*Notre Dame* - On Vacation

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Thoros of Beer, Feb 3, 2016.

  1. Bert Handsome

    Bert Handsome I'm sorry, the card says Moops
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    That was supposed to be 30
     
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  2. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    haha i figured as much.
     
  3. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    happy NSD fellas
     
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  4. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    od0YyyoL-403488189.jpg I know we talk about being elite, but that's never gonna happen until we can get punters like this
     
    #36554 Beeds07, Feb 6, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2019
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  5. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
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    How fuckin old is that guy
     
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  6. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    not as old as Old Man Safety
     
  7. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    That dude bought OMS beer 25 years ago.
     
  8. Juke Coolengody

    Juke Coolengody One name. Two men?
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    Foskey just announced - no surprise, he's Irish
     
  9. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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  10. Yanks711

    Yanks711 TMB's Hoosier
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    24 as of last November looks like
     
  11. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
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    This basketball team can be brutal to watch. Not able to score. Future is bright but damn.
     
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  12. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    Do they handle birthdays like dogs n Australia?
     
  13. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    They are bad, Brey better sign some guys and not pass on this class
     
  14. npndne

    npndne Well-Known Member
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    This basketball performance is disgusting.
     
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  15. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
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    Horrible to watch. I still trust in Brey but this year sucks a lot.
     
  16. Red Rover

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    They’ve had injuries, but this roster stinks. No one that can create their own shot, and a bunch of bad shooters. Not ideal and as mentioned Brey needs to step up his recruiting. Punting on the 2019 class was/is an awful idea
     
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  17. npndne

    npndne Well-Known Member
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    Is Gibbs having girl problems or something? Dude has regressed.
     
  18. Voodoo

    Voodoo Fan of: Notre Dame
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    Vasturia and Beachem regressed two years ago. Farrell regressed last year. Gibbs regressed this year.

    It's become a trend.
     
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  19. NDfanPSUgrad

    NDfanPSUgrad Well-Known Member
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    So if Foskey signed in the early period why wait to announce it?
     
  20. Red Rover

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  21. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    Because he wanted to announce with his HS teammates and kept that promise to them. Kind of cool, actually.
     
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  22. Bert Handsome

    Bert Handsome I'm sorry, the card says Moops
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    That's not really how this works though
     
  23. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    just an overview for this class related to the last few years. Gonna use a few different numbers

    Year Rating #recruits #AverageRating Overall Ranking
    2019 258.56______22______ 90.60 ______ 15
    2018 268.86______ 27______ 90.05 ______ 10
    2017 251.32______ 21______ 89.37 ______ 10
    2016 249.43______ 23 ______ 89.00 ______ 15
    2015 267.79______ 23______ 90.45______ 13
    2014 260.44______ 23______ 89.32 ______ 11
    2013 287.77______ 23 ______ 92.30______ 5
    2012 248.21______ 16______ 91.21 ______ 17
    2011 271.38______ 23 ______ 89.96______ 9
    2010 244.92______ 23 ______ 88.44______ 15

    so i think you can say that the class measures up well, just lacks top end recruits for a higher ranking which i guess is how we all feel as well. Still I hope ND can recruit up to an average of like 8th nationally and not 12th. Really think ND is basically 1 5star each class away of getting there.

    I also think the Clemson game showed the need of having one. The team was giving Clemson plenty of problems until their receivers took over. Higgins was a 5 star and Justyn Ford was also higher ranked than any receiver ND has on campus. Jaylon was pretty much wasted in a retarded defense and still made huge differences in big games. You dont need bama levels of talent throughout but you need it here and there. You need someone like Fuller who can just make things happen when there is a gridlock and ND does not have that enough, certainly not on offense
     
    #36573 Wicket, Feb 7, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2019
  24. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Mailing in offensive skill position recruiting sunk this year’s class

    Only 4 players at the skill spots, and all low 3 stars, that’s a bad recipe for class rankings.
     
