It seems like Notre Dame football is at a major crossroads, with significant changes happening after an impressive 14-2 season. Despite the success, it's clear that the program's staff turnover is creating some big challenges for head coach Marcus Freeman. But it also looks like Freeman is working diligently to navigate these changes by bringing in some strong new hires.
Chris Ash replaces Al Golden
The decision to replace Al Golden with Chris Ash seems strategic, especially considering Ash's background with defensive backs and his leadership beside Luke Fickell. Golden's style was clearly popular, so it'll be interesting to see if Ash’s fiery approach can maintain that same level of success. His expertise should complement the strong defensive talent already present, but the transition could still have its bumps.
Ja’Juan Seider is a big get
With the talented trio of Jerimiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams at running back, having someone with Seider’s track record will certainly keep that position as a strength. His experience with developing 1,000-yard rushers at Penn State is a major win for the Irish.
A new GM (Mike Martin)
The search for a new General Manager is definitely an intriguing one. The evolving nature of college football’s rules around recruiting, the transfer portal, and NIL demands a savvy, experienced leader. Mike Martin seems like an excellent choice to help navigate this new era, and building out a robust scouting department could help the Irish gain an edge on the competition, especially with such a complex landscape.
Building for Long-Term Success
All in all, Marcus Freeman is making moves to stay ahead of the curve, and while there are inevitable challenges, these hires could help position Notre Dame for continued success. It's exciting to see how these changes will unfold and if they'll pay off in the long run. What do you think of these moves? Does the future of Notre Dame football look bright to you?
IrishCalves 8 posts
ND FANATIC 4 posts
irishziggy 3 posts
irish21 3 posts
With Lane Clelland committing out of the blue, the Fighting Irish class now stands at 12 commitments. So much for being a Michigan lean, huh? Anyway, his commitment puts our 2008 scholarship total at 79 ships, just 6 shy of the NCAA maximum 85 scholarship limit assuming ALL eligible fifth year seniors return.
Granted, the likelihood of all fifth year seniors returning is low. They first have to be invited back or want to come back, and then they must be accepted into a graduate program -- so it's not a given by any means. As I've said before, I think Weis will be very selective in who he offers a fifth year of eligiblity to, especially as he works to get to consistent classes and depth.
Another thing that will be interesting and worth keeping an eye on is the possibility of transfers from the current sophomore class, where Weis took 28 recruits. If Jimmy Clausen wins the quarterback battle or is named the backup, it's possible that you could see Zach Frazer look elsewhere for playing time.
Scholarship Breakdown: 2008 Total Scholarhips (79)
Fifth Year Senior 2008 (7)
RB Junior Jabbie
DE Justin Brown
LB Maurice Crum Jr, Anthony Vernaglia
CB Terrail Lambert, Leo Ferrine
LS J.J. Jansen
Senior 2009 (14)
QB Evan Sharpley *
RB Asaph Schwapp **
WR David Grimes, D.J. Hord **
OT Paul Duncan, Mike Turkovich
DT Patrick Kuntz, Derrell Hand *
LB Steve Quinn, Scott Smith, Kevin Washington *
S David Bruton, Ray Herring, Kyle McCarthy *
Junior 2010 (28)
QB Zach Frazer *, Demetrius Jones *
RB James Aldridge, Munir Prince, Luke Schmidt *
WR George West, Richard Jackson, Rob Parris *, Barry Gallup *
TE Konrad Reuland, Will Yeatman
OT Sam Young, Bartely Webb *
C Dan Wenger *
OG Eric Olsen, Chris Stewart * , Matt Carufel *
DE John Ryan, Kallen Wade *
DT Paddy Mullen *
LB Toryan Smith, Morrice Richardson
CB Darrin Walls, Raeshon McNeil
S Sergio Brown, Jashaad Gaines, Leonard Gordon *
K Ryan Burkhart
Sophomore 2011 (18)
QB Jimmy Clausen
RB Armando Allen, Robert Hughes
WR Duval Kamara, Golden Tate
TE Mike Ragone
OT Matt Romine, Taylor Dever
OG Emeka Nwankwo
DE Kerry Neal
DT Ian Williams, Andrew Nuss
LB Aaron Nagel, Steve Paskorz, Brian Smith
CB Gary Gray
S Harrison Smith
K Brandon Walker
Freshman 2012 (12)
QB Dayne Crist
WR John Goodman
TE Kyle Rudolph, Joseph Fauria
OT Lane Clelland
C Mike Golic, Braxston Cave
DE Sean Cwynar, Hafis Williams
ILB Anthony McDonald, Paul Posluszny
OLB Darius Fleming
ASTERISK LEGEND
* = Player may be eligible for 5th year of eligibility
** = May be granted medical redshirt
Current Recruiting Class
I've always felt this class would hold 22 recruits and I still feel that way. Taking 22 recruits would leave room for 3 fifth year seniors and/or walk on players, which is a reasonable number in my opinion. If we do end up having a transfer, I think that individual's scholarship will be added to this class since we only took 18 last year.
