Last minute recruiting.

Brian Kelly and his staff have done a good job recruiting for next year’s freshman class and I am looking forward to seeing some of these young men in the an Irish uniform even if it is in two years via redshirting.  Notre Dame has its share of impressive national recruits who have given their verbal commitment but until February 1^st (National Signing Day) commits could changes.  Notre Dame also has to make some decisions with those seniors who have a year of eligibility left all of which will change the number of incoming freshman players the Irish will take in.  With that being said Brian Kelly and his crew are still securing their current commits and maybe more importantly chasing players who have not committed or our soft commits elsewhere.

Of the dozens  of high school seniors that have Notre Dame on their list of schools they are considering there are only a few I feel we should put the full court press on for and would truly help the program.  Unfortunately they may not feel that going to South Bend would be in their best interest.  The Irish will have their fair share of players still committing but it is the cream of the crop that Notre Dame needs to continue to secure to continue the return to glory.

Arik Armstead is the nation’s biggest uncommitted high school talent.  At 6’8” and 285lbs most services have him ranked as the number one offensive lineman (tackle) if not the number one recruit period.  Although everyone is recruiting Arik as an offensive lineman he has made it clear he would like to play defense and I think the Irish would oblige.  Once a commit to USC (still in the mix) he re-opened up the process after his older brother Armond who plays for the Trojans had some issues.  Armstead took an official visit to South Bend in October.  Brian Kelly has enlisted the services of Notre Dame Basketball coach Michael Brey in recruiting Armstead who may love playing basketball more than playing football.

Although the offensive line is set for next year and looks solid with this and next freshman class there are still some guys out there I would love to get.  At 6’7” 305lbs Andrus Peat has offers from every big time school in the nation.  Peat has Notre Dame low on his interest list and are not in his final four.  Notre Dame’s Camps Sports Bowl opponent Florida State is high on Peat’s list (along with USC, Stanford and Nebraska) and a good win over the Seminoles along with some good recruiting by Kerry Cooks could swing the tide.  This is more than a long shot but he is that good with that much of an upside he is worth recruiting until the very end.

Defensively the Irish will need help sooner than later at the safety and corner positions.  Currently the Irish have verbal commits from cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard.   The nation’s top defensive back recruit Shaquille Thompson at 6’2” 210lbs could add some needed size to the secondary. 

Gunner Kiel or any other quarterback is not necessarily a need (although it is odd not to have any quarterback in each recruiting class) but he has interest and after de-committing from Indiana Notre Dame has put him in their cross hairs and would be a great catch.

Manti

Without a doubt Irish fans got some of the best news they could have hoped for this week - Manti Te’o will be back for his senior season.  Since before the first time Te’o made his first tackle in a Notre Dame uniform, we knew he was going to be something special.  Manti came out of Hawaii as a highly touted recruit who many thought would end up at rival USC.  I still remember Te’o’s first game for the Irish and thinking, “wow, we get this for four more years (well I hope four),” and on Sunday my wish came true.

When Manti announced he was coming back, Notre Dame retained arguably their best defensive player (if not their pest player period), they hung onto a leader on and off the field as well as a great student athlete and positive member of the South Bend community.  Even with the loss of Ethan Johnson and Darius Fleming, the Irish should be more than dominant and experienced as well as deep at the linebacker position. 

On the experienced side of play at inside linebacker Te’o will get to work with Dan Fox and Carlos Calabrese.  At 6’1 245 lbs., Calabrese (although another inch or two would be nice) is a fit at the middle linebacker position.  Last year as a sophomore, Carlos played in 11 games (missed two due to injury), starting in eight of them where he was fifth on the team in tackles (60).  He seemingly would have been starting this season next to Manti but was edged out by fellow sophomore Dan Fox.  Fox was initially recruited as an outside linebacker but at 6’3” 240 lbs. moved inside.  As a sophomore, Fox did play in all 13 games, mostly on special teams.  Although Dan was listed as the starter, he and Carlos split time next to Te’o.  Both Fox and Calabrese did not see any action during their freshman seasons, and therefore, both could be back for two more years.