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  25. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    Its also flat out dissapointing. Going out of this class with KAR, Kyren Williams, Clark and Hart is just not enough
     
  26. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    ND not getting an elite rb last two cycles was a joke. Williams is ok but as a 2nd RB recruit not the only one. Also taking two complete development WR early instead of waiting on an elite guy, that just doesn’t make sense at all

    Clark is good, I’m fine with him between Jurk and the kid in the 2020 class.
     
  27. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    i actually like clark for sure. But getting him as your QB hurts what you get in wideouts, they look at the QB in their class

    edit: Just look at FSU, they havent signed a QB in 2 classes and they had terrible wideout recruiting at the same time. Their only 4star wideout they signed was out of seffner in armwood, a school they never miss on
     
  28. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    ND just went 12-1 let's not compare ourselves to the dumpster fire at FSU. They are going to be incredibly bad for a while I think
     
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  29. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    they are an offensive line away from being a double digit winner potentially iyam
     
  30. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Checks last two recruiting classes

    Math doesn’t check out
     
  31. Wicket

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    im not saying they will get that OLine any time soon, just saying that they are just very flawed in 1 area, not like Louisville who are fucked on very single position
     
  32. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
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    Willie is fucked. FSU is always gonna have a few guys but with him they have little chance at a “team”.
     
  33. IrishLAX2

    IrishLAX2 So you’re telling me there’s a chance
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    USC is slowly becoming just like FSU from an OLine standpoint. Have only signed four in the last two classes.
     
  34. Wicket

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    i would love to but they have 4 RS freshmen and they have 1 guy who is booked as a SDE but is gonna play guard for them. They will have 9 OL with at least 3 years of eligibility left which is healthyish. That being said, they havent improved their Olinemen there lately
     
  35. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Clemson also is low on OL numbers but they've signed top 100 type guys

    ND is going to have 15! scholarship OL on campus in the spring and they are almost all 4 stars. That's legit af
     
  36. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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  37. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    TE is already taken care off

    fully agree another solid DL class would be great. Obviously last year was solid and 2 years ago (franklin and the ademilola) was solid at DT. Having consistent talent there would be awesome. Elite WRs would be great. Really wish we just wouldnt have taken KAR and have 1 more spot for the next class there though. If we can somehow land 2 of AJ Henning, Jordon Johnson & Jalen McMillan that'd be great. I wont expect any of em to be floyd, tate or fuller but they could well be expected to be Boykins or TJ Jones calibre
     
  38. IHHH

    IHHH Well-Known Member
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    Not sure about that, they were awful on defense too
     
  39. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    they were like 120th in defensive snaps/game because the offense was so awful. they actually were 37th in yards per play. Thats a top 20 D if they are not on the field all the time
     
  40. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Damn it’s going to be a long off season
     
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  41. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    why, next year we should be as good as weve been under BK
     
  42. beist

    beist Hyperbolist
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    I’ll take that bet
     
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  43. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    i get that. the team always sucks when they ought to be good. Let me rephrase it somewhat.

    If players progress like they should the team would possibly/probably be the best ND has had under BK and I think the floor is pretty high. I dont see us going much worse than 8-4 and I think 10-2 is a reasonable base case
     
  44. They just can't shit the bed, they need to win 10 games and keep building momentum as a program. I feel this class is very important to pushing ND to the next level as a program and they can not afford to have an 8-4 shitshow. So that is def what is going to happen
     
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  45. Bert Handsome

    Bert Handsome I'm sorry, the card says Moops
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    I really don't think this is too much to ask. 9-3 in 2017 left us all pretty upset at the end of the season. Get into a mediocre bowl and win and all of a sudden from the outside it doesn't look so bad. 10 wins these days doesn't need to be a miracle.
     
  46. beist

    beist Hyperbolist
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    I think you'd need Heisman-level QB play for this team to end up being BK's best, and I'm not going to bet on that. The talent on offense is pretty unremarkable, and it would be a mild surprise if the defense didn't take a small step back next year.

    I'm with you on the records though. 9-11 wins feels like the right range.
     
