Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANDREW IVINS W hile National Signing Day on Feb. 4 provided plenty of suspense and antics around the country, almost ev- erything went as planned inside the football offices in South Bend. Notre Dame signed 24 players and landed two high-profile prospects on the most popular recruiting day of the year. The Irish class finished no lower than No. 13 in the country (247Sports) and as high as No. 6 (Scout) accord- ing to industry rankings, while Rivals listed the class at No. 11. Blue & Gold Illustrated reached out to some of the nation's most respected recruiting ana- lysts to get their thoughts on the class and Notre Dame's efforts on the re- cruiting trail. Mike Farrell, Rivals national recruiting director: "I think it's a very good class over- all. Anytime you land in the national top 15, or just outside the top 10 as Notre Dame did, it's a very good class. They hit some key needs, entered a few new recruiting territories and stole a few prospects out of [Southeastern Conference] country, which I think is crucial." Chad Simmons, Scout national recruiting analyst: "This is where Notre Dame wants to be each and every year. If you look at who has done the best in recruiting over the past decade, then you have a good idea who has won national titles. They had one of only three classes ranked in the top 10 on Scout that signed under 25 prospects, so that tells you how strong this class is overall." Veteran recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "I thought overall Notre Dame did good. They addressed the key needs in the front seven, which is where they struggled last season with injuries and depth. They brought in one of the top quarterbacks in the country and a great running back late. Probably the only thing they didn't address was safety." KEY NEEDS ADDRESSED The nation's top recruiting experts give their take on Notre Dame's 24-man haul