Not Paying Dividends?

Sept. 3, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly yells at wide receiver Theo Riddick (6) in the fourth quarter against the South Florida Bulls at Notre Dame Stadium. South Florida won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

To recruit, schools need three things: education, lifestyle and winning football. Notre Dame has always had the first. They struggle with the second. Recently, they have had the third. Recruits should be flocking to Notre Dame but they are not.

As of right now, Notre Dame has five players committed in their 2014 class and fans are growing restless. Last year, Notre Dame had 10 players committed by today (April 10th).

The biggest impact a winning season has is on the following class. Therefore, this class, the 2014 class, should be an incredible haul for the Irish.

But, yet, Notre Dame sits at five. Five less than last year. What is going on?

For starters, in 2011 and 2012, Notre Dame only had commitments from 1 player who would eventually commit to the Irish. One of them, Tee Shepard is no longer with the program. The other is Brad Carrico who is on a medical scholarship.

Maybe it is not as bad as fans are thinking. Also, Notre Dame is being more selective in who they are going after. Notre Dame is looking for elite talent at each position as opposed to just filling their needs.

Notre Dame also does not have a lot of momentum. Since losing terribly in the National Title, Notre Dame has faced some media nightmares. Brian Kelly interviewed with the Eagles. The Star Linebacker was catfished by a person who turned out to be a guy. They definitely have lost some of the good will that they had created.

Charlie Weis’ staff took a similar approach with the 2007 class. The Irish choose to be selective and they only landed 7 commitment before the season started. This is not uncharted territory for Notre Dame. It will work out.

The Irish could land a rash of commitments. In 2011, Notre Dame landed 7 commitments between April 10th and the end of April. There are not a lot of prospects out there who are looking to make a decision. But, anything can happen.

Patience.