Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Grading Every Commitment

Now that Notre Dame has locked up its 2012 recruiting class, it's time to grade each of the 16 prospects who have signed their National Letters of Intent.

The class is headlined by 5-star quarterback Gunner Kiel, along with 4-star defensive back Tee Shepard.

For grades of each commitment, follow along.

Nicky Baratti, S

Grade: B

3-star prospect Nicky Baratti committed to the Irish during last year's annual Blue-Gold game and remained solid with his pledge throughout his recruitment.

The 6'2", 215-pound athlete out of Spring, Tex. played quarterback for Klein Oak High School, but projects at safety at the collegiate level.

With Notre Dame being thin in the defensive backfield, having a shifty athlete such as Baratti only helps.

Baratti's time of 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash, as well as his bench max of 285 pounds are indicators of his tremendous athleticism.

His knowledge and ability to read defenses as a high school quarterback should translate well into his collegiate career as a defensive back.

Chris Brown, WR

Grade: B+

Hanahan, S.C. native Chris Brown was a great get for the Fighting Irish due to the team's need to fill Michael Floyd's spot on the receiver depth chart.

Brown will transition smoothly into Notre Dame's spread attack because of his size (6'2", 185) and speed (4.44 in the 40).

He'll need to add some bulk to his frame in order to become a more effective run-blocker, but his abilities to snag the football and earn yards after the catch go without questioning.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to see Brown see some early playing time in the fall.

Scott Daly, LS

Grade: A

It's not often that a coaching staff would use a scholarship on a player designated as a long-snapper, but such is the case with Scott Daly.

Brian Kelly and his staff have crowned the Downer's Grove, Ill. product as the nation's premier long-snapper.

His addition to the roster is just the beginning of fixing a special teams unit that was abysmal last season.

Sheldon Day, DT

Grade: A-

The Notre Dame coaching staff may have opened up a new recruiting pipeline when it received the commitment of Warren Central High School's Sheldon Day.

Day is believed to be the first player from the Indianapolis school to ever play at Notre Dame.

While Day played defensive tackle in high school, he'll be shifting to end in Bob Diaco's 3-4 alignment. It remains to be seen how smooth his transition will be, and spring ball will give us a good look.

Regardless of physical or athletic ability, Notre Dame received a tremendous student in Day, who recorded a 3.7 grade point average during his four years at Warren Central.

Justin Ferguson, WR

Grade: B

Along with Chris Brown, Justin Ferguson is the other receiver the Irish coaching staff brought on board during the recruiting cycle.

Interestingly enough, Ferguson is the only player from Florida in this class, a state that Notre Dame typically recruits very well.

Ferguson is a prototypical spread receiver at 6'1" and 210 to pounds.

The Irish beat out UCF, Florida, Florida State and Wisconsin, among others, for Ferguson's services.

Mark Harrell, OG

Grade: B

Mark Harrell, a 6'5", 270-pound offensive lineman out of Charlotte Catholic High School, was recruited as Notre Dame's future center.

It's likely that he'll redshirt as a freshman in order to develop the size and strength necessary to play center on the collegiate level.

However, it's Harrell's athleticism that catches most off guard, as he played tight end in the Wing-T formation during his four years at Charlotte Catholic.

Jarron Jones, DT

Grade: A

Rochester, N.Y. native Jarron Jones was the second former Penn State commit that the Irish were able to steal after Ishaq Williams was lured away last recruiting cycle.

Jones is a massive specimen, weighing in near 300 pounds and standing a legitimate 6'6".

Despite his tag as a defensive tackle, Jones is likely to slide to end opposite Sheldon Day.

Jones' addition to a defensive line that already features Stephon Tuitt, Aaron Lynch, Louis Nix, Chase Hounshell and Kapron Lewis-Moore only builds on the notion that it is an elite unit.

Gunner Kiel, QB

Grade: A+

Anytime a program is able to land the nation's top-ranked quarterback, it's worth being applauded. It's also worth an "A+" grade.

