2017 shaping up to be Brian Kelly’s best class yet

Darnell Ewell’s commitment has Notre Dame rising in the rankings. 2017 could be Brian Kelly’s best recruiting class so far.

After the four-star defensive tackle Ewell committed to Notre Dame last week, the Irish 2017 class is rising in the rankings. As of right now Notre Dame’s class is ranked sixth by Rivals, fourth by 247Sports and second by Scout. While Notre Dame consistently has had top 15 classes under Brian Kelly, it’s only had one class ranked in the top five and that was in 2013. The 2013 class featured players such as Jaylon Smith, Tarean Folston, Mike McGlinchey, Isaac Rochell, Malik Zaire, as well as a few others.

2017 is on the trajectory to be on the same level as 2013. Notre Dame currently has 16 commitments and depending on which recruiting site you look at the Irish have anywhere between 12-14 four-star commitments. So not only is Kelly and his staff bringing in a good quantity of players, he’s also bringing in quality players.

He’s also addressing needs. It’s no secret Notre Dame needs help on the defensive side of the ball and so far they have eight defensive players committed.

One of the most impressive things of Notre Dame’s success on the recruiting trail over the past few seasons is that they’ve had turnover in their staff. Since 2011 Notre Dame has lost Ed Warinner and Tony Alford to Ohio State, Bob Diaco to UConn, Chuck Martin to Miami (OH) and Kerry Cooks to Oklahoma. Even with the loss of some top assistants, Notre Dame has still remained a dominant force recruiting.

Next: Notre Dame Adds Four-Star DT

The best thing about the 2017 class is that Notre Dame isn’t done yet. They still have plenty of scholarships to fill and there are plenty of top players out there. With the way things are going I would not be surprised to see Notre Dame get a few more four or five star commitments and for them to stay in the top five.