Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/109499
"I think if you look at last year and the situation that we had at the very end, those can be avoided sometimes by not recruiting somebody," Irish head coach Brian Kelly said while addressing the media on National Signing Day. "But I don't think we're ever going to get to a position where when it comes down to an 18-year old making a decision with that once in a while those things don't occur. "Now, we don't want them to occur. I think what we did this year is that we made sure where that commitment was. In other words, if you're committed, that means you've ended this recruiting process. And I think in some instances, being firmer toward that end allowed this not to take shape." Notre Dame benefited from other programs not being able to hang onto its commits and remaining aggressive on the trail — landing six recruits who were committed elsewhere at one point and time. One of those prospects that flipped was the stamp on the 2013 National Signing Day experience, a throwback to the 2011 haul which put the program back in the right direction with a consensus top-five class — five-star California defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes. As with every year, the Notre Dame coaching staff celebrated its impressive year in recruiting momentarily, including Kelly getting an opportunity to compete in the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California. The foundation, however, has already been laid with four pledges in the 2014 haul — wide receiver Justin Brent, offensive lineman Jimmy By- rne, defensive lineman Jay Hayes and linebacker Greer Martini — although there is still plenty of work left to be done. Previewing The Class After signing 24 players, five of which are already enrolled, the Irish have 85 players on scholarship (42 on offense and 41 on defense, plus two on special teams), including the four projected fifth-year seniors (offensive linemen Zack Martin and Chris Watt, and inside linebackers Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox) with those decisions still being made by Notre Dame. Of the 18 seniors next fall, 11 are eligible for a fifth year in 2014. From that group the four that seem the most likely to return are defensive backs Austin Collinsworth and Lo Wood, offensive lineman Christian Lombard and tight end Alex Welch. It's never an exact science with potential season-ending injuries, with offensive lineman Tate Nichols' future being in question with a possible medical grant-in-aid situation like Brad Carrico and Cameron Roberson, transfers and players deciding to leave early for the pros. The numbers game suggests that the class will be approximately 18‑20, leaving 14 more spots with four juniors already committed. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the projected needs and a featured junior target at each position. Quarterback 2013 QBs: 5 Projected Take: 1 Notre Dame found the quarterback it was search-