While Kiel has been labeled as a pro-style quarterback, he ran a spread attack very similar to that of Notre Dame's during his four years at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind.

He has tremendous size, at 6'4" and 220 pounds, along with arm strength that is virtually unmatched in the class of 2012.

The only knock against Kiel is that he didn't play against elite competition during high school, but his performances at camps such as Elite 11 only confirmed that he can play with the best of the best.

William Mahone, RB

Grade: A

Just take one look at the photo of William Mahone and say that he's only an 18-year-old kid. Hard, isn't it?

Mahone is a man among boys, to say the least. The 5'11", 205-pound running back out of Austintown, Ohio is considered a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com.

It's expected for Mahone to take the role of power back in Brian Kelly's offense after the departure of Jonas Gray.

The good news for Irish fans is that Rivals.com likens Mahone to current Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, who is a "bruiser" in every sense of the word.

Romeo Okwara, DE

Grade: B-

Romeo Okwara is the second player from Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with current linebacker Prince Shembo.

Like Shembo, Okwara is expected to transition to outside linebacker from his natural position of defensive end.

In Okwara, the Irish are getting an incredibly strong athlete, as his bench max is 330 pounds, while his squat max is 605.

He's also destined to be a great student after recording a 3.5 grade point average during his high school career.

C.J. Prosise, S

Grade: B

Notre Dame got an undervalued defensive back in C.J. Prosise from Woodberry Forest, Va. when he signed his LOI on Wednesday. 

Prosise has exceptional size (6'1", 202) and speed (4.55 in the 40), which fits the bill for a strong safety in the 3-4 scheme.

Prosise possesses the raw athletic ability to play the hybrid safety/linebacker role that Jamoris Slaughter currently fills.

KeiVarae Russell, RB

Grade: B+

The Irish scored a big-time athlete in Everett, Wash. product KeiVarae Russell.

Russell has the ability to play both running back and defensive back, and it's still unclear where Brian Kelly and Co. plan to use the 4-star prospect.

In this humble writer's opinion, Russell should be moved to defensive back due to the depth that currently exists at the running back position (Wood, Riddick, Roberson, Atkinson, McDaniel, Mahone).

Tee Shepard, CB

Grade: A

Tee Shepard is considered by many to be the nation's best cover cornerback, something the Irish desperately needed heading into the recruiting cycle.

The 6'1", 180-pound athlete out of Fresno, Calif. is likely to earn a starting cornerback spot during fall camp, with the Irish being scarily thin at the position.

For trivia purposes, we'll throw in the fact that Rivals.com compares Shepard to current Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey.

Elijah Shumate, S

Grade: A

Another commitment, another defensive back. This time, we're discussing Don Bosco Prep product Elijah Shumate, who verbally committed to Notre Dame during the Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9.

Considered a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com, Shumate possesses the athletic ability and intangibles to come in and compete for a starting safety spot right away.

His chances of being named a starter are high, with Harrison Smith having exhausted his eligibility.

Ronnie Stanley, OT

Grade: A

If you're wondering what a well-rounded college football recruit looks like, Ronnie Stanley is a prime example.

Stanley is a freak of an athlete on the football field and has a freak of a work ethic in the classroom, as evidenced by his 3.7 grade point average at Bishop Gorman High School.

Stanley stands 6'7" and weighs in at 285 pounds, making him a likely candidate for early playing time in South Bend.

The Irish were able to beat out Nebraska and Arkansas for Stanley's services.

John Turner, DB

Grade: C+

Notre Dame tapped its Catholic school connections to pluck John Turner out of Indianapolis Cathedral High School.

Turner is set to play safety for the Irish, who received a verbal commitment from the 6'2", 205-pound athlete last June.

With Elijah Shumate, Nicky Baratti and C.J. Prosise already in contention for playing time at safety, expect to see Turner redshirt the 2012 season.