It was jarring to see Marshall's players appear more athletic and hungry than Notre Dame's. It was a smack in the face to be honest. How is this possible? How did Marshall appear to have more players "ready to play on Sunday" than ND? How is it that their QB looked like a better player than our "Top 100" recruit and quarterback (TB)? Have I been looking at our commitments through rose-colored glasses? How the heck is this happening!!??
I figured I would take a deep dive into the ND roster and the recruit rankings. Clearly our roster is not playing up to their recruiting ranking (except for a few players). Then again, some players have probably exceeded their ranking. I don't know what to make of it all. Does it really all come down to coaching? I decided to start with the most important position in football: The Quarterback.
Here are the current QBs on the ND roster (or committed)
(A+) 2024 - CJ Carr Natl Rank = 13 Position Rank = 3
(D) 2023 No Commitment. At this point they will be fortunate to land their Plan C prospect. They need a recruiting miracle at this position to
(C) 2022 Steve Angeli Natl Rank = 365 Position Rank = 21
(B) 2021 Tyler Buchner Natl Rank = 71 Position Rank = 11
(C) 2020 Drew Pyne Natl Rank = 225 Position Rank = 8
When you factor in Jack Coan (transfer) and Ian Book (3 Star), it has been years since ND lined up with an "ELITE" QB under center. Tyler Buchner's ranking led me to believe he was the guy. However, after (admittedly) limited appearances, it seems like he is a gamer more than a polished QB. He does not give off "will be playing on Sunday" vibes. He is still young. He will get better. Right now though, it feels like a recruiting whiff. I think he didn't play in his Sophomore or Senior years in HS (injury and COVID). He has turned out to be really raw. Good thing is that he appears to be a gamer who is tough as nails. i'm rooting for him to rewrite the narrative thus far.
Is CJ Carr the answer? Can they convince him to reclassify? Is reclassifying what is best for him or ND? I don't know. There could be 2-3 years before Carr ever makes an impact on the field. ND needs a recruiting miracle with respect to QB recruiting in the class of 2023. Buchner is a gamer, but I just don't feel he is the difference making QB a championship caliber QB needs.
ND missed out (thus far) on a QB recruit for 2023. Dante Moore seemed like a silent commit that eventually ND faded on because of NIL money. They put all their eggs in Moore's basket and ended up missing on other quality prospects: Jackson Arnold, Nick Vizzina, and Avery Johnson. They tried a couple of plan B options but it was to little to late.
In 2022 ND lost out on Drew Allar (#32 Natl Prospect). Not sure if ND was ever in the race, but it felt like they were. They ended up with Angeli who feels like a Plan B option.
Summary The ND staff has failed to bring in an elite QB. The recruiting at this position has either been poor or a whiff. I don't want to give a letter grade because hopefully one of these quarterbacks on the roster makes me eat my words, but the offensive struggles definitely can point to their failure to recruit an elite QB.
I figured I would take a deep dive into the ND roster and the recruit rankings. Clearly our roster is not playing up to their recruiting ranking (except for a few players). Then again, some players have probably exceeded their ranking. I don't know what to make of it all. Does it really all come down to coaching? I decided to start with the most important position in football: The Quarterback.
Here are the current QBs on the ND roster (or committed)
(A+) 2024 - CJ Carr Natl Rank = 13 Position Rank = 3
(D) 2023 No Commitment. At this point they will be fortunate to land their Plan C prospect. They need a recruiting miracle at this position to
(C) 2022 Steve Angeli Natl Rank = 365 Position Rank = 21
(B) 2021 Tyler Buchner Natl Rank = 71 Position Rank = 11
(C) 2020 Drew Pyne Natl Rank = 225 Position Rank = 8
When you factor in Jack Coan (transfer) and Ian Book (3 Star), it has been years since ND lined up with an "ELITE" QB under center. Tyler Buchner's ranking led me to believe he was the guy. However, after (admittedly) limited appearances, it seems like he is a gamer more than a polished QB. He does not give off "will be playing on Sunday" vibes. He is still young. He will get better. Right now though, it feels like a recruiting whiff. I think he didn't play in his Sophomore or Senior years in HS (injury and COVID). He has turned out to be really raw. Good thing is that he appears to be a gamer who is tough as nails. i'm rooting for him to rewrite the narrative thus far.
Is CJ Carr the answer? Can they convince him to reclassify? Is reclassifying what is best for him or ND? I don't know. There could be 2-3 years before Carr ever makes an impact on the field. ND needs a recruiting miracle with respect to QB recruiting in the class of 2023. Buchner is a gamer, but I just don't feel he is the difference making QB a championship caliber QB needs.
ND missed out (thus far) on a QB recruit for 2023. Dante Moore seemed like a silent commit that eventually ND faded on because of NIL money. They put all their eggs in Moore's basket and ended up missing on other quality prospects: Jackson Arnold, Nick Vizzina, and Avery Johnson. They tried a couple of plan B options but it was to little to late.
In 2022 ND lost out on Drew Allar (#32 Natl Prospect). Not sure if ND was ever in the race, but it felt like they were. They ended up with Angeli who feels like a Plan B option.
Summary The ND staff has failed to bring in an elite QB. The recruiting at this position has either been poor or a whiff. I don't want to give a letter grade because hopefully one of these quarterbacks on the roster makes me eat my words, but the offensive struggles definitely can point to their failure to recruit an elite QB.