Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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lic) — Notre Dame is among the early favorites, and he trains with former Notre Dame captain Mike Goolsby (2000-04), a graduate of Isaac's high school. WIDE RECEIVER Irish coaching staff during the 2012 haul, but losing five-star Deontay Greenberry to Houston left the program short of its three-player minimum in the receiver corps for the class. The roster only loses senior Robby Toma with TJ Jones, Luke Massa and Daniel Smith entering their senior seasons in 2013, but there's a lot of un- proven talent there when searching for a replace- ment for departed senior Michael Floyd. The hunt is on again for a trio of receivers, and 2013 WRs: 7 Projected Take: 3 Finding skill position players was a focus for the one of them will need to be able to have an im- mediate impact. Target: Laquon Treadwell, 6-3, 195, Crete, Ill. (Crete-Monee) — Michigan is labeled as the cur- rent standout in the group, but he doesn't claim any favorites with his offer list continuing to grow. His visit to Notre Dame the weekend before Na- tional Signing Day gave him some valued one- on-one time with Brian Kelly and left a strong impression. TIGHT END "Tight End U.," but decided to not take a tight end this year after the top target, Kent Taylor, decided to stay with Florida. Oklahoma's Taylor McNamara wanted to offer a pledge and awaited official word from the staff based on whether Tyler Eifert was going to return for his senior season and if Jake Golic would still be able to play following a back injury, but both scenarios didn't work out in his favor. With the possibility of only having two tight ends 2013 TEs: 4 Projected Take: 2 The program has kept its tradition of being a on the roster in 2013 in junior Alex Welch and sophomore Ben Koyack, Notre Dame will likely target two for the position. Target: Adam Breneman, 6-5, 225, Camp Hill, Target: Ty Isaac, 6-2, 215, Joliet, Ill. (Joliet Catho- An early commitment from Steven Elmer Jr. of Midland, Mich., made for the best start possible for the 2013 recruiting class with him being among the top dozen players in the country according to 247Sports, and his proactive approach to recruit- ing has him working to land other top prospects along the offensive line in the Midwest. Target: Ethan Pocic, 6-7, 280, Lemont, Ill. (Lem- ont Township) — The Midwest programs have the advantage here, but the two schools that have emerged to be early, strong competitors are Notre Dame and Wisconsin. DEFENSIVE LINE of defensive linemen that Notre Dame was able to land, highlighted by first-year contributors Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt. While class member Chase Hounshell looked destined to wait a year before seeing action, even he was able to get on the field a bit during his rookie season. Louis Nix III could also be added to that group 2013 DLs: 9 Projected Take: 2 It doesn't get much better than the 2011 group since he didn't play as a freshman, and the coaches are encouraged by what they've seen from freshman Tony Springmann for the nose guard position. After landing Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones in Outside linebacker Jaylon Smith, a five-star pros- pect from Fort Wayne, Ind., lists Notre Dame, Ohio State and Purdue as the top three programs he's considering. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS DEFENSIVE BACKS 2012, the Irish can take a similar route for the 2013 campaign. But one of those will need to be a true nose guard after not landing one this past recruiting season. Target: Taco Charlton, 6-6, 245, Pickerington, Ohio (Pickerington Central) — Similar to Treadwell, the Irish will likely need to fight off the Wolver- ines in this race as well. Notre Dame is in a good position, however, due to his familiarity with the program and having a former teammate, safety Eilar Hardy, on the roster. Listed among the line- backers, but has the frame to grow into a full-time defensive end. LINEBACKERS: Pa. (Cedar Cliff) — Widely considered the top tight end in his class, Breneman was first seen as a Penn State lock. However, the coaching changes in Happy Valley allowed other programs to make their way in, particularly Notre Dame. He plans on getting back to South Bend in the spring following a visit last season. OFFENSIVE LINE offensive line hauls, and its first recruiting class still has three years left to play, but the loss of Taylor Decker to Ohio State caused a bit of a sting because he was another potential left tackle candi- date — an area that has been difficult to fill. 2013 OLs: 12 Projected Take: 3 Notre Dame put together a pair of impressive www.BLUEANDGOLD.com freshmen in 2011, the Irish were also able to find roles for Troy Niklas and Ishaq Williams. Ben Coun- cell, Jarrett Grace and Anthony Rabasa all came in as under-the-radar prospects that the Irish liked, so there's some promise there as well, but there is a strong need for numbers after only landing one linebacker in Romeo Okwara in 2012. The inside linebacker position, in particular, 2013 LBs: 13 Projected Take: 4 Similar to the defensive line production from the didn't see any players added to the position in the past haul, so the Irish will be target at least two there with a third being a versatile option that could play inside or out. Another outside linebacker could be in the plan. Target: Jaylon Smith, 6-3, 218, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers) — Smith is an in-state five-star tal- ent that the coaches are pursuing aggressively. Kelly was in attendance at his basketball game the weekend before National Signing Day, and those efforts aren't going unnoticed with Notre Dame in a top three with Ohio State and Purdue. bers to the back end of the defense, and Notre Dame was able to do just that with signatures from Nick Baratti, C.J. Prosise, Elijah Shumate and John Turner. The number for cornerbacks is two every year, 2013 DBs: 12 Projected Take: 3 One of the top needs in 2012 was adding num- and the Irish had reached that goal early on be- fore losing Ronald Darby to Florida State late in the process. The position becomes an immediate area of concern because no players with starting experience will be lined up at cornerback in 2012, and two will be out entering 2013. The same goal is in place to land two, but a third defensive back could be similar to sophomore Eilar Hardy in that they report as a safety but the po- tential is there to switch to cornerback, if needed. Target: Su'a Cravens, 6-1, 205, Murrieta, Calif. (Vista Murrieta) — After landing four in 2012, the Irish can pursue the most touted safeties in the country, and Cravens is as good as it gets. Notre Dame is currently in his top five schools, and he wants to take a trip to campus. Oklahoma and USC are programs to watch for his pledge. SPECIALISTS after adding Scott Daly on full scholarship with Jordan Cowart entering his final season, but there will be a need at kicker with none taken in 2012. Kicker Nick Tausch (who has a fifth-year of eli- gibility) and punter Ben Turk are seniors in 2012, which leaves Kyle Brindza as the only scholarship kicker/punter if Tausch doesn't return. Bringing in another top kicker with the capability 2013 Specialists: 4 Projected Take: 1 Notre Dame filled its numbers at long snapper to handle both duties could make for a good use of a scholarship in the 2013 haul. ✦ MARCH 2012 53