Recruiting Review: Notre Dame's 2014 Class
Maybe the top sound bite from Notre Dame’s most recent Signing Day was head coach Brian Kelly acknowledging that Fighting Irish recruiting classes would generally rank somewhere between “5 and 15.”
“There’s a line there we can’t get over based upon what our distinctions are here,” he said.
In 2013 (this year’s graduating senior group) the Irish did sign the No. 3 class in the country, but it was ravaged by injury and other attrition during a 4-8 season last year. The ensuing four classes ranked No. 11 (2014), No. 11 (2015), No. 12 (2016) and No. 13, falling right into that 5-to-15 slot. Today’s focus is on the 2014 group that is entering its senior campaign.
The class originally signed 23 players, but now has 17, most notably quarterback DeShone Kizer turning pro early and getting selected in the second round of last week’s NFL Draft. (Note: quarterback Montgomery VanGorder was originally considered a preferred walk-on before being placed on scholarship.)
This was the 23-man group signed in February 2014, now down to 17.
Quarterback: DeShone Kizer (NFL)
Running Back: Justin Brent (transferring after scheduled graduation in summer)
Receiver: Corey Holmes (transferring to Purdue after scheduled graduation this summer)
Tight Ends: Tyler Luatua, Nic Weishar
Offensive Line: Alex Bars, Jimmy Byrne, Sam Mustipher, Quenton Nelson
Defensive Line: Grant Blankenship (transferred to Oklahoma after sophomore year), Jonathan Bonner, Daniel Cage, Jay Hayes, Peter Mokwuah, Andrew Trumbetti, Jhonny Williams (transferred to Toledo after freshman year)
Linebackers: Kolin Hill (transferred to Texas Tech after freshman year), Greer Martini, Nyles Morgan, Nile Sykes (transferred to Indiana in summer of 2014 before ever suiting up for Notre Dame)
Cornerback: Nick Watkins
Rover/Safety: Drue Tranquill
Punter: Tyler Newsome
Here are the top 3 storylines of this class:
1. Note Dame might have one of the few fourth-year senior classes in America — if not the only one — without a quarterback, running back or receiver.
Again, this is keeping in mind that VanGorder, the starting holder, arrived as a preferred walk-on.
Furthermore, this class inked only one cornerback (Watkins) and one safety/hybrid (Tranquill). Notre Dame had to load up heavily on linemen and linebackers in this harvest because of acute shortages there in the two or three classes that preceded it.
Quarterback Kizer went beyond what anyone could have imagined entering September 2015. Still, a 4-8 outcome in 2016 prompted mixed reviews on his overall college career.
Running back Brent (originally recruited at receiver), never got his career untracked because of a combination of injuries and also receiving more notoriety for his off-the-field endeavors.
Receiver Holmes in 2016 checked out with the fastest 40-time (4.39) in winter drills, but could never develop consistency in the deep receiving corps, totaling 11 catches (all last year) for 96 yards in his first three seasons.
Defensively, Watkins has to recover from a fractured humerus that sidelined him in 2016, while Tranquill overcame back-to-back ACL surgeries in 2014 and 2015 to earn a captaincy this season.
Watkins had a strong spring and is the team’s best cover man and has an opportunity to become a top NFL corner prospect — but that’s what was thought of Cole Luke a year ago at this time.
Tranquill also enjoyed a stellar spring at his new rover spot in new coordinator Mike Elko’s scheme. If he stays healthy a second straight season, he will be one of the top three or four mainstays on defense in 2017.
2. This is the class that arrived with former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder in 2014.
The legacy of how good this class was will be determined in large part by how the many defenders recruited for VanGorder’s system perform at a higher level under Elko.
• It begins with Morgan at Mike linebacker. Only Nelson had a higher ranking coming out of high school than Morgan in this class. Morgan paced the team in tackles (94) and sacks (4) last year, but his game is expected to reach a higher level in Elko’s less complex attack.
• Replacing the graduated Isaac Rochell at strong side end is the tandem of Trumbetti and Hayes, a couple of four-star recruits who have yet to see their careers get fully untracked. The 252-pound Trumbetti is one of the team’s better pass rushers, but he was credited with 26 tackles and zero sacks among his 467 unofficial snaps last year. The 281-pound Hayes can hold the edge against more physical attacks and was with the top unit at the end of spring, but he played only 155 unofficial snaps last year and was listed with 10 tackles.
• Buck linebacker Martini joins Morgan as Tranquill as captains this year, and he was one of the most improved players this spring while moving ahead of incumbent Te’von Coney.
• Rounding out the defensive line, the 329-pound Cage will attempt to split snaps with junior starter Jerry Tillery at nose guard. Cage was sidelined the final month of 2016 with concussion issues. Stamina also will be a vital issue.
Bonner quietly became the starter at tackle while Tillery slid over to nose guard. Bonner recorded nine tackles in 255 snaps as a reserve last year.
3. Although this class was top heavy with defensive linemen and linebacker recruits, the offensive line again might have the most impact from this class in 2016.
A third-team Associated Press All-American in 2016, Nelson has a chance to become Notre Dame's first consensus All-American guard since Aaron Taylor in 1992 (Taylor would move to tackle in 1993 and win the Lombardi Award).
Equally pivotal will be the continued improvement of center Mustipher and right guard Bars, each of whom started all 12 games last season — although with Bars it was at right tackle.
Both underwent adjustments and setbacks last season while becoming full-time starters for the first time. Mustipher went through some mid-season yips with the snapping but was consistently mentioned this spring with captains Nelson and fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey as the leaders along the offensive front.
As a freshman, Bars was hailed by Kelly as one of the best tackle prospects he’s seen in 25 years as a head coach. As a sophomore he was moved to guard but suffered a severe ankle fracture. Last year he returned to tackle because of his ability to operate in space. This spring, he was moved back to guard to make room for top sophomore prospects Tommy Kraemer and Liam Eichenberg at right tackle.
It’s not out of the question that Bars could make back to the outside. What will be crucial is finding one main “home” where he can establish a base and consistency both this year and in 2018 if he is to have a future career in the NFL.
If the trio of juniors thrives, the offensive line could be the team’s top strength again like it was during the 10-3 campaign in 2015.
What will make or break this class and impact its legacy the most is what kind of production and consistency it will receive from its volume of defenders, plus along the offensive line.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne's Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD,
@BGI_MattJones, @BGI_DMcKinney and @BGI_CoreyBodden.
• Like us on Facebook