Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING 2015 RECRUITING NUMBERS & NEEDS When Notre Dame's coaching staff puts to- gether its 2015 recruiting board, there is a chance it might have to keep its number under 20. That's because 14 players who will be fourth-year se- niors in 2014 could apply for a fifth season. Alphabetically, they are: cornerback Jalen Brown, running back Amir Carlisle, outside linebacker Ben Councell, wide receiver DaVa- ris Daniels, safety Matthias Farley, quarterback Everett Golson, inside linebacker Jarrett Grace, offensive guard/center Conor Hanratty, safety Eilar Hardy, center Matt Hegarty, defensive line- man Chase Hounshell, center/guard Nick Martin, outside linebacker/end Anthony Rabasa, inside linebacker Joe Schmidt and defensive lineman Tony Springmann. Let's say nine return. Combine that with the other current 59 scholarship players on the ros- ter — 13 juniors in 2014, 23 who will be sopho- mores, plus the 23 incoming freshmen — and that takes the total to 68. That leaves 17 scholar- ships to give in the 2015 recruiting class to put Notre Dame at the maximum of 85. Attrition along the way will be inevitable, be it from career-ending injuries to transfer, and not everyone will return. Thus, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Irish might have as many as 20 to give. Three have already given a verbal pledge: quarterback Blake Barnett, and offensive linemen Tristen Hoge and Jerry Tillery — all of whom said they will be early enrollees in January 2015. Quarterback and offensive tackle are what Kelly refers to as two of the "staple" positions. "When you're looking at your '15 class, you're trying to get those staple players right away — those guys that you know you're going for, and then the numbers kind of take shape," Kelly said. "You've got 14, you've got 16, you've got 18 scholarships. Then we start to target in on those specific positions that we may have a need at. Is it another defensive tackle? Is it another offensive receiver position?" • With no running back signed in 2014, look for two to join the fold in 2015. • After signing nine offensive linemen the past two seasons and having two verbal commits for 2015, the Irish might need no more than one to add there. • The defensive backfield also could become a priority after signing only one corner (Nick Watkins) and only one safety each of the past two seasons, Max Redfield in 2013 and Drue Tranquill in 2014. An X-factor to consider is the possibility of cornerback KeiVarae Russell turning pro after his junior year. — Lou Somogyi The Irish might have as many as 20 scholarships to give in 2015 and have already received three verbal pledges from juniors, including four-star offensive tackle Jerry Tillery of Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian Academy. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS