Measuring Up.

Each year, high school football players are rated in every way possible.  Services and websites give players stars, call them blue chippers and rank them by position.  None of these systems guarantee success at the college level, but the more blue chippers a college team attracts, the more likely that some of them will live up to the hype.  We follow these kids for years, and after four years in college, did we even notice them?  Here is a review of some highly rated recruits that came to South Bend using ESPN’s 150 list.

2011

#15 Aaron Lynch; early results look good, a lot of playing time as a freshman (even some starts) and he still has an outstanding upside.

#36 Mathew Hegarty; good reports out of the practice squad with the good news being redshirted means four more years of eligibility and at 6’4” 290+lbs the offensive line’s future looks good.

#42 Ishaq Williams; New York State’s Player of the Year played in six games including the bowl game with limited action.  Although redshirting may have been better in the long run, the game time should serve him well in his sophomore season.

#77 Ben Koyack; Notre Dame’s tight end of the future had one reception for five yards this season.  Injuries at the tight end position forced Koyack into action earlier then I am sure Kelly wanted and burned a year of eligibility.  I am still looking forward to seeing how he turns out.

#90 Stephon Tuitt; saw action in eight games, including the Champs Sports Bowl at both defensive end and nose guard. looking impressive at both positions.  At 6’6” and nearly 300 lbs. with good speed and a year of experience, he has and looks as if he will continue to pay dividends.

#123 Anthony Rabasa; with a bit of a log jam at the linebacker position, we will have to wait and see on  Rabasa.

2010

#64 Louis Nix III; after redshirting and working (and succeeding) in controlling his weight and conditioning, Nix had an impressive season showing that the potential most people thought he had was real.  If he keeps on working hard and developing, he will be a true force in the middle of the defensive line.

#62 T.J. Jones; god-son of Irish legend Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail, Jones has two years of game experience and has had moments of greatness.  Listed at 6’0” he may be closer to 5’11” and needs play more consistently for him to develop into his potential.  He has paid of for a young player and will have two years to be more of a star player.

2009

#2 Manti Te’o; from day one Te’o lived up to the hype and has now pledged to come back for his fourth and final year.  Manti has been a great fit for the Irish on and off the field.  When it is said and done he will be one of if not the best linebacker in Notre Dame history.

#31 Tyler Stockton; with two years of eligibility left and behind younger talent, Stockton will probably fall short of overall career expectations.  He was redshirted his freshman year and saw more (although limited) action in his sophomore year than his junior year.

#40 Shaquelle Evans; transferred to UCLA after seeing decent game action during his freshman year.

#68 Chris Watt; with two years of experience (including 13 games as a sophomore) and two years of eligibility left after redshirting as a freshman, Watt has shown his versatility along the offensive line.  He has and will continue to pay dividends. 

#109 Zach Martin; after redshirting his freshman year Martin exploded onto the offensive line scene and has become one of if not the best offensive linemen the Irish have.  With two years of eligibility left he is definitely one of the best linemen recruited by the Irish in some time.

#112 Cierre Wood; although he shared running duties for most of the season with senior Jonas Gray, Wood was the premier back.  Between being thin at the running back position and the impressive performance (averaging 5.1 yards a carry over two years), Wood has become Notre Dame’s main man in the backfield for the next couple of years. 

#135 E.J. Banks; left the program at the beginning of his sophomore year.

2008

#22 Dayne Crist; for four years, Dayne was committed to the Irish and gave them all he had, unfortunately his injuries were his biggest roadblock.  Crist never lived up to his potential in South Bend but his career has another chapter to be written in Kansas. I wish him well and still would not be surprised to see him playing someday on Sundays.

#29 Michael Floyd; with little argument, Floyd in four years at Notre Dame was the best receiver in irish history.  He overcame personal/legal issues and a temptation to the NFL to come back for his senior season to show his character as well as his skill.

#81 Ethan Johnson; Ethan played in every game in his first three years then suffered an injury during the middle of his senior year that forced him to miss five games.  Johnson delivered at defensive end for the Irish and should be considered a recruiting success.

