4-Star CB Shaun Crawford Commits to Notre Dame

Photo: Matt Cashore / USA Today Sports
Photo: Matt Cashore / USA Today Sports

The Notre Dame recruiting train keeps on steaming along as the Irish head into this month’s Irish Invasion with a Father’s Day commitment from Shaun Crawford, a 4-star cornerback who was once committed to Michigan.   Notre Dame has now picked up five commitments in the last 10 days.

It had been speculated for weeks that Shaun Crawford was a heavy lean for Notre Dame after decommitting from Michigan and then canceling a visit to Ohio State a couple of weeks ago.  All had been silent on the Crawford front until Sunday when the consensus 4-star recruit took to Twitter.

Sunday’s news came as no surprise ever since Crawford’s visit to Notre Dame over the spring ended up in him opening up his recruiting again after previously being committed to Michigan.   Had Bob Diaco still been the Notre Dame defensive coordinator, Crawford might not have been the lucky number 13 commitment for the class of 2015 though.

Under Bob Diaco, Notre Dame almost exclusively targeted tall, long cornerbacks and rarely extended offers to corners who weren’t at least close to 6’0″.  Crawford at 5’9″ didn’t fit the profile Diaco looked for in a corner and as a result, he didn’t have an offer from the Irish when he originally committed to Michigan in August of last year.  Shortly after Brian VanGorder helped wrap up the first recruiting class at Notre Dame since he assumed Diaco’s old role, the Irish extended an offer to Crawford.

Once Crawford had an offer from Notre Dame things had been trending very much upwards for their chances.    Prior to committing to Notre Dame on Sunday, Crawford had received scholarships offers from Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Miami, and Michigan.

With Crawford’s commitment, Notre Dame has now received three straight commitments from the state of Ohio with Crawford following fellow cornerback Nick Coleman and defensive tackle Elijah Taylor.

Notre Dame fans can only hope that a 4th is not too far behind.   Justin Hilliard, a 5-star linebacker from St. Xavier HS in Cincinnati, is supposed to make his college decision in July and both Taylor and Crawford are friends with the elite linebacker who would be a huge boost to what is already shaping up to be a great class.

Crawford’s commitment also gives Notre Dame five commits in the last 10 days joining Taylor, Coleman, Brandon Tiassum, and Micah Dew-Traedway.  All five of which are on the defensive side of the ball.

Shaun Crawford Junior Highlights

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43 Comments

  1. seriously? undersized? having offers from most major universities and NOT ND because of the coordinators profile is silly. NDs pass defense has been rediculous at best save for russell. put players in the field. a profile doesnt play, players make the plays.

  2. I yawn at the annual arms race for recruiting “ranking”

    The real question is what kind of roster you put on the field. That is the definition of talent. And, in 2014 your roster must be balanced
    across all positions and within each position, with eligibility spread across the classes.

    When Kelly arrived he inherited a disaster on the DL. He had to scramble, doing things that he would never do now, such as playing guys like Schwenke and Hounshell as true frosh. Then things got complicated with Lynch and Vanderdoes’ surprises, Tuitt’s and Nix’s fairly timely departures
    (take a deep breath: if you think about it we WANT a percentage of the players leaving after three years.) Then we got clobbered with injuries last year with Tuitt, Nix, Day, Springmann, Hounshell, Grace, Councell and Randophy.

    On the DL, as in most positions, we are quietly establishing true depth with quality and a nice spread across the classes. But we had to do what we did in 2014 and for the 2015 class with beefing up the LBs and DLS.

    Where we are now, we can rifle shot GREAT DLS and LBS next year and not be as frenetic.

    What’s lost in all this is that this roster for 2014 is much more talented
    than the 2012 roster that got to the National Championship Game. If you took the bottom 50 players on the 2014 roster and had them play the bottom 50 players on the 2012, the 2014 depth would clobber 2012 like a baby seal.

    But never forget this. It’s not the players you target it’s the ones you get.

    Further, because we will now have future classes that are smaller..
    our annual rankings should drift down a bit.

