Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Meet the Fighting Irish's 2016 Class

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It’s the day after recruiting Christmas, and Notre Dame football officially unveiled its 23-man recruiting class of 2016 on Wednesday.

There were few surprises for the Irish on national signing day, as Notre Dame landed linebacker Jonathan Jones but missed out on fellow ’backers Ben Davis, Jeffrey McCulloch and Caleb Kelly throughout the rest of the day.

In all, the Irish check in with the 15th-best class in the country.

Player	Position	Ranking	Lead Recruiter
Ian Book	QB	3-star	Mike Sanford
Parker Boudreaux	OL	3-star	Harry Hiestand
Chase Claypool	WR	4-star	Mike Denbrock
Liam Eichenberg	OL	4-star	Harry Hiestand
Jalen Elliott	DB	3-star	Scott Booker
Daelin Hayes	LB/DE	4-star	Keith Gilmore
Jamir Jones	LB	3-star	Mike Elston
Jonathan Jones	LB	3-star	Autry Denson
Tony Jones Jr.	RB	4-star	Autry Denson
Khalid Kareem	DL	4-star	Keith Gilmore
Tommy Kraemer	OL	4-star	Mike Elston
Julian Love	CB	3-star	Mike Denbrock
Deon McIntosh	RB	3-star	Autry Denson
Javon McKinley	WR	4-star	Mike Sanford
D.J. Morgan	S	3-star	Mike Denbrock
Adetokunbo Ogundeji	DL	3-star	Keith Gilmore
Julian Okwara	DL	4-star	Mike Elston
Spencer Perry	S	3-star	Autry Denson
Troy Pride Jr.	DB	4-star	Autry Denson
John Shannon	LS	3-star	Mike Denbrock
Kevin Stepherson	WR	3-star	Scott Booker
Devin Studstill	S	3-star	Autry Denson
Donte Vaughn	CB	4-star	Mike Elston

Note: Highlighted players enrolled in January.

The Headliners

Credit: 247Sports

No, the Irish didn’t land either of their 5-star targets—Davis and Kelly—who announced their pledges Wednesday. And for now, the recruitment of 5-star wide receiver Demetris Robertson is ongoing.

So while the stable of elite, high-end talent is somewhat low—Notre Dame boasts just two top-100 signees—the top of the class is still solid.

Offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer is slotted as the No. 3 tackle and No. 27 overall prospect in the class. Irish head coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday that Kraemer profiles on the edge at Notre Dame, as does fellow Ohio native Liam Eichenberg, the No. 7 tackle and No. 80 prospect nationally.

“Those two kids are as good as you’re going to find in the country,” Kelly said.

Credit: 247Sports

Wide receiver Javon McKinley is the next highest-ranked recruit in the class, sitting 16th at his position and 110th overall. The Irish lost their top three receivers from 2015 in All-American Will Fuller, senior leader Chris Brown and slot man Amir Carlisle. Even more so than most years, Notre Dame’s incoming freshman wideouts will have the opportunity to fight for immediate playing time.

On the other side of the ball, early enrollees Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem are the top additions. Hayes is the No. 10 outside linebacker and No. 132 overall recruit and could profile on the line with Kareem, who’s the No. 9 strong-side end and No. 189 overall prospect.

Hayes brings positional versatility, something that will sort itself out, Kelly said.

“We just feel like with the shoulder surgery, he hasn’t really been able to weight train,” Kelly said. “He’s already a pretty big kid. He’s only going to get bigger. We just think that he has such a range of positions that he can play. We’re just going to kind of let it naturally happen, and where there’s an area he can help us, I think we all know that getting after the quarterback would be a great start for him.”

Impact Freshmen

Credit: 247Sports

Let’s not confuse the top recruits with those most likely to make an immediate impact.

Notre Dame, for instance, added seven defensive backs, and Kelly said the secondary is the likeliest spot for freshmen to fight for early playing time.

Early enrollee safeties Spencer Perry and Devin Studstill get a head start on acclimating to the collegiate pace and learning the system of Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. There’s certainly a chance for either or both of those safeties to carve out roles in the spring as the Irish replace starting safety Elijah Shumate and bring back Drue Tranquill from another torn ACL.

“I would naturally look towards that group right away,” Kelly said of the incoming defensive backs. “Just by the pure number of having seven in the back end of the defense, it’s probably a good shot that somebody is coming out of that group.”

There are also openings at the receiver spots, so McKinley, Chase Claypool and early enrollee Kevin Stepherson could fight for reps. Elsewhere on the defense, Kareem and Hayes seem most ready to contribute.

Potential Sleepers

Credit: 247Sports

While some Irish fans might bemoan the lack of top-of-the-rankings talent, let’s look at potential sleepers who could outperform their current rankings.

Because as Kelly said Wednesday, “Today is a celebration, but it shouldn’t be the highlight of their career moving forward.”

British Columbia native Claypool is pegged as the No. 33 wide receiver and No. 169 overall prospect in the country, and perhaps the 6’5”, 205-pound athlete could’ve flown relatively under the radar north of the border.

“When we got a chance to see him play, we were just drawn to his pure physical ability, and then we loved him in person,” Kelly said. “We just loved his want-to. He’s a blank slate. He’s so raw that we’re going to be able to create a player that can play so many different positions for us.”

Sounds like a nice red-zone target, for starters.

The latest addition to the class came in the form of linebacker Jonathan Jones on Wednesday. Notre Dame lists the Florida product at 6’0”, 200 pounds, and Jones is the No. 448 overall prospect in the nation.

“Physically, maybe his lack of height scared some people away, but just great instincts as a linebacker, great leadership quality, physically strong, fit, athletic and has a great awareness in the pass game, as well,” Kelly said. “For us, just looked like the consummate linebacker.”

Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting stats and information courtesy of 247Sports.com and all quotes obtained firsthand. Star ratings reflect 247Sports' composite rankings.

Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.