VanGorder offered 3* safety Justin Reid during an in home visit. He is the brother of safety Eric Reid who plays for the 49ers. He will be visiting Jan. 23rd and has already visited Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Will be visiting Stanford week before ND trip and LSU week after. Very smart kid and will be receiving some sort of award during the all star game he is playing in this year. VanGorder told him we're taking 3 safeties this year.

Injuries, poor recruiting and losing games means they just need bodies at this point.

Injuries, poor recruiting and losing games means they just need bodies at this point.

 

Now that I think about it, if this kid commits, that would give us 4 safeties I believe. Wonder if VanGorder is already counting McKinney out?

Injuries, poor recruiting and losing games means they just need bodies at this point.

 

Poor recruiting? This class is consistently ranked in the top 10 across all sites. Can't you just admit you were wrong about who this class of recruits ended up? If you're referencing poor recruiting in prior classes, different story. However, I recall you were one of the main,if not the biggest bitcher, about recruiting in June & July. Then look what happened.

 

I do believe *s are important in assessing a recruit, but it also tells me a hell of a lot this kid is being looked at by LSU. Any defensive recruit with an LSU offer is someone to look at it, bc they know how to develop talent on that side of the ball.

If he's 75% of his brother, he'll be one solid! solid pickup.

Poor recruiting? This class is consistently ranked in the top 10 across all sites. Can't you just admit you were wrong about who this class of recruits ended up? If you're referencing poor recruiting in prior classes, different story. However, I recall you were one of the main,if not the biggest bitcher, about recruiting in June & July. Then look what happened.

 

I do believe *s are important in assessing a recruit, but it also tells me a hell of a lot this kid is being looked at by LSU. Any defensive recruit with an LSU offer is someone to look at it, bc they know how to develop talent on that side of the ball.

 

This safety class is a combination of poor recruiting and bad luck. They could very likely lose the best of their three commits at the position, the new commit is a kid who doesn't get an offer even a month ago, the last commit is an undersized special teams player and they've missed out on all of their top targets at the position. They're scrambling to get bodies at that position, but you're free to call me whatever you'd like.

 

Yes. It's poor recruiting. It's also poor recruiting at the position for a number of seasons, which is part of why they'll have two scholarship safeties who return next year.

Edited December 22, 201410 yr by ColinKSU

If he's 75% of his brother, he'll be one solid! solid pickup.

 

This......

Poor recruiting? This class is consistently ranked in the top 10 across all sites.

 

Once again we have a lackluster class of defensive linemen. Two of the three weren't even good enough to get an offer from Sparty. Except for very rare occasions this is ND's annual recruiting weakness and this year is no different.

 

We can sign a large class with highly ranked skill guys and get a high team recruiting ranking, but when we face good teams we'll get pushed around just like we always do.

Once again we have a lackluster class of defensive linemen. Two of the three weren't even good enough to get an offer from Sparty. Except for very rare occasions this is ND's annual recruiting weakness and this year is no different.

 

We can sign a large class with highly ranked skill guys and get a high team recruiting ranking, but when we face good teams we'll get pushed around just like we always do.

 

With a healthy Dline, we didn't get pushed around by anyone.

In fact, we did more than our share of bullying on both lines vs FSU.

 

No team can lose 4-5 guys in the 2 deep and expect to run a functional DL. The guys that ND will sign are guys that were identified early by the staff, not 2nd choice dudes with late offers.

 

Also we have 4 DL signed (Wallace isn't a LB in NDs scheme).

Tillery could well end up there also.

 

We signed 8 DL last year! Trumbetti, Cage, Hayes , Williams, Blankenship, Hill, Mokwuah, Bonner.

I'd think Mustipher (a 4* DT on some services) ends up there.

 

So that's 12-14 DL in the last two classes.

If you want to complain about lack of star power thats ok, but good lord ND hasn't recruited this well at DL since Davie.

So that's 12-14 DL in the last two classes.

If you want to complain about lack of star power thats ok, but good lord ND hasn't recruited this well at DL since Davie.

 

My problem with their defensive line recruiting is not numbers, because I think it's important to have scholarship-worthy bodies, but I don't see the star power in these two classes.

 

I think Trumbetti is going to be very good, but I don't see a game-changer there. Guys like Johnny Williams and Grant Blankenship are all potential at this point, and I think people like Daniel Cage and Jay Hayes look like they'll be bodies we can put in there against the run and not worry too much about.

