Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1081575
24 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY BRYAN DRISKELL G oing all the way back to the first full class of the Brian Kelly era, Notre Dame has done a good job adding talented players year after year. The issue, however, was that each class from 2011-17 had as many misses and holes as they had top signees. For the second straight season, the Notre Dame staff has put together a class that adds players with im- pact ability and stocks the roster with quality depth across the board. Its top needs of depth and talent along the lines were met in impressive fashion. The one position where Notre Dame did not sign a player — tight end — was the result of already hav- ing two standouts committed from the 2020 class. Blue & Gold Illustrated graded the group of signees under the following criteria: A — College Football Playoff Con- tention B — Top-10 Viability C — Top-25 Viability D — Trying To Be Bowl Eligible QUARTERBACK Signed: Brendon Clark Meeting Needs: Notre Dame landed an elite signal-caller in the 2018 class when it signed Phil Jurk- ovec, but 2017 signee Avery Davis moved to running back. That made landing a starting-caliber quarter- back in the 2019 class a must, and Clark filled that void. Summary: The first commitment of the 2019 class was four-star Ne- vada quarterback Cade McNamara, who pledged in May 2018. McNa- mara quickly backed out of his com- mitment and ultimately signed with Michigan. The staff then focused its attention on four-star Wisconsin commit Gra- ham Mertz, but the Kansas native ended up sticking with the Badgers. Notre Dame set its sights on the three-star Clark, who decommitted from Wake Forest after receiving in- terest from the Irish and Clemson. Clark joined the class on July 4, 2018. On Paper Grade: B Clark needs mechanical work, and BALANCING ACT Meeting needs and adding across-the-board talent highlight Notre Dame's 2019 class NaNa Osafo-Mensah and Kyle Hamilton are part of a strong defensive class, while offensive tackle Andrew Kristofic and punter Jay Bramblett filled major needs. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN