The hot streak the Notre Dame football team’s coaches were on in May may have officially flipped. Is it possible they are now in what could be considered a slump after missing out on defensive lineman Alister Vallejo, the second recruiting loss in two days, to one of their most hated rivals? It feels like it, at the very least.
Vallejo announced on Tuesday night that he’s headed to Ann Arbor and will join the Michigan Wolverines. The announcement came as a surprise, as it seemed like the fight was coming down to the Fighting Irish and the Kansas Jayhawks.
What makes the Vallejo loss much more painful is that he follows another top defensive line prospect in McHale Blade, who gave his pledge to the Wolverines on Monday. It’s not very often in the last few years that the Notre Dame football team loses a recruiting battle to its old rival.
It’s even rarer that they lose two recruiting battles in two days.
However, they have indeed done that this week. Now, the team needs to pick itself off the mat and start winning the next battle—there will be several as June continues.
June 20 has become one of the most important dates on the calendar for many teams across the college football world. That’s no different for the Notre Dame football team, which could be reeling in a few commits by then and even on that date.
Even knowing all of that, losing Alister Vallejo's commitment hurts, and just how it happened needs to be examined.