Most Prolific Recruiting States Under Brian Kelly
By Andrew Hall
Over the past week, Brian Kelly and his Coaching Staff landed four recruits: ATH Jalen Elliot, WR Kevin Stepherson, LB Jamir Jones and TE Brock Wright. These recruits hail from Virginia, Florida, New York and Texas respectively.
Notre Dame has landed recruits from 30 states and the District of Columbia under current Head Coach Brian Kelly.
The Top 5 states are not significantly surprising. New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas did not make the Top 5 but produced great talents such as Bennett Jackson, Prince Shembo and Cam McDaniel.
This list is an evaluation of quantity, not quality.
Here are the five most prolific recruiting states under Brian Kelly (2009-2015):
Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Max Redfield (10) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
#5: California
Amir Carlisle, Tyler Lautua, Max Redfield and Joe Schmidt headline the current Californians on Notre Dame’s roster. They will be joined by incoming Freshman CJ Sanders and Equanimeous St. Brown. Both Carlisle and Schmidt did not join the Irish as scholarship players. Carlisle originally signed with USC. Schmidt was a preferred Walk-On until 2013.
Tee Shepard and Eddie Vanderdoes, both signed their letters of intent with Notre Dame but never made it to an actual practice. Vanderdoes was the highest recruit signed by Notre Dame from California. He ranked as a 5-star recruit and 21st prospect in the 2013 class. Without Vanderdoes, Max Redfield is the highest recruited Californian.
Josh Atkinson, George Atkinson, Troy Niklas, Cameron Roberson and Justin Utupo all played for Brian Kelly. Troy Niklas is probably the most successful player under Kelly today. Niklas was drafted in the 2nd Round of the NFL Draft and 52nd selection overall.
Players Signed or Committed: 11