Notre Dame Football Recruiting: The Irish's Top Targets and Commitments

With Notre Dame poised to make a significant jump in the second year of Brian Kelly's tenure, and on the heels of signing a top 10 recruiting class in 2011, the outlook for the Irish's 2012 recruiting efforts looks promising.

The Irish are in the hunt and have caught the eye many of the top prospects in the country and already have several commitments from top caliber prospects.

Come inside as we give you a couple updates on the top players either committed to play in South Bend or interested in being a Golden Domer.

Notre Dame 2012 Recruiting Class Update

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Robert Hughes #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his touchdown with teammates agianst the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium on November 20, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Ima

Currently, the Irish have a seven-man recruiting class with four out the seven pledges being rated 4-stars or higher. 

Three of the commitments are from defensive backs, with two being CBs. There are two offensive tackles in the class, along with a WR and even a long snapper.

Top Commitment: Ronald Darby, CB

Darby is viewed and considered to be the best cornerback prospect in America. 5'11", 175 pounds, he's known as "Nitro" due to his amazing speed as Darby has been clocked at 4.28 in the 40 and is an elite sprinter in track.

He's very quick, has a good backpedal, reacts quick to mirror receivers and has the hips and transition quickness to plant and drive with ease. Darby is plenty fast, so carrying receivers deep is not a problem and he will attack the football like a receiver in flight.

He pledged to Notre Dame in April.

Has Gunner Kiel Eliminated Notre Dame?

Gunner Kiel, the nation's No. 1 QB, is the nephew of former Irish QB Blair Kiel. Despite recent reports on the contrary, it seems the consensus is starting to become Notre Dame will not be the school Gunner chooses.

Word has it right now that the top two schools for Kiel are Oklahoma and Michigan, with the Sooners holding a lead.

Can Notre Dame get back in the race or is Kiel all set to stop the family lineage in South Bend?

Top Target: Keith Marshall, RB

Marshall has recently said he wishes to visit South Bend in the fall for an official visit. He's one of the elite overall recruits in the country and is one the top three RB recruits for 2012.

5'11", 180 pounds, Marshall has been clocked in the 4.3 range in the 40. He shows great production, vision, quickness, lateral quickness, acceleration and elusiveness.

A dynamic player, Notre Dame is one of many schools in the race for Marshall, but with only five allotted visits and him stating the Irish should get one speaks volumes of his interest.

Nation's Top Guard Prospect Feeling Golden

Josh Garnett, the 6'5", 275-pound OG from Washington has a slew of offers from all over the country. Yet, he recently stated to IrishEyes.com that he has a "very large interest" in Notre Dame and has been thorough in researching the program.

Interestingly enough, Garnett says Notre Dame is recruiting him to play offensive tackle. He has researched the Notre Dame science program and says the academic prestige of the university is extremely appealing.

He plans to officially visit Notre Dame in the fall.

Key Commitments

The Irish also have several talented recruits already committed for the 2012 recruiting class, and there are a few players in the fold I really like.

Tee Shepard is a 6'0", 175-pound free safety prospect that is one of the premier middle back end defenders in the country.

Taylor Decker is a 6'8", 290-pound offensive tackle that can play either the left or right island for the Irish offensive front.

Nick Baratti is a 6'2", 190-pounder who plays QB for his high school squad, but his play, speed and athleticism project him to be a future starter at free safety.

Noah Spence Is Interested in Notre Dame

Noah Spence, the best pure pass rusher in the country for 2012, has a good amount of interest in Notre Dame. 6'4", 240 pounds, Spence is one of the elite prospects in the nation.

He is being recruited heavily by Notre Dame assistant Charley Molnar and the two have a great relationship. The Irish view Spence as an ideal fit in their 3-4 scheme as either a DE or an OLB.

Spence has not said if he will take an official visit to South Bend.

Irish Coaches Visited Cyrus Jones School Earlier This Month

Holding more than 20 scholarship offers, Cyrus Jones is one of the fastest players in the 2012 recruiting class. A 5'10", 185-pounder, Jones can play RB or DB in college.

Earlier this month, Irish assistant coach Kerry Cooks paid Jones' school a visit in Maryland, showing that he Irish are very interested in the speedster.

Jones' high school coach indicated the educational value of Notre Dame is appealing to Jones, who will try to narrow down his list this summer.

Sheldon Day Wants to Visit Notre Dame...Again

Sheldon Day is a 4-star DT that stands 6'2", 278 pounds and made an unofficial visit to South Bend a few weeks ago, where he toured the campus and met with the coaching staff. He said he got a special and spiritual feeling while on campus.

Day states he has a lot of interest in Notre Dame and would like to make another visit so he can meet with Paul Longo, the Irish strength coach.

He wants to grade out the Notre Dame strength program to ensure it will get him in the best conditioning and strength possible to maximize his on-field talent.

Mauk Can See Himself Playing in Front of Touchdown Jesus

With Gunner Kiel likely having eliminated the Irish, their focus is now turned to other QB prospects. One of those prospects that they have offered is 6'2", 190-pound Maty Mauk.

Mauk plays in a wide open spread offense and has put up some gaudy numbers over the recent years. Mauk recently told Scout.com he has visited Notre Dame nearly five times and can see himself playing for the Irish.

He holds eight offers, including from Michigan, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati, among others. 

Irish High for Odenigbo

Ifeadi Odenigbo is one of the most explosive pass rushers in the nation and could develop into perhaps the best of the bunch in college. 6'4", 220 pounds, he would be an ideal fit as an OLB in the Irish 3-4 defense.

Notre Dame is only one of his top nine, but he has taken time out and paid South Bend an official visit, to which Odenigbo called "amazing" and why the Irish are high up on his list.

He has been raised a strict Catholic, the campus is not far from Chicago and the academics are top notch, all pluses for the explosive edge defender.