Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Blue-Chip Offensive Linemen On The Table

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are fighting hard for a top 10 top 5 recruiting class for the 2017 cycle. At present, Notre Dame has the 6th ranked recruiting class for 2017 according to the 247 composite rankings.

Two big players are still left on the board and have legitimate interest in Notre Dame. Five-star offensive tackle, Foster Sarell and four-star offensive tackle, Trey Smith.

Foster Sarell would be the jewell of any recruiting class. He is the number one ranked tackle and the number four overall recruit in the country. Although many have Sarell picked to attend home state Washington or the Stanford Cardinal, he and his mother have been adamant that Notre Dame is still getting serious consideration.

Sarell is aiming for an October 15 official visit when the Irish face Stanford in prime time. With his mother confirming that Sarell has been admitted into Stanford, that game and that visit could prove to be one of the more important games for the future of Notre Dame football.

Trey Smith is also a very coveted offensive lineman. Smith ranks as the 10 best tackle and 51st recruit in the country by 247. His list of possible schools is a bit longer than the aforementioned Sarell. Smith is accepting courtships from Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole’ Miss, Alabama, and Clemson to go along with Notre Dame.

A decision on a commitment may come a lot sooner than Sarell’s for Trey Smith. While the “experts” at 247 have unanimously picked the in-state Tennessee, and the recent hire of Trey Smith’s sister by the Volunteers would add credence to those predictions, the list of schools (and those recruiting him) would suggest that this is far from over.

Trey Smith, as with Foster Sarell, is eying an official visit date at Notre Dame on October 15 for the Stanford game. The stakes, it would seem, have increased by leaps and bounds.

Notre Dame is reaching a point where it has to be careful about what commitments it accepts. While both Sarell and Smith are absolute “takes,” and they would also find room if the miracle of both wanted to commit, the class is technically in the red because the number of commitments exceed the number of scholarships available... technically.

Despite the numbers game, these two represent all that Notre Dame has started to establish on the offensive line and all it hopes to continue to build. That October 15th game against Stanford is already a red circle game for the implications it provides this year, but the future may very well rest in the outcome as well.