Running back Tarean Folston is one of four players Notre Dame signed from talent hotbed Florida.
Successfully recruiting in SEC country is vital to reach a top-10 level.
The Next Level
photo courtesy U.S. Army All-American Bowl
Experts agree that a fast start
and a strong finish put the Irish
in the winner's circle on
National Signing Day
B
By Dan Murphy
efore Brian Kelly and his staff
won a game in 2012, they sold
their plan and its progress to
19 talented high school football
players. Twelve wins later, 16 of those
players committed to the Irish and
eight more joined, vaulting this year's
recruiting haul to what the experts
say is the best of the Notre Dame
coach's career.
Kelly preaches a fast start and a
strong finish on the field, and that's
exactly what he got in this year's talent-gathering cycle. The Irish started
collecting commits last spring, landed
their white whale — five-star linebacker Jaylon Smith — in June and
then added a wealth of speed and ath-