 

This 2015 class looks like three more bodies and a kid in Bo Wallace who, like Jhonny Williams, is all potential at this point.

 

Who are the sure-fire pass rushers in these two classes? That's what ND needs if it's going to figure into the top of the college football world. Alabama, OSU, LSU, Florida State and USC are all getting guys who hurt the QB and QBs who can have a field day without a pass rush in their face and ND has to beat them to win a title.

With a healthy Dline, we didn't get pushed around by anyone.

In fact, we did more than our share of bullying on both lines vs FSU.

 

No team can lose 4-5 guys in the 2 deep and expect to run a functional DL. The guys that ND will sign are guys that were identified early by the staff, not 2nd choice dudes with late offers.

 

Also we have 4 DL signed (Wallace isn't a LB in NDs scheme).

Tillery could well end up there also.

 

We signed 8 DL last year! Trumbetti, Cage, Hayes , Williams, Blankenship, Hill, Mokwuah, Bonner.

I'd think Mustipher (a 4* DT on some services) ends up there.

 

So that's 12-14 DL in the last two classes.

If you want to complain about lack of star power thats ok, but good lord ND hasn't recruited this well at DL since Davie.

 

Very true. Thank you for all the knowledge you bring to the board, which is greatly appreciated.

With a healthy Dline, we didn't get pushed around by anyone.

 

That's the point: Injuries happen and young players have to be ready to play, Look at how USC's freshman destroyed our freshman and sophomores. They had ready to play recruits, we had projects.

 

We signed 8 DL last year! Trumbetti, Cage, Hayes , Williams, Blankenship, Hill, Mokwuah, Bonner.

I'd think Mustipher (a 4* DT on some services) ends up there.

 

So that's 12-14 DL in the last two classes.

If you want to complain about lack of star power thats ok, but good lord ND hasn't recruited this well at DL since Davie.

 

I'll only comment on who played: Trumbetti, Hayes, Matuska and Blankenship got destroyed by USC's freshmen and sophomores. It was like the B- team against the Varsity, only USC's line wasn't older than ours. It was projects vs men. Open your eyes. These guys are not elite by any measure of the word. We have more depth, but we're still gonna get pushed around by teams that do have elite players not projects. Their depth will be better than ours as well.

That's the point: Injuries happen and young players have to be ready to play, Look at how USC's freshman destroyed our freshman and sophomores. They had ready to play recruits, we had projects.

 

 

 

I'll only comment on who played: Trumbetti, Hayes, Matuska and Blankenship got destroyed by USC's freshmen and sophomores. It was like the B- team against the Varsity, only USC's line wasn't older than ours. It was projects vs men. Open your eyes. These guys are not elite by any measure of the word. We have more depth, but we're still gonna get pushed around by teams that do have elite players not projects. Their depth will be better than ours as well.

 

My eyes are open.

 

USC had 3 FR, one RS SO and one JR on the O-line. They had their way with ND's 3 true freshman (one of which got hurt, Hayes) and a RS FR that I'm surprised even played (Matuska played with one arm). The DL couldn't rotate in any fresh bodies because we didn't have any.

 

Trumbetti showed plenty this year and was an elite recruit. He's going to be a stud. Was dominant at his HS AA game.

 

Hayes is like Jarron Jones. Was never going to be ready as a frosh after playing in a horribly weak league in NY.

 

Blankenship needs to add weight but looked good to me when he played.

 

I'm not taking anything away from USC's OL. What they did was impressive, and Damien Mama might be the most physically mature frosh I've seen this side of Nick Chubb (will be interesting to see if he goes on his mormon mission like he said he would after this year).

 

But NO, I don't believe ND is at all hurting along the DL. You call these guys "projects" because the recruiting sites weren't giving them 5 stars (most got 4), but it only matters how our staff feels about them.

 

I'd spend more time worrying about a bunch of positions before I worried about our DL.

If Jones, Day, Ishaq are all back and healthy, ND has is going to have the deepest, most talented DL they've had in recent memory.

My problem with their defensive line recruiting is not numbers, because I think it's important to have scholarship-worthy bodies, but I don't see the star power in these two classes.

 

I think Trumbetti is going to be very good, but I don't see a game-changer there. Guys like Johnny Williams and Grant Blankenship are all potential at this point, and I think people like Daniel Cage and Jay Hayes look like they'll be bodies we can put in there against the run and not worry too much about.

