It’s becoming quickly apparent, to earn a scholarship offer from head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, a player has to fit a certain criteria before he is extended a full-ride.
Luginbill says ND needs more difference makers in its front seven like Aaron Lynch.
You can’t just be a great player. You have to be a great player that is going to be productive within the offensive or defensive scheme. That criteria could be a certain size they’re looking for at the outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid spot, or the ability to make plays with your arm and feet at the quarterback position. The list goes on, but one thing is for sure, although the Irish staff is involved with some of the nation’s top-rated prospects, they’re recruiting towards their offensive and defensive packages, and not a set of star rankings.
“In my opinion, I think the best teams in college football recruiting have really moved to that model,” ESPN Scouts Inc. national recruiting director Tom Luginbill said.
Whether it’s the blue-chip recruit, or a guy that’s going to need time to develop, or a player that is flying under the radar, the similarities between the prospects the Irish have offered are very apparent.
“What Brian Kelly’s doing, that is a very similar approach to what Nick Saban does at Alabama,” Luginbill said. “There is a certain set of criteria in their evaluation process, and if a guy doesn’t meet certain parameters, even if they think he’s a good player, they’re going to find someone that fits that mold.
“You have to recruit to your needs, but you also have to recruit to your scheme and your style. The players you’re recruiting, better meet that criteria.”
Some guys Notre Dame has appeared to pass on haven’t.
Touted prospects like cornerback Doran Grant (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) and defensive end Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) likely don’t match all the size criteria, or inside linebacker James Vaughters (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) plays a position that isn’t a huge need in this year’s class.
Instead, the Irish staff has zeroed in on guys that fit the style of ball they want to play, and they haven’t been shy about sending out scholarship offers all over the country to players that fit the correct criteria at positions of need. Notre Dame has extended at least a verbal offer to over 100 prospects, well over the mark at this time in recent memory. They also don’t care if the kid has a national offer list or not.
In the first set of national recruiting rankings released last week by ESPNU’s Scouts Inc., Notre Dame was slotted at No. 11, with three of nine verbal commits ranked inside the ESPN top-150, in four-star offensive tackles Matt Hegarty (Aztec, N.M./Aztec) and Jordan Prestwood (Plant City, Fla./Plant City), and future U.S. Under Armour All-American tight end Ben Koyack (Oil City, Pa./Oil City).
“Two of those three being in the offensive front I think is critical,” Luginbill stated. Texas, LSU and Alabama stand one, two and three in the initial list.
“Keep in mind, class rankings at this point, be very careful with the stock you place into them,” Luginbill continued. “It’s very early and it’s a fan-driven entity, but this is a marathon not a sprint. At this stage, you have to take numbers into account as much as you do ability level. In December, you will have much more of a formulated idea where programs stand.”
By December and ultimately by National Signing Day in February, Luginbill would like to see Notre Dame add more playmakers in the defensive front seven. The Irish already hold verbal commitments from defensive end Brad Carrico (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), defensive end/defensive tackle Tony Springmann (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) and linebacker Jarrett Grace (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain).
“Brian Kelly knows that,” Luginbill stated. “Their staff knows it. Want to know why they know it, ask about the Sugar Bowl last year. The Cincinnati team that ran over everyone during the season, they got into that bowl game (against Florida) and they were so outmanned on the defensive side, he knows now at Notre Dame that’s what he has to compete with and go against on a weekly basis.”
Kelly has identified several players like that in this recruiting cycle. Offers have gone out to defensive ends and linebackers like Ray Drew (Thomasville, Ga./Thomasville County Central), Trey DePriest (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield), Ishaq Williams (New York, N.Y./Lincoln), Aaron Lynch (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast), Giorgio Newberry (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central), Anthony Chickillo (Tampa, Fla./Alonso), Anthony Rabasa (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) and Stephon Tuitt (Monroe, Ga./Monroe Area), all of whom are uncommitted and ranked in the ESPN top-150. The Irish lead for Lynch and are expecting summer visits from DePriest and Williams, possibly Chickillo, with Rabasa and Tuitt looking to take an official in the fall.
“Those are the types of players I’m talking about,” Luginbill said.
“You look at Florida, you look at one point, they’re sitting there playing with Justin Trattou, Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham, they’re playing with all these guys at the same time. That in my opinion is what separates them. You look at Alabama with Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain and Dont’a Hightower. You can go on and on with USC. That is what separates them.
