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I apologize Notre Dame fans. I feel like I could be a jinx. Last week, I was gushing at how great things were setting up for the Irish after pounding Texas at home in front of a ton of top-level recruits as the Irish seemed set for a playoff run. And then the Virginia game happened. The only good thing that came out of it was a key comeback win as the Cavs improbably allowed Notre Dame's best offensive player, wide receiver William Fuller, to get solo coverage down the sideline with under a minute left. How does that even happen? But I digress. The loss of Malik Zaire (above), which followed the loss of running back Tarean Folston, which preceded the loss of tight end Durham Smythe, has the Irish facing a nasty schedule with C.J. Prosise learning how to be a running back on the fly, quarterback DeShone Kizer being thrown into a leadership role he might not be ready for and four tight ends trying to replace the best blocker-receiver combo player on the team. Now Notre Dame has to deal with Georgia Tech, Clemson, USC and Stanford on the schedule, not to mention a sneaky-good Temple team and can't afford any more injuries the rest of the way. The playoffs, despite the current 2-0 record and the No. 8 ranking nationally, are likely out of the question barring some amazing circumstances, and if more than three losses mount, that will effect recruiting. Zaire is one of the nicest kids I've ever covered in high school, so it was heartbreaking to see him go down to injury and a strong Notre Dame program is exciting for college football, so once again I'm sorry. It's gotta be my fault, it always is. I'm not writing off the Irish completely, but Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him in a big way. | ||
| Mike Farrell National Recruiting Director |