Notre Dame Football: Breaking down new 2017 commits
By Walt Kosin
It’s been a strong week on the recruiting trail for Notre Dame football.
In the past seven days, the Fighting Irish have gotten verbal commitments from three four-star players including two particularly interesting ones: offensive lineman Robert Hainsey and athlete C. J. Holmes.
Hainsey, a 6-foot-4.5, 275-pound offensive lineman, attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, though he is originally from Monroeville, Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh. Even though Hainsey plays tackle on the prep level, he will likely switch to one of the three interior offensive line positions for the Irish. He is listed by 247Sports as the fourth best guard in the country and chose Notre Dame over other finalists such as Michigan and Michigan State.
Hainsey has great strength and is a mauler in the ground game. He is known on recruiting websites for his relentless motor and drive and if he continues to develop his body, he should start for the Irish in the future. As with most offensive linemen, he must work on his technique and footwork. This, combined with his time in the Notre Dame weight room, should produce a multi-year starter for the Fighting Irish.
Hainsey is the third offensive lineman to verbally commit to Notre Dame alongside Joshua Lugg and Dillon Gibbons. Interestingly, Hainsey is the fourth player from the Pittsburgh area to commit to the Irish from this class. The others are linebacker David Adams, Lugg and defensive tackle Kurt Henish. Greater Pittsburgh certainly has been very good to the Irish this recruiting cycle.
Holmes is a 6-foot, 200-pound athlete who Notre Dame plans to use at running back. He attends Cheshire Academy in Connecticut and is listed as Scout’s number 15 athlete. He chose Notre Dame over Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State and UCLA. As a tailback, Holmes possess elite speed and great athleticism and is a threat as both a runner and pass catcher.
On Holmes’s last visit to campus, his father was impressed with everything about Notre Dame. That’s one of the advantages Notre Dame has over other universities. With its spirituality, tradition and strong academics, not to mention the beauty of the campus, the school impresses parents to a large degree and benefits the Brian Kelly and his squad. Besides his family’s positive feelings towards Notre Dame, Holmes said he felt in his gut that Notre Dame was the place for him to be. With his combination of speed and power, Holmes looks to be prototypical Notre Dame running back.
Hainsey and Holmes became the 14th and 15th players to give their verbal commitments to the Irish in the class of 2017. They are both four-star players who have great futures. Notre Dame still needs to get one or two more offensive linemen in this class, but Holmes could be the only running back this cycle.
Next: 2017 shaping up to be Brian Kelly's best class yet
Looking ahead, it appears Notre Dame can recruit seven or eight more players as there will be some players transferring after summer camp or becoming medically ineligible to play. Still, both Hainsey and Holmes have made the Irish recruiting class a top-10 one so far on recruiting websites.