Blue and Gold Illustrated

December 2014 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI L ast week, this column was devoted to the astounding attrition in Notre Dame's "what might have been" recruiting class from 2011. When that star-studded haul — which included defensive linemen Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt and Ishaq Williams, linebacker turned tight end Troy Niklas, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels and quarterback Everett Gol- son, among others — was signed, we had an eye toward 2013-14 when they would be juniors and seniors. That har- vest was supposed to be the center- piece of top-10/major bowl/playoff contention consistency. Plans change … but Notre Dame and head coach Brian Kelly can't afford this type of attrition to repeat with the cur- rent what-still-can-be sophomore class. It is the group that will likely most de- fine the coaching fate of Kelly after the faith-shaking fifth season that occurred in 2014. Every recruiting class will contribute pieces to a football team's puzzle, but there has to be one that is a centerpiece if there is to be legitimate championship contention. For Kelly, it's the current sophomores (signed in 2013) when they will be juniors and (hopefully) seniors in 2015-16. Why? First, there are only 11 players remain- ing from the 2012 class. There is some star power with left tackle Ronnie Stan- ley and defensive lineman Sheldon Day, and the return of cornerback KeiVarae Russell in 2015 would be significant. Otherwise, there is a lack of depth and balance to pack a real wallop. Then there is the 2014 group, the cur- rent freshmen. This class has 23 players, but it's more in the "solid" classification than in the game-changing one. The current sophomores, the ones signed in 2013, are both. It is large (22 players) and also possesses a "wow fac- tor" at virtually every unit if it can prop- erly develop. It begins with Jaylon Smith at line- backer. He has to be to 2015-16 what Manti Te'o was in 2011-12 — including returning for his senior year. He was Current Sophomores Will Define Brian Kelly Era Cornerback Cole Luke is part of a sterling sopho- more class that had most pundits saying in 2014 that Notre Dame was "a year away." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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