Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Nasty Defense Will Bring Glory Back to Irish
While Gunner Kiel is the top recruit that Brian Kelly landed in 2012, the continued focus on defense is what will bring Notre Dame back to the elite level that it once enjoyed.
Of the seven recruits that Rivals ranks as four-star players, four are defensive. This is a defense that already ranked in the Top 25 in points allowed during the 2011 season, and it's only getting better now.
Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones are going to be hard for offensive lines to stop. If Jones never learns actual skills, he can be an effective player by doing nothing more than putting his hands up.
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He is 6'7", which is going to make it hard for opposing quarterbacks to find the open man. If he does develop into a good pass rusher, he will be nothing short of dominant. Quarterbacks will hardly be able to get rid of the ball with such a big man in their face.
When they do pass, the Irish have Tee Shepard and Elijah Shumate to make a play on the ball. Those are not only strong, four-star defensive backs, but they are also each over 6'0".
Defenders often get into trouble against passers that throw the ball up, knowing that their receiver is four or five inches taller than the defender, if not more. That is not an advantage that they will have against this duo. They not only have skills, but also the size to play a more physical game.
What all of this means is that the Fighting Irish are going to be very hard to score any points on. Remember that the offense isn't going to be bad either.
They do have a five-star recruit in Kiel, as well as four-star back William Mahone and four-star athlete KeiVarae Russell. Brian Kelly is an offensive coach, so the fact that the overall talent is on the defensive side of the ball is a good thing for fans of Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish are in place to be a dangerous team over the next four years. They have talent on offense, and aren't going to allow much if anything on defense. That is going to translate to a great win-loss record in South Bend.
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