Notre Dame Recruiting: Who Must Fighting Irish Land to Be BCS-Bound?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish haven't been to a BCS bowl since 2007, and in order to get back, they'll need to pick it up in recruiting. Brian Kelly is building a solid class, but there's a few recruits that have yet to make up their mind, and the Fighting Irish desperately need to land them to have a successful future. 

With a couple months until players must sign national letters of intent, Notre Dame has time to continue to pitch its program to top prospects. 

Since some elite recruits have backed off Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish need to get those that are still interested in them, which is only just a few best of the best-type players.

With that said, here are three players Notre Dame needs to get to help them contend for a BCS bowl.

Arik Armstead, OT 

The Fighting Irish have a couple offensive tackles committed already, but none compare to Armstead, who is an absolute beast that would dominate for Notre Dame his entire career. 

Listed at 6'8", 280 pounds, Armstead also has the skills to play on the defensive line. His athleticism is superb for a big man, and that is why the Fighting Irish need to get him.

According to Rivals.com, Armstead visited Notre Dame in October, but he has also made trips to schools such as Alabama, Auburn, California and Oregon. 

ESPN states that the Fighting Irish are considered one of the teams to beat. However, it won't be easy taking this California kid from his home state. He was originally committed to play at USC, but the race is wide open.

He'd be a great pickup for Kelly because he'd secure Notre Dame's offensive line for many years to come.

Gunner Kiel, QB

At first, Kiel was committed to play at Indiana, but he changed his mind, which opened the door for a number of schools. Perhaps the fact that Indiana was playing extremely awful influenced his decision to decommit. 

Either way, Notre Dame is in the running, along with Arkansas, LSU and Vanderbilt, according to ESPN's recruiting page.

He's the best quarterback that isn't committed anywhere right now, and I think he'll end up as the best quarterback from the class of 2012. Listed at 6'4", 215 pounds, Kiel's accuracy is scary good. He'd be able to compete for the starting job no matter where he went.

Kelly ought to make Kiel priority No. 1 because the future of the program would be in a great place with him. Although, the Indianapolis Star reports that while accepting the Indiana Mr. Football trophy at his school's basketball game, the fans began to chant "LSU!"

Talk about pressure.  

The paper also said Kiel should be making his decision by Christmas, so one school will be getting a nice present during the holiday. Of course, the Fighting Irish better hope it's them, because Kiel would help make sure Notre Dame stays relevant, especially with Kelly as his coach. 

Shaq Thompson, S

There's a big debate as to whether Thompson or Landon Collins is truly the best safety in the class of 2012, but we won't truly now the answer to that until these guys start playing college ball. 

The Fighting Irish have crept in late on Thompson's list, but that can be seen as a good thing. The school is fresh in his mind, which does make his decision harder. 

Thompson was originally committed to California, but changed his mind. They're still on his list, but having visited Notre Dame, Arizona State and Oregon, Thompson's keeping an open mind at this point. 

Listed at 6'2", 210 pounds, Thompson has the size and speed to rule as a defensive back at the next level. He also plays with a physical style that would be welcomed by the Fighting Irish, as he'd constantly be knocking guys down and getting after the ball. 

Notre Dame needs Thompson to strengthen the future of its defense, which is why he is an important player Kelly must land.