Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING the on-site visits aren't the only actions that are paying off for the staff. The dedication to see prospects off campus has also had an impact on the class. This past summer, one of the big- gest debates on the recruiting scene had to do with satellite camps. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh elected to parade his coaching staff around the country on an eight-day tour in June, which saw the Wolverines work 10 camps in seven different states. Kelly and Elston at one time consid- ered doing a tour similar to Michigan's, but in the end they elected to instead welcome recruits to campus in the summer and then see them during the evaluation periods. It's a gamble that has paid off. All five of the juniors that are pledged to Notre Dame were at the Irish Inva- sion, a one-day, one-night camp for top targets in June, and the staff visited all five during the spring evaluation period. "We think that we've got to be on the road," Kelly said. "We've got to be all over the country in bye weeks, and we've got to be at high school games. We've got to do those kinds of things more so than the satellite camps, be- cause we don't know where that's go- ing to end up here over the next legisla- tive cycle." The jury is still out when it comes to satellite camps, but that doesn't mean that there still isn't a need to get ahead in recruiting. Notre Dame's answer so far has been personnel changes and the result has Kelly off to his best recruiting start yet. ✦ Authentic Notre Dame Helmets by Authentic "Speed" Full-Size Display Helmets Riddell's ND "Speed" helmet features a large-size shell, special-order facemask worn by most of the star players who choose to wear the Speed, internal padding reflective of the "Speed Classic" design, and 4-pt. chinstrap. Official ND gold color. "Irish" bumper on front and back. Approx. 10" tall. Acrylic base attached for display purpose. $299 Helmets are made-to-order and dropshipped direct from the manufacturer. Please allow up to 48 hours to process your order. FREE S&H within Continental U.S. VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE www.BlueGoldOnline.com Back View Front View Style Item #6640-Gold or Style Item #6640-Shamrock