  47. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
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    I like the defense. The O is going to have to make a huge leap though. Especially at RB with Dex gone.
     
  48. chase538

    chase538 Well-Known Member
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    Can someone post Loy's behind the scenes article please
     
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  49. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Bat signal a1ND
     
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  50. Voodoo

    Voodoo Fan of: Notre Dame
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    I resubbed after this last season. I already hate myself and 90% of the people that post there.

    Another National Signing Day is in the books for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish signed 22 prospects, 10 of which are already on campus as early enrollees, and added a few preferred walk-ons from the class of 2019.

    Now it’s time to take another behind the scenes look at this class. Here are some tidbits gathered from a ton of sources throughout this cycle. Some may have been mentioned in the past, while others are brand new. For those following, I’ll go down the list, position by position, and if there is anyone I forgot to mention or you want to know more information about anyone, just ask away in the comments.

    Enjoy.

    SLIDE1 of 29
    MICHIGAN QUARTERBACK CADE MCNAMARA
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Multiple sources indicated to me that negative recruiting played a major factor in his decision to de-commit. People got it into his head that he wasn’t going to get much of a shot to start ahead of Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who was receiving a ton of hype and praise coming out of high school from the media and even head coach Brian Kelly during the Signing Day press conference. He then decided to reopen his recruitment. Sources indicate that Michigan and USC were among a couple of schools pushing for him to de-commit and consider them. In the end, he chose to eventually commit to and sign with the Wolverines.

    SLIDE2 of 29
    WASHINGTON QUARTERBACK DYLAN MORRIS
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Notre Dame nearly had him committed, but it was actually Cade McNamara who snatched up the spot first. Both of these quarterbacks camped for the Fighting Irish staff and both landed an offer from Notre Dame, but McNamara was the first one to make the call to the staff and accept his scholarship offer. When Morris tried to do the same, he was told that the spot was already filled and he chose to pull the trigger quickly at Washington.

    SLIDE3 of 29
    WISCONSIN QUARTERBACK GRAHAM MERTZ
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — The first word that comes to mind here is “Loyal.” The reason I say that is because he was extremely loyal to Wisconsin following his commitment and the Wisconsin staff was the same way to him. At one point, yes, I’m told that he informed the Notre Dame staff that he was ready to de-commit from the Badgers, take a visit to South Bend, and likely flip if all went well. He had a ton of interest in the Fighting Irish and that offer was very meaningful. However, when it came time to actually telling the Wisconsin staff that he was leaving the class and actually taking the visit, he couldn’t do it. He was grateful for the early offer from Wisconsin and had a terrific relationship with the coaches there and in the end; loyalty is what kept him committed. That type of commitment is hard to find these days and he should be praised for how he handled the process. For me, Mertz is a five-star prospect and I named him one in my final rankings. This is a huge get for Wisconsin and I believe he will do great things in Madison.

    SLIDE4 of 29
    NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACK BRENDON CLARK
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — There were a lot of quarterbacks considered after Mertz decided to stick with Wisconsin, but Clark was quickly targeted as the top guy for Notre Dame. It really came down to him and eventual Texas A&M signee Zach Calzada. However, after watching Clark throw, seeing how smart he was when it came to the position, getting to know his personality and seeing how little he cared about depth chart, Tommy Rees wanted him above the rest. Despite a strong push by Clemson, led by head coach Dabo Swinney, and North Carolina, he chose to play for the Fighting Irish. One intriguing note to add is that right before the early signing period, Georgia actually reached out to him and told Clark that if he visited, he would have an offer to play for the Bulldogs. Although grateful for the offer, he chose to stick with his pledge and sign with Notre Dame. Georgia then went on to offer Dwan Mathis, who was committed to Ohio State at the time, and got him to flip.

