What Makes A Top Recruiting Class

The following sentence has been uttered dozens of times over the last couple of decades: “This could be Notre Dame’s best recruiting class since ____.”

You heard it in 1998 with a group that both Tom Lemming and SuperPrep ranked No. 3, and National Recruiting Advisor (whih became Rivals) No. 4. That class produced 12 NFL players: Arnaz Battle, Jordan Black, Rocky Boiman, John Owens, Tony Fisher, David Givens, Tyreo Harrison, Javin Hunter, Tom Lopienski, Sean Mahan, Jeff Roehl (who transferred to Northwestern) and Anthony Weaver. Funny thing is the three most publicized athletes in the class were Mike McNair, Clifford Jefferson and Carlos Pierre-Antoine. As seniors, they were 5-6.

You heard it in 1999, too, with a 21-man harvest that also was a top-three group. That haul included Darrell Campbell, Glenn Earl, Jeff Faine, Cedric Hilliard, Julius Jones, Gerome Sapp, Nicholas Setta and Courtney Watson, among many others.

You heard it in 2003 with five USA Today first-team All-Americans: Victor Abiamiri, Ryan Harris, Trevor Laws, Greg Olsen and Tom Zbikowski. That’s not even including second-team pick John Sullivan, and others such as John Carlson, Freddie Parish, Chinedum Ndukwe and … oh, yeah, the Brady Quinn-to-Jeff Samardzija combination.

The 28-man haul in 2006 was descirbed by head coach Charlie Weis as “a killer class” tht would return Notre Dame to glory. Instead, it was a “coach killer,” finishing 3-9, 7-6 and 6-6 in its last three years, leading to the ouster of Weis.

The 2008 group was rated No. 2 only to Alabama and featured five star-players on offense such as Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and Dayne Crist, plus more oomph on defense with the likes of Ethan Johnson, Darius Fleming and Steve Filer. Yet in its four years it never saw a season with less than five defeats.

In 2011, Notre Dame finally landed what it rarely can: game-changing five-star pass rushers in Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt and Ishaq Williams. None was around for what was supposed to be his senior season with the Irish in 2014. Lynch departed after his freshman year as a transfer and Williams had one start.

Yet the beat goes on: “Notre Dame is too slow … it doesn’t get athletes … it doesn’t get difference-makers … it can’t compete with the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world … the academics are too tough … the climate’s too cold …”

Yet year after year, including 2016, Notre Dame generally ranks among the top 10-15 in recruiting. In the five seasons from 2011-15 under head coach Brian Kelly, the Fighting Irish respective rankings in Rivals were 10, 20, 3, 11 and 11 — and as of Jan. 25 this year it is No. 5.

The only team on its schedule that can equal, if not surpass, such standings is USC, which from 2011-15 was 4, 8, 13, 10 and 1 (and currently No. 29 this season). Stanford over that same time was 22, 5, 64, 14 and 18.

The word “ever” is ridiculously overused in today’s culture. One should not let it be uttered unless there is a control group with which to properly compare to maintain perspective. Thus, over the next couple of weeks and as we head into National Signing Day, we will rerun our features on many of the greatest classes actually produced by Notre Dame football in the post-World War II era. They serve as the proverbial “bar” for what the incoming class faces if it is truly to be recognized as one of the best “ever.”

The criteria do not include not how much veneration they received prior to suiting up with the Irish. If that were the case, Gerry Faust’s debut recruiting effort in 1981 with 13 Parade All-Americans (that would be like signing 13 five-stars today) would be the winner. In four years, their best record on the field was 6-4-1. It also is not necessrily predicated on how many from the class went on to excel at the NFL level. It’s based on three factors during their college years at Notre Dame:

1. Powerful Impact

How much of a difference did this overall class make? How many marquee wins (defeating legitimate top-10 teams, against an elite coach, a major bowl …) did they produce during their careers? Did it ride the coattails of other premier groups, or did it spearhead leadership that infiltrated the rest of the squad?

We give special recognition to recruiting hauls that came into trying circumstances, but helped make an extraordinary difference. Two groups that come to mind are the classes signed in 1963 and 1986. The 1963 class arrived during the darkest days of Irish football, and as freshmen they saw the team go 2-7. As seniors, this haul that included Jim Lynch, Alan Page, Kevin Hardy, etc., led the drive to the national title. The 1986 group, led by Tony Rice, Anthony Johnson, Tim Grunhard, Michael Stonebreaker, Pat Terrell, etc., were 5-6 as freshmen — and exited with a 23-game winning streak. Yes, they received significant help from other classes, but they had leaders in so many areas.

Of course, it helped that they arrived at a perfect time, when Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz came aboard to restore glory. But timing is one of the most crucial aspects of life, and these classes seized the moment.

2. Overall Balance

A lot of classes may be strong in one area, but mediocre in others. Several of Weis’ classes had prominent figures on offense, but seldom on defense, although his final class in 2009 did include linebacker Manti Te’o.

Ideally, we like to see classes that have a stellar figure at every position: strong runners, a potent passing combination, premier linemen on both sides of the ball, sure-tackling linebackers, playmaking defensive backs … and a kicking game helps, too. In our top 10 countdown, this is a common thread for the most part.

3. Quality Depth

Every class will have about three or four standouts. Even perhaps the worst haul in school history back in 2004 had a productive running back in Darius Walker, a future NFL defensive back in Terrail Lambert and current graduate assistant Maurice Crum Jr. at linebacker. However, the truly outstanding ones have a minimum 10 major contributors (or future pros) — and you’ll see in our top five that it even extends to 15, 16 or more.

Most longtime Notre Dame followers probably would be shocked that the 1973 haul with Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, Willie Fry and Al Hunter did not make our top 10. Those four made an immense difference as freshmen in Notre Dame’s national title drive that year and beyond … but 43 players were signed in that class. The aforementioned four were sensational, but most of the other 39 did not have prominent roles during their careers, which is not to say they weren’t valuable to the team makeup. But in rating the top classes, volume of major contributors carries significant weight.

Use the upcoming countdown as the gauge of future “ever” references.