Notre Dame Football: Which Recruits Will Start, and Which Will Warm the Bench?

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly may not have been able to land one of his top targets for the 2012 recruiting class, WR Deontay Greenberry, but Kelly still managed to bring in another outstanding recruiting class this year, one that was full of notable prospects. 

With key holes to fill at certain positions, you have to expect that some of this year's top incoming freshmen will be given the chance to prove their worth and earn a starting job right from the get-go. 

The question Irish fans have to ask, though, is will there be any freshman who are able to crack the starting lineup for the 2012 season?

Well, here's a look at the potential 2012 roles for some of this year's top incoming recruits.

Potential Starter: CB Tee Shepard

With both of last year's starting cornerbacks Robert Blanton and Gary Gray now gone, cornerback is going to be one of the key question mark areas for Notre Dame heading into the 2012 season. 

Lo Wood and Bennett Jackson are largely unproven, and there will definitely be an opportunity for a talented recruit like Tee Shepard to come in and snatch a starting spot as a freshman. 

Shepard has to be bummed that his cousin, WR Deontay Greenberry, won't be joining him in South Bend, but if the 4-star recruit can stay focused on his own career, he's got the chance to be a big-time defensive back for the Irish. 

While his overall technique may still be raw, Shepard possesses the type of size and athleticism to match up with any receiver in the country. It will be interesting to see if he can gain the trust of the coaching staff in fall camp and earn a starting spot by the time the season rolls around. 

Potential Starter: S Elijah Shumate

I got the chance to see Elijah Shumate up-close, in-person when I attended the Don Bosco-Bergen Catholic game this past season. And I have to say, he is one impressive looking prospect. 

Size, range, instincts, intangibles—Shumate possesses all of the traits you look for in a potential standout safety, and I think he's got the chance to compete right away for the vacancy safety Harrison Smith is leaving. 

Zeke Motta may be the odds-on favorite to win the job, but if Shumate comes in and wows the coaches in fall camp and earns their trust by September, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it into the starting lineup by October. 

Like any high school prospect, the 4-star recruit is going to have to learn all of the nuances of the defensive system, but if he picks up the different coverages and packages quickly, Shumate's got all of the physical and mental skills to become an instant impact player for the Irish.

Potential Backup: QB Gunner Kiel

5-star QB Gunner Kiel is the face of Notre Dame's 2012 recruiting class, and he'll be the defining player that ultimately shapes how this class will be remembered. 

The question is, though, is Kiel ready to start as a freshman?

It looks like it will be a four-way battle for the starting quarterback job this offseason in South Bend, with Kiel and returning players like Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson all in the mix. 

Rees will have the best chance to win the job given his experience in the system. But Hendrix, Golson and Kiel are certainly capable of pushing him. 

You have to wonder, though, given how important this season is for Brian Kelly after posting consecutive 8-5 campaigns in his first two years, if Kelly will be ready to hand the most important job on the field to a true freshman, who is bound to make some key freshman mistakes. 

As good as Kiel was in high school, he's still got a lot to learn and a lot to adapt to at the college level, and you would have to expect that it will be Rees and Hendrix who end up as the front-runners to win the job. 

Potential Backup: RB William Mahone

William Mahone may be the future of Notre Dame's backfield, but with last year's starter Cierre Wood returning for his junior season, Mahone is going to have to assume a backup role in 2012. 

With Jonas Gray gone, there will be room for Mahone to compete with George Atkinson III and Cam McDaniel for the leftover carries. 

The 5'11'', 205-pound incoming freshman has the strength to pound it inside the tackles, but he also showed a good burst during his time at Ohio's Austintown Fitch high school.

The Irish should definitely be able to count on him reeling off a few big runs this season when he does get the ball in his hands. 

Potential Backup: DT Sheldon Day

Highly-touted DT Sheldon Day was one of three early enrollees of the 2012 recruiting class. 

The 4-star prospect should benefit from getting an early start on things, but he probably won't be able to do enough between now and the time September rolls around to take away a starting job from any of the three projected defensive line starters for 2012—Louis Nix, Aaron Lynch or Kapron Lewis-Moore. 

Still, Day is the type of versatile defensive lineman who possesses the size, strength and athleticism to fill in at any of the three spots along the defensive line. He should be a valuable role player as a freshman, and give the starters some rest when needed.