“With Notre Dame, you can’t do that with their front seven. They were only bringing in one guy like that a year. I don’t think anyone will argue they have BCS players and production on the offensive side, and to some degree perimeter people on defense, but perimeter people on defense look much better when they’re getting a rush from the front seven.”
Another area the Irish have seen a boost in recruiting, and perhaps a reason why there is a higher number of offers out, is that the whole staff has hit the pavement recruiting. They’re making the necessary calls and following up with the kids, their guardians and coaches at a much higher level. In years past, recruiting was a glaring weakness with a few assistants, and their work ethic was definitely questionable.
“In this day and age of college football, you have to have grinders on your staff in the recruiting element. Not only do they have to have an eye for talent and guys they think they can develop, they also have to know who is the right player for your program. There has to be that blend from a talent standpoint as well as evaluating the right fit for your program. You need guys that are shaking the stick in the bushes and seeing what drops out. Guys getting out there and getting themselves known, and maybe in some circles reestablishing Notre Dame as a positive identity.”
Touted safety Lyndell Johnson is one of the many Texas prospects on Notre Dame's radar.
“I absolutely believe in being seen, can help resonate with other classes and kids in other classes,” Luginbill said. “While the impact may not be immediate, maybe that impact can be long lasting. Get our foot in the door on future prospects while making stops now. Obviously with Notre Dame, when you do that, you don’t want to waste your time with kids in area academically you can’t get into school. You want to make sure you’re doing it in area where kids you’re doing it for, are viable options for your program.”
When recruiting on a national level, efficiency is key. With signing day still nine months away, it’s too early to say the Irish staff has everything figured out, but they appear to be on top of all their prospects and in line to receive plenty of visits in the summer and fall.
“I had a conversation with (Texas Tech coach) Tommy Tuberville about Notre Dame and being a national recruiter,” Luginbill said. “Everyone talks about the advantages of being a national recruiter, but he said what about the disadvantages? Having to be on top of a player pool that is larger than what other people have to deal with. Only having nine coaches or how ever many coaches out, and having to cover a much broader spectrum on the map. That can create some positives, but it’s also a lot of work.”
Work the Irish staff isn’t afraid to do.
Notre Dame is currently in great shape with several other players ranked in ESPN’s top-150. Four-star running back and future U.S. Under Armour All-American Savon Huggins (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep) will visit the campus in late June. Fellow U.S. Under Armour All-American offensive lineman/defensive lineman Cyrus Hobbi (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) is also looking to take a trip to South Bend this summer. Blue-chip offensive tackle Antonio Richardson (Nashville, Tenn./Ensworth) will most likely use an official in the fall. Receiver DaVaris Daniels (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) has Notre Dame as his leader, and another receiver Kasen Williams (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline) is currently planning his first-ever visit to the school. Another four-star running back Jameel Poteat (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) guarantees a visit this summer, and one of the nation’s top defensive backs Wayne Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard) has camped in the past and seems to be very interested. Then of course, there is quarterback Bubba Starling (Gardner, Kan./Gardner Edgerton).
“For that offense, he’s the perfect fit,” Luginbill said of the four-star Starling. Luginbill himself played quarterback at Georgia Tech. “I’m not kidding. He’s green now, and they’re going to have to work with him, and baseball might come into play, but I think he’s really, really good.”
Luginbill pointed to Brian Kelly’s success at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati, as reasons to be optimistic he’ll have the same results at Notre Dame. He says Kelly’s staffs have always been able to identify the right players for their system, and pull it all together when the season rolls around. He expects to see results from Kelly in year one and not down the road.
“He does a great job of taking what he has, and not sticking a square peg in a round hole. Whether it’s scheme, maturation, and finding out players’ weaknesses and putting them in a position to succeed and not fail, I think he’s one of the best at that in college football. He seems to have a way of plugging in guy here and there and not set them up for failure.
“However, although I think Brian Kelly has had the Midas touch in college football, he hasn’t yet been to a program of this stature where he’s going to play the slate of games they’re going to play week in and week out. It’s not all about Xs and Os now. It’s about having the horses in the stable along with the Xs and Os.”
With his recruiting philosophy in place, it looks like Kelly has a plan for that.