    SLIDE5 of 29
    CLEMSON RUNNING BACK CHEZ MELLUSI
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — I’m told he was set to visit Notre Dame, which would have been his second trip to South Bend, with intentions to commit to the Fighting Irish, but the staff quickly put a stop to that because he wasn’t cleared academically at that point. Notre Dame couldn’t give him a timetable regarding if or when he’d be allowed in the class, so both sides parted ways. He ended up committing to and signing with Clemson.

    SLIDE6 of 29
    OHIO STATE WIDE RECEIVER GARRETT WILSON
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Although I couldn’t get a definitive answer on this one regarding why, I’m just told he visited and didn’t enjoy himself on campus. When comparing his trips to Notre Dame and Ohio State, it was a no-brainer regarding what he wanted to do. He had a great relationship with DelVaughn Alexander and the two really hit it off, but Wilson simply didn’t have a good time on the visit and wanted to be somewhere different.

    SLIDE7 of 29
    CLEMSON WIDE RECEIVER JOE NGATA
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Similar to Wilson, Ngata visited Notre Dame fully intending on giving the Fighting Irish is full consideration, but didn’t enjoy himself on the trip. He was bored, didn’t really enjoy the surrounding area and wanted a different vibe on and around campus.

    SLIDE8 of 29
    MICHIGAN WIDE RECEIVER CORNELIUS JOHNSON
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — When recruits visit campus, they typically get around players that play the same position because Notre Dame wants to get a feel for how they would fit in the locker room and within the position groups. There is a reason that when really getting to know these guys, the entire Fighting Irish roster is extremely close. There aren’t many “me” guys and this roster is really loaded with “we” guys. That said, I’m told multiple players didn’t get a great vibe about Johnson when he was on campus and that was expressed. When it came down to pushing for him and deciding if he was a true fit, the staff decided to pass and no longer pursue. It’s unknown whether he would have picked Notre Dame if the Irish kept recruiting him, but either way, he found a great home at Michigan. This is another player I pegged as a five-star recruit in my final rankings.

    SLIDE9 of 29
    PURDUE WIDE RECEIVER TJ SHEFFIELD
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — So, remember when he committed to Notre Dame unexpectedly? You know, when we told you there was no way that he was going to pick Notre Dame and then he did? That was because Notre Dame stopped recruiting him and hadn’t had a conversation with him for two months. The staff had moved on and figured he did as well. Then, out of nowhere, he pulls the trigger, calls the staff and wants to commit. It put the staff in an awkward spot and in all honesty, they probably didn’t handle it as well as they could have. The staff said to hang tight and wanted to run it up the chain to see what they wanted to do, but while that was happening, he announced on Twitter. Both sides didn’t play this well and obviously it looks much worse publicly for Notre Dame. Either way, Sheffield found a good fit with the Boilermakers and the Irish found two guys they coveted much more.

    SLIDE10 of 29
    AUBURN TIGHT END LUKE DEAL
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Chip Long pushed every right button imaginable regarding this recruitment. Those two are pretty much the same person. Same personality, both are laid-back off the field, but extremely competitive on it and in terms of how bad they want to win. However, according to sources, the key here was the relationship with the head coach. I will credit Brian Kelly for being much more active this cycle and becoming a much better recruiter over the past few years, but Deal felt a better connection with Guz Malzahn than he did with Kelly. It really wasn’t close. That was the tipping point. He felt wanted and needed by his future head coach. Long simply couldn’t overcome that.

    SLIDE11 of 29
    IOWA TIGHT END JOSIAH MIAMEN
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — This one was intriguing. He visited Notre Dame and wanted to be Irish. He was ready to commit and indicated to the staff exactly that. However, deep down, he really preferred playing tight end and had little interest in rushing the passer. Defensive line coach Mike Elston was his primary recruiter because he wanted Miamen to play defensive end and felt he was best suited for that position. In the end, Notre Dame felt he was truly more set on playing offense, which would hinder his growth on defense, and decided not to pursue him further, which in all reality was fine with Miamen because he signed to play tight end at Iowa.

    SLIDE12 of 29
    OKLAHOMA DEFENSIVE END JOSEPH WETE
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — The four-star defensive end could have been one of the first players in Notre Dame’s class, but he wasn’t cleared academically and both sides parted ways. He had a ton of early interest in the Fighting Irish.

