Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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in the trenches andrew owens — even from former players — over his decision to take the job just after a 12-0 regular season was complete with the Bearcats. As Kelly recalled recently, his priority was to maintain the recruiting class and avoid further defections. He did so by selling Notre Dame. "When you talk about an entire senior class, this is a unique class in that, we've talked about this, this was kind of that class we tried to hold onto when we got here," Kelly said. "This development of relationships with this group was one where they were a group of guys that we didn't have a strong bond with, but we had to build one over time. "I think we have. I think we have a different relationship in a sense, a unique relationship with these guys, in that they had to trust us. That in itself as a group is a great dynamic." A dynamic that has led to this class earning the most wins (35 heading into the BYU game Nov. 23) in a fouryear stretch since the 1995 group and a BCS National Championship Game appearance. Take senior nose guard Louis Nix III as a perfect example of this class' achievements. He committed to Notre Dame after Weis was fired and before Kelly was hired. He opted for a leap of faith without knowing who would lead him on the football field for four years. Which player exemplifies the 'Making It Work' mantra better than quarterback Tommy Rees? He arrived at Notre Dame as a lightly recruited signal-caller and was pressed into duty as a freshman due to injury, started 12 games his sophomore year, served as an invaluable closer during a 12-0 regular season as a junior and held together the Irish squad this year after Everett Golson's suspension. Same with wide receiver TJ Jones. Kelly mentioned his development from an individual-based freshman to a team-focused senior, one that has splashed his name across the Irish record books and will likely hear his name called in the 2014 NFL Draft. Even though linebacker Danny Spond's migraine issues caused him to retire from the game in August, his identity is fully felt on this team. After his playing career ended, he became a coach of sorts for freshman Dog linebacker Jaylon Smith. Kelly said earlier this month that Spond has not missed a single meeting this season, which is remarkable for a player who has not suited up in a game. Although this season has turned disappointing for a program that nearly reached the pinnacle a year ago and openly targeted a return trip to the national championship game, the class itself is not. Not even close. We'll find out Saturday if Notre Dame can close out the regular season with a victory on the road over an excellent Stanford opponent. It will be yet another challenging roadblock in a career of them for this class. The Class That Made It Work. ✦ Andrew Owens has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2013. He can be reached at aowens@blueandgold.com