Can Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Flip Signing Day Script?

Last year at this time Notre Dame was actively pursuing several high profile recruits in the hopes of making a splash on National Signing Day and closing out the class of 2014 strong.  Unfortunately for the Irish, Notre Dame went just 1 for 4 on Signing Day decisions and the Irish limped to the close of the 2014 recruiting cycle.  This year, however, it looks like it could be Notre Dame making waves as the faxes start rolling in.

A year ago Notre Dame was still heavily recruiting wide receiver Michiah Quick, wide receiver/defensive back JuJu Smith, cornerback Terrence Alexander, and defensive tackle Daniel Cage.  Quick and Smith were long time targets for the Irish while Cage and Alexander were names that only surfaced in January as the Irish looked to fill holes in the class.

When the dust settled on Signing Day, Smith went to USC, Quick signed with Oklahoma, Alexander selected Stanford, and Notre Dame was able to salvage Signing Day by inking Cage who ended up playing a major role in 2014.

Fast forward to this week and Brian Kelly and his staff are working to reverse last year’s Signing Day script by landing a trio of 4-star prospects that would more than secure another top 10 finish for the Irish in the mythical recruiting rankings.  There are some other prospects left out there that are said to be considering Notre Dame, but really, there’s 3 names left on the board for Notre Dame and at the moment and their chances look pretty good with all there.

• Equanimeous St Brown (WR) – Notre Dame has long been considered the clubhouse leader for the massive wide receiver from California.  Some might consider him a luxury for this class since Notre Dame already has CJ Sanders, Jalen Guyton, and Miles Boykin in the fold, but St. Brown brings a combination of size and speed no one else in the class possesses.  Stanford, UCLA, and USC are considered the biggest threats here, but things have been trending in Notre Dame’s direction here for a while.
• Dexter Williams (RB) – Notre Dame had been recruiting Williams for a while but things did not heat up with the Florida RB until he decommitted from Miami earlier this month.  Since then things have been looking very positive for the Irish with recruiting ace Tony Alford leading the charge.  Williams visited Notre Dame two weeks ago and hasn’t taken a visit anywhere else since.  Rumors have been rampant ever since his visit that the Irish were the odds on favorite.  Adding Williams to pair with Josh Adams would give the Irish another great backfield combo.  Miami, however, could be back in the picture after losing a running back commitment over the weekend and putting on a full court press for Williams one again.  This one looked great for the Irish just days ago, but as always with recruiting, things can change quickly.
• Arrington Farrar (S) – Like Williams, Farrar was committed elsewhere until this month when he reportedly wasn’t accepted by Stanford despite a reported stellar academic profile.  Farrar visited Notre Dame this past weekend and the Irish will be battling Wisconsin for the extra safety they desperately want to add to this class since the loss of Prentice McKinney to UNC.

The two other names to keep in mind as well at Justin Reid and Nathon Meadors but most feel that either would be a long shot for Notre Dame at the moment.  Reid did tweet that his three finalists are LSU, Stanford, and Notre Dame; but it would be a surprise if he ended up anywhere but Stanford.  Meadors, meanwhile, visited UCLA this past weekend and the Bruins look like the heavy favorites there.

Notre Dame’s late season swoon prevented this class from being one of the elite of the elite classes most likely, but if the Irish are able to add St. Brown, Williams, and Farrar on Signing Day, this class will have hit on almost every need and continued to build the depth that this team has lacked over the years as evidenced by what the mounting injuries did to Notre Dame this past season.

While things look good for Notre Dame with all three though, it’s tough for a Notre Dame fan to head into Signing Day with much confidence given recent NSD’s for the Irish.  There was last year’s 1 for 4 performance.  Then two years ago while the Irish made the biggest news of the day by signing Eddie Vanderdoes, his subsequent “transfer” before ever enrolling made that news moot.  Three years ago Notre Dame lost prized wide receiver Deontay Greenberry to Houston of all places.

Aside from the recent Signing Day stiff arms from coveted recruits, Notre Dame has had a history of losing prospects that it’s looked like they had secured to in-state programs at the last minute as well.  Players such as Lorenzo Booker, Greg Little, and Chris Little all spurred the Irish at the last second for in-state programs.

Of course, there is also the reverse story of Manti Te’o.  No one outside of the Gug thought the Hawaiian Hitman was going to pick Notre Dame on Signing Day in 2009, but he shocked the recruiting world when he did during that ESPN telecast.

As of now though, it looks like it still could be a happy day huddled around the fax machine inside the Gug this year.  Notre Dame is by no means an absolute lock for any of the three targets, but Notre Dame does have a better than solid chance at all three.  None of these three recruits left merely have Notre Dmae in their finalists for the sake of having them there like we’ve seen with some recruits in the past.

If all three prospects end up signing with the Irish on Wednesday, it will be hard for anyone to label this class as anything but a success.  Sure there are probably some areas where the Irish might have been able to get some more difference makers, but with Williams, St. Brown, and Farrar; Notre Dame will have crossed off every need with talented prospects for the first time in a long time.

Now, we just have to hope that all of the positive signs for the Irish continue over the next 48 hours until those faxes actually start coming in and that we’re not looking at a scenario like last year.