Notre Dame Football Recruiting: 5 Recruits That Notre Dame Can't Lose

With the regular season coming to a close and bowl games only left to play, these next few months will be focused on recruiting. Where will some of the top players in the country end up and which teams will fill their needs with future stars?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish already have a top recruiting class and a team loaded with talent. But there are still players out there that could really put their program over the top.

They recently lost quarterback Gunner Kiel to LSU, and it's obviously never good to see a top player slip through the cracks to another school.

Here are five players that the Irish have a chance at and need to finish the deal.

OLB Ifeadi Odenigbo

Ifeadi Odenigbo is the definition of upside.

He is extremely athletic, very explosive and has great size at 6'3", 217 pounds. He's very long and has great speed. Odenigbo can either play the linebacker position or defensive end. Potential just oozes out of this kid's body, and he will make some team very happy wherever he ends up.

He's taken a visit to Northwestern and Stanford, but he is also interested in Ohio State and Notre Dame.

OG Joshua Garnett

The Irish have yet to receive a commitment from a guard, but if they're able to land Joshua Garnett, none of that will matter. He's 6'5", 275 pounds and compares himself to Ndamukong Suh on the offensive side of the ball.

Garnett plays the game with a ton of passion and can control anybody on the defensive line. He's extremely athletic, with great quickness and has a very high football IQ.

He's already visited Notre Dame and is also considering Michigan, Stanford and Miami, among others.

WR Dorial Green-Beckham

Landing the top wide receiver prospect in Dorial Green-Beckham may be a long shot considering he's more interested in Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. But the Irish do have an offer on the table and have a lot to offer the young man.

Green-Beckham will become one of the top wide receivers in the country at 6'6", 220 pounds. He's the ultimate deep threat, and there's not a football that he can't catch. A guy of his caliber can make any quarterback look good.

With Michael Floyd on his way out, Green-Beckham would instantly become the No.1 receiver in this offense.

S Shaquille Thompson

The Irish already have two safeties committed in C.J. Prosise and John Turner, but none are as talented as Shaquille Thompson.

Thompson is arguably the top safety prospect in the country and has terrific size at 6'2", 210 pounds. He is a solid tackler, has great instincts and has great speed. He's also capable of playing nearly any position in the secondary and could play wide receiver as well.

He took an official visit to Notre Dame a couple of months ago, but is also considering Arizona State, California, Washington and Oregon.

OT Arik Armstead

Who cares if the Irish weren't able to land the top quarterback prospect? Of course it hurts, but this team already has depth at the quarterback position. What they need is a top lineman to protect those quarterbacks, and Arik Armstead is that guy to do so.

Armstead is huge at 6'8", 275 pounds and is very explosive off the ball. He has complete control over the defenders and will develop into one of the top lineman in college football.

He took his visit to Notre Dame, and they are very much still in the mix. The Irish are also competing with Alabama, California and Oregon, among others.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]