Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAVID MCKINNEY AND COREY BODDEN N otre Dame landed 27 signa- tures in the class of 2018, giv- ing the Irish their largest class since they took 28 players in the class of 2006. To get a feel for the national thoughts on Notre Dame's class, Blue & Gold Illustrated spoke with Rivals' director of recruiting Mike Farrell and CBS Sports' Tom Lemming, the co- host of the Lemming Report on CBS Sports Network. Here's a rundown of what they had to say on Notre Dame's haul, includ- ing thoughts on the position groups, highly touted quarterback Phil Jurk- ovec and the three 2019 prospects who have already given their verbal commitments to the Irish. BGI: What are your overall thoughts on the class? Farrell: "The finish was definitely solid. They hit some positions that they wanted to hit. It wasn't sexy. They didn't finish with a ton of four- stars and five-stars, but they really wanted Jarrett Patterson, and Noah Boykin was a bit of a surprise. "Adding DJ Brown and Boykin to- gether helps the defensive backfield, but overall the finish was probably not what Notre Dame fans wanted. I think the staff was happy with the guys they got because they defi- nitely hit a lot of needs. "Anytime Notre Dame can finish right near the top 10 in the coun- try, while dealing with not having a great home recruiting territory and having to recruit nationally, it's a very good effort. "I'd give the class a B-plus over- all. There's no five-star in there, but there's also no two-stars." Lemming: "I thought it was a ter- rific class. They addressed a lot of their needs. They always seem to be short in the secondary until this year. They've got enough guys coming in that a few can fail, and they would still have a good group. "They brought in one of the top three quarterbacks in the country in my opinion. They brought in some sleeper-type running backs, but I'm not sure how good they really are. Let's hope they turn out good. They have some outstanding wide receiv- ers. The offensive linemen are solid guys, but no great ones. "Defensive line-wise, the Ademilola twins from Jersey, Justin and Jayson, and Ja'Mion Franklin from Maryland, are all good ballplayers. They really excelled at wide receiver, linebacker and the secondary. And they landed one of the best quarterbacks in the country." BGI: Who do you think could play early on offense? Farrell: "The wide receiver posi- tion is one where you could certainly have a guy that can contribute early. It's the easiest position to transition into in college football, so my obvious answer is Kevin Austin because he's physically ready to do that. "Usually, it seems to be some sort of slot receiver, so it wouldn't surprise me if Lawrence Keys was that guy as well." Lemming: "You never rule out Phil Jurkovec, though something drastic probably has to happen if he is going to play right away as a freshman. You don't really want to see a freshman, even though Alabama just won a title with one. "Running back-wise, even though I think the signees are just alright, they may have to play right away because they are so weak there. "I think you will see Kevin Austin playing right away and Braden Lenzy, too. They are two of the best athletes in the country. Lenzy is one of the fastest guys Notre Dame has recruited in the past few years. Austin put to- gether a fantastic senior campaign." BGI: Who do you think could play early on defense? Farrell: "It all depends on need. I think Jack Lamb needs to get smarter, RECRUITING ROUNDTABLE National experts offer their thoughts on Notre Dame's 2018 signing class Four-star defensive back Noah Boykin was a National Signing Day surprise for Notre Dame and a huge addition to the class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM