Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI O n Jan. 16, 2006, Notre Dame wel- comed the first three early en- rollees into its football program: Indiana running back James Al- dridge, Texas offensive lineman Chris Stewart (a USA Today second-team All-American) and Oklahoma wide receiver George West. They are student-athletes who com- plete their high school academic re- quirements by December of their se- nior year and can be admitted into a university that ensuing January. It pro- vides an opportunity to work out with the football team in the winter and partake in spring drills to get a jump on the learning curve and be better prepared to aid the team as a freshman. One of the pioneers was Eric Zeier, a highly recruited quarterback who enrolled at Georgia in January 1991 and became an SEC record-setter as a four-year starter. Prior to the turn to the 21st century, the notion of Notre Dame embracing this option seemed unfathomable be- cause of its strict academic demands — and even now Stanford doesn't accept early entrants. Florida, on the other hand, has 10 freshmen enrolling early this year. Up north, Michigan State welcomed eight this January, while Ohio State has seven. Notre Dame generally has three to five each season, and this spring has five for the fourth time in head coach Brian Kelly's seven years. Still, Stan- ford head coach David Shaw doesn't believe he is at a competitive disad- vantage. "We have the No. 1 freshmen aca- demic curriculum in the world," Shaw told CardinalSportsReport.com's Andy Drukarev last February. "It starts in the fall, and that's a progression. You can't start it in the spring … so academically it's basically a non-starter for us." Shaw also noted that other than quarterback, a true freshman still has aided the Cardinal at every position in recent years. "Nobody can tell us, 'Well, I have to come early so I can get ready to play,'" Shaw said. "No, we can get you ready NEVER TOO SOON 2016 marks the 10-year anniversary of Notre Dame allowing early enrollees in football