Caleb Kelly Archives - Her Loyal Sons https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog A Notre Dame Football Blog Thu, 11 Feb 2016 05:59:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.3 https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/HLS-Avatar-Option-2-150x150.png Caleb Kelly Archives - Her Loyal Sons https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog 32 32 Notre Dame Has Talent To Win 10 Games in ’16 https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2016/02/11/notre-dame-has-the-talent-to-win-10-games-again-in-2016-history-says-so/ Thu, 11 Feb 2016 14:00:35 +0000 http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/?p=33132 Winning on Signing Day is critical to winning on Saturdays, or so we’re told. Given that it’s the middle of February and we’re a long way away from actual football, I decided to investigate the veracity of this so called truism. I went back to the 2009 season and compared 247sports composite team recruiting rankings,...

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]]> Winning on Signing Day is critical to winning on Saturdays, or so we’re told. Given that it’s the middle of February and we’re a long way away from actual football, I decided to investigate the veracity of this so called truism.

I went back to the 2009 season and compared 247sports composite team recruiting rankings, final BCS or Playoff Committee rankings, year-end AP rankings, wins/loss, and s/p+ strength of schedule for more than a dozen teams. There is a lot of really interesting data that I hope expand on in future posts. Now, though, I want to focus on what we can learn from the four undefeated seasons since 2009 in what we now call the “power five + Notre Dame”.

2009 Alabama
2010 Auburn
2012 Ohio State*
2013 Florida State

With one exception, those teams had two top-five composite recruiting classes on the roster for their undefeated campaigns. The exception – and it’s notable – was the 2010 Auburn team. That team, as we all know, benefited from the transfer of a Blinn Junior College quarterback: Cam Newton. Newton went on to have, by most accounts, the single most dominant season in college football history. (Plus, the seniors left on that team were part of a top 10 class.)

So, if you’re not going to be loaded with blue chip recruits in multiple classes, you’d better have a historically great QB (or maybe a spare $200,000 to acquire one).

For Notre Dame, the only top-five class on campus (2013) was just gutted by early NFL draft entries. By missing on five-stars like Caleb Kelly, Ben Davis, and, likely, Demetris Robertson the Irish won’t be bringing a top-five class on campus this season either.

That means it would take a total aberration for Notre Dame to go undefeated in 2016. 

Many of you will bring up the 2012 season in which Notre Dame finished the regular season 12-0 and played for the national championship. Even that group had one top 15 class (2009) and the composite number one overall class in 2008 still on the roster, at least in part.

So, given who the Irish signed on Feb. 3rd, and who’s still on campus, what can we expect in 2016?

The track record of the power five programs I’ve looked at that have multiple top 15 classes on the roster suggests 10 wins is a solid bet.

Yes, there are a few notable exceptions. None more so than the 2012-2014 Michigan teams who not only failed to reach double digit wins but did so with two top six classes on the roster – which really just goes to prove Brady Hoke was in so far over his head it would not have mattered if he wore the other team’s headset.

But the trend is pretty clear: multiple top-15-class-teams win 10 games far more often than not. Three of the four classes reporting for spring football in South Bend fit that bill. Or to put it another way: To win fewer than 10 games next season would be under performing relative to their level of talent.

—
*was serving a bowl ban for the NCAA violations.

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]]> Jonathan Jones Saved ND’s Class of 2016 https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2016/02/04/jonathan-jones-saved-nds-class-2016/ Thu, 04 Feb 2016 17:34:37 +0000 http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/?p=33075 Jonathan Jones, the three-star linebacker from Florida, became the key to Brain Kelly’s 2016 recruiting class. I doubt that anyone who followed this class would’ve have said that before Signing Day. But given that Caleb Kelly committed to Oklahoma – despite the Irish pushing hard until the end – and Ben Davis signing with Alabama,...

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]]> Jonathan Jones, the three-star linebacker from Florida, became the key to Brain Kelly’s 2016 recruiting class. I doubt that

Photo courtesy of Student Sports

Jonathan Jones (Photo courtesy of Student Sports)

anyone who followed this class would’ve have said that before Signing Day. But given that Caleb Kelly committed to Oklahoma – despite the Irish pushing hard until the end – and Ben Davis signing with Alabama, Jones “saved” the class, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

Daelin Hayes, a 247sports composite four-star OLB and early enrollee, is certainly the player with higher expectations but it’s not yet clear what position he’ll end up at. So it’s Jones who will give the Irish depth at a position group that has lots of uncertainty heading into spring practice. Joe Schmidt and Jaylon Smith were the top two tacklers on the team. Te’Von Coney is recovering from injury. And Nyles Morgan – the only five-star linebacker on the roster – hasn’t been heard from in quite some time.

Jones, who was recruited primarily by Autry Denson, played at Oak Ridge High in Orlando. He appeared in The Opening, and is a 247sports composite .8745 rated player. For some context, Hayes is rated at .9371 and Caleb Kelly comes in at .9835.

Let’s be clear: Jones would be a developmental guy, probably heading towards a redshirt freshman season in more favorable roster scenarios. But where the linebacker group is with James Onwualu, Greer Martini, Morgan and Coney – and with Hayes’ injury history and position questions – Jones getting meaningful reps next season is a real possibility.  

Jamir Jones, the other linebacker in this class, could show up in spring practice and push Jonathan Jones on the depth chart, but most analysts have Jamir as longer term prospect, and there is some talk of moving him to defensive end, which is why he factors less in this discussion at this point.

So, Jonathan Jones is the guy who fills the gap in the depth chart. At least until Brian Kelly decides to convert a running back or safety.

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]]> Morning Roundup: March 18, 2015 https://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2015/03/18/morning-roundup-march-18-2015/ Wed, 18 Mar 2015 12:00:31 +0000 http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/?p=28529 Good morning! Here are your headlines: FROM OUR SITE Step one: Northeastern VIDEO WatchND: Brian Kelly press conference – March 17, 2015 (42:18) Blue & Gold Illustrated: Video: Kelly previews spring ball (3:03) Irish247: Video: Kelly previews spring practice (3:08) Irish Illustrated: Video: Kelly welcomes QB battle (3:03) Irish Sports Daily: ISD video: Brian Kelly...

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]]> Good morning! Here are your headlines:

FROM OUR SITE

VIDEO

PODCAST

RECRUITING (2016 offers / 2017 offers)

CURRENT TEAM

COACHING

SCHEDULE

MISC.

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