Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports
Building A Champion - Part III
Part one and two were spent breaking down how close Notre Dame is and what they have done so well over the last decade. For all the great there is, Notre Dame doesn't have a title since 1988. Clearly there is something lacking that has held them back since their last title.
QB Development
There isn't a need to look for flaws in QB recruiting. Notre Dame hasn't landed a Trevor Lawrence in the Brian Kelly era, but even the most critical fan doesn't expect that. However, looking at the QB commits from 2011-2020 shows how much talent has walked through the door.
Notre Dame has landed three Top 150 overall quarterbacks since 2011. But even that doesn't paint the full picture. Notre Dame has been landing four-star quarterbacks almost every year.
- Gunner Kiel - 5-star, 26th overall player*
- Everett Golson - 4-star, 267 overall*
- Malik Zaire - 4-star, 162 overall*
- Deshone Kizer - 4-star, 242 overall
- Brandon Wimbush - 4-star, 46 overall*
- Ian Book - 3-Star, 517 overall
- Phil Jurkovec - 4-star, 83 overall *
(*= player transferred out/didn't finish career at Notre Dame)
Of the seven quarterbacks listed, five never finished their career at Notre Dame. While Book and Jurkovec are still in college (Jurkovec is now at Boston College), out of the other five, only one was drafted. There is a clear sign that Notre Dame recruits quarterback about as good as anyone. However, there are three players rated Top 100 overall and two of them never took a meaningful snap at Notre Dame. Wimbush was the only one with real playing time and he was benched for Book after regressing as a passer.
This is one of the biggest reasons Kelly has never won a title. You can point to the offensive coordinator or blame the position coach, but Kelly is the one constant from 2011-2020. So we either have an incredible case of divine intervention playing out before our eyes or Kelly has always hampered QB development.
This is also the biggest hang-up when comparing Clemson and Notre Dame. As I mentioned in the previous two parts and Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell covered in the 2015 game, Notre Dame has the talent. The 2018 game against Clemson was also a key indicator. The Notre Dame defense had a bad few minutes when Julian Love went down with an injury. Otherwise, that was an evenly matched game outside of one position. Unless offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees can figure out how to overcome the decade long problem or the QB can grow despite Kelly, this will remain an issue.
Running Back Recruiting
I'll preface this section as a problem over the Kelly era but seems to be on the right track. Similar to the struggle to land elite athletes early on, this problem seems to be on the mend. Lance Taylor is a talented running back coach with a history of recruiting and developing highly talented backs. However, over the course of the decade, running back has been an issue.
Notre Dame has only had three running backs drafted in the Brian Kelly tenure, Dexter Williams (6th Round), CJ Prosise (3rd Round) and Theo Riddick (6th Round). The highest-drafted was Prosise, but he wasn’t even a running back when he entered college, and he didn’t move to the position until his senior season.
The running back at Notre Dame always seems to turn in a solid season by years end, but they also get the luxury of playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the country every year.
Notre Dame has struggled to couple an elite running back with a top offensive line. Again, that recently seems to be shifting as Notre Dame landed Chris Tyree. Looking at the production and adding in the fact that Notre Dame has only signed four Top 150 overall running backs shows reasons for optimism, but Taylor must keep adding to the haul after starting off strong with Tyree.
Recruiting Heartbreak
When you go after the Top 100 players, you will miss out and there will be some heartbreaking losses. However, it feels like Notre Dame is always on the outside looking in.
Recently Kelly said he believes Notre Dame can land a Top 5 recruiting class. After a decade at Notre Dame, he started to make a push to break through into the Top five, something that has only happened once during his tenure (2013).
This is an issue that starts at the top and surely has an effect on the program as a whole. Notre Dame has proven they can develop as well as almost anyone at most positions. Of the 10 NFL Drafts from 2011-2020, Notre Dame has had at least four players drafted seven times. The two glaring points are the lack of QB play and the lack of five stars, especially in recent classes.
Developing a three-star into a draft pick is a great feat for any program and is a testament to their ability to develop. Then you look at a team like Clemson who can have multiple five-star guys on their defensive line. A five-star guy isn't a lock to be a future top draft pick, but they get the ratings for a reason.
Notre Dame doesn't need to land 8-10 five star guys in the next two years to win a title. They just need one or two and fill out the team. We have already been able to witness the impact of Kyle Hamilton. Hopefully, Kelly's newfound realization is enough to land one or two of those guys a year. Until then, let's hope the QB play makes a similar breakthrough.
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