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Notre Dame Football: Grading the Irish’s 2018 recruiting class

By Connor Muldowney

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Jonathan Bonner #55, Jay Hayes #93 and Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a defensive stop on 4th down against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 18, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Navy 24-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Jonathan Bonner #55, Jay Hayes #93 and Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a defensive stop on 4th down against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 18, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Navy 24-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football has sewn up its 2018 recruiting class but just how well did the Fighting Irish and Brian Kelly fare, by position?

Notre Dame’s 2018 recruiting class is one of Brian Kelly’s best ever and it doesn’t quite get the credit that it should because of programs like Georgia and Ohio State dominating the team rankings.

There were plenty of gems and Army All-Americans in the class, but how did it grade out? The quarterback, receiver and defensive backs received extremely high grades, but they aren’t the only elite groups in this Notre Dame class.

How did the Irish grade out, by position, in their 2018 recruiting class?

Offensive Line: B+

After losing some big names to the NFL draft, Notre Dame needed to close its 2018 class with an impressive offensive line haul. They did just that, landing one four-star offensive tackle and three three-star prospects at the same position. Luckily, they are versatile enough to play any position on the offensive line.

Adding four strong prospects, although not “elite” per recruiting sites, is huge for depth and that’s as important as anything.

The top lineman, Jarrett Patterson, committed on National Signing Day, picking the Irish over the Bruins of UCLA. He’s the No. 214 overall prospect and 17th-best offensive tackle, according to 247Sports. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 285 pounds from Mission Viejo, Calif.

John Dirksen was another big get out of the state of Ohio. He signed during the early period after committing back in March. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound monster tackle is ranked the No. 454 prospect in the class and 36th-best at the position.

Luke Jones isn’t far behind Dirksen in the rankings, listed as the No. 481 prospect and 38th-best offensive tackle. Lastly, Cole Mabry is the tallest of the bunch, at 6-foot-6, but is just 275 pounds. He’s listed as the No. 719 prospect and 54th-best tackle in the class.

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