How Many Will Notre Dame Take in 2010?
Now that the class of 2009 is signed, sealed, and delivered, so the question of how many recruits the Irish will target in 2010 can start to be answered. For this post I’ll take a look at how many players Notre Dame will definitely have on scholarship, who could come back for a 5th year in 2010 and who, if anyone could leave early for the NFL.
Who Is Definitely Back in 2010?
Class Breakdown for 2010 Season |
||||
| Positon | Seniors | Juniors | Sophomores | TOTAL |
| QB | Jimmy Clausen | Dayne Crist | 2 | |
| RB | Armando Allen Robert Hughes |
Jonas Gray | Cierre Wood Theo Riddick |
5 |
| FB | Steve Paskorz | 1 | ||
| WR | Duval Kamara Golden Tate |
Michael Floyd Deion Walker John Goodman |
Shaquelle Evans Roby Toma |
7 |
| TE | Mike Ragone | Kyle Rudolph Joseph Fauria |
Tyler EifertJake Golic | 5 |
| OT | Matt Romine Taylor Dever |
Lane Clelland | Zach Martin | 5 |
| OG | Andrew Nuss | Trevor Robinson | Alex Bullard Chris Watt |
4 |
| C | Braxston Cave Mike Golic |
2 | ||
| DE | Emeka Nwankwo | Kapron Lewis-Moore Ethan Johnson Sean Cwynar |
4 | |
| DT | Ian Williams | Brandon Newman Hafis Williams |
Tyler Stockton | 4 |
| WILL | Kerry Neal | Darius Fleming | 2 | |
| ILB | Brian Smith | Steve Filer Anthony McDonald Advertisement
David Posluszny |
Carlo Calabrese | 5 |
| SAM | Manti Te’o? Dan Fox Zeke Motta |
3 | ||
| CB | Gary Gray | Robert Blanton Jamoris Slaughter |
EJ Banks | 4 |
| S | Harrison Smith | Dan McCarthy | 2 | |
| K | Brandon Walker | Nick Tausch | 2 | |
| P | Ben Turk | 1 | ||
| LS | Jordan Cowart | 1 | ||
| 17 | 23 | 18 | 58 | |
Who is Eligible for a 5th Year?
Notre Dame will have 9 potential fifth year seniors in 2010 by my count. Here’s who will be eligible.
- Offense: Chris Stewart, Dan Wenger, Barry Gallup (3)
- Defense: Paddy Mullen, Kallen Wade, Darrin Walls, Leonard Gordon (4)
Of those 9 players, I’d say the two OL – Stewart and Wenger – and Darrin Walls would be the most likely to come back. With the depth and talent Notre Dame has at wide receiver, I don’t think Gallup will be back for a 5th year. On defense, Walls could go to the NFL with a big year in 2009 but will most likely be back since he’ll no doubt take a little but of readjusting this fall after missing all of 2008. Leonard Gordon might be a potential 5th year candidate in 2010 too since the numbers at safety are pretty low.
Early Draft Entrants?
Right now I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any of the juniors from 2009 bolting to the NFL. There are a lot of talented players in that class, but barring major break through seasons, I don’t think any will be NFL ready by this time next year.
So How Many Recruits Will Notre Dame Take
Based on the numbers above, Notre Dame will have 58 players definitely on scholarship in 2010 at this time. That leaves open a potential 27 openings for next year’s recruiting class and 5th year seniors combined. Now, let’s say Notre Dame brings back three 5th year seniors in 2010. That would bring us to a total of 24 available scholarships for next year’s recruiting class. An additional scholarship would be available if Manti Te’o takes his mission after his freshman season.
How Will Those Scholarships Be Used
Here’s how I see those 24-25 scholarships getting divided up.
- Quarterback (1) – Notre Dame will look to sign an elite QB this year after not bringing one in this year.
- Running Back (1) – With 5 backs on scholarship for 2010, it will be tough to get another two top ranked backs like this year. Hopefully Notre Dame adds 1 big back next year.
- Fullback (1) – I’d love to see Notre Dame add an elite fullback who can be used as more than a blocker.
- Wide Receiver (3) – With Daniel Smith already in the fold and a lot of early offers for WRs already it seems like the Irish will take at least three even with the late addition of Roby Toma.
