The Weis Is Right: Notre Dame Nets Stellar Recruiting Class

To all Notre Dame football fans, everywhere, I'd like to take the time to introduce you to the class of 2012. On Wednesday, coach Charlie Weis and the Notre Dame football program received twenty-three faxed letters of intent from high school football players around the country. Depending on who you talk to this recruiting class is ranked from 1 to 7 in the nation. Most believe it to be, in the very least, a top-three class once it is all said and done. Many programs which signed more players will lose some due to academic casualties and/or cannot accept all of their scholarships.

First things first, Weis and the entire coaching staff deserve a great deal of credit.

Last year at this time the Fighting Irish unexpectedly lost a few recruits to other teams. Even during the rest of the recruiting season there were undertones of recruits misleading and/or wavering from their verbal commitments. Weis adjusted his recruiting style and the "rules" surrounding it to come away with a grand slam haul this year. This very well could be the best class Notre Dame has had since the Lou Holtz/Vinny Cerrato era. After last year's 3-9 season, this is a welcomed breath of fresh air in South Bend.

It isn't like the past two recruiting classes Weis has brought in have been bad, they have certainly been far from poor. The reason this class is so phenomenal is three-fold.

First, the needs up front on the defensive side of the ball have been addressed, as much as they can in one recruiting class. Second, the skill position players on offense, save at the running back position, are top notch football players. Dayne Crist, Deon Walker, John Goodman, Michael Floyd, and Kyle Rudolph are all excellent high school football players, and each one brings something unique to the table for Notre Dame.

Third, this class has intangibles. The recruits are already close; they have been talking to each other, bonding, and are convinced that they are going to put Notre Dame back at the top of the college football world. The quotes from their high coaches virtually all read: "The amazing thing is, he's a better person than football player." They have bought into the concept of Notre Dame, what it means, how special of a place it is. They have leadership, toughness, and determination that is evident in both what they say and in action, as they stayed loyal to Notre Dame and Weis despite Notre Dame's poor season.

All those things will be for naught, however, if Weis and his staff are unable to develop the talent they have worked so hard to bring in. I don't put a lot of stock in recruiting rankings, mostly because they judge more on talent and athleticism than actually attempting to quantify how good a high school football player is going to be in college. Many times this is an impossible feat; the competition in high school just isn't good enough to extrapolate the talent on the field to the college level. That said, the recruiting rankings of Notre Dame's past three classes indicate that the talent and athleticism in South Bend come Fall Camp will be seriously upgraded from the initial group Weis inherited. You can't create talent and athleticism; you can coach it into good football players. This will be the task of Weis and his staff moving forward, in addition to continuing to recruit well.

Now on to my take of how the Irish did at each position...

Quarterback

Dayne Crist is as good as there is out there. Physically he has more tools than Clausen. That doesn't mean he will necessarily be a better quarterback than Clausen, but he does have more size, speed, and strength. He really can zip the ball but he lacks the accuracy and polish that Clausen has. Crist will surprise you with his speed and elusiveness, but he also needs to adjust to lining up under center, as he took the majority of his high-school snaps from a shot-gun formation. What really impresses me about Crist is his already teeming leadership abilities. He already says and does all the things you want in a veteran quarterback.

Running Back

I'm not overly impressed with Jonas Gray. The speed all the recruiting services list for him is overstated. He doesn't have as good of speed as advertised. He does run tough and keeps his pad level low. I can see him being a solid player for us but I think Aldridge and Hughes will keep him on the bench for the foreseeable future.

Tight End

Kyle Rudolph and Joseph Fauria make a great combination of tight ends in this class. Rudolph is an exceptional athlete for his size. He's got great height and the frame to put on more weight. He can really go up and get the ball but the things I love about him are those that make a great receiver. He gets his hips very low when he cuts on routes, allowing him to move in and out of cuts very quickly. He also catches everything with his hands, away from his body.

Fauria is of a different mold. He already has the size and strength. I think he will be a better blocker than Rudolph but both will be great weapons in the red zone both in tighter formations and split out wide.

Offensive Line

Most of the offensive line recruits we signed are more of the project variety. Mike Golic certainly has the fundamentals to be a great one. He just needs to gain size and strength. I think Lane Clelland and Braxston Cave are more polished and will contribute sooner but I don't know if they are really do go just yet. Cave does have a great mean streak and Clelland has great feet for a tackle but I think both will need to adjust to the speed at the college level, as all linemen do.

Trevor Robinson, I believe, is the exception. I think Robinson can compete almost immediately. He has the size and strength needed to compete at the college level and enrolling early won't hurt his cause.

Wide Receiver

I firmly believe this could be the best wide receiver class Notre Dame has ever had and is also probably the best wide receiver class any school has signed over the past 5-10 years. Michael Floyd is a man among boys. He has deceptive speed and quickness, strong hands, and the ability to stretch the field. He isn't going to run away from everyone, but he isn't without the ability to generate yards after the catch. He catches everything thrown in his vicinity and I think he has the potential to be the best possession receiver in Notre Dame history. I think he is like Maurice Stovall (in his later years) but with better hands and more speed and quickness.

Deon Walker is a very fluid player, really quick in and out of cuts and accelerating through his routes. I believe he lacks the strength to be a consistent contributor right away but he could be a great receiver down the road.

John Goodman is a very under-rated wide receiver prospect. In any other year he would be rated much higher; this year's wide receiver recruiting class is extremely deep. Goodman has great speed and good quickness. While his hands are somewhat suspect, playing quarterback in high school will help with potential trick plays like double passes.

Defensive Line

At the defensive line position the Fighting Irish got both quality and quantity. While losing Omar Hunter hurt, the glaring depth needs at the position were met. Sean Cynwar, Brandon Newman, and Hafis Williams have the size to contribute early and to help stop the run, something Notre Dame didn't do particularly well last season. Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan Johnson both have the speed to become great pass rushers and get penetration off the snap against the run. Hopefully all are better than advertised, as they will very likely need to contribute next season.

Linebacker

I think my favorite recruit at this position is Anthony McDonald. He has a reputation of being very coachable and is a student of the game. Although he won't blow you away with his speed, he plays with good technique and typically takes good pursuit angles, both of which can help make up for a lack of physical ability.

David Posluszny is small and will need to gain strength but his instincts for the ball cannot be ignored. I think he is someone who will contribute, albeit a little further down the road. Steve Filer and Darius Fleming are the more athletic guys of the group. Both can run sideline-to-sideline, something essential to playing inside linebacker position in the 3-4. I think they, particularly Fleming, could press for playing time next season.

Defensive Backfield

I absolutely love this class of defensive backs. Jamoris Slaughter and Robert Blanton are cut from the same mold. They may not have the best 40 times, but they fly all over the field and neither are afraid of contact. They love to hit and they bring the lumber every time. They are the perfect complement at the corner position to Darrin Walls, Gary Grey, and Raeshon McNeil who are much more cover corners.

If I could use one word to describe Dan McCarthy it would be range. While he may not have the pure speed of Harrison Smith, he can really move laterally, cut, and close ground in a hurry. McCarthy is also a very physical player. All three of these guys are really, really solid athletes and football players.