    SLIDE13 of 29
    TCU DEFENSIVE END COLT ELLISON
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — This recruitment didn’t play out as anyone expected. Sources have indicated that he reached out badly in search of an offer from Notre Dame. The family made it clear that they will visit because they want an offer and will eventually end up with the Fighting Irish. That happened. Well, not exactly. Notre Dame welcomed him for a visit, extended the offer as promised and pushed hard for him. However, Ellison changed his mind and decided that he didn’t want to go that far from home and chose to state in state at TCU.

    SLIDE14 of 29
    PURDUE DEFENSIVE END GEORGE KARLAFTIS
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — The in-state prospect visited Notre Dame for the Irish Invasion camp over the summer and worked out alongside Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola and Jayson Oweh. Needless to say, it wasn’t Karlaftis’ best camp performance. He’s raw in some ways, but it was nothing that scared the Irish staff away. There was still a ton of upside with him. I’m told that after the camp, his recruitment with Notre Dame essentially came to a close. However, it wasn’t the staff’s decision. I’m told he looked at those guys and didn’t see him getting on the field quickly ahead of any of them and chose to essentially eliminate himself as a prospect for Notre Dame. The staff didn’t understand that, but respected his wishes. He eventually blew up on a national stage, improved greatly, and started dominating at camps. His growth was extremely impressive. Although he wanted to initially be at Notre Dame, the staff didn’t reach out after he said he wasn’t interested and didn’t put the Irish in his top three.

    SLIDE15 of 29
    SOUTH CAROLINA DEFENSIVE END JOSEPH ANDERSON
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — This one is pretty cut and dry. Notre Dame was going to land him, but couldn’t accept his commitment due to academics at the time. It’s a tough one because he’s a very good player. Notre Dame eventually landed a great defensive line class and he found a great home with the Gamecocks under Will Muschamp.

    SLIDE16 of 29
    MICHIGAN DEFENSIVE END DAVID OJABO
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — I’m told that his visit to Notre Dame didn’t go well at all. He was extremely unengaged and showed a lack of interest in just about everything, so the Irish decided to no longer pursue.

    SLIDE17 of 29
    MICHIGAN STATE DEFENSIVE END ADAM BERGHORST
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Notre Dame liked his potential and believed they could turn him into a big-time talent. However, down the stretch, I’m told Berghorst didn’t really vibe with Elston’s personality and approach. Elston doesn’t hold back, tells it like it is and isn’t going to coddle his players. Elston’s no nonsense approach was actually key in landing guys like Jacob Lacey and NaNa Osafo-Mensah. Those two loved his personality and were excited to play for someone with a passion to be great. That wasn’t really sitting well with Berghorst and he essentially chose to go elsewhere after leaning toward the Irish for a while.

    SLIDE18 of 29
    NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE END NANA OSAFO-MENSAH
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Just as a small note, I’m told that Texas A&M was actually the team to beat early on in this recruitment and likely would have landed him. However, when Kevin Sumlin was fired, that ended things with the Aggies and opened the door for other suitors. Those two had a great relationship and his departure was tough for Osafo-Mensah. At that point, this became a Notre Dame-Texas battle, one in which the Fighting Irish obviously won.

    SLIDE19 of 29
    NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE END ISAIAH FOSKEY
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — This recruitment was pretty fun to watch play out behind the scenes. Brian Polian was recruiting him and was the one to secure his first unofficial visit in the summer. He was the only staff member that had developed a relationship with Foskey when he visited. A little before he arrived, the staff decided that taking a tight end this cycle wasn’t in the plans, so Polian threw the tape on for Mike Elston and Clark Lea to get their thoughts. Both were completely on board and made it clear that they wanted him as a defensive end. So, while on campus, Polian, Elston and Lea pushed hard and expressed to Foskey that his future was as a pass-rusher and not at tight end. He left campus feeling great about Notre Dame and saw a bunch of similarities between the school and his high school at De La Salle. Then he returned for a game day trip on Sept. 29 and it was pretty much a wrap at that point. Once he got cleared academically to pull the trigger, which came following that visit, Foskey wasted no time jumping on board. They were in really deep with Bralen Trice and were going to try to potentially make room for both if they wanted in, but Trice committed to Washington. My Crystal Ball pick for Foskey to Notre Dame went in on Oct. 6, the same day Trice pledged to the Huskies, because that’s the day I believe he indicated to the staff that he was coming to Notre Dame.

