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CHARTING THE IRISH
IRISH VERSUS CAVALIERS RECRUITING
While many fans and pundits rank Virginia as one of the easier opponents on Notre Dame's 2015
schedule — and that may be a fair assessment to make — the Cavaliers certainly don't lack in talent.
Comparing the average Rivals recruiting class ratings from 2012-15, Virginia ranks fifth on Notre Dame's
schedule this season, trailing only USC, Clemson, Texas and Stanford.
Additionally, many players from Virginia's two best classes during that stretch are now entering their
junior and senior seasons. The Cavaliers 2012 and 2013 classes both ranked just outside the top 25 in
the country, slotting in at No. 27 in 2012 and No. 28 in 2013.
Notre Dame's 2012 haul was its lowest rated (No. 20) during that four-year stretch, while the 2013 class
(No. 3) lists as its best. Yet, several of Notre Dame's expected top contributors this year come from that
2012 class, including offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, cornerback KeiVarae
Russell and running back C.J. Prosise.
Notre Dame trailed only USC and Clemson when trying to compare consistency, with a gap of 17 spots
spanning their best to worst class. The Tigers' gap from No. 4 in 2015 to No. 14 in 2012 is only 10 spots,
while the Trojan's gap from No. 1 in 2015 to No. 13 in 2013 spans only 12 spots.
RIVALS YEAR-BY-YEAR CLASS RANKINGS
2012 2013 2014 2015 Avg.
USC 8 13 10 1 8.0
Notre Dame 20 3 11 11 11.3
Clemson 14 14 13 4 11.3
Texas 2 24 20 12 14.5
Stanford 5 64 14 18 25.3
Virginia 27 28 41 44 35.0
Pittsburgh 47 35 44 66 48.0
Georgia Tech 57 85 47 39 57.0
Wake Forest 70 58 59 51 59.5
Boston College 64 88 42 47 60.2
Temple 77 85 59 73 73.5
Navy 87 93 122 106 102.0
Massachusetts 117 115 109 122 115.8
