Notre Dame Football: What’s wrong on the recruiting front?
By Ben Belden
Notre Dame football has had its share of big misses on the recruiting front lately. Should Irish fans be concerned?
The Notre Dame football staff has, by and large, done a tremendous job in recruiting. However, it goes without saying that certain misses in the 2021 recruiting class have been real blows to the psyche of Notre Dame fans hoping for the Irish to take the next step to National Championship contention.
At the beginning of May, the Irish missed out on five-star running back Will Shipley, after a roller coaster recruiting process that ultimately ended up in Shipley choosing Clemson over the Fighting Irish.
In addition, rumors are swirling that the Irish could lose another commit for the 2021 class and that reality has many wondering what is going on that has the Irish missing on recruits.
Certainly, the Irish are at a disadvantage given the current restrictions on recruiting due to COVID-19. More so than other schools, the Irish rely on getting recruits on campus and experiencing the atmosphere that South Bend has to offer. Without being able to get athletes on campus, Notre Dame is at a slight disadvantage.
Notre Dame is well-renowned for how it develops players from the time they arrive on campus to the time they declare for the NFL Draft–just ask the likes of Drue Tranquil, Miles Boykin, and Chase Claypool, just to name a few.
Take into consideration this tweet from Special Teams Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Brian Polian:
Drue Tranquill came to Notre Dame as a Safety, moved down to Rover, and then moved inside to Buck. He left as a draft pick. In recruiting, we want smart, tough, athletic guys that love football! The rest of it works itself out. #NDFamily pic.twitter.com/cX4pnBq8u1
— Brian Polian (@BrianPolian) May 21, 2020
The Irish recruit players who they hope will embrace the process of developing (as players and as people) through the course of their careers at Notre Dame. The aforementioned Tranquill is a perfect example of a player who rose to the many challenges Notre Dame has to offer and capitalized on his experiences.
The truth is that nothing is truly wrong on the recruiting front for the Irish. This is just par for the course. Notre Dame will get a small share of big wins on the recruiting front, but perhaps more often, they will miss on the biggest fish in the pond.
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That said, one would expect the Irish to land on the home-runs, the high school plug-and-play players who can contribute from the moment they step on campus. The Irish have missed on those players regularly and that has played a large factor in why the Irish have been unable to take the step into the ranks of the true contenders for the College Football Playoff.