Irish on the verge of recruiting trifecta

[OconRecon]

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Irish on the verge of recruiting trifecta

Fri Jul 30,2010 7:27 PM ETBy Keith Arnold


What started out as a day of celebration for the Irish with the commitment of four-star running back Justice Hayes, is turning into a bonanza with outside linebacker Anthony Rabasa committing to the Irish as well.

Multiple Irish sites along with the Miami Herald report that Rabasa, who just left South Bend after his first ever visit to campus, committed to defensive line coach Mike Elston this afternoon, and spoke with head coach Brian Kelly as well.

"I felt like it was the right place and time for me, and I didn't want to hold back anymore," Rabasa told ISD.

While Rabasa is one of the few edge players that don't fit into the 6-foot-5 height mold, he's more than made up for it by playing dominating football in one of high school football's premiere areas. With offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, LSU, and a slew of other national powers, that was more than enough proof to decide that Rabasa will fit into the mold of Cat linebacker in Diaco's new system.

Here's what one schmuck (me) wrote about him back in May:

Rabasa hails from Miami, playing in a premiere conference and putting up silly numbers. At 6-foot-3, he doesn't have ideal height, but he's a terror on the football field, the kind of guy that Brian Kelly and company are making a priority to get. Rabasa has guaranteed Notre Dame an official visit this fall, and he's already comfortable playing the outside backer position in the 3-4, something he does in high school.

Rabasa makes 14 commitments for the Irish, and if things shake out as expected for the Irish, they'll be welcoming their 15th commitment tomorrow, who might be the highest-rated prospect of any on the board for the Irish in defensive end Aaron Lynch.

Lynch is on campus this weekend with his mother and I'd be shocked if Irish fans aren't very excited come tomorrow afternoon.

As the recruits rack up for the Irish -- even before Brian Kelly coaches a single game for the Irish -- the concerns that Kelly will be able to lure top-flight talent to Notre Dame have been rendered moot.

[nmills]

Dont they always have one of the best recruiting classes? Maybe there not developing these guys correctly, they always look kinda JV to me. Maybe they need a new strength and conditioning coach

[Jax Dawg]

Originally Posted by nmills

Dont they always have one of the best recruiting classes? Maybe there not developing these guys correctly, they always look kinda JV to me. Maybe they need a new strength and conditioning coach

I'm no ND fan but I read an article about them and the new coaches brought in by Kelly.

It said a new strength coach was hired this year who had success at Iowa. The article said he was well liked by the players and had a lot a regular updates to and was trusted by H.C. Kelly.

[OconRecon]

Ended up with 3 yesterday, and a fourth expected this morning. But ND has had top-25 classes in recent years and haven't done much with them. The real excitement is Brian Kelly. The ND faithful are buying anything he is selling. And why not, it's preseason.

•-•-•

Irish fans were ecstatic about the Irish landing two commitments Friday from Grand Blanc, Mich., running back Justice Hayes and Miami, Fla., outside linebacker Anthony Rabasa.


While many were prepared to get a good night's rest after national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming stated that defensive end Aaron Lynch of Cape Coral, Fla., will be announcing for Notre Dame Saturday, there was a bit of a surprise in between – cornerback Jalen Brown.

The 6-0, 173-pound MacArthur High player put Notre Dame in his top four with LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M in mid May. He planned on taking some official visits before making a mid-season decision, but the timeline clearly moved up.

Multiple outlets reported early Saturday morning*that the Irving, Texas, native kept the weekend momentum going for Notre Dame by giving his pledge and becoming No. 15 of the 2011 recruiting class.

Brown, who is rated by ESPNU as a three-star prospect and the No. 23 cornerback in the land, registered 32 tackles, 13 pass breakups, one pick and a fumble recovery in 2009. He received first-team all-district honors.

He is tabbed as a three-star recruit and the No. 75 cornerback nationally by Scout.com.

Jalen Brown film review