Having 12 commitments this early in the year means the Irish staff can really focus on those last ten recruits. We're already done at the quarterback and tight end positions, and we're close to being done on the offensive line and at linebacker.
My Anticipated Position Breakdown
QB (1) Dayne Crist
RB (1) None
WR (3) John Goodman
TE (2) Kyle Rudolph, Joseph Fauria
OL (4) Lane Clelland, Mike Golic, Braxston Cave
DL (4) Sean Cwynar, Hafis Williams
ILB (4) Anthony McDonald, Paul Posluszny, Darius Fleming
DB (3) None
The above breakdown is a well balanced class, with the Irish loading up at positions of need including the defensive line, linebacker and at wide receiver. If the Irish end up having a player transfer, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 5th linebacker or lineman added to the class to welcome in the 3-4 with as many talented bodies as possible. There also is a possibility that the Irish would tuck that scholarship in the reserves, since the next year will be very tight on scholarships.
While we've got a good idea of how our class will end up already (man, it feels good, doesn't it?), we'll probably have a great idea of our final class by late August or early September, when quite a few of the prospects we're recruiting have planned to announce so they can focus on their senior seasons.
2009 Recruiting Class - A Potentially Sticky Situation
After the 2008 class is settled, the Irish could be faced with a potentially sticky situation in recruiting come 2009. Assuming that we end up with 22 recruits in the 2008 recruiting class and all 6 fifth year seniors come back, the Irish will have only 11 open scholarships in 2009.
However, much like 2008, it's doubtful that all 6 would be invited back, but even with none of them returning, that would only allow us a class size of 17 recruits. Let's take a look at how this would break down:
2009 Total Scholarships (74)
Fifth Year Senior 2009 (6)
QB Evan Sharpley
RB Asaph Schwapp
WR D.J. Hord
DT Derrell Hand
LB Kevin Washington
S Kyle McCarthy
Senior 2010 (28)
QB Zach Frazer *, Demetrius Jones *
RB James Aldridge, Munir Prince, Luke Schmidt *
WR George West, Richard Jackson, Rob Parris, Barry Gallup *
TE Konrad Reuland, Will Yeatman
OT Sam Young, Bartely Webb *
C Dan Wenger *
OG Eric Olsen, Matt Carufel, Chris Stewart *
DE John Ryan, Kallen Wade *
DT Paddy Mullen *
LB Toryan Smith, Morrice Richardson
CB Darrin Walls, Raeshon McNeil
S Sergio Brown, Jashaad Gaines, Leonard Gordon *
K Ryan Burkhart
Junior 2011 (18)
QB Jimmy Clausen
RB Armando Allen, Robert Hughes
WR Duval Kamara, Golden Tate
TE Mike Ragone
OT Matt Romine, Taylor Dever
OG Emeka Nwankwo
DE Kerry Neal
DT Ian Williams, Andrew Nuss
LB Aaron Nagel, Steve Paskorz, Brian Smith
CB Gary Gray
S Harrison Smith
K Brandon Walker
Sophomore 2012 (12)
QB Dayne Crist
WR John Goodman
TE Kyle Rudolph, Joseph Fauria
OT Lane Clelland
C Mike Golic, Braxston Cave
DE Sean Cwynar, Hafis Williams
ILB Anthony McDonald, Paul Posluszny
OLB Darius Fleming
So there you have it. This is a glimpse into the next two years of Fighting Irish recruiting and what the Irish coaching staff will (or won't) have to work with. Talent development is going to become absolutely crucial over the next 24 months.
I can't wait to see how things turn out!