Two-Year Look: 2018-19 Notre Dame Defensive Recruiting

We discussed in the 2018-19 offensive recruiting breakdown that the best way to evaluate a program’s recruiting efforts is to look at multiple classes. A two-year view is ideal, with the objective being that every year the two combined classes grade out well together.

Notre Dame has put together back-to-back outstanding defensive hauls, completely remaking and restocking the depth chart at every position.

Twenty-one of the 26 defensive signees earned a four-star grade on my board. Eleven of the 26 signees were consensus four star recruits, a list that includes 2019 signee Kyle Hamilton, who earned a five-star grade on my board and from 247 Sports. The 2019 class actually had more consensus four-star recruits (6) than did the 2018 class (5).

Eighteen of the 26 signees were ranked as four-star recruits by at least two recruiting services (Rivals, ESPN, 247 Sports), and 22 were ranked as a four-star by at least one service. Only four of the 26 signees failed to earn a four-star grade by at least one service.

Seventeen of the 26 signees were ranked as Top 250 players by at least one recruiting service, and six were ranked in the Top 100 by at least one service.

Ten of the 26 signees earned five-star upside grades on my board.

Let’s take a look at Notre Dame’s 2018 and 2019 recruiting efforts on the defensive side of the ball. To begin let’s take a look at how the signees in the two classes rank together.