Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Irish Get Huge Commit in 4-Star LB Doug Randolph

Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish picked up a big-time commitment today from 4-star linebacker Doug Randolph, who was previously committed to Stanford before backing out.

Steve Hare of IrishIllustrated.com reports on the commitment:

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Notre Dame got a big boost to its recruiting class on Friday when four-star linebacker Doug Randolph verbally committed to the Irish after de-committing from Stanford earlier in the week.

"I will be announcing my commitment to Notre Dame tomorrow," Randolph told IrishIllustrated.com on Thursday night.

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This is a huge commitment for Kelly and the Irish. Randolph is going to be a huge boost for their 2013 recruiting class.

Randolph is a big, physical player at 6'3", 215 pounds. He plays strong standing up against the run and is very proficient at setting the edge as an outside linebacker. But he can also go down to the line and play with his hand down and rush the quarterback.

His versatility should prove key to his success with the Irish, as they can throw him in at outside linebacker, 5-tech, 7-tech or Wide 9.

You also have to factor in how good this makes Notre Dame's 2013 linebacker class.

Remember, the Irish are going to be adding Randolph to a defense includes four other linebackers, highlighted by 5-star prospect and Rivals No. 3 overall prospect Jaylon Smith.

If defense truly wins championships, than South Bend should be feeling pretty good about the class Kelly and his staff have put together. Notre Dame has experienced its fair share of down years as of late, but it's hard not to feel good about the direction the program is heading.

The Irish are going to boast a deep and strong linebacker unit for years to come, and Randolph should be a big part of that.