Notre Dame's top 10 OL commits of the Rivals era

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With Notre Dame’s national recruiting reach and traditional top 15 classes, I didn’t expect the recent commitment of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Robert Hainsey to crack the top 10 at his position in Rivals.com history. However, after quite a bit of research it appears that Hainsey’s current No. 64 ranking puts him squarely in the top 10. With three rankings cycles left, Hainsey could move up or slide down but for now he’s fairly high on this list.

The skinny: Young had offers from a majority of the top programs in the country, but at the end it came down to Notre Dame and USC. After taking official visits to both schools, Young committed to the Fighting Irish in late January. Young had an impactful playing career at Notre Dame, becoming one of the rare offensive linemen who became an immediate starter for the Irish. After starting 50 games in South Bend, he was drafted in the sixth round by Dallas, before also seeing time with Buffalo, Jacksonville and currently Miami.

Farrell’s take: Young was one of many prospects to commit with me on ESPN's air back in the day and despite some concerns regarding his flexibility, he was just too big, strong and long to be ranked any lower. While he wasn’t a natural knee-bender, he was so physically ready for college football it wasn’t a big surprise he was the first true freshman starter at tackle in Notre Dame history. His career may have fallen short of those lofty expectations, but he carved out a nice career at Notre Dame and is still working in the NFL.

The skinny: Once the Fighting Irish offered Nelson, they immediately jumped to the head of the pack. This bond was further strengthened after a spring visit to South Bend, so after trimming his list to Notre Dame, Ohio State, Boston College, Penn State and Rutgers, it came as no surprise when he committed to the Irish in early May. After redshirting during the 2014 season, he earned valuable playing time last season and is currently the starter at left guard heading into this fall.

Farrell’s take: I really liked Nelson on film, but when I first saw him in person I remember being wowed and felt he was a five-star prospect. He was huge, had good feet and he was a physical kid. It’s not shocking to see him working inside, but he can be a tackle following this season and play either guard or tackle in the NFL. He was raw as a prospect out of high school so his best football is still ahead of him.

The skinny: As with most top offensive linemen from Nebraska, Robinson committed to the Huskers in the spring after his junior season, but then re-opened his process in July. The assumption was Robinson would still end up at Nebraska, but an official visit to Notre Dame changed everything. After coach Charlie Weis had an in-home visit with Robinson a couple of days later, he committed to the Irish. Robinson had three very productive seasons in South Bend, starting 27 games. However, he went undrafted in 2012 and signed as a free agent with Cincinnati. After three seasons with the Bengals he signed as a free agent with San Diego, where he will be battling for playing time at center.

Farrell’s take: Robinson was a nasty mauler out of high school and a kid I thought could be a road grader inside who would improve his pass protection technique with coaching. He had a solid career at Notre Dame although he wasn’t quite as effective as expected, but he’s still fighting for NFL time and that speaks to his work ethic and skill. Maybe I was fooled by the hair in pushing him so high in the rankings? After all, it was nasty offensive lineman hair by the end of his high school career.

The skinny: There was no drama in Kraemer’s recruiting process as he became Notre Dame’s first Class of 2016 commitment when he made his pledge to the Irish during his junior season. Committing to Notre Dame over Ohio State and Northwestern, Kraemer never wavered on his word and signed with the Irish on National Signing Day. Kraemer reported to South Bend in June, so without a spring practice behind him it will be an uphill battle for him to earn playing time this fall as a true freshman.

Farrell’s take: This kid has a great ceiling. He’s huge and powerful and he just needs to get a bit quicker with his feet. His willingness to engage and smack people is always welcome on any offensive line and he could be a massive guard early who moves outside to tackle as he gets more athletic. He will have every chance to be a star.

The skinny: Romine took official visits to Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan and the in-state Sooners before committing to the Irish at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. While the official visit helped Notre Dame’s standing, it was the five unofficial visits he took to campus prior to that that really put them over the top. At Notre Dame, Romine became an important member of the offensive line rotation, playing in 24 games during his career. With one year of eligibility remaining at the time of his graduation, he transferred back to home to Tulsa in 2011 to play his final collegiate season. Romine went undrafted in 2012 and never played professional football.

Farrell’s take: Romine was a bit of a disappointment as he just couldn’t crack the starting lineup with any consistency. The biggest question mark about him was his strength and power coming out of high school and he never really added that pop and power we wanted to see at the college level. The ceiling was there but he had apparently reached it in high school.

The skinny: As with Kraemer, Elmer took all of the drama out of his recruiting process when he committed to Notre Dame during his junior season, thus becoming the first commitment for the Irish in the Class of 2013. Elmer started 30 games for the Fighting Irish, including every game during his last two seasons. However, with one year of eligibility remaining, he announced in February that he was hanging up the cleats to accept a job offer in Washington, D.C.

Farrell’s take: Elmer was carving out a nice career with the Irish as we expected before his sudden departure. That’s the great thing about Notre Dame – the academics and opportunities presented outside of football can often overshadow anything on the field. Elmer was a huge kid who initially struggled with speed rushers in high school but adapted his technique as he progressed and was a quick learner.

Farrell’s take: Hainsey is an interesting prospect because he’s nasty and physical but needs work on his lower body to anchor better and could end up inside.

Farrell's take: Landri was a beast who played both ways for a record-breaking high school program and found his way on defense in college and beyond.

Farrell's take: Hegarty was a successful center but decided to transfer to Oregon to finish his career.

Farrell's take: Montelus has been a non-factor due to injury and conditioning, and has been moved to defense.