As I said a little while back, I really don't follow recruiting unless something comes up that gets my attention. This has gotten my attention. ND has lost out on the two top Indiana HS recruits and both of them are going to Michigan. Four star LB Cameron McGrone and Four Star OL Emil Ekiyor. ND should own their home state but it looks as though Harbaugh now has gained ground for the little elite talent the Hoosier state has. Who at ND is charge of recruiting the state of Indiana and how did this happen? It's almost embarrassing IMHO. Am I over reacting or is there something to this?
Question For ND Recruiting Gurus
- Thread starter Toby Smart
- Start date
ND did not offer Ekiyor. He is not a fit at ND.
McGrone was offered but was lower on the board than Simon, Lamb & Baeur. Was equal to Ovie.
ND did get Stepp, a top 10 RB nationally out of Indy.
ND has got the "big time" guys out of Indiana recently like Jaylon Smith & Sheldon Day.
I wouldn't worry about McGrone, ND got 3 better LBs & a fourth equal to him.
And don't worry about Ekiyor, this is a VERY down year recruiting wise for Oline nationally compared to usual. Next year their are a lot better kids, especially in the Midwest.
ND has top OL & LB from CA, PA, NJ, TN, OH, etc. ND recruits nationally. Not getting two from IN is no big deal.
So to answer your question, no, dont panic.
This is a good post and I agree with nearly everything, except for your continued insistence that that ND's linebackers are all better than Cam McGrone. The reality is that McGrone is an ELITE Sam linebacker prospect. He may have the best first step and blitz timing of any linebacker in the class. He was praised both at the Oakland regional and the Opening Final as being possibly the most athletic linebacker at the event. McGrone is a damn fine player and he's being tearing it up, less than 9th months removed from a major knee injury. He's not even 100% yet.
That said, Notre dame doesn't play with a SAM linebacker, they play with a Rover, who they want better coverage skills out of. McGrone is like Bilal in that his body type is that of a Rover in ND's defense, but skill set is that of a Buck. I have no doubt that Balis could easily have gotten McGrone to 235lbs. He'll be 220+ by time he gets to Michigan. The issue you potentially have playing him at Buck is whether or not you strip some of his athleticism at 235+lbs, in which case his value drops significantly.at Michigan he can go play as a 230lb SAM backer and it's a great fit for him.
Notre Dame may have taken 4 guys that better fit the defense, but they didn't get 4 backers that are obviously better than McGrone. He's an excellent linebacker and I expect him, if healthy, to be highly productive at Michigan given time and he'll be one heck of a special teamer.
FWIW, 247 bumped up inside the top 50 players in the country. While I think that's a bit high, they did did so for a reason... He was arguably the most impressive linebacker at times at The Opening. Considering that was the case less than 2 months after completing rehab on an ACL, I think it's.plenty impressive. Would have loved to have him at ND in the Bilal mould as the "Big Nickel" / "rover" against power teams.
Never understood why anyone would think ND should have a recruiting stranglehold in Indiana. It might be located in the state, but it's a private school with a decidedly Catholic aspect. Since the two big Indiana state schools--IU and Purdue--are moribund in football, the talent is open to all. Heck, even Stanford has had some success, getting Blake Lueders a while ago and landing Jovan Swann in 2016.
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No need to be upset. As Farley accurately mentioned, ND got 4 really quality linebackers in this class and all of them probably fit the scheme better than McGrone. Bauer is a pure MIKE backer. Lamb is being recruited as a MIKE, but has the flexibility to play Buck, a lot like an upgraded version of Greer Martini. He actually reminds me a lot of Dan Fox when he was a 220lb'er coming out of high school in Ohio. A very tall, fluid athlete for a guy who will play at 240lbs at the next level. Simon is as good of a Rover prospect as there is in this class. If you were building a Rover in a lab, he'd look like Simon and have his attributes. Oghoufo is interesting because he has enormous upside as a Buck if they can adequately fill out his frame. He'll take the longest to develop, but he should be an excellent project for Matt Balis.
ND got 4 good ones! Exchange any of them for McGrone and they still would have gotten 4 good ones.
Did you see the new 247 update from this morning? (Overnight technically).
They dropped McGrone from top 50 all the way down to 217, & only the 22nd LB? That is the largest drop I think I've ever seen? I wonder what happened?
On a positive ND note, they moved Jurkovec back up a lot. They have Simon, Lamb & Bauer all high now too. They have Simon & Lamb both top 15 LBs. (Includes both OLB & ILB).
I think Allen (5), Lamb (6) Bauer (10), & Simon (6) are going to be a great combo.
A couple obvious head scratchers in that 247 update and my feeling, as usual, is that a company is trying to prop up as many uncommitted kids as they can, to drive business.
Perfect example of what I'm talking about... PJ Mustipher was BY FAR the worst defensive tackle at The Opening per almost every report. He struggled all week to get off blocks and rush the passer. It led to most analysts suggesting that he would probably be better suited at guard at the next level, an opinion already held by a number of people... Meanwhile, Jayson Ademilola was one of the two best DT's at the event, along with Taron Vincent, and the only DT to take reps from Jamaree Salyer. He was named to the camp top 5 and really showed that he's going to be dominant. Mustipher and Ademilola actually could not have looked further apart... Uncommitted Mustipher checks in at #97 overall, while committed Ademilola checks in at #155 overall.
Film, competition, offer lists, head-to head-to camp performances, etc, etc, all favour Jayson, but he still ranks behind a player that he's shown that he's better than... That's why as often as I reference rankings as one measuring stick for a recruit, and often as a second opinion of sorts after I've established my own thoughts on the prospect, I'm extremely careful not to place too much emphasis on them after you see blatant "product placement" such as in the case of the example I just gave.