    And, most of all, don’t let the stars get in your eyes.

  3. All in all the staff is doing a very good job of insuring the future. Next
    year we will be in the playoffs. This year too many questions on defense
    and a really tough schedule. I hope toughness of schedule is a huge point
    in picking the playoff teams.

  4. bj commented on June 13th, 2014 at 6:56 am

    “hey kelly we need some 4 and 5 star recruits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ”

    Un-freakin believable.

    I need a drink…. who’s with me?

  5. When looking at recruiting rankings where having one, 5 star recruit is considered a success, only two or maybe three of the top 10 ranked schools might have two 5 star recruits.
    (Many of the top 10 schools don’t have any 5 star guy’s)

    As Irish fans we know all too well, highly ranked recruiting classes, or signing 5 star guys, doesn’t necessarily guarantee future success.
    (See the Charlie Weis years)

    In 2010, Florida was number one in the country in recruiting having signed four, 5 star players, and fifteen, 4 star players.
    In 2013, when those players became upper classmen (juniors) the Gator’s went a pitiful 4-8.
    (After starting their season 4-1, they lost all 7 of their remaining games)

    Yes, there were key injuries, and a suspension or transfer here or there. But there is no denying that they still had plenty of
    talent and depth. Surely enough to be better than 4-8 and losing their last 7 in a row.

    I think you have to look at the intangibles for answers.
    Things like coaching, player development, team chemistry, and probably a good balance of 3 star players who leave their ego’s at the
    door and are willing to do whatever is asked of them in order to help their team win.

    5 star guys are great… but the “RKG’s” are better.

  6. Interesting data, Ron. Thanks.

    Hey, I love 5 star guys like Jaylon Smith and Greg Bryant, but some 5 stars are not very good team players. All I am saying is that you need the hard working, solid, blue collar types, as well. You can’t have a roster of 85 four and five star guys.

    Some of these 3 star guys are going to really contribute big! And when they do, they will likely be more mature upper classmen, who have been in the system for 3 to 5 years.

    Hey George, how many 4 and 5 star guys were on Michigan State last year? I bet they had a lot of 3’s.

    How did Boise State kick so much A$$?

    See George, my hypothesis is not absurd.

    Go IRISH,
    Woody

    1. I’m not sure why you want to emulate Boise and MSU. We need to strive for being the best of the best (aka winning NC’s). Check out Ala, LSU, FSU, ect… almost 4/5 star guys exclusively. I agree with what you’re saying about player development and getting guys who are reliable, but I would rarely PREFER a less talented guy over a more talented one.

  7. Stating or implying in any way, shape or form that 3 star recruits end up panning out better than 4/5 star recruits is beyond absurd. Just look at the last draft. Look what happens when Calabrese/Fox/Grace try replacing Teo

    1. You’re right George, just keep ignoring the facts of what actually happens. Just keep saying this over and over and it might be true. Then again most people believe that separation of church and state is actually in the constitution or that the bible references 3 wise men.

    2. For your reference George, from 2009 to 2012 there were 33 (3 star) players taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Compared to 23 (5 star) players.

      1. Ron – you’re being selective in your use of statistics. Of course you would expect more 3 star players taken in the 1st round than 5 star players. Why? Because there’s at least 10 times more 3 star players than there are 5 star players. If you added up all the 3 & 5 star players eligible for the draft, the 5 star players would account for less than 10%. So, we would expect less than 10% of the 5 star players to be picked in the 1st round. Yet according to your data, 5 star players account for over 40% of those picked in the 1st round. 5 star players exceed expectation by over 400% ! Thanks for proving my point Ron.

      2. I was strictly referencing ND players taken in the last draft, but either way, my initial comment included FOUR AND five star guys. Try again.

        Oh yeah, and what Mike says below also demoralizes your little theory.

      3. There are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics. We can make them say anything we want. If you like percentages then here is one.

        Over the past 5 years only 13% of all Americans were 5 star guys. Over 50% were 3 star guys.

        One more for the road. 60% of the time it works every time.

