Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE on the Irish staff by performing well in various camps. Both also stood out during the Irish Invasion in June. Notre Dame offered them during the summer, and both jumped on board in relative short order. ON PAPER GRADE: A For the second straight season, Notre Dame landed one of the nation's best wide receiver hauls. Unlike last year 's class, though, this group has the potential to make an immediate impact. McKinley and Claypool are dynamic pass catchers with the size to immediately push their way up the depth chart. McKinley is an ideal fit for the W position thanks to his dynamic one‑ on‑one ability and elite ball skills, pro‑ viding the offense with a weapon it has lacked on the backside in recent seasons. Claypool has tremendous size (6‑4, 215) and athleticism that cannot be taught. Stepherson adds a speed di‑ mension the position needs after Will Fuller bolted for the NFL. He needs to build up his body, and being an early enrollee will fast start that process. Each receiver has distinct traits, can be played together and will not neces‑ sarily compete against each other for playing time. OFFENSIVE LINE SIGNED: Parker Boudreaux, Liam Eichenberg and Tommy Kraemer MEETING NEEDS: After a signing a two‑ man group a season ago, Notre Dame was in need of quality depth in this class. Both of the 2015 signees — Tris‑ ten Hoge and Trevor Ruhland — proj‑ ect as interior players, so landing at least two players that can play tackle was a must. SUMMARY: It was a strong year for offensive linemen in the Midwest, and Notre Dame was able to tap into it. Line coach Harry Hiestand made Ohioans Eichenberg and Kraemer his top priority. Kraemer was the first player to join the 2016 class, and Eichenberg jumped on board in April. Once Hiestand turned his atten‑ tion to national recruits, Boudreaux became a hot commodity. Hiestand battled Oklahoma and Clemson for his services and ultimately won. ON PAPER GRADE: A‑ For the second year in a row, Notre Dame came up a player short of its needs up front, which is the only knock on this offensive line haul. Notre Dame added three of the top linemen in the country and, more im‑ portantly, three players that are ideal fits for the power offense Hiestand and Brian Kelly have been trying to build the last few seasons. Eichenberg is one of the nation's top tackles and his dominating per‑ formance at the Under Armour All‑ American Game backed that up. He's a pure tackle with impressive power, sound technique and above‑average athleticism. Kraemer and Boudreaux are power players that add a much‑ needed boost of toughness to the line. Kraemer is a consensus top‑100 player and was the top lineman for the East team at the U.S. Army All‑American Bowl. Notre Dame's returning depth at the position should allow Hiestand to pre‑