Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY BRYAN DRISKELL I n April, offensive coordinator Chip Long made an off-the-cuff comment about his unit that gave insight about his recruiting aims at Notre Dame. "I'd like to have the 2015 talent [the Fighting Irish] had one day," Long said in response to having players that fit his style. "That would be fun to work with. That's the goal right now." That 2015 offense set a Notre Dame record by averaging 7.02 yards per play. Eight starters from that unit were drafted into the NFL, including future pros at quarterback (DeShone Kizer), running back (C.J. Prosise), wide re- ceiver (Will Fuller), tight end (Alizé Mack) and offensive line (Ronnie Stan- ley, Mike McGlinchey, Quenton Nel- son Nick Martin). With the July 5 commitment of Omaha (Neb.) Burke wide receiver Xavier Watts, the Fighting Irish have already taken major steps toward put- ting together a similar group in its 2020 class. Overall success is determined by results in three areas, and the Notre Dame staff did well in each. MEETING NEEDS Hitting a team's desired position needs are important to successful re- cruiting, and Notre Dame thrived in that area. The Irish met their numbers at all the skill positions and, to a de- gree, offensive line. When the class got started, the staff ideally wanted at least three offensive linemen — but that changed as spots started to fill up. Notre Dame hit big when it landed Phoenix Pinnacle star Tosh Baker, the No. 51 overall player in the country according to Rivals. In March, the Irish landed Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy guard Greg Crip- pen, a four-star recruit from the 2021 class. In June, they secured a pledge from offensive tackle Blake Fisher of Avon (Ind.) High School, the nation's No. 14 overall player in the class of 2021. The combination of Baker in the 2020 class and the fast start to the 2021 line group allowed the Irish to adjust its numbers. Once Mars (Pa.) High four- star tackle Michael Carmody commit- ted, the coaches were prepared to shut down their 2020 line recruiting. Notre Dame has landed a quarter- back, a running back, two tight ends, two offensive tackles and three wide receivers in the class, giving it the bal- ance it desired. IMPACT PLAYERS GALORE Adding impact players across the board also is important, and Notre Dame has done that quite well. Of the nine commits by offensive players in the 2020 class, eight were ranked as four-star recruits by at least one recruit- ing service. The only one who wasn't — Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John's wide receiver Jay Brunelle — ran a 4.48 at Notre Dame's June Irish Invasion camp, which earned him his scholar- ship offer. Six of the nine pledges are ranked as top-100 prospects by at least one re- cruiting service. Five are ranked as Ri- vals100 recruits, and for context Notre Dame has never signed more than three Rivals100 offensive weapons in a class under head coach Brian Kelly. Seven of the nine commitments are ranked within the top 125 in the nation by at least one service. Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Catho- lic four-star tight end Michael Mayer — the No. 71 player in the country according to Rivals — won Offensive MVP honors for his dominant per- formance at The Opening Finals. Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic four-star tight end Kevin Bauman — Rivals' No. 121 over- all recruit — combines with Mayer to give Notre Dame the nation's premier tight end haul. New Canaan (Conn.) High quarter- back Drew Pyne — the nation's No. 82 overall player per Rivals — was named to the Elite 11 quarterback list for his outstanding summer perfor- mance. ADDING EXPLOSIVENESS Long and Kelly have both talked time and again about the desire to add more explosiveness to the offense, and this class provides Notre Dame with its biggest single-class infusion of speed and explosiveness of the Kelly era. Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale running back Chris Tyree — a consensus top- 100 recruit — has won the fastest man in the nation race at Nike Football's The Opening Finals each of the last two years. He was recently timed at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash and has had the nation's fastest 60-meter dash time for his class as both a sophomore and junior. St. Louis De Smet five-star wide re- ceiver Jordan Johnson — also a con- sensus top-100 recruit — is a dynamic big-play wideout. Land- ing Johnson and Watts in one class gives the Irish offense a major shot in the arm when it comes to home-run ability at wide receiver. Notre Dame set out to add impact players with big-play skills in the 2020 class and has accomplished that mis- sion. ✦ Notre Dame Is Compiling An Elite Offensive Haul For The 2020 Class Tight end Michael Mayer from Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Catholic won Offensive MVP honors for his dominant performance at the The Opening Finals in July. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL STAR-STUDDED GROUP Player, Pos. Stars Position Rank National Rank Jordan Johnson, WR 5 4 19 Tosh Baker, OT 4 7 51 Chris Tyree, RB 4 1* 64 Michael Mayer, TE 4 3 71 Drew Pyne, QB 4 5^ 82 Kevin Bauman, TE 4 4 121 Michael Carmody, OT 4 36 — Xavier Watts, WR 3 94 — Jay Brunelle, WR 3 — — * All-purpose back; ^ pro-style quarterback; all rankings from Rivals