Notre Dame Football: Will 2012 Recruiting Class Live Up to Ranking?

Scout ranks the 2012 Notre Dame recruiting class No. 8, Rivals ranks it No. 13.  The class boasts four five-star commits (Deontay Greenberry, Gunner Kiel, Sheldon Day, and Tee Shepard), six four-star commits, and there's still time for a couple more of the country's elite high school talents.

But will this group live up to its lofty ranking?  If they turn out like most of Notre Dame's recent classes, it's unlikely they will.

Over the prior six seasons the Irish recruiting classes averaged a top-10 ranking.  Not once during this period (2006-11) has Notre Dame finished its season ranked in the top 10.

Either the Irish recruiting classes have been overrated, or Notre Dame has found a way to squander the talent. 

One would think that it would take about two years to see how a recruiting class pans out.  By the 2014 season, it should be clear how good the 2012 recruiting class really is.

By 2014 about one third of the 2012 class will be juniors, one third will be red-shirt sophomores, and one third will have probably left the program.

The 2009 Irish recruiting class was ranked No. 23 by Scout and No. 21 by Rivals.  This past season the Irish finished ranked No. 26 in Sagarin's final rankings, No. 41 in the Coaches Poll.

The 2008 Irish recruiting class was ranked No. 2 by both Scout and Rivals.  In 2010, Notre Dame finished No.19 in Sagarin's final rankings, No. 41 in the Coaches Poll.

In 2007, the class was ranked No. 11 by Scout and No. 8 by Rivals.  Notre Dame finished the 2009 season No. 48 in Sagarin's final rankings, and failed to make the "others receiving votes" in the 2009 Coaches Poll.

And the 2006 class was ranked No. 5 and 8 respectively.  The 2008 team finished ranked No. 53 by Sagarin and No. 19 in the coaches poll.

Failing to live up to its billing has been a trend for Irish recruiting classes over the last 10 years.

There's only been one exception.  The 2004 Notre Dame Recruiting class wasn't ranked in the top 25, but in 2006 the Irish finished No. 12 in Sagarin's final rankings and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.

In 2004, Scout ranked Boise State's recruiting class No. 72.  In 2006, Boise State finished 13-0 and beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Scout still doesn't respect Boise State's recruiting.  They ranked their 2010 recruiting class No. 97 and last year's No. 65.

Rivals didn't rank Boise State's recruiting classes during these years, as they don't recognize classes outside top 50.

In 2008, while both Scout and Rivals ranked Notre Dame's recruiting class No. 2, Scout ranked Auburn's No. 18 and Rivals ranked it No. 20.  Two years later Auburn won the National Championship.

So what does this mean for Notre Dame?  Scout ranked their 2010 recruiting class No. 19 and their 2011 class No. 8.  Rivals ranked the 2010 class No. 14 and the 2011 class No. 11.

With this year's recruiting class ranked No. 8 by Scout and No. 13 by Rivals, it makes three highly ranked classes in a row for the Brian Kelly led Irish.

Will 2012 be the start of a run of top-15 finishes for Kelly's football team?  Will Coach Kelly distance himself from his predecessor Charlie Weis (2005-09)?

2011 was a disappointment.  It was Notre Dame's second straight 8-5 record, but unlike 2010's Sun Bowl winning team, the Irish suffered a season-ending loss to FSU in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Except for an upset win over highly ranked Michigan State, 2011 was a year of turnovers, failure to win the big games, and seven unimpressive wins.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach recently released his 2012 Way-Too-Early college football poll.  He has the Irish ranked No. 23.  Schlabach likes the defense, but isn't sold on the offense with the loss of  WR Michael Floyd and questions at the quarterback position.

Notre Dame feels it's on the right path and recently gave Kelly a contract extension.  Now, he has to take the Irish to the next level.

The analysts say he's got the talent to get there.  Will the 2010, 2011, and 2012 recruiting classes prove them right?