On the potential side of things at middle linebacker, the Irish have a lot to look forward to.  Two sophomores stand out above the rest, Prince Shembo (6’2” 250lbs) and Kendall Moore (6’1” 245lbs).   As a freshman, Moore did not see any game action (saving him a year of eligibility), but was named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year.  This season, Kendall has appeared in several games, racking up a handful of tackles.  Out of high school he was a Super Prep and Prep Star All-American.  Prince Shembo, who can and has been put at the outside linebacker because of his freakishly athletic and aggressive play, is one of the most exciting players on the Irish roster (images of Lawrence Taylor).  Although Shembo is only a sophomore, he also has played in two dozen games (collecting 6.5 sacks) for the Irish in supportive roles.  Keep an eye on freshman Jarrett Grace, who may not have been the most recruited high school prospect in the country, and at 6’2.5” 240 lbs. isn’t the biggest backer we have ever seen, but Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco is high on this kid and that carries some weight.

With Brian Kelly’s recruiting and coaching philosophy of getting great athletes and football players and positions will take care of themselves, there are other linebackers listed primarily on the outside who may switch around in defensive schemes.   New York State High School Player of the year Ishaq Williams, who saw some action this season, has a big upside at 6’5” 255 lbs., and the kid teammates call “Hercules” (Troy Niklas - 6’6.5” 252 lbs.), who has also seen his fair share of action this year, are helping solidify Notre Dame’s defense.  Finally I am curious to see how Danny Spond fits into the picture.

Quarterbacks

By now we all know that Dayne Crist has asked for and has been granted his release from his Notre Dame Football scholarship.  This allows him to graduate this month and play for another team next season without sitting out a year.  Dayne would be a good pick up for a team looking for a talented and experiences signal caller for one year, it worked out will for Wisconsin.  Although Crist has had his issues in South Bend, mostly due to injuries he has carried himself with poise and could be a very good quarterback somewhere even make it at the next level in the NFL.  Irish fans should thank Dayne for his service and wish him well.

With the Crist era over at Notre Dame the Irish have three scholarship players to line up behind center.  Brian Kelly has named Tommy Rees as the starting quarterback for the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando Florida against the Florida State Seminoles.  Kelly has also made it clear that redshirt sophomore Andrew Hendrix will see action in Orlando.  Technically Everett Golson has moved into the third string slot but there is little to no chance he will get onto the field. No matter the situation in the bowl game Kelly should prepare and play Mathew Mulvey if needed, and if god forbid Mulvey goes down Luck Massa was recruited to South Bend as a quarterback before being moved to wide receiver.

Tommy Rees was put into the first game of the season halfway through after starting quarterback Dayne Crist was ineffective and has been the starter ever since.  This mirrors last season where Rees was inserted during the Tulsa game after Dayne proved to be ineffective.  Although Tommy has not amassed the same winning percentage as last year he has done well going 8-3 as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback.  Normally that would be pretty good for a true sophomore but one this is Notre Dame 8-3 will never be good enough, second Rees has just not developed as we had hoped, he has seemingly stayed the same.  Finally Brian Kelly’s spread offense has been shackled with Rees at the helm; he is simply not enough of a runner for its full throttle speed.  I don’t know how Tommy will fit into Brian Kelly’s offense I would not be surprised if he is the starting quarterback next September but it will be interesting with better running quarterbacks Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson knocking on the door.

Redshirt sophomore Andrew Hendrix who has three more years of eligibility played in four games this year (two of them had quality time and participation).  Since he stepped on campus Hendrix has had the strongest arm on the team, add his ability to run the ball it is no surprise that Kelly inserted offensive packages for him.  Looking at the big picture Hendrix fits in better to the spread offense Brian Kelly is trying institute then Rees. 

Freshman Everett Golson is thought to be the future of the Irish offense.  He is listed at 6 feet but he is stretching to reach 5’11”.  Word from practice is mixed.  I have heard he is as athletic and talented as advertised but I have also heard he is having trouble picking up the offense. Everett was awarded the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year by his teammates this year.

Brain Kelly had to go with either Crist or Rees to start this season as the only two quarterbacks with college game experience.  Christ is a solid player and Rees was winning.  Crist is gone and Rees has not grown as we had hoped and does not fit into Kelly’s spread as well as other options.  As of right now the Irish do not have a quarterback commit coming in next year but Indiana’s Mr. Football Gunner Kiel is considering Notre Dame along with LSU.  Either way Rees could be the starter or the odd man out.

