Signing Day in the rearview mirror

After navigating the NCAA recruiting process, signing day went off without a hitch, topped off with a bonus five-star defensive tackle from California.  Every verbal commit signed on the dotted line as expected, with the exception of Folston (who we knew was planning on signing in the afternoon) by 10:30 am EST.  The only hiccup was that Notre Dame released Eddie Vanderdoes as a signed commit, and then retracted it long before his official announcement.

Each year (often throughout the year), fan(atic)s follow the progress of high school athletes reviewing their highlight films, find out about their family connections to different colleges, all the while cheering or jeering their choices.  Last year, Notre Dame had a couple of late de-commits who decided to go elsewhere and were cursed by Irish fans, whereas this year, South Bend picked up two Five-Star USC de-commits who were praised.  My favorite outlook this year comes from an article from Her Loyal Sons website.

There were a couple of prospects out there that could have jumped on board at the last minute, mostly long shots, but we could have had some jump off as well.  Overall, I would give this year’s signing day an 8 ½ out of 10 and a significant improvement over last year.  Brian Kelly and his staff, which goes beyond the coaching staff (admissions, academic and of course the compliance department), should be proud of their work recruiting this class from Steve Elmer (first verbal commit) to Eddie Vanderdoes (last commit and signed LOI).  Truth be told, the players themselves also deserve some credit in the success of this class as they reached out to fellow recruits to help build relationships.

We will take time to review these young men starting with the five who are already on campus and who will take part in spring practice.  Some will be expected to make an impact and play this upcoming fall while others will be expected to redshirt and develop, but as history has shown, anything can happen.  Anything from injuries (seemingly half of the defensive backfield), transfers (Aaron Lynch) to a spectacular preseason, can project a freshman into action with a wide range of results, not to mention with the kind of players Kelly recruits, players may take a side of the field in a position they were not even recruited to play (Troy Niklas and KeiVarae Russell).

A quick snapshot shows a relatively balanced class in terms of positions and talent.  Commits represent 15 states, 10 defensive players (three D-linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs) and 14 offensive players (five O-linemen, four wide receivers, two tight ends, two running backs and one quarterback).  In addition to the two dozen scholarship athletes, the Fighting Irish also picked up two preferred walk-ons; punter Andrew Antognoli and kicker John Chereson.

The one thing I can say with some relative certainty is that this group is close and feels a special connection with each other, evident with the self-imposed tag of Irish Mob 13.  For now, let’s sit back and be happy with what we’ve got, but not for too long. The class of 2014 is getting ready for their shot.  And if you don’t believe me, be aware that Notre Dame has already nearly 100 offers out to current high school juniors with four commitments.