Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IN THE TRENCHES ANDREW OWENS T here's a myth often propagated about recruiting in college foot- ball that star ratings don't truly matter. They do, and the national champi- onship game serves as proof every season. As FOX Sports' Stewart Mandel pointed out in a column, you won't win a national championship on Na- tional Signing Day, but you can sure lose one if you don't attract enough high-end talent to your school. According to Mandel's research, Power Five teams that consistently recruit top-20 classes have a 60 per- cent chance of being a top-20 pro- gram. The chance of a team that doesn't reel in top-20 classes finish- ing in the top 20 is less than 18 per- cent. To be in the conversation for a Col- lege Football Playoff berth, you have to be in the conversation of the top recruiting classes … almost annually. The Irish are rarely vying for the nation's No. 1 overall class, but they have consistently hovered around the top-10 mark under head coach Brian Kelly with finishes of No. 12 (2016), No. 11 (2015), No. 11 (2014) and No. 3 (2013) the past four cycles. As long as player development re- mains a strength as it has been under Kelly, Notre Dame fans should be able to bet on more seasons like 2015 — Strong Class Keeps Irish In The Title Chase Notre Dame's continued success on the recruiting trail might eventually help it break through against marquee opponents such as Ohio State. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA