The Notre Dame Fighting Irish just picked up a HUGE commitment in California’s Jack Lamb, and it came only a few days after another HUGE commitment in New Jersey’s Shayne Simon. It was a coast to coast toast for rebuilding the defense in South Bend.
As most of you know, every move in recruiting has its aftereffects. A lot of recruits pay very close attention to what is happening around them. Are players that they like and want to play football with going to a school that they too are considering? Is there a roster spot that allows a quicker path to the field?
There are many, many factors involved, and they all add up in the end, and can push one player one way or another when he may not have been so easily inclined to do so.
Saint Peter's Prep ➡️ University of Notre Dame ☘️ @CoachBrianKelly pic.twitter.com/cTQJFtO6yW
— Jayson k. Ademilola (@jaysonademilola) July 27, 2017
And that leads us to where Notre Dame stands today. Here are some random thoughts on the subject:
- Cameron McGrone is gone. He will commit to Michigan on Monday and that’s okay. While Notre Dame would still take McGrone if he wanted to be in South Bend, they don’t need him. It sucks to lose another good in-state linebacker to the Big 10, but Lamb more than makes up for that loss.
- Notre Dame needs cornerbacks - can someone please tell the cornerbacks around the country? Notre Dame’s best chances are with the three lowest ranked cornerbacks that they have offered in Donald Johnson, Donte Burton, and Telly Plummer (and really, only Burton is leaning towards the Irish). Unless the Irish have some voodoo up their sleeves, the rest of the offer list looks like a bunch of guys that want nothing to do with South Bend.
- The recent commitment of running back Jahmir Smith suggest that there may be more wiggle room in the numbers, according to Irish Illustrated’s Pete Sampson. The more I think about it, he’s probably right. I have said Notre Dame would sign 21, but... they could take 23 or 24. That would mean there are 8-9 spots available if that is true.
- If you’re looking for a safe bet on the next commitment, it will probably be 4 star WR Kevin Austin. He announces on August 11.
- Notre Dame will make room for 5 star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown no matter what, but that may never get close enough to consider.
- It’s Tommy Tremble or bust for a 2nd TE. Notre Dame is in great shape at TE, but they still want the athletic Tremble. Tremble is down to the Irish and Georgia.
- The Irish are in great shape for Sam Taimani, and would like him on the offensive line. Notre Dame would probably take 2 more offensive linemen in this class, and besides Taimani, they are in the running for 5 star Jamaree Salyer and 4 star Nicholas Petit-Frere. Salyer and Petit-Frere are looking more and more like longshots.
The biggest thing is for the Irish to win some games early, and keep winning. Prospects like Notre Dame, but they still have the 2016 season in their mind. Once October comes around, I think we will have a very solid understanding about how this class may end up finishing.
These were just some thoughts. We will continue to monitor the situation.