Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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star power, and offensive and defensive depth and balance. E very so often, a recruiting class ar- rives at Notre Dame that is looked upon as the centerpiece of a revival. It is a group that combines volume, Some classes might possess star power, but not enough overall depth. This year's senior class with only 15 players, led by inside linebacker Manti Te'o and tight end Tyler Eifert, is Exhibit A. are devoid of major impact. The huge 28- man class in 2006 ended up having only two players drafted, offensive linemen Sam Young and Eric Olsen in the sixth round. Others might have game changers on one side of the ball, but virtually no bal- ance. The 2007 class with quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wideout Golden Tate — both selected in the second round after their junior seasons — fits that description. That small class had only one true defen- sive lineman (Ian Williams) when it was the biggest need. Since 2000, there have been three truly well balanced recruiting classes at Notre Dame that featured a little of everything. • The first was the 2003 group, which carried Notre Dame to BCS bids during its junior and senior years in 2005 and 2006. It was highlighted by the passing combina- tion of Brady Quinn to Jeff Samardzija, plus Some might possess high numbers, but Brian Kelly's first five years at Notre Dame BY LOU SOMOGYI An esteemed group of sophomores will chart the destiny of head coach top-three round picks such as tight end John Carlson, defensive linemen Trevor Laws and Victor Abiamiri, offensive tackle Ryan Harris and safety Tom Zbikowski, among many others. • Then there was the 2008 class, which was ranked No. 2 in the country by most services, finishing behind Alabama. The roster of newcomers included five-star of- fensive figures such as quarterback Dayne Crist, wide receiver Michael Floyd and tight end Kyle Rudolph, but what set it apart was it had finally had volume on defense with five linemen, four linebackers and three defensive backs. Alas, the group was a pedestrian 29-22 over four years. • The 2011 recruiting class, this year's sophomores, now takes the mantle of spearheading the program. Rarely do you see a situation when every single position on the team — including punter and kicker — is accounted for in one recruiting class, like this one. Usually you need two classes to fill and balance out the holes of a previ- ous one. More than any other class, this one will chart the destination of head coach Brian Kelly's first five seasons with the Irish. There is a reason why Kelly proudly re- ferred to this group as "my guys" in the cause celebre the week after last year's USC loss. The recruiting along both lines might have been the best on paper in terms of talent and depth since 1990 (a group led JUNE/JULY 2012 54