Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI W hen the bar for a football program is to annually be a top-10 contender and occa- sionally a viable participant in the four-team College Football Play- off, the grading curve of a recruiting class is elevated. For Notre Dame, here is how Blue & Gold Illustrated defines recruiting grades: A — College Football Playoff Con- tention B — Top-10 Viability C — Top-25 Potential D — Trying To Be Bowl Eligible QUARTERBACK SIGNED: Brandon Wimbush MEETING NEEDS: Every school gener- ally wants to sign at least one quarter- back each season, but keeping four or five on scholarship at the same time is a challenging proposition because this is the most "transferable" posi- tion in football. Since 1977, nearly two- dozen quarterbacks who signed with the Irish either left before graduating or opted to spend a fifth season else- where — Dayne Crist at Kansas and Andrew Hendrix at Miami (Ohio). SUMMARY: There was tremendous angst when elite prospect Blake Bar- nett decommitted from Notre Dame to Alabama last June, but the Irish re- More Whole Than Holes Position groups filled for most part in 2015 haul Brandon Wimbush epitomizes what head coach Brian Kelly wants in his quarterback — a strong passer who can also make plays with his legs. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS