great TE’s we snagged from the south and the jaws of many other elite programs. Seems to be a very balanced TE, being adept at blocking and catching. Call me crazy, but I think the kid genuinely enjoys blocking. 4 stars across the board and top 10 at his position on every recruiting service as well. There is some depth at TE ahead of him, but Eifert is out the door. Koyack, Welsh, and Niklas are all ahead of him as of today. He will have to put on some lbs but I think his ability as a blocker will get him on the field sooner than we think. Could see special teams as a freshman but I wouldn’t be surprised to see another redshirt.

So, five 4 star young athletes and scholars are enrolled in classes. Hopefully, we’ll have enough depth to give them a full year and a half to adjust via a “red shirt”. However, they could contribute early if need be. Given their accolades, potential, and early start; I wouldn’t be surprised if we know these names very well by the time they get to be Seniors. With patience and hard work I’d say it’s likely we’ll be speaking quite highly of them by the time that rolls around.

The post Early Recruits Enrolled appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

There have been rumors swirling about Danny Mattingly, and Jamel James leaving the class. But, as of now they are still committed even if they are taking other visits. So, if we are able to get a “blue chip” type recruit (see Max Redfield,) it’ll put us in a bind of choosing between a kid that’s already given four years to us and the future of the program.

Currently the numbers look like this:

• 17 Freshmen
• 24 Sophomores
• 19 Juniors
• 9 Seniors that will be eligible to apply for a 5th year
• 22 Verbal Commitments

That’s going to give us a total of 91. We’re allowed 85 scholarship players, putting us 6 over the limit.

Let’s look at the number that is most likely to be adjusted for the new incoming class, namely 5th year seniors. Leadership from 5th year seniors is unquestionably a great asset for any team. But, trading one year for four is just bad business, even if the four aren’t guaranteed to be good.

Two players, I think, and many others think, that are assuredly gone are Tyler Stockton and Jake Golic. Golic never really found a home shifting positions throughout his career. Stockton is in the middle of our deepest part of the depth chart. That puts us to 89.

After his injury, Nick Tausch lost his job to Brinzda. Brinzda’s been streaky, but always comes through when we need him (Stanford!). I don’t see the Irish giving Tausch an extra year. Gives us 88.

We can almost assuredly assume Tyler Eifert will go pro. He could’ve last year and didn’t. Perhaps the outcome of this year will effect his decision, maybe it will not. He will have his degree and his Senior day, not much left to stay for after a great year for the team. That’s down to 87.

Next comes the question of Cierre Wood. He has the option to stay for a 5th year, and I had a sneaking suspicion that he would take it after he was suspended at the beginning of the year. But, even with sharing carries, he has done quite well and likely would be in the middle rounds of the draft.  His mother has said he is “70-30” going vs not going. If her input is as accurate as it was for his college recruiting, he’s gone. If he returns, he’ll be the workhorse of a crowded backfield.

Dan Fox and Carlos Calabrese have 5th year options. Both have had pretty solid years, but we have outstanding young linebackers coming in. What do you do here? Keep one? Keep both? Manti leaves a huge leadership vacuum there.

Zach Martin and Chris Watt are both starters on an O-line that has at times been dominant. Not sure if either has done enough to push forward to high rounds in the pros. My gut tells me one of them goes pro and I’d bet on it being Chris Watt. So that gives us 86.

So we’re already in a tough decision area with 86. Fox or Calabrese or both might have to go. I doubt both considering the monumental loss of leadership on defense with Te’o going. If Martin and Watt go pro then we are still at a break even or have just room for one more.

There’s also a chance that I shudder at the thought of: Louis Nix III could go pro.

Unless we have some players transfer, we might only have room for one more recruit in a best case scenario. So what happens if we get more than one? Does anyone transfer (Hendrix/Rees)? What 5th year do you cut?

Blue chippers Max Redfield (S), Laquon Treadwell (WR), and Al-Quadin Muhammad (DE) are all still considering offers from Notre Dame. Redfield and Treadwell are the two that stick out as “positions of need” but Muhammad is a well deserved 4 star that could add to our spoils in the front line. This makes Redfield and Muhammad look to be the most likely of the trio and Treadwell unlikely, but we would certainly take him if we got him.

There’s recently been talk about Greg Bryant (RB) a 5 star running back showing interest in the Irish. If Cierre leaves us, then we certainly would take another horse into a RB corps that has, for the first time in a while, become a stable. But how would that impact the current commit Jamel James? If we pick up Al-Quadin Muhammad is that going to affect Danny Mattingly ‘s commitment status?

While this “problem” is a good one to have and has allowed us to get a jump start on next year, I am wondering who will be the victims if we have to make room for 3 or more players this year.

Well, who would you let go? Anyone you think we should “nudge” to transfer? Anyone going to transfer without nudging? Any decommits on the radar I didn’t mention? Discuss!

The post Scholarship Numbers: Do We Have Room for Any More Recruits? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

These are the kinds of recruits that USC has had easily in the past. This kind of recruit is what has lead the talking heads to say ND cannot “get top tier athletes” and can’t “recruit nationally” anymore. With his commitment to USC in Mid-July this looked to be another stone for them to cast.

Flash forward to November, with a 10-0 Irish team with a strong close-nit recruiting class.  How about the vaunted trojans having 3 losses? After a visit in October from Redfield ending with him being “blown away” by South Bend we suddenly lead for an athlete that only has Washington left on his visit list (as of today he wants to visit Oregon as well).

So what’s your point, a young kid changed his mind to the flavor of the week? My point is that the Irish have been consistently winning these battles as of late. Save a couple of huge decommitments last year and a transfer by some kid from Florida, we have the athletes we aren’t supposed to. I was never a believer in the stigma that we couldn’t recruit anymore, but I did somewhat believe that the defensive gamebreakers had been lacking (outside of Te’o) prior to Kelly. I believe that this is another small shift in the ever changing world of college football that is pointing up for the Irish. We’ve seemingly pulled a recruit from the gates of hell. Whether or not he ends up Irish, he’s not a trojan and unlikely to be.

If we do end up sealing this kid up, the impact on the current recruiting class is huge. It gives us a boost in a position that has been thin. It gives us much more flexibility with our dwindling number of scholarships. It gives us another heralded recruit on the defensive side of the ball, that is becoming less of a surprise and more of a common happening.

We’ve already got a great group of freshman in, and the 2013 class includes some large “gets” on the defensive side of the ball. Jaylon Smith, Anzalone, Isaac Rochell, Doug Randolph, Michael Deeb, Luke Cole and Devin Butler are all 4 or 5 star commits on the defensive side of the ball. We got what could shake out to be the best of the 2014 d-lineman recently in Jay Hayes. It should be nice to see a front 7 that is dominate for years to come.

It started with Te’o, was encouraged by relentless recruiting by Kelly/his staff, and continues with great performance on the field. I believe we are witnessing how you build a great program, and possibly a dynasty.

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