Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/941859
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 23 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Blue & Gold Illustrated graded the group of signees under the following criteria: A — College Football Playoff Con- tention B — Top-10 Viability C — Top-25 Viability D — Trying To Be Bowl Eligible QUARTERBACK Signed: Phil Jurkovec Meeting Needs: Notre Dame landed quality quarterbacks in the 2016 (Ian Book) and 2017 (Avery Da- vis) classes, but neither is an elite fig- ure capable of putting a team on his shoulders. The Irish filled that need with Jurkovec, the first commit in the class. Despite the 4-8 season and an overhaul of the staff on offense, Jurkovec never wavered. Summary: Jurkovec was identi- fied as the program's top player on the board in a year loaded with tal- ented quarterbacks. The lone signal- caller Notre Dame offered in the class picked the Irish over Ohio State and Penn State. On Paper Grade: A Notre Dame has signed some ex- cellent quarterbacks during Kelly's tenure, but none is as good as Jurk- ovec, who has earned a five-star grade from Blue & Gold Illustrated. There have been better runners (Malik Zaire and Brandon Wimbush), and one could argue DeShone Kizer and Everett Golson were as good or better passers as prep players, but none of them combine the two skills the way Jurkovec does. Elite talent at quarterback is neces- sary to compete for titles on a yearly basis, and Notre Dame has landed that kind of player in this class. RUNNING BACK Signed: C'Bo Flemister and Jahmir Smith Meeting Needs: Taking two backs in the class wasn't a need until Notre Dame junior Josh Adams declared for the NFL Draft and sophomore Deon McIntosh and freshman C.J. Holmes were dismissed from the program. Summary: Indianapolis Cathedral running back Markese Stepp com- mitted to Notre Dame in June 2016, but even with him in the fold the staff continued to prioritize Smith, who committed in July. After losing Stepp and three backs on the current roster, the staff immediately zeroed in on Flemister, who was then com- mitted to Georgia Tech. Flemister an- nounced his decision for Notre Dame on National Signing Day. On Paper Grade: B- Rivals ranks both Smith and Flemister as three-star backs, but Smith was a four-star on the Blue & Gold Illustrated Big Board. The duo that signed with Notre Dame lacked the recruiting portfolio that some de- sire, but they were incredibly pro- ductive. Smith racked up 3,858 yards and 67 touchdowns in his final two seasons. Flemister led the state of Georgia with 2,348 yards as a senior, and rushed for 3,321 yards and 43 touchdowns in his final two seasons for Pike County. Over the last two seasons the two running back signees in the class rushed for a combined 7,179 yards and 110 touchdowns. WIDE RECEIVER Signed: Kevin Austin, Micah Jones, Lawrence Keys III and Braden Lenzy Meeting Needs: Notre Dame signed a solid two-man class in 2017 (Jafar Armstrong and Michael Young), but the on-field struggles created a major need at the position. The Irish are bringing in a four-man group that is among the best in the nation, meeting the position needs from a depth, impact and speed standpoint. Summary: The staff wanted to add impact ball catchers to the class, and it identified its top targets early on. The four eventual signees were part of its "must-get" group, which also included Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed with USC. Jones and Lenzy committed last February, but Lenzy decommitted in June and flipped to Oregon. After the coaching change in Eugene, he got back on board with Notre Dame. Etiwanda (Calif.) three-star Geordon Porter committed in December but jumped out of the class a month later in what was a mutual separation. On Paper Grade: A Few groups will outshine the haul Notre Dame landed, one that com- bines size, athleticism, speed and top-level ball skills. Austin was a top- 100 recruit according to Rivals and ESPN, Lenzy was ranked No. 150 in the country by 247Sports, Keys was rated No. 150 by ESPN and Jones was listed at No. 192 by Rivals. Aus- tin and Lenzy both received five-star upside grades on the BGI Big Board. TIGHT END Signed: George Takacs and Tommy Tremble Meeting Needs: Notre Dame had five scholarship tight ends on the roster in 2017, but starter Durham Smythe was in his last season and both Nic Weishar and Alizé Mack are likely entering their final seasons in 2018. Landing two tight ends in the class was a must, although neither will be needed to play early on. Summary: The top tight end on the board early on was Lindenhurst (N.Y.) Senior four-star Jeremy Ruck- ert, who picked Ohio State in June. The staff then turned to Takacs, who committed in June. With Takacs on board, Notre Dame shifted its focus to Tremble, who picked Notre Dame over Michigan and Georgia in De- cember. On Paper Grade: B The pair complement each other well, and it does the same with the 2017 duo of Cole Kmet and Brock Wright, which was classified as po- tentially the top tight end tandem in the country. Takacs is a throwback player that uses his size and strength to handle the run game and make plays in the pass game. ESPN ranked him as the nation's No. 182 overall player. Trem- ble has elite speed and athleticism at the position, posting a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash at the Nike Football The Opening regional in Atlanta in March. A consensus three-star re- cruit, Tremble earned a five-star up- side grade on the BGI Big Board. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Signed: John Dirksen, Luke Jones, Cole Mabry and Jarrett Patterson Meeting Needs: The current roster is loaded with talent, but only nine scholarship players were set to re- turn in 2018. That meant Notre Dame needed at least three offensive line- men, which was met with this four- man group. Summary: The 2018 class nation- ally wasn't strong on the offensive line, and especially in typically pro- Notre Dame regions like the Midwest and Northeast. The Irish had to scour the country even more than usual to assemble this quartet. The Irish made a push for Atlanta