 

This 2015 class looks like three more bodies and a kid in Bo Wallace who, like Jhonny Williams, is all potential at this point.

 

Who are the sure-fire pass rushers in these two classes? That's what ND needs if it's going to figure into the top of the college football world. Alabama, OSU, LSU, Florida State and USC are all getting guys who hurt the QB and QBs who can have a field day without a pass rush in their face and ND has to beat them to win a title.

 

Thats a fair point re: elite pass rushing DE. ND hasnt got that real freak athlete to come off the edge but Trumbetti, Hill, Wallace, Williams all have a chance to get there imo. Ishaq could finally make some noise if hes back.

Jaylon Smith will hopefully be freed up a bit more on blitzes with a more stable LB core.

 

But make no mistake, all those SEC teams build their DL on numbers/depth. They sign plenty of 3 stars with potential and rotate guys in and out all game.

The last two classes can get ND closer to that.

But NO, I don't believe ND is at all hurting along the DL. You call these guys "projects" because the recruiting sites weren't giving them 5 stars (most got 4), but it only matters how our staff feels about them.

 

The staff better be right about those "projects", because Kelly is going to be looking for a job after next season if all these "projects" don't start performing like elite players.

 

Right now, every single player on their defensive line past Jones, Day and Rochell are either complete unknowns or freshmen who were *way* over their heads in 2014, and ND's defense needs a ton of help to even be above average in 2015. And if Day or Jones or both decide to check out the NFL? Forget about having a solid and productive defensive line. You'll just have a ton of sophomores, redshirt freshman and freshmen playing bigger roles than they would for any legitimate championship program.

 

I won't lie -- as someone who wants to see ND win, my patience is completely gone with Kelly. That probably colors my judgement to some extent, but I don't think I'm wrong at all with the way I see the defensive line recruiting: I just see bodies, with only a handful of exceptions. Alabama, LSU or even Ohio State would consider it a failure if they recruited this bunch.

Edited December 28, 201410 yr by ColinKSU

The staff better be right about those "projects", because Kelly is going to be looking for a job after next season if all these "projects" don't start performing like elite players.

 

Right now, every single player on their defensive like past Jones, Day and Rochell are either complete unknowns or freshman who were *way* over their heads in 2014, and ND's defense needs a ton of help to even be above average in 2015. And if Day or Jones or both decide to check out the NFL? Forget about having a solid and productive defensive line. You'll just have a ton of sophomores, redshirt freshman and freshmen playing bigger roles than they would for any legitimate championship program.

 

I won't lie -- as someone who wants to see ND win, my patience is completely gone with Kelly. That probably colors my judgement to some extent, but I don't think I'm wrong at all with the way I see the defensive line recruiting: I just see bodies, with only a handful of exceptions. Alabama, LSU or even Ohio State would consider it a failure if they recruited this bunch.

 

Right on. When Kelly came in, everyone raved how he would turn 3*s into 4 and 4's into 5's.

 

Well, that hasn't happened at near the rate anyone suggested. Until he consistently turns these guys into over achievers, every 3* player he gets is just a guy.

Right on. When Kelly came in, everyone raved how he would turn 3*s into 4 and 4's into 5's.

 

Well, that hasn't happened at near the rate anyone suggested. Until he consistently turns these guys into over achievers, every 3* player he gets is just a guy.

 

Where did everyone say that? I agree, player development is average at best, but I think your applying revisionist history. More or less, Kelly's recruits at Cincinnati fit into a system and produced based on that. QBs like Pike and Collaros overachieved, but they were t necessarily better developed players. You're confusing overachievement with development, two totally different things.

Stanford has an edge here right now. They are locking up all sorts of DBs. Of note though, Ben Edwards is not fully accepted to Stanford yet so he may come back into play for ND.

Buncom is still in play though correct?

 

Many believe Stanford and Notre Dame would get one of either Edwards or Buncom.

Buncom is still in play though correct?

 

Many believe Stanford and Notre Dame would get one of either Edwards or Buncom.

 

He is and most thought ND would actually get Edwards due to the situation you mentioned. However, Stanford can actually take all 3 now (Reid, Buncom and Edwards) and right now most likely lead for all of them.

He is and most thought ND would actually get Edwards due to the situation you mentioned. However, Stanford can actually take all 3 now (Reid, Buncom and Edwards) and right now most likely lead for all of them.

 

Very disappointing to hear....I think Edwards will be a STUD...the other two are good prospects as well