As big of fan as I am of Tommy Rees it’s time to start moving in Kelly’s direction if he is going to work out and Rees does not fit.  Ideally Golson comes in and shreds defenses with his arms and legs for the next four years while Hendrix comes in with packages set up for him to keep defenses on their toes.  More probable Hendrix starts and Golson comes in with specific packages next year and we go from there.  

Next Years First Timers

The Irish had a lot of great plays made by a lot of good freshman football players this year.  Notre Dame also had some good (or at least we’ve been told they’re good) freshman football players who never even played a down.  The good news is we have the potential for having them make plays for the next four years by retaining a year of eligibility, and they also the way picked up a year of practice and tutelage from a coaching staff who gave them a year of weight training and workouts that should payoff big time.

The 2011 season saw a number of players take the field and contribute who were redshirted last season. Louis Nix was not only worth the wait, but the wait was probably necessary.  Nix came to South Bend overweight and under-conditioned; then he took a year, hit the field and produced.  We now have three more years of a developed football player.   Not every redshirt needed to develop, but they all got a year’s work and maybe more importantly get another year of game playing for the Golden Domers.  Andrew Hendrix did not see the field as much as Nix did this season nor did he need the time to work on his weight or conditioning, but I am sure that the time served him well.  He should fit well into Brian Kelly’s plans for a faster spread offense. 

The offensive line has stockpiled some big guys that will ensure quarterbacks have time to pass and running backs have big holes to run through.  6’5” 280 lb. Bruce Heggie, 6’5” 301 lb. Christian Lombard, and 6’8” 320 lb. mountain Nicolas Tate (who due to injury this year could , down the road petition the NCAA for a 6^th year) will all be on board for the future thanks to being redshirted last season.

Even though on the defensive side of the ball youth seems to be on Notre Dame’s side, there were a number of sophomores this year who still have three years of eligibility that could really be beneficial to success the team.   Linebackers Kendall Moore and Justin Utipo will provide stability for the next three years, although next year it will be most likely be in a back up roll for the defense.

Redshirts

Between the incoming freshman class and the lot of quality freshmen from this season who saw game time, the Irish still have a solid crew players who will have four years of eligibility by being redshirted this year.  Players who were not redshirted and contributed this season include George Atkinson III, Josh Atkinson, Stephon Tuitt, Ben Koyack, Aaron Lynch, Kyle Brindza, Cam McDaniel, Chase Houndshell, and Troy Niklas.  Of course, I wish some if not all of these would have four more years, mostly those who only saw limited action.

Obviously, not all of the remaining freshmen who did not play this season will develop into contributing members of the team in the future, but there are a handful of freshmen who we will be happy have an extra year of eligibility if not contribute next year.

Leading the way is quarterback Everett Golson who is expected to be the future of Brian Kelly’s high speed spread offense. There was no need to play Golson this season and I am happy Kelly didn’t.  Everett will be in the hunt next spring with Andrew Hendrix.  Either way, wide receivers DaVaris Daniels (6’1”, 195 lbs.) and Matthias Farley (5’10”, 194 lbs.) will be catching passes for the next four years for the Irish.  The year of development probably did Farley good as he only started playing football in his junior year of high school.  Whether the Irish are running or passing, the offensive line has a bright future.  Notre Dame saved a year of eligibility for some of their highly recruited linemen, which was important because although they are very talented, there probably won’t be an opening along the line for a couple of seasons as all of this year’s starters should all be back for 2012.  6’5” 290 lb. Brad Carrico, 6’4” 280 lb. Nick Martin (younger brother of Zach), 6’4” 290 lb. Matt Hegarty, 6’4” 310 lb. Conor Hanratty, and 6’5” 287 lb. Jordan Prestwood who had to sit out a season after de-committing from Florida State, will all be opening holes and protecting pockets as they all saved a year of eligibility.

There were not as many redshirts on the defensive side of the ball as many freshmen had important roles this season.  I am, however, looking forward to several defensive redshirts play down the road.  At 6’4½”  230 lbs., linebacker Ben Councell along with 6’5½” 280 lb. defensive end Tony Springmann should provide additional defensive talent for the Irish for years to come.

