2015 Notre Dame Football Preview

2015 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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146 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Those strong groups could not overcome his first class, which consisted of just 15 players and left Notre Dame without the veteran depth and leadership it needed to carry the younger classes. During the final three years of the Weis tenure, Notre Dame finished 16‑21. When Kelly was hired to replace Weis, he and his staff had to grind to keep the recruit‑ ing class they inherited together and to add enough depth and talent to help carry the team through the first few years of Kelly's tenure. Kelly's first class did not receive much ac‑ claim, but it did provide decent depth, good class balance and starting impact. • The 2010 class was ranked from No. 14 (Rivals) to No. 21 (ESPN) nationally. • There were only two players from this class ranked in the Rivals top 100 — defen‑ sive lineman Louis Nix (No. 85) and offen‑ sive tackle Matt James (No. 86). • Notre Dame landed at least two players at all positions except running back, where it landed one recruit. The lone area where the class came up short was on specialists, and that was by design. • When Notre Dame squared off against Alabama in the 2013 BCS National Champi‑ onship Game, six members of the 2010 class were starters for the Irish. • None of the players from the 2010 class turned into award winners or high draft picks. That aside, the class produced two team captains (safety Austin Collinsworth and cornerback Bennett Jackson) and a num‑ ber of players that would be vital to Notre Dame's 12‑0 start in 2012 — its first unde‑ feated regular season in 24 years. CHRIS BADGER • S Provo, Utah (Timpview) Prep Ranking: Consensus three‑star prospect … Rated as the No. 21 safety in the country by ESPN … Listed as the No. 5 prospect in Utah and the No. 41 safety in the country by Rivals. Career Summary: Arrived at Notre Dame in January 2010 as an early enrollee … Went through spring practice before leaving for a two‑year church mission to Ecuador … Re‑ turned to Notre Dame for the 2012 season, but did not appear in a game … Transferred to Brigham Young University and received a BY BRYAN DRISKELL When a new head coach is hired it's usually because his predeces‑ sor was fired, a process that generally follows a period of on‑field futility. Such was the case when Brian Kelly took over as the head coach at Notre Dame in December 2009. Kelly's predecessor, Charlie Weis, struggled to bring in a full recruiting class when he arrived in January 2005. After that initial bump in the road, Weis signed three straight top‑10 groups. That in‑ cluded a 2008 class that was ranked No. 1 nationally by 247Sports, and No. 2 by both Rivals and Scout. SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS Despite modest projections, the 2010 recruiting class proved productive and important to Notre Dame's recent success Wide receiver TJ Jones was the most consistent player in the 2010 class, starting all four seasons and finishing his career with 181 receptions, 2,429 receiving yards and 19 touchdown catches. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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