    SLIDE20 of 29
    VIRGINIA DEFENSIVE TACKLE JOWON BRIGGS
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Notre Dame saw some similarities between Briggs and Jacob Lacey. The staff didn’t want both, although if they chose to, they likely would have landed the duo. They made it clear to Lacey that he was the top guy on the board and he eventually committed. That ended the recruitment of Briggs.

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    MICHIGAN DEFENSIVE TACKLE MAZI SMITH
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — I was told that he was essentially ready to commit to Notre Dame after an early visit to campus and the development of his relationship with Elston. However, the Irish told him to hold off because he wanted to take a couple of visits. Notre Dame isn’t really a fan of accepting commitments and then have them taking trips elsewhere. I’m told that really didn’t sit well, but that was how they handled things, so it is what it is. He chose to take visits and eventually ended up elsewhere.

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    WISCONSIN DEFENSIVE TACKLE RODAS JOHNSON
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — I’m told he called Notre Dame to commit, but there wasn’t a spot for him in this class. They were comfortable with what they had in Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears and based on numbers, decided taking another tackle wasn’t necessary.

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    WASHINGTON SAFETY ASA TURNER
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — All right let’s break this one down. Turner initially committed to Washington way back on June 11 following official visits to Notre Dame and Washington. I’m told he informed the staff at the time that he was locking up a spot with the Huskies, his leader at the time, because he was getting some pressure to make an early decision. He was leaning toward Washington, but was very torn still, so he felt it best to make that decision and ensure a spot in that class and didn’t to miss out on that opportunity just in case. He did tell Notre Dame at the time that he was open to still being recruited if they wanted to do that and he’d continue dialogue with them. Notre Dame had no problem with that and continued to keep that relationship strong because that’s what he wanted. Typically, the Irish won’t recruit guys that commit elsewhere, but he was genuine about his interest and was open with the staff the entire time. That is why, despite his commitment, I made it clear at that time that this recruitment wasn’t over by any stretch. Despite others maintaining a stance that Notre Dame was completely out, we were saying otherwise. The Irish never stopped communicating with Turner, Brian Polian and Clark Lea visited him for his game while out on the west coast for the Navy matchup, and then Turner showed up at that same Navy game the next day. I’m told by sources that Washington nearly lost Turner completely because they weren’t recruiting him following his commitment. They assumed he was 100 percent locked in and didn’t treat him like a priority, which gave Turner and those around him some pause because the Irish were all-in in an attempt to land him. People wonder why the Notre Dame staff “wastes” time visiting the Irish commits, this is why. Keeping that relationship strong prevents these types of de-commitments. Turner eventually de-committed and was leaning toward signing with Notre Dame during the early signing period. In fact, I’m told that when he showed up at his high school for that initial ceremony, he only had his letter-of-intent from Notre Dame. His plan that morning was to ink with the Irish. However, he couldn’t pull the trigger because he was truly torn and was struggling telling the Washington staff, Jimmy Lake in particular, that he was going elsewhere. That’s when he decided to take a step back and reevaluate things. Then the All-American Bowl took place. He played linebacker that week, didn’t enjoy it and felt as though he would struggle playing that position. After that, he went to the Polynesian Bowl and had a great week at safety and enjoyed playing that position. Turner loved everything about Notre Dame, from the coaches to the school itself. His family was 100 percent on board with it if he wanted to be Irish and the family likely would have moved near South Bend if that were his decision. In the end, he truly preferred playing safety, not linebacker, and wanted to go to the school where that was an option.

