Welcome to the second of a five part, in-depth series on the 2012 Notre Dame football recruiting class. I unveiled the OFD average grades for the newest members of the Fighting Irish family on the day after NSD.
The grades for QB and RB can be found here.
This installment focuses on OT Ronnie Stanley, OG/OC Mark Harrell and LS Scott Daly.
The transcript from Coach Brian Kelly's press conference on national signing day can be found here.
Official OFD Recruit Grading Scale:
95-100: Elite impact freshman with All-American potential
90-94: Multi-year starter with All-conference potential
85-89: Eventual starter with chance to play as underclassman
80-84: Raw prospect with decent potential but a couple years away from impact
75-79: Likely a backup
70-74: Reach by the coaching staff
Note: All Height/Weight/40 times as listed on 247Sports.com
Las Vegas, NV - Bishop Gorman - 6'6"/285/5.00
OFD Average: 89
Ronnie Stanley Highlights (via 247SportsStudio)
More after the jump.
Brian Kelly's thoughts from the signing day press conference:
Out of Bishop Gorman high school in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ronnie Stanley. He's probably as gifted of an offensive linemen that we have seen in many years. A great basketball player but also when it comes to football, just has all the things necessary to be that left tackle, if you will, when you use that term. He can bend, he plays with toughness, he has a skill level already that is very, very impressive. I know Coach Elstan was excited about getting the opportunity to spend time and be one on one with Ronnie, as you know he's played in a number of the All Star games but, again, he gives us that athleticism at the tackle position and he's still growing, 6'6", 280 pounds and brings that athleticism that we look for at the tackle position.
Whiskey: 84
Stanley has a great skill set and gets after it but he is also pretty raw. I think he spends this year developing and competes for time in ‘13.
Eric: 90
Very similar body to Jarron Jones, but without the defensive line skills. Future starting left tackle with terrific potential. Love the determination and drive when blocking. Will have the benefit of sitting for a year or two. Borderline elite recruit and eventual multi-year starter.
Burger: 89
Just like all of Notre Dame's recent offensive line recruits, Stanley is big, physical, and athletic. He has the skills to play anywhere on the line, so whether he ends up at tackle or inside at guard remains to be seen. He's got the size to play right away, but chances are good he'll redshirt in 2012.
Jim: 91
Prototype tackle for the spread-athletic, moves well, able to block in space and downfield. Will likely have the benefit of spending 2012 in the weight room and learning the schemes, then should break the two-deep in 2013.
OG/OC Mark Harrell
Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Catholic - 6'5"/270
OFD Average: 81
Mark Harrell (recruiting video) (via NCSAfootball)
Brian Kelly's thoughts from the signing day press conference:
Out of Charlotte Catholic in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mark Harrell. I think when you talk about this class, it's still about Notre Dame and how they fit here, the right kind of guys and how they fit in here. And I know you hear that all of the time, RKGs, they have to be RKGs. They have to have the right character traits, they have to understand Notre Dame and the value of an education, and Mark Harrell comes from that environment. He's got a great family, he's very versatile, he's played at the center position in All Star games; he's played the tackle position, tight end. He's somebody when you talk about an offensive lineman, who can bend, he's flexible, has good feet, and we like the fact that he is an intense competitor. He will fit in very well with our offensive linemen.
Whiskey: 80
Cross training at center might help him get on the field sooner. He is quick and well suited to the interior line. Like most offensive linemen he will need some development time.
Eric: 80
Quality linemen with good power and surprising strength. Moves pretty well but needs more weight on his frame. Should be in the discussion for playing time after a couple years in the program.
Burger: 80
Harrell can certainly move for a guy his size. He needs to get stronger before he can be a full-time contributor on the offensive line, though. All signs point to him playing at center, which is a position of need for Notre Dame. If he can develop, he can bring a lot of athleticism to the position.
Jim: 82
I really like the versatility here, as he has been working on snapping the ball with a coach for a while now. Probably projects to be more of a Mike Golic Jr type-able to play all the interior positions but will mainly focus on center. May look like a bit of a project at first glance, but is a solid addition and could surprise many down the road.
LS Scott Daly
Downers Grove, IL - Downers Grove South - 6'4"/230
OFD Average: 80
Scott Daly Senior Highlight Video 2011 for Chris Rubio Award (via mayrdaly)
Brian Kelly's thoughts from the signing day press conference:
In each class there are specialists, and last year, as you know, we took a kicker in our class. This year we went with a long snapper, Scott Daly, from Downers Grove. Not often do you specialize, it sometimes might be two or three years before you do that, a lot of times a long snapper will walk on. His value will be seen immediately, and his value and the kind of kid he is somebody we could not overlook, especially somebody that brings that skill set to our football team.
Whiskey: 80
The #1 snapper in the country will most likely take over in ‘13 after Cowart is gone. Unless of course he's able to take his job right away.
Eric: 80
Will redshirt and start at long snapper in 2013 after Cowart graduates. Very polished and precise in what he does. You will not find many better at this age.
Burger: 80
Can we start calling Notre Dame "Long Snapper U"? Notre Dame signed Daly, the top long snapper in the nation, this year, got Jordan Cowart a few years ago, and J.J. Jansen is firing off snaps for the Panthers in the NFL.
Jim: 80
What else is there to say other than he is the #1 long snapper out of high school. It will be interesting to see if there is an open competition with Cowart or he sits out a year. Can be both the short and long snapper of the future, with extremely fast snapping times. Will really help in special teams once he sees the field.