Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
FOOTBALL RECRUITING Reaching the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship football players has been an issue at times at Notre Dame in the last couple of decades. It is this year, too — but in this case for a different reason. It has been common at Notre Dame to have approximately 80 scholarship players, or even a number in the 70s after attrition, entering a football season. With the addition of 24 scholarship freshmen this February, Notre Dame's new "problem" is its football scholarship cup has runneth over by several players when you include fifth-year seniors likely to return. Factoring in the potential return of junior cornerback KeiVarae Russell and senior defensive end Ishaq Wil- liams — both academic casualties last season who can apply for re-admission this summer — Blue & Gold Illustrated counted at least 89 scholarship players that could be on the 2015 roster. Fortunately, Notre Dame has until August to pare that list down to 85. "It's an extremely fluid situation," admitted head coach Brian Kelly during the Feb. 4 National Signing Day press conference. "We really have until the first day of classes to get to 85 — and we're going to need every one of those days." There are several factors that make the situation clouded. The first is who will return for a fifth season. There are 16 Fighting Irish seniors eligible for a fifth season, but if they all returned the number could reach 95. Some of the list has already been pared down because safety Eilar Hardy will use his fifth season at Bowling Green State, while guard Conor Hanratty's football career was voluntarily terminated after incurring three concussions (including one during the Music City Bowl preparation) over the past two seasons. Among the 16 fifth-year prospects, only former starters or co-starters on offense are the ones we list: quarterback Everett Golson, slot receiver Amir Carlisle, offensive linemen Nick Martin and Matt Hegarty, linebackers Joe Schmidt and Jarrett Grace, and nickel back Matthias Farley. Will they all return? That is the expectation, but uncertain even if one is participating in spring ball. Step two is injuries, such as the one to Hanratty in the present or defensive lineman Tony Springmann last season, thus halting their careers. On paper, the two most likely who could go that route are Grace and current junior safety Nicky Baratti. Grace suffered severe leg fractures in an October 2013 win versus Arizona State that sidelined him the rest of that season and all of 2014. Baratti has had three shoulder surgeries while missing all of 2013 and the final 10 and a half games of 2014. Per Kelly, both have been cleared physically to participate in spring drills that begin March 2, although there will be no contact work for Baratti. Step three is the re-admittance of Russell and Williams. Russell is taking classes at the University of Washington in his home state before re-applying for admission this summer. With Williams, Kelly admitted it's a little hazier because he's not sure of his current enrollment status anywhere. Notre Dame Will Need To Lose Several Players To Meet 85-Scholarship Limit VISIT US AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM ON THE RIVALS.COM NETWORK