Notre Dame Football: How Brian Kelly Differs from Weis on the Recruiting Trail?

Notre Dame fans are watching Coach Kelly closely this recruiting cycle to determine whether or not he has the ability to land a top recruiting class.  His first recruiting class was solid.  From this class though, many Notre Dame fans mistakenly drew the conclusion that Kelly was not interested in landing high-profile recruits but was happy with 3-star recruits that he deemed to be RKGs ("right kind of guys").  Negative comparisons were made to the previous coach who adeptly secured a number of very good, offense-heavy recruiting classes.

Coach Kelly’s second recruiting class is slowly emerging as one that may be a top 10 class and should definitely move the football program in the direction of respectability, if not, a BCS bowl game. 

Coach Kelly’s recruiting strategy is distinctly different from his predecessor.  Rather than assembling a class of All-Stars, Kelly appears to be building an All-Star team.  Coach Kelly’s recruiting strategy seems to be systematic and well thought out.  Kelly has a profile for each position (height, weight, speed). 

Coach Kelly recruits players that are not only outstanding in their position but they must also fit the profile.  This is important because his recruits should possess the qualities that are necessary to function at a high level within his offensive and defensive systems. 

There also appears to be an emphasis on landing outstanding linemen, which many contend is the most effective way to build a championship football team.  If the staff can hold on to all their recruits then this class will have great balance, and will address areas of weakness while adding needed depth.

As Coach Kelly enters his second year at Notre Dame it will be exciting to watch the staff develop these young recruits.  Notre Dame fans will continue to pay close attention to subsequent recruiting cycles.  The question will soon become can this staff consistently find recruits that will help rebuild the program and bring Notre Dame football back into prominence?