Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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those guys, but they have to." Shurburtt: "There is a difference be- tween recruiting guys that have the potential to go to the NFL in three years and guys that you maybe look at and say hey he's a good solid player, but if he wants to go three and out he's got to work with his behind off. … I took that as, 'We're not going to go af- ter guys with the attitude that they've arrived already and they're great.' I don't think Notre Dame is going to quit recruiting great players that are capable of going three and out." BGI: Notre Dame made a concerted ef- fort to reach more recruits via social media and what Kelly called "marketing and pro- motions," a growing trend in the college recruiting world. Huffman: "I don't want to say they were behind in it because there are still a lot of schools that don't embrace it. … I think kids absolutely love it. That sends a message to recruits who for the most part their only contact with the school is through social media." Shurburtt: "Half the country is behind in that game. I think the tendency sometimes is for people to look at Notre Dame as this old school. It's all old and tradition, and that's not the case. It's a traditional college football program, but there are traditional pro- grams at Alabama and elsewhere that are hip these days." Farrell: "I don't know if it makes a big difference. Sending 150 or 250 letters to a kid, what does that do? … The bottom line comes down to relation- ships. If the kid is affected by mailing then there's something wrong with him because relationships are what it's all about. If you can't communi- cate with a kid on a daily basis there's something wrong." BGI: Despite adding two defensive tack- les late in the process, Kelly admitted he wished he would have "cast a wider net" while searching to fill a big need on the interior defensive line. There's a delicate balance to strike between focusing on top prospects and offering scholarships to many of them. Luginbill: "Everybody has this notion that because you're Notre Dame and you get to recruit nationally, that it's this overwhelming advantage. The re- ality is that if you talk to Notre Dame coaches and other staffs that have a national presence, it can actually be more daunting. You've got only nine coaches allowed to go on the road. You've really got to narrow down your choices. You're going to have to make tough decisions both on players and on regions that you're spending your time." Shurburtt: "At that position, I agree with Brian Kelly. It's so rare that you're going to find guys, you have to almost have a perfect storm to get a lot of great defensive tackles in a class. There's not that many of them, and everybody is fighting for them. Some- times it breaks your way, and other times it doesn't. I think he's right he's got to cast a wide net." Lemming: "They're probably play- ing catch-up with early offers. That's something they have to address be- cause you have to get out there. Right now you should be all over the 2015 and 2016 offers because the other schools are. If you're not, you fall right