2012 Recruit Highlights Pt. 2

Here are some more highlights of some top players that Notre Dame has offered scholarships to. To see the previous installment check out Part 1 of this series.

• Barry Sanders Jr., RB, 5-9, 180lb, Oklahoma City, OK

• Andrus Peat, OT, 6-6. 292lb, Tempe, AZ



• Gunner Kiel, QB, 6-4, 200lb, Columbus, IN

• Noah Spence, DE, 6-4, 240lb, Harrisburg, PA

Here are just a couple more top recruits that Brian Kelly and staff have offered scholarships to. Be sure to look out for part 3 of the series coming very soon.

2012 Recruit Highlights Pt. 1

Here is a quick glimpse at four of the bigger names Notre Dame will be chasing for the 2012 recruiting class.

• Eddie Goldman, DT, 6'4" 307lbs, Columbia Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washinton, DC

• Keith Marshall, RB, 5'11" 190lbs, Millbrook HS, Raleigh, NC

• Jameis Winston, QB, 6'4" 200lbs, Hueytown HS, Hueytown, AL

• Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, 6'6" 221lbs, Hillcrest HS, Springfield, MO

Each one of these recruits has been offered by the Notre Dame staff and many other elite programs. More to come later.

Montana Transfers: What's the Impact?

Nate Montana throwing a pass during the 2010 Notre Dame Blue and Gold game. (Picture courtesy of AnnArbor.com)

About a week after signing day, Notre Dame receives more news about their 2011-2012 roster. Nate Montana has decided to transfer to the Division II program, Montana. The former QB and son of Irish legend, Joe Montana, saw very limited playing time after Dayne Crist went down to injury and before Tommy Rees secured the interim starting QB role last season. The most Irish fans got to see Montana was probably at the Blue and Gold, where he was praised after a solid performance. Throughout the season he slowly slipped down the depth chart, and he probably would have continued to this season with Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson establishing themselves. This move now leaves ND with five quarterbacks (Danye Crist - SR, Tommy Rees - SO, Andrew Hendrix - SO, Luke Massa - SO, and Everett Golson - FR), although there are rummers  that Luke Massa will transition to wide receiver. So the question is, how will Montana leaving impact the team?

Realistically, the only impact this move have will be Nate Montana himself. Notre Dame already has quarterbacks as skilled, if not more than Montana, so the impact on ND is small. If anything this will cause Joe Montana will come to less games next year. With Montana leaving, and one less scholarship, Notre Dame will be at the maximum 85 scholarship limit for the year (which I think was one major reason for this move). Nate Montana, on the other hand, has a chance to finally be the legitimate starting quarterback for once in his college career. If he can do well at Montana, then maybe he can work his way into the NFL, CFL, or Arena Football someday. This is really the best option for both parties in this deal.

I know all Irish fans, along with me, wish him luck on his future in football and academics at Montana.

Irish Gather Top 10 Recruiting Class

Brian Kelly discussing class on Signing Day - February 2nd, 2011. (Picture courtesy of nbcsports.msnbc.com)

On February 2nd, 2011, Notre Dame Head Coach, Brian Kelly, waited anxiously to receive Letters of Intent (LOI) from the recruits in the 2011 class. The Fighting Irish recruiting class was ranked 9th by ESPN, 10th by Rivals.com, and 8th overall by Scout.com. With the exception of a one player, Notre Dame received LOI's from every recruit they expected. The only real surprise of the day was DL Troy Niklas from the Southern California region. Niklas was choosing between USC and Notre Dame before finally deciding on Notre Dame. With this class, the Fighting Irish pulled in one the of the best defensive classes in the country. The most anticipated defensive players coming in are Aaron Lynch, Ishaq Williams, Stephon Tuitt, Ben Councell, all of which were highly sought after by top BCS programs. Along with those elite guys, throw in a handful of other Linebackers, D-Linemen, and D-Backs, and he Irish defense should have some play-makers for years to come. Here's the official list of the 2011 Notre Dame recruiting class.

• Aaron Lynch - 6-5, 250 lb - DE
• Anthony Rabassa - 6-3, 230 lb - DE
• Ben Councell - 6-4, 225 lb - OLB
• Ben Koyack - 6-5, 228 lb - TE
• Brad Carrico - 6-5, 260 lb - DE
• Cam McDaniel - 5-10, 190 lb - RB
• Chase Hounshell - 6-5, 243 lb - DL
• Conor Hanratty - 6-4, 300 lb - OG
• DaVaris Daniels - 6-2, 175 lb - WR
• Eilar Hardy - 6-0, 175 lb - S
• Everett Golson - 6-0, 172 lb - QB
• George Atkinson Jr. - 6-2, 195 lb - ATH
• Ishaq Williams - 6-5, 225 lb - DE
• Jalen Brown - 6-0, 180 lb - CB
• Jarrett Grace - 6-3, 230 lb - OLB
• Josh Aktinson - 6-0, 180 lb - CB
• Kyle Brindza - 6-1, 198 lb - K
• Matt Hagarty - 6-5, 265 lb - OT
• Matthias Farley - 6-0, 185 lb - CB
• Nick Martin - 6-4, 260 lb - OT
• Stephen Tuitt - 6-5, 255 lb - DE
• Tony Springmann - 6-5, 255 lb - OT
• Troy Niklas - 6-7, 243lb - DL

5 players out of the 23 have enrolled early at ND (Ishaq Williams, Aaron Lynch, Kyle Brindza, Everett Golson, Brad Carrico) and will participate in spring practices starting on March 23rd, as well as the Blue and Gold Game on April 16th. The other 18 players will join the team for the summer workouts and fall practices. Although the 2011 recruiting class is now fully intact, Brian Kelly and staff have no time to rest, he must quickly go back to work on putting together the 2012 class, recruiting truly never sleeps.