I guess the “Pot O’ Gold” strategy works. At least it does for Notre Dame recruiting. You’ve heard about the Pot O’ Gold, the bombarding of the blue chip prospect with hundreds and hundreds of letters, leaflets and other program related propaganda.
The initiative has helped form a 22 prospect strong Notre Dame recruiting class that’s ranked in the top ten across the board.
Yahoo’s Rivals Network (partnered with NBC Sports which partners with Comcast SportsNet and obviously ND) has this Notre Dame recruiting class 8th overall, with one 5-star recruit, 10 4-stars, 11 3-stars. CBS Sports recruiting partner 24/7 Sports has the Fighting Irish 9th, zero 5-stars, 15 4-stars and nine 3-stars. Scout, owned by Fox Sports has the Irish recruiting class 6th overall, with four of the Scout top 100 prospects.
There is no defining “jewel” of the Notre Dame recruiting class, but it’s deep and balanced. No true dominant superstars, but many prospects that would be the dominant standout in many other program’s classes. Justin Brent is a four-star wide receiver out of Indianapolis’ Speedway High School and the top prospect in the state of Indiana.
Andrew Trumbetti, a 6’5″, 250-pound defensive end was ranked as the #4 recruit in New Jersey and #9 nationally. And of course, we’re waiting on John “JuJu” Smith to make his decision today, the highest-rated of four potential Notre Dame recruiting targets that will announce today.
Check this page often, as today is very fluid, and we’ll be updating with Notre Dame recruiting throughout the day.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox Sports Radio. A former writer for NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)