Notre Dame Football 2011: Who Is the Odd Man Out in South Bend?

Six Notre Dame players have applied to the school for a fifth year of eligibility.

The Irish conveniently project to have 79 players on scholarship next season (56 underclassmen and 23 recruits), which means they have six grants left to give.

However, if Notre Dame accepts another recruit in the class of 2011 (four-star OT Troy Niklas being the most likely candidate, while other four-star OT Cameron Clear may be a long shot. Both are thought to favor other schools), that would leave Brian Kelly & Co. with only five remaining scholarships.

Which means that one of the six will have to go.

Also, it would not be a surprise if Notre Dame randomly signed a lesser talented prospect.  

So, who is most likely going to get the cut? Four of the players are starters (RT Taylor Dever, S Harrison Smith, CB Gary Gray and K David Ruffer), so they are pretty much locks. At first glance it would seem Ruffer would get the boot, but Kelly has already promised him a scholarship. OL Andrew Nuss can play all over the line, which leaves TE Mike Ragone being the best bet to get left out.

The Irish lose Kyle Rudolph, but they return rising junior Tyler Eifert, rising junior Jake Golic and rising sophomore Alex Welch, and bring in four-star Ben Koyack. I'm hoping Kelly, after 2010, realizes that being dominant at the line of scrimmage trumps all other concerns and retains Nuss over Ragone.

Of course, if C Dan Wenger is given a sixth year of eligibility, he would also put Notre Dame over the limit. This would leave the Irish without both Nuss and Ragone. Or maybe the losers in the QB battle (most likely Nate Montana and Luke Massa) will transfer.

In the end, lets all hope Kelly makes a wise decision.