The future has looked bright for the Irish in the past and they have fallen short of expectations for years, so I will not get my hopes up too much.  However, I am cautiously confident that Brian Kelly is moving this program in the right direction and is amassing the players so expectations are met. 

Others receiving votes

A the bottom of each top 25 poll (AP, USA Today Coaches, etc.) there are a list of teams who are not good enough to make the top 25 list but receive votes, meaning if the list went to top 30 or so they would be on it.  These teams are usually those who are good, but don’t have the gas to be in contention for a BCS berth.  These teams are often in a rebuilding or reloading year, plagued with injuries, or have had a favorable schedule and some luck (overachievers).  These also may be teams who are underachieving.  Granted, appearing in the others receiving votes list may be a sign of a team on the rise.  Most of the over 100 Division 1A football programs would be happy to be in the “others receiving votes” category, but those in the upper echelon are not.  The Irish have the upper echelon pedigree put not the play or maybe even players of a ranked team. 

Notre Dame has lived much of the 2011 season in the others receiving votes realm, being on the outside looking in.  I think that Notre Dame belongs there, and I also believe they put themselves there.   The Irish are a team that, whether we like it or not, are in a rebuilding year, underachieved at times, and have had their fair share of injuries.  The good news is if the Irish win their bowl game, they may finish in the year-end top 25 polls.  It will also put them in a position to be in next year’s preseason top 25’s.  Finishing at 8-4 with losses to USC, Michigan and Stanford, the Irish did not step up with the big boys (partial credit for beating Michigan State).  These are games that the Irish need to win if they want to be considered a top team.  Looking to 2012, Notre Dame’s schedule offers several opportunities to run with the nation’s best (games against Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC) on some big stages including a game in Chicago at Soldier Field against the Miami Hurricanes and the season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland. 

Most experts are projecting the Irish to get an invitation to the Champs Spots Bowl in Orlando Florida to play the 8-4 Florida State Seminoles who, with a win over in state rival Florida last weekend, moved from others receiving votes into the Top 25.  I do believe that if the Irish win their bowl game, no matter which bowl it is or who they play, they would end up getting out of “others receiving votes” into the final top 25.  If you were curious, other teams currently in the polls’ others receiving votes arena include Texas, BYU, Georgia Tech., Missouri, and Virginia.

Stanford sums it up.

Saturday’s game against Stanford was possibly closer than the score showed, but the Irish were definitely beaten by a better team.  Notre Dame gave itself plenty of reasons (excuses) to lose; miscues, penalties and poor execution.   Special teams were unreliable to non-existent.   Players looked confused, coaches seemed frustrated, play appeared inconsistent and fans were disappointed.

Offensively, Notre Dame could have photo copied a summary of the season and laid it out against the Cardinals.  With 92 yards receiving and a touchdown, Michael Floyd (who broke Golden Tate’s single season reception record with his 94^th catch) can only do so much and needed to have the ball thrown to him (with accuracy) more often.  Tommy Rees was not the leader the team needed and with an interception and a lost fumble, has not developed and grown as hoped.  The offensive line was porous, allowing defenders into the backfield (when they weren’t jumping off sides).   

Maybe the loss of Jonas Gray was a bigger issue than initially thought; Notre Dame amassed a total of 57 yards on the ground (121 were initially gained but 64 were lost in the run game) with an average of 1.8 yards a carry.   Stanford’s defense was very good with five sacks (costing 44 yards), eight tackles for a loss (costing 53 yards) and two interceptions (with a total of 42 return yards).   The offense could not get any kind of rhythm going, losing the time of possession battle and only converting 5 of 15 third down conversion opportunities.

Despite giving up 28 points, the Irish defense actually looked decent, all things considered.  Notre Dame has not been known for their pass coverage this season and with receivers at 6’4” and 6”8” working with a quarterback of Luck’s caliber, it is going to make for a long day.  Add Stanford’s running game that finished with 196 yards rushing (led by Taylor’s 120 yards)the Irish defense was kept guessing and on its toes all night.  With Notre Dame having to stay honest against the rush, it’s no surprise that Luck had four touchdown passes (to three different receivers) along with his 233 yards.