With the annual Blue-Gold game in the rear-view mirror, Notre Dame’s assistant coaches are spread across the country making in-school visits to some of the best 2013 prospects in the country. With new assistant Scott Booker making his way to Georgia, Bob Elliott working California with Mike Denbrock, and Tony Alford on some of Florida’s best prospects, it’s another year of Brian Kelly’s coaching staff aggressively pursuing some of the nation’s best prep talent.
New names will emerge in the coming months, as Irish fans pin the team’s fate on landing five-star X or blue-chip Y. But with an early start to the class and some great momentum heading into the long offseason, it makes sense to take a look at the recruits already in the fold, and what role they’ll likely play in building the Irish program.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Anchored by the early commitment of blue-chipper Steve Elmer, the offensive line was a position of need for the 2013 class. Those needs were filled quickly with two junior days that netted major commitments from three highly-touted tackle prospects. With four linemen in the fold, it appeared the Irish were finished, but they accepted the commitment of Everett, Massachusetts’ John Montelus, who looks like he could play either tackle or guard.
Current Commitments:
Hunter Bivin -- Owensboro, Kentucky
Steve Elmer -- Midland, Michigan
Mike McGlinchey -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Colin McGovern -- New Lenox, Illinois
John Montelus -- Everett, Massachusetts
What’s Left: The Irish will likely have a closed offensive line class, filling their coffers with five massive players who all look remarkably athletic. Elmer, who closed up shop on his recruiting back in the 2011 season’s opening month, may be the most highly touted, but all five have excellent offers. Montelus, at a legit 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 and just shy of 300 pounds, is the smallest of the group. Kelly has changed the profile of offensive linemen that the Irish are looking for, bringing in bigger, stronger and faster players than the previous regime.
DEFENSIVE BACK
After adding four safeties via the 2012 recruiting class and welcoming back Chris Badger from his Mormon Mission, the Irish need to make cornerback a priority in the 2013 class, especially after Tee Shepard leaving Notre Dame before ever stepping foot on the field. The Irish already have two potential corners locked in, adding versatile athletes with great size to the recruiting class before the 2012 season begins. They’ll likely bring in a safety if he’s a prospect the Irish like enough, and try to add another edge player as well.
Current Commitments:
Devin Butler -- Washington, D.C.
Rashad Kinlaw -- Galloway, New Jersey
What’s Left: The Irish certainly aren’t done chasing cornerbacks, and Tony Alford is working on Vernon Hargreaves III, one of the best prospects in the state of Florida, not to mention the country. They’ll also chase Mackensie Alexander, an Immokalee, FL native. The Irish haven’t had the best of luck in that area, but they’ll have a willing recruiting in Mike Heuerman working on Alexander. Notre Dame got a visit from Antwuan Davis, but he’s a Texas native with a Longhorns offer. They’ll also entertain Cole Luke, who will visit from Arizona with his prep coach, former Irish QB Steve Belles.
TIGHT END
Consider this a home run. We only touched on it briefly, but Heuerman’s pledge is a mammoth victory for the Irish staff, and it’ll likely help ND with other Florida recruits as well. After choosing Brian Kelly’s offense over Urban Meyer’s that’s a mighty nice data-point for recruits to reference, and it’ll be something that I’m guessing might come up in passing conversations between players.
Current Commitments:
Mike Heuerman -- Naples, Florida
What’s left: Nothing but work on the 2014 class. With Tyler Eifert playing his final season, the position should still be in good hands with Ben Koyack, Alex Welch, Troy Niklas and Heuerman.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Irish were unable to trot out a two-deep during the spring game, and the loss of Michael Floyd will certainly leave quite a void. But with Chris Brown, Justin Ferguson and Davonte Neal coming this summer, the Irish will look to build positional depth in this class as well, and have already got a head start. Neither of the two commitments will blow you away with their star-rating, but each bring something different to the table. Expect the Irish to push hard to land at least one more player at the position.
Current Commitments:
James Onwualu -- St. Paul, Minnesota
Corey Robinson -- San Antonio, Texas
What’s left: Scott Booker will be in Georgia working on Demarcus Robinson, one of the top Irish targets and a national player with legit offers. The Irish will also try and get back in with Laquan Treadwell, an Illinois prospect with a national wishlist. With Onwualu, the Irish get back into Cretin-Derham Hall, and have a defacto recruiting captain. With Robinson, they have a guy that’s likely to grow even taller, and comes with an impressive pedigree. Neither of the guys committed are speed merchants, so the Irish might look to get some outside speed as they seek out a few more top targets.
QUARTERBACK
A year after landing a top pro-style quarterback, the Irish ended their ride on the annual quarterback carousel early when Malik Zaire jumped at the Irish offer. With most Irish fans focused on Matt Alviti as the name to watch, Zaire -- a lefty, with true dual-threat capabilities with both his arm and legs -- is a guy Irish fans should be thrilled about. With offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Nebraska and others, Zaire adds another diverse piece to the future depth chart.
Current Commitments:
Malik Zaire -- Kettering, Ohio
What’s left: Nothing. The Irish will likely get an early look at the 2014 quarterbacks while Zaire helps recruit the ’13 class.
DEFENSIVE END
The loss of Aaron Lynch likely accelerates the recruiting process for the defensive coaching staff, as they’ll look to build on an impressive depth chart by bringing in talented pass rushers and physical players that can stack up in Bob Diaco’s multiple defense. With an emphasis already stated on “big skill” players, expect this spring to be spend identifying, offering and recruiting players that can shift between outside linebacker and defensive end, as well as finding a defensive tackle prospect as well.
Current Commitments:
Jacob Matuska -- Columbus, Ohio
What’s left: Plenty. First up is the Irish getting the commitment of Isaac Rochelle, a Georgia product that’s 95% of the way there. Then they’ll continue canvassing the country looking for talent, from everywhere to Hawaii, where Scott Pagano plays, to in-state talents like Darius Latham, and everywhere in between. After struggling for years to land elite front-seven defensive talent, Brian Kelly and his staff have been on a roll lately. They’d like it to continue with this class, an important unit for continuity.