Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ing in offensive lineman. At the de- fensive line, which is probably their weakest position, they brought in some guys. None of them are knock- outs except maybe Darnell Ewell. The other guys like Myron and Kofi Wardlow are guys who could de- velop, but they aren't there yet. "They've got a lot of good young linebackers on campus and guys who can really play, but adding Drew White and David Adams to that mix is a good sign." Farrell: "For me, taking everything into consideration because I don't think tight end is a position that should be your strongest, it's offen- sive line. Down the line, these guys are going to be your future. "Some of them are a couple years away like Hainsey. He's a good player, but he's got to get bigger and add lower body strength. He does that and you could be talking about a two- to three-year starter at the in- terior or at right tackle." Helmholdt: "I'm not sure I've seen a tight end duo like Brock Wright and Cole Kmet signed anywhere in the country over the last 14 years. They are one of the best tight end combina- tions that any team has signed." BGI: What are your thoughts on how Notre Dame finished the class with six commitments in the last week before signing day? Lemming: "They had to, or they would've been really embarrassed. They had 25 scholarships to give, but it's smart that they didn't go all the way to 25. "You don't want to take too many B-listers, although I really like [safety] Jordan Genmark Heath. I was just talking to the Cal coaches last week, and they told me they think he is a very good athlete with potential. "But you can't bring in too many 'if' guys at the end. Wardlow and Amosa, are pretty good ballplayers. Everyone they brought in near the end is an athlete with potential, and it will be up to the new coaches at Notre Dame to bring that potential out." Farrell: "This is the interesting thing about recruiting. The strong prey on the weak, and Notre Dame will always be strong. They will be a team that can come on a kid late who is committed elsewhere or might be a guy they weren't on early and then boom they can flip him. "Are they flipping four-stars? No. Are they getting the kids that Stan- ford is getting, which is the barom- eter when you are talking about high academic programs? No. That has to improve. But you were 4-8, and that's the problem. If they weren't 4-8 we wouldn't even be questioning this class." Helmholdt: "It was a strange way that this process ended for them. I would expect that they've learned some lessons from how this recruit- ing class went down and will adjust for future years. "Obviously, there was some coach- ing turnover, and that is going to lead to some of it. They went through the fire and came on the other side pretty solid. They were able to ad- dress some needs and not dip too far down. "Most of these guys are higher three-star guys, so they are quality prospects and Power Five caliber. These weren't level one guys for them. These were Plan B guys … but it helps from a depth standpoint. "In terms of getting impact play- ers, they are going to have to hit 2018 hard. They missed some opportuni- ties in 2017." BGI: What's the bigger storyline for you from Notre Dame's recruiting in 2017 … what the class could have been if the decommitments would have stuck or how the new coaching staff was able to finish in such a short time? Lemming: "Both. I don't think the coaches that they lost were doing a bad job, but they weren't doing a great job either. That's part of the reason they were suffering and why they got let go. "New coaches coming in is the bigger storyline. They have some recruiting acumen, and that's what they need." Farrell: "You go 4-8, the coach is clearly on the hot seat, and you're going to struggle with those battles if it comes down to trying to decide between Notre Dame and USC or Florida or even Nebraska. "The momentum is on the other side, and those programs are win- ning with new coaches. Those pro- grams haven't been ripped apart by the media for the last year. "This is as good as you are going to be able to do. How many losing power programs have put together a top-15 recruiting class? That's the Notre Dame brand. This is as good as it's going to get until you change things up and have a great season or get a new coach and sell a new vision." Helmholdt: "How it could have been is the more interesting storyline. Notre Dame had the chance to put a class that was much more near the top in the country. They had the chance to definitely sign a top-10 if not a top- five class." ✦ Rivals 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Georgia 4. Michigan 5. Florida State 6. USC 7. Oklahoma 8. LSU 9. Florida 10. Texas A&M 13. Notre Dame ESPN 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Georgia 4. Florida State 5. USC 6. Michigan 7. LSU 8. Oklahoma 9. Auburn 10. Clemson 16. Notre Dame Scout 1. Alabama 2. Georgia 3. Michigan 4. Ohio State 5. USC 6. Oklahoma 7. LSU 8. Florida State 9. Texas A&M 10. Florida 14. Notre Dame 247Sports 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. USC 5. Georgia 6. Florida State 7. LSU 8. Auburn 9. Oklahoma 10. Stanford 13. Notre Dame 2017 TEAM RANKINGS As of Feb. 7 Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand brought in another stellar group of blockers for the Fighting Irish, securing three four-star tackles among four total signees. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND