Reassessing Notre Dame's 2017 Recruiting Class Following the Opening

College football recruiting never ends, but Notre Dame recently completed a couple of important landmarks for the 2017 cycle.

The program hosted the "Irish Invasion," adding two of its three mid-June commitments at the camp. Plus, a couple of 4-star prospects gave their verbal pledges to head coach Brian Kelly and Co. during the string of announcements at The Opening 2016.

During the last two months, Notre Dame has stuck at No. 7 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings, but a few of its commits have received notable jumps—or drops—individually.

Note: Notre Dame's two athletes are separated by unit (offense or defense) based on their projected positions.

Offensive Commits

Player	Position	Position Rank	Overall Rank	Star Rating
Brock Wright	TE	No. 2	No. 69	4-Star
Robert Hainsey	OG	No. 4	No. 70	4-Star
Joshua Lugg	OT	No. 25	No. 191	4-Star
Cole Kmet	TE	No. 3	No. 170	4-Star
Avery Davis	QB	No. 7 (DUAL)	No. 239	4-Star
CJ Holmes	ATH	No. 20	No. 292	4-Star
Dillan Gibbons	OT	No. 42	No. 381	3-Star
Jordan Pouncey	WR	No. 101	No. 680	3-Star

No need on offense is going unaddressed. The difference is Notre Dame hasn't secured pledges from the big-name players on the offensive line or at wide receiver.

But the Irish have locked up the nation's most impressive haul of tight ends. Brock Wright remained steady at No. 69 overall, though he slid to No. 2 at the position. Cole Kmet is still the third-rated tight end but dipped six spots in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Although Joshua Lugg dropped from 140th to 191st, the offensive tackle retained his 4-star billing. Avery Davis rose one place among dual-threat quarterbacks yet fell seven overall.

CJ Holmes and Robert Hainsey both committed while attending The Opening. Holmes—who could later have a backfield companion in Colin Wilson—revealed his decision on Bleacher Report.

Hainsey, on the other hand, won't be the final lineman. Notre Dame is still pursuing top-50 prospects Foster Sarell, Jedrick Wills and Trey Smith. Nevertheless, Hainsey joined Lugg and Dillan Gibbons as the current commits up front.

Jordan Pouncey gave the Irish their first pledge at receiver. Osiris St. Brown, Tarik Black, Jamire Calvin and Michael Young remain on the board, while 5-star Tyjon Lindsey is a hopeful pull.

Notre Dame is in excellent shape for a strong finish.

Defensive Commits

Player	Position	Position Rank	Overall Rank	Star Rating
David Adams	ILB	No. 3	No. 111	4-Star
Paulson Adebo	ATH	No. 16	No. 254	4-Star
Isaiah Robertson	S	No. 22	No. 266	4-Star
Pete Werner	OLB	No. 18	No. 279	4-Star
Kurt Hinish	DT	No. 38	No. 488	3-Star
Jonathon MacCollister	SDE	No. 43	No. 887	3-Star
Drew White	ILB	No. 39	No. 906	3-Star

Considering the haul of defensive players, the Irish might be heading toward a make-or-break ending to the 2017 cycle.

David Adams is currently the featured commit, carrying a No. 111 overall ranking. The second highest pledge is Paulson Adebo, an athlete slotted at No. 254 overall. Adebo—who projects as a defensive back—committed in mid-June.

Isaiah Robertson officially received an expected switch from receiver to safety. A 6'3", 190-pounder, he's now the 22nd-rated prospect at his position and 266th in the country. He and outside linebacker Pete Werner complete the 4-star bunch.

Defensive tackle Kurt Hinish, D-end Jonathon MacCollister and inside 'backer Drew White round out the pledges. Hinish soared from No. 642 to No. 488 nationally, MacCollister committed at Irish Invasion and White jumped 81 spots overall.

At this point, it's a decent haul. To push the defensive group higher, Notre Dame is working to land highly rated targets, highlighted by 5-stars Baron Browning and Shaun Wade—who Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles notes Holmes will personally recruit. Holmes said:

"

Definitely going for Shaun Wade. He's an Ohio State commit, but I'd like to see him flip. He's long and physical. He's everything you look for in a corner, especially with his strength, skill and ability to make plays. You need big, physical corners out there to take care of those big wide receivers from all different conferences.

"

Justin Foster, Hunter Echols (UCLA), Darnell Ewell, Salvon Ahmed, Jacob Phillips and Joshua Paschal are each worth watching. Other possibilities—though likely to a lesser extent—include Thomas Graham, C.J. Avery and Chaz Ah You.

Irish fans should also track 3-stars Amari Carter, Christopher Whittaker, K'Jakyre Daley and Dalyn Wade-Perry.

Notre Dame has no shortage of options to pursue down the stretch. The key is narrowing the list, especially as available spots in the 2017 class continue to decrease.

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.