Notre Dame Recruiting Class Review: 2014
The previous two weeks we had counted down Notre Dame’s 10 best football recruiting classes since the end of World II. What was a little disheartening was that the most recent group to make the list came all the way back in 1990 (No. 2), one that included more than a dozen future NFL players, and a record five drafted in the first round (Jerome Bettis, Tom Carter, Bryant Young, Aaron Taylor and Jeff Burris).
In a four-part series, we review and assess the current classes at Notre Dame, where they have been and where they might be heading. Today, we look at the group signed in February 2014, or what will be the junior class in 2016..
THE 2014 RECRUITING CLASS
Players Signed: 23, but four have since transferred or are doing so.
Rivals Class Ranking: No. 11
The Main Ones Who Got Away: Three players who had originally committed verbally to Notre Dame at one point ended up signing elsewhere: running back Elijah Hood (North Carolina), defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (UCLA) and outside linebacker Richard Yeargin III (Clemson).
Players Who Transferred: Four. Outside linebacker/end Kolin Hill (Texas Tech), defensive end Jhonny Williams (Toledo), inside linebacker Nile Sykes (Indiana) and tight end Tyler Luatua (BYU, after completing his spring semester at Notre Dame).
WHO SIGNED IN 2014
Quarterback: DeShone Kizer*
Running Back: Justin Brent*
Receivers: Corey Holmes*
Tight End: Nic Weishar*, Tyler Luatua
Offensive Line: Quenton Nelson*, Alex Bars*, Sam Mustipher*, Jimmy Byrne*
Defensive Line: Andrew Trumbetti, Daniel Cage, Grant Blankenship, Jonathan Bonner*, Jay Hayes*, Peter Mokwuah*, Jhonny Williams
Linebacker: Greer Martini, Nyles Morgan, Kolin Hill, Nile Sykes
Cornerback: Nick Watkins
Safety: Drue Tranquill*
Punter: Tyler Newsome*
* Denotes that he is eligible for a fifth season in 2018
IMPACT
Far and away the rise of Kizer at quarterback after a season ending injury to Malik Zaire in game 2 last year is the top story in this class — although guard Nelson might be considered, for now, the top NFL prospect.
Kizer’s fourth-quarter play in wins at Virginia and at Temple, plus USC at home, demonstrated poise belying his age, and a “clutch gene” that you either have or you don’t. Maybe most impressive of all was the 88-yard drive at Stanford that gave the Irish a temporary 36-35 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Not only was Kizer’s 149.95 quarterback rating the sixth best in one year at Notre Dame when attempting at least 100 passes (and the best ever by a sophomore), but he joined Tony Rice and Carlyle Holiday as the lone Irish QBs to rush for more than 500 yards (520) in a season. No player can impact a single recruiting class more than quarterback, and Kizer’s 2015 campaign alone has elevated this haul to a little more prominence.
Conceivably, the 2016 Irish could start three offensive linemen — Nelson, Bars and Mustipher — from this group, which would go a long way toward determining how the overall operation on that side of the ball succeeds. At tight end, Weishar’s unofficial snap count of 286 was the most at his position in 2015, but he had none in the Fiesta Bowl while junior Durham Smythe, returning from injuries, and freshman Alize Jones, had 42 and 36, respectively.
Punter Newsome has an NFL leg, and should continue to be a factor at least the next two years with the Irish winning field position battles.
BALANCE
What is going to be crucial to determining the legacy of this class is the development of the 10 players on defense. Newsome is a mainstay on special teams and at least four players on offense might have a shot at a future NFL career. On defense, it is less certain.
Tranquill has displayed flashes of brilliance at safety, where the Irish are in dire need of impact, but he is coming off two ACL surgeries. Cornerback Watkins performed respectably in the 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, his first career start, but he is not a lock to earn a starting role next fall.
Morgan arrived with Nelson as the highest ranked recruit in this class. Physically he passes the eye test, but how he will grasp and command a defense and the NFL system of coordinator Brian VanGorder is a prime topic of discussion. For all the vitriol that was spewed in cyberspace on graduating captain Joe Schmidt’s shortcomings at Mike linebacker, the coaching staff adamantly maintained Schmidt was a better and smarter football player than Morgan at that point. Martini arrived less heralded, but could vie for action inside after tag-teaming with current junior James Onwualu at Sam.
Finally, along the line, Notre Dame has plenty of rotational figures, but not necessarily a marquee game-changer. Trumbetti might have the best chance to reach such a level, and he will replace the graduating Romeo Okwara at weak side end this year.
DEPTH
This class stocked up on linemen on both sides of the ball, but it came up relatively short at the skill positions (which has been compensated for in ensuing classes).
There is only one running back, and that had to be done by moving Brent from receiver to allay the transfer of Greg Bryant last August. Yet head coach Brian Kelly has admitted that the staff is still searching to find where Brent could best help the team, because playing time in the backfield would seem sparse. At receiver, Holmes was redshirted as a sophomore while several freshman pass catchers worked into the mix ahead of him.
There is only one corner with Watkins and one safety with Tranquill, whose more natural position might have been Sam linebacker but whose skills were needed on the back end.
SUMMARY
In the recruiting vernacular at Notre Dame, this is described as a “complementary class,” not an impact one. “Complementary” is a euphemism for “it doesn’t have a lot of star power to put you into the Playoff conversation like an Alabama or Ohio State or Florida State or Clemson, but it can potentially supplement better classes around them to reach a Playoff berth like a Michigan State or Oklahoma did last season.”
There are components on offense that can make significant contributions in the years to come, but it’s the progress and impact on defense that will ultimately determine whether this was another “solid” top 15-25 class for the Irish, or one that helped take it to a higher platform on the FBS stage.