Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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defensive line rotation with the graduation of Ethan Johnson and Sean Cwynar and the departure of Lynch. Running back/slot Amir Carlisle is re- covering from an ankle injury that side- lined him this spring. Most, if not all, could receive their first monogram this season. prognosticators have Notre Dame pegged as "a year away" from getting back into BCS contention. It probably possesses the most pure talent, but 2012 is perceived as This class is a main reason why most CLASS SUMMARY the "paying your dues" year before blos- soming more fully in 2013 as juniors. Four years ago, the exceptional 23-man harvest from 2008 that featured more than a dozen U.S. Army All-Americans was hailed as the group that would lead Notre Dame out of its football wilderness. It didn't happen, and this time, a lot of the onus falls on the current sophomores — who are expected to at least match the back-to-back BCS bids achieved by the 2003 recruiting class when it reached its junior and seniors years. Setting the table for such a run will have to begin in 2012. ✦ Sophomore Class Update through spring drills 2011 Freshman All-American Aaron Lynch opted to transfer to the University of South Florida in his home state. However, since February 2011, Notre Dame added two transfers to this class — offensive tackle Jordan Prestwood from Florida State, who originally made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame prior to early enrollment at FSU, and running back Amir Carlisle from USC, who received clearance from the NCAA to be eligible this season) 2011 Recruiting Rankings: 247Sports.com (No. 7), Tom Lemming/CBS Players Signed In February 2011: 23 Players Available In 2012: 24 (The class incurred a setback when halfway College Sports (No. 8), Scout.com (No. 8), ESPNU (No. 9) and Rivals.com (No. 10) Name George Atkinson III Josh Atkinson Kyle Brindza Jalen Brown* Amir Carlisle Pos. RB CB K/P CB RB 5-11 6-1 6-0 Ht. 6-1 5-10 Wt. 210 185 225 198 185 Aggressive speedster could challenge junior Lo Wood for spot at field corner. Has game-breaking skills, but will need to improve ball security. Comments Insurance behind kicker Nick Tausch and punter Turk had 12 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs. Ankle injury shelved him in spring at deep, competitive, running back/slot position. Behind junior Bennett Jackson at boundary corner, but could find early niche in nickel or special teams. JUNE/JULY 2012 58