In the last two weeks of February, BGI counted down what it believed was the 15 best recruiting classes at Notre Dame since 1946 based on impact, balance and depth. Unfortunately, only two classes since 1991 made the countdown — 1995 at No. 15 and 2003 at No. 13.
The fewest amount of players ever signed by the Irish in one class was 15 in 2005, during the transition from the deposed Tyrone Willingham and the hiring of Charlie Weis. Part of Weis’ stipulation in accepting the job was he would have to be allowed to finish out his duties as the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator en route to a third Super Bowl title in four seasons.
Bruton was the only player selected in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Recruiting under such parameters consequently resulted in the small 2005 volume. It also didn’t help that Willingham and his collective staff were not reputed to be ardent recruiters, especially after signing only 17 players a year earlier (of which only seven would remain at Notre Dame). When all was said and done, these players comprised the 2005 haul:
Those who transferred or had their football careers ended because of injuries were defensive lineman Derrell Hand (injury), tight end Joey Hiben (Minnesota) and D.J. Hord (Northern Iowa).
IMPACT Believe it or not, 11 of the original 15-man class saw action as freshmen, the highest percentage (.733) ever for a rookie class at Notre Dame. Unfortunately, it was mainly because the roster was so threadbare, freshmen were forced into action out of necessity.
For example, offensive tackles Duncan and Turkovich were put on the second team the second they set foot on campus because there were no other scholarship players at offensive tackle beyond the starters. When fifth-year senior Rashon Powers-Neal was suspended from the squad in mid-season 2005, Schwapp had to step in as the starter because there was no other fullback.
Among the 15 players, there is a chance only one, safety Bruton, will be drafted. Another safety, McCarthy, who paced the team in tackles in both 2008 (110) and 2009 (101, while also snaring five interceptions), could be if the league chooses to overlook optimum size.
BALANCE This class did not sign a halfback or cornerback, and eventually wound up without a tight end after Hiben departed.
The most well represented area was safety with McCarthy, Bruton and Herring. McCarthy and Bruton became two of the most productive safeties, in terms of tackles, ever at Notre Dame.
Linebacker also had three players, but Smith and Quinn saw about 90 percent of their action on special teams, where Scott Smith served as a team captain in 2009.
DEPTH Anytime a class signs only 15 players, depth will be an issue (unless 10 of them are five-star prospects) The 2005 offensive and defensive lines were represented by a total of four players, an egregiously small number for any football program.
Football begins at the line of scrimmage, and this partly helps explain Notre Dame’s 16-21 record the past three years. In the two recruiting classes of 2004-05, the Irish were represented by a total of two offensive linemen (Duncan and Turkovich) and two defensive linemen (Kuntz in 2005 and Justin Brown, originally a 225-pound outside linebacker, in 2004). No football program can thrive with such anemic numbers.
SUMMARY Both the 2004 and 2005 classes arrived with the least fanfare in Irish football history, and it showed.
The 2005 class wasn’t in anyone’s top 25 (or even 30), and the problems were compounded by a 2004 group that had only seven players left in 2007.
Every class has its share of solid players, but the question one has to ultimately ask is, “How many would have started at USC, Florida, Alabama, Texas, etc.?”
If Notre Dame wants to compete with the marquee teams, it must recruit — and develop — at least a half-dozen NFL prospects in each recruiting class, with about half of them classified in the top three rounds.
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