Notre Dame Recruiting: Who the Irish Are Eyeing to Bring Them BCS Glory

It's still far too soon to declare that Notre Dame is "back" to being a force in college football. As encouraging as back-to-back eight-win campaigns and a berth in the Champs Sports Bowl may be, Irish eyes won't be smiling until Brian Kelly coaches his boys to a BCS bowl berth.

Kelly's predecessor, Charlie Weis, led the Irish to the BCS in each of his first two seasons on the job, though that didn't exactly lead the school to erect a statue in his honor.

Just ask Kansas.

Like Weis, Kelly has proven to be an excellent recruiter, as least when it comes to snagging top high school talent. According to Scout.com, Notre Dame's current 16-man class is already the ninth-best in the country, with three 5-star and six 4-star prospects.

But which other elite youngsters are Kelly and his staff looking to lure to South Bend in time for National Signing Day?

Gunner Kiel, QB

The quarterback position has been a bit of a quagmire for the Irish under Brian Kelly's stewardship. Dayne Crist was expected to be the guy, but he struggled mightily after returning from an injury-plagued 2010 season and has since decided to transfer after losing the job to Tommy Rees.

As solid a performer as Rees has been, he's hardly the future of Notre Dame football.

Kelly, instead, hopes to hand that mantle off to Gunner Kiel. The 6'4", 200-pounder out of Columbus, Ind. is the top-rated quarterback prospect in the class of 2012.

At one point an IU commit, Kiel has since backed out, leaving the Irish free to poach a kid who's incredibly polished for his age but could still use some work on his arm strength.

In other words, Kiel's the anti-Crist...

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

Notre Dame already has a number of solid pass-catching prospects slated to enroll, including Deontay Greenberry, Justin Ferguson and Chris Brown (not the pop star).

But if the Irish intend to replace one star wideout (Michael Floyd) with another, they'd do well to land Dorial Green-Beckham, the all-time leading receiver in the history of high school football.

Like Kiel, Green-Beckham is the cream of the crop at his position for 2012, and for good reason. At 6'6" and 220 pounds, Green-Beckham sports the sort of insane athleticism (4.47 40-yard dash) and route-running skill to be a threat all over the field, from the screen game to the end zone.

DGB is a once-in-a-generation-type talent, good enough to be the Irish's go-to receiver from Day 1. 

Arik Armstead, OT

So, Irish fans, you want a No. 1 prospect along the offensive line, too? How about Arik Armstead?

The Elk Grove, Calif. native is only the top-rated player in his entire high school class. Armstead's brother, Armond, played at USC, but that's hardly a guarantee that he'll play for the hated Trojans.

Armstead visited the Notre Dame campus back in October, showing off his massive 6'8", 275-pound frame for all to see.

Armstead's got the perfect blend of size, strength, arm length and technique to be a prototypical left tackle, though a kid of his gifts should have little trouble adjusting to playing wherever Kelly and his coaches see fit.

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