Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
Sophomore Class Review Players Signed In February 2012: 17 Players Available In 2013: 13 (There were actually only 16 players on National Signing Day before wideout Davonte' Neal, Arizona's two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, signed later in February 2012. However, Neal ended up transferring to the University of Arizona this spring. Three others who signed in February 2012 also left Notre Dame, and two of them were early enrollees: quarterback Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati) and cornerback Tee Shepard (Holmes Community College in Mississippi). The third, wide receiver Justin Ferguson, departed the same time this spring as Neal, but when Blue & Gold Illustrated went to press May 21, there was no word yet on where he will enroll.) 2012 Recruiting Rankings^: ESPNU (No. 10), 247Sports.com (No. 17), Tom Lemming/MaxPreps.com (No. 17), Scout.com (No. 18) and Rivals.com (No. 22) ^ Denotes that the ratings at the time didn't include Neal, who came aboard two weeks after National Signing Day. Name Pos.Ht.Wt. Comments Nick Baratti S 6-1 210 Special teams regular was sidelined this spring after offseason shoulder surgery. Chris Brown WR 6-2 191 Top deep threat has to become more well-rounded wideout to see more action. Scott Daly* LS 6-2 248 Succeeds graduated Jordan Cowart as potential long snapper through 2016. Sheldon Day DE 6-2 286 Joins corner KeiVarae Russell as Pied-Piper-type leader of class. this Mark Harrell* OG/C 6-4 305 Worked behind junior Conor Hanratty at right guard throughout the spring. Jarron Jones* DL 6-5 295 Has a chance to break into line rotation in 2013 after improved, active spring. Will Mahone* RB 5-11 214 Six-man logjam this August at running back will make playing time challenging. Romeo Okwara OLB 6-4 240 Special teams mainstay biding time behind veterans Prince Shembo and Ishaq Williams at Cat. C.J. Prosise* WR 6-1 220 Former safety made significant rise this spring as a top candidate at slot. KeiVarae Russell CB 5-11 190 Freshman All-American became one of best Fighting Irish out-of-nowhere stories since 2000. Elijah Shumate S 6-0 213 In line for starting role after quality freshman campaign as the nickel back. Ronnie Stanley* OT 6-6 318 Could be "sixth man" along line, if not a dark horse to start, at tackle, or maybe even guard. John Turner* S 6-1 220 Like Mahone at running back, faces a lot of competition just to crack the two deep. * Withheld from action as freshman in 2011 to preserve a potential fifth season of eligibility in 2015.