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    WASHINGTON LINEBACKER SPENCER LYTLE
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — If Notre Dame pushed for him, that’s likely where he would have ended up. While the coaches really liked Lytle, both as a player and person, I’m told the staff simply preferred Jack Kiser over him and that’s what pretty much ended this recruitment.

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    NOTRE DAME CORNERBACK ISAIAH RUTHERFORD
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — Notre Dame was initially a player for the west coast cornerback. He released a top seven and the Irish made the cut along with Alabama, Cal, Colorado, LSU, Oklahoma and Oregon. However, when Rutherford narrowed his recruitment to four in June, Notre Dame was left out. He announced that he would focus his attention on Cal, LSU, Oklahoma and Oregon. He felt as though he had a better relationship with those coaching staffs and saw a brighter future at one of those programs. He was planning on announcing a commitment in August. Then everything changed. Notre Dame decided that they weren’t giving up quite yet. I’m told Brian Polian, Todd Lyght and Clark Lea all spoke with Rutherford, made it clear that getting on campus would be a game-changer in his recruitment, explained to him how well he would fit in with the current roster if he truly got to know the players, and told him that he should be a part of something special brewing in South Bend. Rutherford bought in and decided to visit in September. According to Rutherford, everything Notre Dame said to him was 100 percent factual and he couldn’t have had a better time on campus for the win over Michigan. Less than a month later, he committed to the Fighting Irish, went public on Oct. 13, and completely shutdown his recruitment at that time.

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    TEXAS A&M SAFETY BRIAN WILLIAMS
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — When Mike Elko was at Notre Dame, the Lone Star State standout was leaning heavily toward the Fighting Irish. He was priority No. 1 for the then defensive coordinator and that interest was being reciprocated by Williams. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was going to end up playing for the Fighting Irish. Elko then left for Texas A&M and Williams committed to the Aggies shortly thereafter. That relationship was extremely strong and whether you agree with it or not, he really wanted to play for Elko and that was impactful when it came time to making a decision.

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    MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETE JULIAN BARNETT
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — I mentioned this on the site already, but to reiterate, I’m told he reached out late in the process, in November or December, to see if Notre Dame had a spot for him. The Irish were recruiting him as a cornerback for a while, early in the process, before he eventually committed to Michigan State on Dec. 22, 2017. At that time, the Irish moved on. Fast forward a little less than a year later and while Notre Dame discussed it, they decided there wasn’t a spot for him. You can’t just create scholarships, so they passed.

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    OKLAHOMA DEFENSIVE BACK JEREMIAH CRIDDELL
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    — The Mater Dei standout had some drama just before the conclusion of the early signing period. He was committed to Oregon for a while, but opened things back up on Nov. 28. At that time, I’m told he reached out to Notre Dame about taking a visit and potentially committing if it went well. However, the staff didn’t have a scholarship for him and informed him that they wouldn’t have room. He eventually committed to the Sooners a few weeks later.

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    AUBURN DEFENSIVE BACK CAM’RON KELLY
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    (Photo: 247Sports)
    47COMMENTS
    — This recruitment turned extremely strange this past summer. He was ready to make a commitment announcement on June 7. However, sources indicated at the time that Clemson wasn’t necessarily a huge fan of Kelly talking to other schools following his silent commitment, especially since it's believed that he made a silent commitment to Penn State as well. The Tigers decided to part ways and no longer pursue him. Then, when Penn State found out that he was reaching out to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, they moved on from him right before he was set to make a commitment. Notre Dame wasn’t really keen on how he was handling things so they passed on having him come in town for an official visit and said that if he wanted to step back from the process and wait on making a rushed decision, he would be welcomed to town in the fall for a trip. That wasn’t in his plans. He announced a commitment to Virginia Tech. Nobody really expected that to stick and a month later, he de-committed. A week after that, on July 28, he pledged to Auburn and signed with the Tigers a few months later.