Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Biggest Holes to Fill on National Signing Day

Irish eyes are set to smile rather wide on national signing day this year. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly currently has Scout.com's eighth-ranked recruiting class bound for South Bend, with plenty of room for growth by Feb. 1.

But how will this latest bunch of high school kids fit in with the Golden Domers? More importantly, how will they fill the holes on Notre Dame's roster heading into the 2012 college football season?

Wide Receiver

Replacing a receiver of Michael Floyd's caliber will be no easy task for the Irish, though the incoming class should help them make up some of the difference in production.

Deontay Greenberry, a 5-star recruit, figures to be the first freshman to get a crack at it. The 6'3", 180-pounder out of Fresno, Calif. has the size, strength and leaping ability to be a veritable Floyd clone, though, like so many high school kids, his maturity and competitiveness could use some work.

The Irish's other two wide-out commits—3-star Justin Ferguson and 2-star Chris Brown—might also see some time on the field given that they, too, will be big, physical targets for Tommy Rees.

Running Back

The Irish needn't worry too much about their situation at running back, so long as Cierre Wood stays healthy during his senior season.

Still, the depth behind Wood leaves something to be desired, though the new batch of prospects should give Coach Kelly something of a reprieve at the position going forward. Aside from USC transfer Amir Carlisle, who figures to compete for carries from the get-go, the Irish will stock their backfield with a pair of 4-star ball-carriers: the thunderous William Mahone and the lightning-quick KeiVarae Russell.  

Whether either of the latter two set cleat to turf in any game this season will likely depend largely on the contributions of senior-to-be Theo Riddick and sophomores-to-be Cam Daniel and George Atkinson III.

Defensive Backfield

Defensively, Notre Dame will be breaking in an entirely new secondary, with seniors at safety and corner having since departed from the Golden Domers.

Freshman defensive backs rarely see the field at big-time programs, but if push comes to shove, Coach Kelly will have some pretty good ones to turn to. Among the Fresno-based contingent, Kelly was able to sway 5-star corner Tee Shepard to South Bend, with fellow 5-star Ronald Darby still on the radar.

At safety, 4-stars Elijah Shumate and C.J. Prosise have all but punched their tickets to the Hoosier State, as has 3-star John Turner. Those three will be asked to fill in for captain Harrison Smith and Jamoris Slaughter, though returnees Zeke Motta and Austin Collinsworth figure to make the transition a bit smoother than it otherwise would've been.

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