Blue and Gold Illustrated

Preseason 2015

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

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BY BRYAN DRISKELL H eading into this season, the 2012 recruiting class is looking to write a final chapter to its story with an ending that involves a berth in the College Football Playoff. However, a small haul to begin with has become even smaller, with five players transferring away from Notre Dame. The most devastating blow was the recent knee injury to defensive line- man Jarron Jones, who will now miss the entire 2015 season after tearing his MCL during fall camp. Head coach Brian Kelly will have just 11 healthy players left from the class, only 10 of which are position players. Low numbers aside, Notre Dame will not compete for a College Football Playoff berth without a strong season from this class, which will have a tre- mendous opportunity to make a major impact. STAR POWER Much of the supposed star power of the 2012 recruiting class experienced a short-lived tenure in South Bend. Notre Dame's top signee — five-star quarterback Gunner Kiel (No. 20 over- all player nationally according to Ri- vals) — transferred to Cincinnati after just one season. Four-star cornerback Tee Shepard (No. 76) did not last a full semester after enrolling early, and eventually landed at Ole Miss after a one-year stint at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss. Four-star wide receiver Davonte Neal (No. 107) contributed very little as a freshman and ultimately transferred to Arizona. However, the loss in star power has certainly been replaced. Offen- sive tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive tackle Sheldon Day have not only emerged as the top players from the class, but each also has developed into one of the top performers in the country at his respec- tive position. Stanley turned down an opportunity at the first round of the NFL Draft to return for his senior season, with the intention of leading the Irish to a cham- pionship. THE FINAL CHAPTER Notre Dame's senior class is small in numbers, but is poised to have a major impact

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