Notre Dame Football: How the Irish Can Pass Michigan in 2013 Recruiting

For most of the initial decade of the 21st century, the biggest thorn in Notre Dame’s side resided in Los Angeles in the form of Pete Carroll, the always exuberant mastermind of the USC dynasty. Carroll dropped his first meeting with the Irish in 2001 before running off eight straight victories over Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis, all but two of those by at least three touchdowns.

The California-cool Carroll has since taken his talents to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, and Notre Dame abruptly ended its losing streak to the Trojans with a 20-16 win in 2010. While hatred for USC will persist throughout the Notre Dame until the end of time, the new team atop the Irish fans’ most wanted list is another bitter rival: Michigan.

The Wolverines have won five of six against Notre Dame, including the past three in which the Irish led each with 30 seconds remaining. Even Rich Rodriguez, considered by most Maize and Blue pundits as the biggest failure in the long, storied history of Michigan football, won two of his three meetings with Notre Dame during a forgettable 15-22 tenure in Ann Arbor.

Not only has Michigan experienced success on the field of late, but second-year head coach Brady Hoke and his staff have been dominant on the recruiting trail, already having locked up 22 commitments in the 2013 class. It’s not just quantity, it’s quality. Eleven of those 22 players are ranked in the ESPNU 150. Fourteen are considered 4- or 5-star players by Rivals.com, by far the most in the nation (Alabama and LSU are tied for the second-most with 11).

Hoke has capitalized in an extremely fertile year for top prospects in the Midwest. Seventeen of the 22 commitments are from Illinois, Michigan or Ohio. Ten came on the heels of a highly successful junior day held on campus in mid-February, a month before Notre Dame held its primary showcase event for many of its top targets.

Despite Michigan sweeping up many of the Midwest’s most coveted players, Notre Dame’s 14 commitments are by no means scraps left over from the Wolverines’ invasion. While the Irish class is ranked only No. 8 overall by Rivals.com, it can be argued that the class could turn out just as good or better than that of their enemies to the north.

Michigan has zero commitments from 5-star players, according to Rivals.com rankings, while Notre Dame has the No. 4 overall prospect in Jaylon Smith (for more on the prized linebacker, click here). Neither team has landed an elite playmaker on the offensive side of the ball, but the Irish clearly have more room available with a class that is expected to exceed 20 by the time national signing day rolls around more than seven months from now.

One notable target is wide receiver Laquon Treadwell of Crete, Ill., a suburb on the south side of Chicago and less than two hours from South Bend. Although Michigan is also very much in the mix with Treadwell, he is expected to take an official visit to Notre Dame this fall, and given his proximity to campus he could return later this summer.

Notre Dame is also in the mix for Demarcus Robinson of Fort Valley, Ga., although the Irish must work quickly to be in line for one of Robinson’s five official visits. The 6’2”, 200-pound wide receiver also holds offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami (FL), Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee, among others. Without an official visit, Notre Dame will find itself out of luck with Robinson.

Both the Wolverines and the Irish lack an elite running back in their class. Notre Dame remains a player for both Taquan Mizzell from Virginia Beach, Va., and Tarean Folston of Cocoa, Fla. Khalfani Muhammad from Sherman Oaks, Calif., just received an offer from the Irish on Thursday and may have the Irish higher on his list than any remaining running back on their board. The small, shifty back would fit well in Brian Kelly’s spread offense. All three players are considered 4-star players by Rivals.com.

The area where Notre Dame has the most ground to make is up is in the front seven. Only Smith and defensive ends Jacob Matuska and Isaac Rochell are currently committed. The Irish need to add at least three more players in the front seven.

Top targets include 4-star defensive ends Jordan Sherit from Tampa and Ebenezer Ogundeko, from Brooklyn, N.Y., as well as linebacker Alex Anzalone, also a 4-star, from Wyomissing, Pa. Ogundeko, who decommitted from Connecticut after receiving multiple offers from major programs, could be close to joining fellow Brooklyn native and current Irish linebacker Ishaq Williams at Notre Dame.

Despite his Florida upbringing, Sherit is an outstanding student who would be an ideal academic fir at Notre Dame. He appears to not be opposed to leaving the South, having recently visited Stanford, and Notre Dame remains in the mix with Sherit. Anzalone’s father is a Florida alumnus and his grandparents reside in the Sunshine State, but the Irish are on his short list, which includes the Gators and Penn State.

The Irish and Wolverines have outstanding offensive line classes and are done at the position for the 2013 class. Both programs also have their likely quarterbacks of the future, with pro-style passer Shane Morris headed to Ann Arbor and dual-threat Malik Zaire on his way to South Bend.

After a bit of a slow start to the recruiting cycle, Notre Dame has come on strong during the spring and early summer months. The Irish have built momentum and the current committed players are actively recruiting other Irish targets. A gap that seemed at once impossible to overcome to approach the level of Michigan’s class has narrowed substantially.

Adding some more bodies along the defensive front and landing an elite playmaker on offense is all that is standing between this class and a potential top five ranking come February, which could propel Notre Dame ahead of Michigan. It won’t make up for the three straight last-minute losses on the field, but it will help ensure that the Irish are better prepared to win those nail-biting battles in future seasons.