#85 Jamoris Slaughter; after redshirting his freshman year Slaughter has been an important part of the defensive backfield.  With another year to play next season, Jamoris has proved his worth and value at the college level.

#89 Jonas Gray; after three very disappointing seasons making him look like a recruiting bust, Gray had a remarkable senior season until a career ending injury (college career, his senior effort was so impressive to me he may end up as a free agent in the NFL next year) late in the season put an end to his revival.

#94 Darius Fleming; after four years of very effective and exciting play, Fleming’s departure will leave a big gap to be filled.  Although Darius was a very good player for the Irish defense, I think he could have been even better.

#103 Deion Walker; saw action in 5 games in 2009 during his sophomore year, had one catch for 15 yards and made some special team appearances. No game time since=obvious disappointment.

#105 Kyle Rudolph; with a year of eligibility left Rudolph entered the NFL as one of the best tight ends in Notre Dame history (fourth on ND list of receptions and yards for tight ends).  Even with only 2 ½ years and 29 games played on the field (missed seven games due to injury), Rudolph was recruiting gold.

#116 Steve Filer; solid back up at linebacker over the years and important to special teams, but has not lived up to an U.S. Army All-American Game participant.

#126 Braxton Cave; after a shaky start that saw his freshman year cut short with an early injury, Braxton has served consistently on the offensive line and should be back for a fifth year.  With a year to play, I will reserve judgment on if he was a high recruit success or not.

Day of Reckoning

On Wednesday, college football coaches all over the country will feel like the high school students they have been recruiting - not unlike an upperclassman who has asked someone out and is waiting to see if they show up on prom night.  For months they have seen seniors visit, commit, de-commit, promise to be a part of their program and then change their minds.  Things will probably go as planned for the most part, but it is those last minute decisions that keep things exciting.  Seemingly out of nowhere, wide receiver recruit Deontay Greenberry announced he was taking a visit to Houston this weekend.  I believe that the Irish have lost all the commits that are going to change their minds, leaving those who are undecided to give Notre Dame a last minute boost.  An all-world lineman recruit is rumored to announce Sunday afternoon, but until the letter of intent is signed, sent in and confirmed, anything can and will happen.

Currently there are three commits in South Bend as early enrollees - quarterback Gunner Kiel, defensive tackle Sheldon Day and defensive back Tee Shepard (it has always been thought Shepard’s cousin Greenberry would come as a package deal). 

Most of the verbal commits should sign Wednesday with little concern.  Among others I have little to no doubt will become members of the Notre Dame football program include lineman Jarron Jones, running backs Keivarae Russell and William Malone, defensive backs Elijah Shumate, C.J. Prosise, and John Turner, offensive linemen Ronnie Stanley and Mark Harrell, along with wide receiver Justin Ferguson.

Last year, Brain Kelly and his team pulled out some late signees who help push the freshman class to one of the best in the country.  There are several targets out there that could do the same for Kelly and his crew this year.  More realistic prospects include former commit Ronald Darby, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, wide receiver Davonte Neal, cornerback Armani Reeves and cornerback  Anthony  Standifer.  Some longer shots that could help propel this recruiting class through the ceiling include dual threat quarterback Devin Fuller, current Mississippi State athlete commit Will Redmond, cornerback  Donaldven Manning, monster 6’9” 330lb offensive lineman Zach Banner (my biggest hope)  and of course, Arik Armstead (who I could care less about).

There are also several players who are waiting until Wednesday to announce their college plans, who have shown little to no interest in playing for Notre Dame that I will be watching to see where they end up.  Of course, if any of these want to surprise us all by going to South Bend, that would be fine.  Many services have 6’6” 220lb 4.47 forty time wide receiver Dorial Green-Bekham, and the nation’s number one high school prospect  but the Irish are not in his top five (maybe the locking up of Gunner Kiel , fellow Army All-American will change things).  Offensive tackle Kyle Murphy will probably play in South Bend but most likely for an opposing team.  The same can be said about Andrus Peat (both players are 6’7” and five-star recruits).

Of course, feel free to visit any of the dozens of recruiting services sites to get your own perspective; Scout, Rivals, Max Preps, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and The Bleacher Report are just a few to start with.