Alex Bars Commits to Notre Dame

Apr 20, 2013; Notre Dame, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish wear a shamrock sticker with the letter B in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings at the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Last week Brian Kelly and Co received a committment from OL Alex Bars of Tennessee. Bars announced his committment via twitter: “I have officially committed to the University of Notre Dame.” Bars committment brings Notre Dame’s 2014 class to 10 recruits.

Bars was rated as a 4-star recruit by Rivals and 247sports, and is listed as the 55th player in the ESPN 150 ranking of high school football recruits. Bars, a 6’6 290lb lineman from Montgomery Bell Academy, will most likely develop into a tackle at Notre Dame.  Bars was believed to be a heavy lean to Michigan given the fact that his brother plays for the Wolverines and Bars took two unofficial visits to the campus even though Bars father played for the Irish from 1981 to 1984. Kelly needs to keep in mind that Michigan will continue to recruit Bars until his official letter is signed in February of next year. Bars also received offers from Penn St, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio St, Stanford and Texas A&M to name a few.

Bars high school tape reveals an athlete with the potential to anchor an offensive line and provide quality years as a starter. However, the tape also displays several glaring areas of improvement. Bars stands straight up when blocking defenders and seems to lack the strength to drive smaller defenders off the line. Under the tutelage of Paul Luongo and Harry Hiestand, Bars should improve, but he will need to red-shirt his first season.

The committment of Bars continues Brian Kelly’s pattern of building his team around the trenches. The 2013 had five offensive linemen: Steve Elmer, Hunter Bivin, John Montelus, Colin McGovern and Mike McGlinchey, while Bars joins Jimmy Byrne, Sam Mustipher and Quenton Nelson as the 4th offensive linemen in the 2014 class. With running backs Elijah Hood (2014), Greg Bryant (2013) and Tarean Folston (2013) also in the fold, Notre Dame looks setup for a bright future.