As Notre Dame football prepares for one of their biggest games of the season, the team is quietly building for the future with two impressive recruiting classes.
When Brian Kelly arrived at Notre Dame in 2010 his first several recruiting classes were not spectacular. The Irish finished 21st, 8th and 16th in the national ranks before appearing in the BCS Title Game following the 2012 season.
Notre Dame football recruiting upticked after that, finishing fifth in 2013 and inside the Top 15 nationally for every subsequent year, including the most recent completed class.
Then the Irish were dismantled in the College Football Playoff. Rather than knock the Irish off the pedestal of national title contenders, it might have cemented them as a major player in the sport to come. Recruits realize Kelly has reached the championship game or Playoff twice in his tenure — few programs outside of Tuscaloosa, AL and Clemson, SC can say the same.
Which brings us to Notre Dame’s recruiting classes today. The 2020 Notre Dame football recruiting class ranks ninth in the nation, including two 5-star commitments, more than Texas, Auburn, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Florida, Oregon, etc.
The 2021 class, which is still a ways away from taking center stage, has fared even better. Notre Dame owns the third-best class in the nation and has the more blue-chip players committed (seven) than any other program in college football. Kelly still has to get all of those highly regarded targets to campus. And he has to develop them. But the base to contend annually for the sport’s greatest goal, is well within reach.
Notre Dame football recruiting is arguably as good as it’s ever been. If Kelly and his team can keep winning in the meantime, it could be even better in the future. The Irish are here to stay.