Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1007651
16 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL W hen the 2016 class signed with Notre Dame two years ago, it was not projected to be the bedrock of an Irish resurgence. The 23-man haul was rated No. 13 nationally by Rivals and came in at No. 15 in the 247Sports composite team rankings — the sec- ond lowest composite rating of head coach Brian Kelly's tenure in South Bend and the lowest since 2012. Fast-forward to this summer, and the 2016 class is vital to Notre Dame making a College Football Playoff run in 2018. If the Irish are able to pro- duce their first back-to-back double- digit-win seasons since Lou Holtz was in charge back in 1991-93, their juniors will have to lead the way. Nine of Notre Dame's 22 antici- pated starters — four on offense and five on defense — and 16 of the 44 players on the summer two-deep are from the 2016 haul. No other class on the current roster can match those numbers. The next closest is the 2015 harvest, now seniors, which has six starters (three on offense and three on defense) and 11 players overall on the summer two-deep. The 2016 class was thrust into With a year of experience as a starter under his belt, junior defensive end Daelin Hayes is expected to become a top playmaker in 2018. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL THE ROCK Notre Dame's junior class will serve as the foundation of its College Football Playoff hopes in 2018