- Offensive Tackle (2) – With Christian Lombard already committed I think Weis will put the full court press on Seantrel Henderson. Getting Henderson and Lombard would be incredible.
- Offensive Guard (2) – After just 7 OL in the last two classes, I think Weis will look to add a full set of five OL next year.
- Center (1) – With no centers signed this year, it will be important to add a good one next year.
- Defensive End (3) – Chris Martin is already committed and Notre Dame will need to add another two next year after not signing any this year. I’d like to see one pure pass rushing specialist signed as well as a bigger DE.
- Defensive Tackle (2) – With just Tyler Stockton signed this year, I think Weis will try to land two DT’s next year. One who can contribute early and one more raw prospect that will need time to develop.
- Outside Linebacker (2) – If Notre Dame sticks with a 3-4 alignment, I think Weis will add a full set of LB’s next year.
- Inside Linebacker (2) – Calabrese was the only inside linebacker signed this year, so Notre Dame will need to add two next year.
- Cornerback (2) – This is assuming Walls and Gray are both on the field for Notre Dame in 2010.
- Safety (3) – I could see Notre Dame taking 3 S’s if there is a scholarship available.
So there you have it. This is obviously subject to change, but as of now this is how I see it all unfolding.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
im a little confused…are we coverting to a 4 3 defence? when did this happen.? I thought we were a 3 4 defence? Wow- must need coffee…;)
Yes he was part of the 2006 class, he played in 2006, 2007, 2008, and has one year of eligibility. If he plays this year (2009), he will have no more eligibility left and therefore wouldn’t show up on a 2010 eligibility chart.
im pretty sure that sergio brown was recruited in 06. rivals has him in the same class as james aldridge and sam young.
Jason_h537,
All you have to do is go to und.com and look at Sergio Brown’s profile on the roster to see that he played his freshman and sophomore years on special teams if you don’t remember seeing him out there.
I thought Te’o was recruited to play one of the ILB positions, assuming we revert to the 3-4.
you sure about that frankie, i waspretty sure we had sergio brown forone more year.
Jim, I believe Slaughter’s future likely depends on Gary Gray returning. If Gray returns as he plans to, then I could easily see Slaughter at S.
Ryan, unfortunately Brown is done after this year. He played special teams as a true freshman in 2006.
I believe Filer is going to step in and play at the SAM position in place of H. Smith as he moves back to safety. Filer was H. Smith’s backup in 2008.
Also, won’t Sergio Brown be eligible for a 5th year? We’re going to be suddenly thin at safety again if not.
Also, Frankie, I think the current plans are for Slaughter to play safety. I think, and this is highly speculative on my part, that Riddick will move to the DB position if he doesn’t look exceptional in camp this year.
Henderson, Barr and Chance Carter are all top targets.
To comment on John’s post: We have already migrated to a 4-3. You will see taht continue in future.
Robby Parris has already used three years of eligibility…he played as a freshman so unless he does not play next year he will not be eligible for a 5th year.
Jashaad Gaines maybe eligible for a 5th year. I remember talk about him leaving to return home, I’m not sure if he ever made it on the field this year.
Luke Schmidt (if he medically can play) did not play as a frosh.
I think ND will be looking to take 3 OT for sure…Mike Frank mentioned on Power Hour that they may even consider four if they can find 4 they like.
It will be interesting to see how LB plays out this year. Will we stick with four LBs like 2007 or keep one predominantly down on the line like in 2008. Is Te’o a ILB or OLB? I would assume Neal and Smith will be starting. Other than that it seems up in the air.
Andy,
Redshirts do not exist at Notre Dame, so technically the players are listed by their class since that’s how they are seen by Notre Dame. 5th years are not a given at Notre Dame – players must be invited back for a 5th year.
would you say henderson is next years Te’o? By that i mean the guy at the top of the board for ND. I’m in Cali and the guy i am most excited about is Anthony Barr, a linebacker/ running back with huge potential and lots of ties to Notre Dame.
Hey, when doing an eligibility chart, you probably want to group guys not by class year but by year in terms of eligibility. The whole point of the eligibility chart is to visualize long and short term need. Grouping Walker and Goodman with Floyd doesn’t make sense since they will be here a year longer