Notre Dame Football Recruiting 2011: The Irish's Top Uncommitted Targets

Notre Dame has seen more than their fair share of ups and downs this college football recruiting season, but still hold on to a top 2011 recruiting class. 

The Irish aren't done yet, sitting at 19 commitments with some room for a little talent to hop onboard before National Signing Day. 

Here's the breakdown of the five players Notre Dame has targeted to fill out their 2011 class.

Notre Dame's Current 2011 Recruiting Class

Five-Star Commitments: 0

Four-Star Commitments: 9

Three-Star Commitments: 10

The losses of Aaron Lynch, Justice Hayes and Jordan Prestwood were big blows to Notre Dame's recruiting efforts, but the school still boasts a strong and well-balanced overall class. 

Getting former North Carolina commitment Everett Golson to come aboard was huge. The four-star quarterback is one of the top dual-threat passers in the nation and instantly upgrades the offensive side of the Irish's 2011 class. 

Add in four-star talent at offensive guard, offensive tackle, tight end, running back, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker and safety and you quickly see why Notre Dame still has a stacked class despite the recent losses. 

5. Antonio Richardson, OT

Antonio Richardson is one of the few elite tackles still uncommitted. At 6'5" and 310 pounds, he's the No. 1 prospect from the state of Tennessee and a player everyone in the SEC is trying to get their hands on. 

He's a bit raw, but extremely strong with a good deal of athleticism and a massive reach. If he can sort out issues with his footwork and blocking technique, you could be looking at a future NFL pillar for someone's offensive line.

Richardson is more of a backup plan than anything for the Irish as he's still considering a 10-team field that includes  Miami, Oklahoma, USC, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn and Clemson.

4. Troy Niklas, OT

Niklas plays tight end, defensive end and defensive tackle in high school, but based on his athleticism, footwork, size and hard-working mentality, scouts see him as a potential star at offensive tackle.

At 6'5" and 265 lbs, Niklas has a massive wing-span, is a natural athlete with great lower body strength, and moves extremely well for his size. Learning the nuances of the position will be important, but it should come easily to him.

At this point, Niklas has narrowed things down to Notre Dame, Stanford and USC, with the Cardinal believed to be the leader at the moment. 

3. Wayne Lyons, S

Lyons will need to work on his backpedal and man-to-man coverage skills, but the tools are there for him to develop into an outstanding play-maker. He's got a great pair of hands and is a very smart football player.

He is a true quarterback of the secondary and will get his troops lined up quickly, calling out adjustments like someone born to play this position.

“Besides Nebraska, I have been talking to Michigan about taking a visit at the end of the year. I have already taken trips to UCLA and Notre Dame. Those are really my top four schools,” Lyons said. 

2. Ishaq WIlliams, DE

Ishaq Williams is an athletic freak with the potential to be a superb outside linebacker or strong safety on top of his skill along the defensive line. 

He's long and rangy, runs a deceptively fast 4.7-second 40-yard dash and is one of the most intense players you'll ever come across.

After a lengthy recruiting process, Williams narrowed his choices down to three schools earlier this week. It will either be Notre Dame, Penn State or Syracuse when Williams makes his planned announcement at the U.S. Army All-American Game. 

1. Savon Huggins, RB

There's no one from the 2011 class who can juke quite like Savon Huggins.

He has such a broad array of moves that you really never know what he's going to do on any given play.

When you watch him play, you immediately think Barry Sanders. He's got the vision, the balance, the change-of-direction ability and simply the unwillingness to go down.

Notre Dame and Rutgers have to be considered the leaders at the moment, but Auburn and USC have made a strong push lately and are right on their tails in a field that also includes Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.