      4. Ron proved my point again. There’s always going to be more 3 star recruits who are All American, drafted in the 1st round because there’s 10 times more 3 star recruits.

        What percentage of all the 3 star recruits eventually become All American? Next, what percentage of all 5 star recruits eventually become All American? I would bet the 5 star number is higher.

        Nothing is a guarantee but a 5 star recruit is a better percentage play than a 3 star recruit. Just sayin’

      5. Mike – we all get that there are more 3 star players than 5 star players. I thought that was relatively obvious to everybody except bj.
        To answer your question: the odds of a 5 star becoming an all American are about 20% and the odds of a 3 star being an all American are about 2%.

      6. Agreed Ron. That’s why I would give this class a grade of no higher than C so far. They have to land Top 100 recruits with the 6 slots or so that they have left.

      7. George,

        I hear what your sayin..

        Just the other day I came across a fifth that was less 20%, I, like you, was left searching for further proof.

        *…hic!

  8. Guys,

    I have been pondering our recent recruiting success lately. I have this hypothesis. Maybe 3 star recruits are the way to go. Maybe pull about half the class in the 4 to 5 star category, then fill in with 3’s. A lot of the 4’s and 5’s have issues (ala Aaron Lynch). Also, a lot of the 4’s and 5’s will leave early for NFL riches. With the 3’s, you have a better chance of improving the overall strength of the team. A lot of these guys won’t play right away, but can become really solid Div I players in their Jr., Senior and 5th years.

    Look at teams like Boise St. Look at Michigan St.

    Maybe this is by design??? These guys will bring depth and stability to the team. Plus, there are some diamonds in the rough to be revealed. Some kids don’t mature until they are a bit older.

    I am very pleased with this class and I hope we get Waller from my HS.

    Go IRISH,
    Woodrow

    That’s just my theory anyway.

    1. That’s my point. You fill out your recruiting class with 3 star players to build depth. You go after the 4 & 5 star guys with the goal of making half your recruiting class 4 & 5 star guys.

    1. Before anyone jumps to conclusions remember…

      “If the spit net does not fit, then you must acquit”

  9. He will be dismissed. Read the South Bend paper. He had to be tased twice and a spit net over his face. Plus he told a cop he was going home and getting his 9 and kill his white ass. All of this is from the report and not a conviction but doesn’t look good

  10. I like the rapport between Burgundy and Mike. Just the right amount of zingers balanced by respect.

    1. Mmmmm…. ZINGERS!

      Delicious little snack cakes frosted in Devils food, vanilla, and raspberry crumb.

      (Dolly Madison is hot!)

      1. Yep. And if gets dismissed from the team, hopefully that’ll open up a spot for a 5 star recruit.

  11. Regardless of their star ranking, Kelly and his staff often recruits players based on genetics, personality, and versatility.
    This speaks of a guy who has been in the college head coaching business for 25 years.

    He has the experience and vision to look at a high school kid and see his frame and how he is going to grow and fill out on that frame over
    the coming years.
    He understand personalities, how to blend them, grow them, and the value they bring to a team.
    And he puts a premium on recruiting players who are versatile. Players who can, and have, played several different positions on both sides of the ball.

    This was most apparent heading into the 2012 season.
    The ND secondary had been decimated by graduation and injury. Kelly took several players from the offensive side and moved them over to
    the defensive secondary.

    Not only did recruiting these versatile players pay off in ND fielding one of the best defenses in school history, they help field one of the best defenses in all of college football for that year.

    Some of the players that I see who were recruited for their versatility include Bennett Jackson, Theo Riddick, Amir Carlisle, Troy Niklas, and KeiVarae Russell.
    All players who were moved around and were instrumental in helping the team win.

    1. It’s a start. But, according to Rivals, he’s he highest recruit they have so far and he’s ranked #111. They only have room for about another 6 or so in this class. They better all be home runs.

      1. I reluctantly agree, Mike. My reluctance is nothing about your assessment, though. I’m worried that #111 is going to become the norm of recruiting. True, we’ve not seen the prowess of BVG in action. But come-on…like they say, “you can’t coach size.”

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