Notre Dame Football Recruiting on the Rise

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football and its importance cannot be overstated.  Alabama’s dominance on the gridiron over the past several years goes hand-in-hand with its accomplishments on the recruiting trail, with the Crimson Tide having finished with the top-rated recruiting class four years in a row – and they are currently on pace to make it five – according to Rivals.com’s class rankings.  Many factors go into a successful recruiting class, such as academics, location, playing time and tradition.  But no factor – as the Florida Gators’ current class ranking of No. 68, which is seven spots lower than Florida Atlantic’s current ranking of No. 61, highlights – is more important than winning.  And Notre Dame’s current No. 7 class ranking is directly related to this season’s success on the field, which is a result of Notre Dame’s No. 3 recruiting class ranking in 2013, the year Notre Dame posted an undefeated regular season.

Rivals 5-star running back Greg Bryant was such a late entrant onto Notre Dame’s recruiting radar in 2012 that the talented Florida native didn’t even take his official visit to South Bend until December during Notre Dame’s sports banquet.  It was all the evidence Bryant would need, and he committed shortly after his official.  Likewise, currently rising 2014 star Tarean Folston did not commit to Notre Dame until the week of the Under Amour All-America Game, a few short weeks prior to National Signing Day.  The same could be said of 5-star safety Max Redfield, a former USC commit that ultimately flipped to Notre Dame shortly before signing day.

Altogether, the Fighting Irish managed to sign two 5-star players late in the recruiting season due to a successful 2012 campaign, and were also able to flip two recruits from USC and Texas (Durham Smythe).  Notre Dame’s 6-1 record in 2014, including the photo finish against defending national champion, Florida State, has begun to pay similar dividends.

One day after defeating Stanford in dramatic fashion, Notre Dame secured the commitment of 4-star offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer of Cincinnati, OH, besting Ohio State for his services.  Three days after Kraemer offered his pledge, Rivals 4-star quarterback and Penn State commitment Brandon Wimbush – who was also in attendance for the Stanford contest – flipped to the Irish.  Wimbush, an Elite 11 quarterback, is the highest rated Notre Dame recruit in the class of 2015 and is the second recruit head coach Brian Kelly has taken from Penn State (the first being 4-star linebacker, Josh Barajas, who was recently named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, an award given to the nation’s top high school linebacker).

Two days before Notre Dame’s undefeated showdown with Florida State, 4-star linebacker Asmar Bilal committed.  Bilal had whittled his choices down to Notre Dame and Michigan, and given the trajectory of both programs, it came as no surprise South Bend was his ultimate destination.  One week after Bilal’s decision, and five days after the clash with Florida State, 4-star linebacker Tevon Coney ended his recruitment with a selection of Notre Dame.  The Florida native – who held offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State – is a lifelong Florida Gators fan and admitted the coaching instability in Gainesville played a role in his decision to attend Notre Dame.

Brian Kelly landed four 4-star recruits in a span of 16 days, and each one was a toss-up.  Notre Dame’s 31-0 smack down of Michigan surely caught Bilal’s attention, just as Coney chose the Fighting Irish over his childhood dream school due to Florida’s coaching uncertainty and 3-3 record.  Brandon Wimbush watched the success and notoriety that Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has attained and thought the opportunity was too good to pass up, flipping from Penn State to Notre Dame.  With a few roster spots in the class of 2015 still open, Kelly is on the hunt for more.

Rivals 4-star linebacker and current Michigan commitment Darrin Kirkland Jr. was on Notre Dame’s campus to witness the Stanford game, and left impressed.   Florida State safety commitment Calvin Brewton also visited for the Stanford game – and visited Tallahassee for Notre Dame’s close battle with FSU – and liked what he saw in both instances.  Alabama 4-star safety Ronnie Harrison announced his intention to visit for Notre Dame’s November matchup against Louisville, and 5-star Crimson Tide commitment Minkah Fitzpatrick, the high school teammate of Notre Dame commit Brandon Wimbush, has expressed interest in visiting South Bend.

A lot of time remains before national signing day in 2015, leaving plenty of different paths for Notre Dame’s recruiting class to ultimately take.  But if current trends continue, no matter what path is taken, all point toward Notre Dame emerging as a national power in recruiting.

Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor.  He talks football 24 hours a day, much to chagrin of his wife and those around him.  Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com.