Notre Dame Recruiting Notebook | Brian Polian
Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Brian Polian spoke on Wednesday as the Irish finished the 2021 recruiting cycle.
On evaluating recruiting:
”We've taken some time here in the month of January to take a hard look at what we're doing well, where we feel like we can improve and try and take stock of recruiting here. “What we did was a deep dive on the last five years. We studied the last five classes where they rank in relationship to our competition, and frankly, how have the results translated on the field? Clearly, and Coach has said it all the time, we are not yet where we ultimately want to be, which is a National Champion.
“As we look back and take stock and reflect, we are really proud of a lot of the things that we've done and a lot of things that these young men have accomplished in their time with us on campus. We use the 247 rankings as the source of our information as we look back and in the last five classes, we have a composite number 10 ranking. We are one of six schools that have had multiple Top 10 classes in that time. Then as you evaluate that, how has that translated on the field in that same period? 43-8, two Top 5 finishes in the polls and two appearances in the College Football Playoff, one of only five schools to accomplish that.
“Why is that important to us? Well, there are schools that are ranked above us in the composite rankings over the last five years in terms of the recruiting that have not equaled the production on the field. So, one of the things that we are most proud of is that we feel like we're recruiting at a good clip.
“We can always be better, but we are recruiting at a good clip. “Then under Coach Kelly's leadership, our staff, our development within the program is translating to wins on the field. We feel like that is a very positive marker for our program right now. Certainly, the recruiting rankings are a barometer. They are one of many, but ultimately, we are trying to translate the recruiting to wins on the field and like I said, we're proud of what we accomplished here over the last four seasons.”
On Wednesday’s Signing Day message from the staff:
“Coach Kelly made the decision, as we talked about what we're going to do today and as we look back on the work that we've done here over the last month, that we're going to peel back the curtain a little bit and we're going to allow not only members of the media that follow us, but frankly, our fan base, we're going to let them in a little bit as to how the recruiting process works here because it is different. I'm not saying it's better or worse, but it has to be different simply because of the geography that we have to cover here.
“I have not updated my own stats, but a year ago there were 31 different states represented on our roster. There are very few programs in the country that are going to cover such a wide swath as we are.”
On process of getting Brian Kelly involved:
“So, because of that Coach Kelly's process and the way it's set up is a little bit unique. We are de-centralized, and we've said this before, there are no recruiting superstars on the staff. It is a collective and at the very beginning, it starts with a geographic assignment for an assistant coach and for frankly, members of the support staff, whether they be analysts, GAs, the recruiting office. Everybody's got an assigned recruiting area and the job is to make sure that you know who the best players are in those areas, begin the vetting process in terms of the fit to Notre Dame, beginning first with the academic profile and then all the other standards to which we are going to hold guys. And then it is to begin to develop a relationship, not only with the player, but the coach and the important people in the prospect's life. From that point, if an area coach has a conviction and Coach, he empowers our staff to mine their areas and if they see a guy they like and feel like it's a fit, it then moves to the position coach.
“If I find a receiver in Hawaii, 'Coach Alexander, I really have a conviction about this guy. Here's everybody we've talked to. Here's all the information we've gathered. Let's get this guy evaluated.' If the position coach has a good feeling about it, we then take it to the coordinators. And that includes myself as the recruiting coordinator, it includes Mike Elston as the Associate Head Coach. It includes Coach Freeman, Coach Rees. And if that player goes through that process and we feel good about it, then we'll recommend that player get an offer.
“From there, it's the collection of area coach, position coach, coordinator, recruiting coordinator. We're going to put our heads together and we're going to decide when we think it's advantageous to get Coach Kelly involved in the process. It's impossible for him to cover this entire country in the same way that it's impossible for any one assistant to know who every guy in the country is. So, we're going to go to Coach and ask him, 'Hey, this is the point where we are in the process. Here's the things that we'd like you to touch upon. And here's where we feel like you can possibly impact the recruitment of this prospect.'
“We have found through the last five years that Coach Kelly's process here is working well for us. Now, obviously there are always things that we can do better, and we reflect on those things and try and get them corrected. And there are times frankly, where the process of the prospect might move a little quicker pace and we might have to speed through a step, but in the end, we feel very comfortable about where we're at with this and we're excited about it.”
On what it takes to have a Top 5 class:
”I think early identification of an elite prospect that fits Notre Dame. I think Kyle Hamilton is a really good example of a guy that we evaluated early and felt like this is going to be one of the Top 50 or so players in the entire country and he fits Notre Dame. We need to go after him.
“I think part of the process too has been the conviction to walk away from an elite player that you know in your heart is not interested in what we have to offer or may not fit here, so that we can then be more efficient in terms of where we dedicate our resources, to the guys that do fit our profile. I think too, it's worth mentioning, I understand Coach's statement about wanting to be a consistently Top 5 recruiting team and I strive for that same goal every single day, but if you ask Coach, I think he would tell you, would we rather be consistently top five recruiting team or a team that's consistently in the top five of the polls, which we have been at the end of the season in two of the last three years? I think we would choose the latter.
“Player development is always going to be a part of the process here, but I think ultimately, in order for us to keep climbing those rankings is to not allow anybody to tell us, 'Hey, you can't get this guy.' If we feel like it's the match, we're going to go all in and fight those battles and then at the same time, have the common sense not to dedicate resources to guys that clearly are not interested in what it is that we have to offer.”
On how much the staff uses recruiting rankings:
”The rankings are a source of information, but not the only source of information. We go through a different process. There are more things that are more important to us and frankly, our ranking system here is different and Mike Elson is going to address that specifically, so I'm not going to dive any deeper into that subject.”
On the perception that Brian Kelly doesn't recruit:
”As it relates to Coach Kelly, I think some of the anecdotal stuff I truly believe it's not fair. If there's ever a time that he wasn't involved in enough and that statement was made, again, it goes back to the decision by the position coach, the coordinator, the recruiting coach and myself, that if we waited too long to get him involved strategically, then that's back on us. But all I can tell you as the recruiting coordinator is every time I've gone to Coach Kelly and said, 'This is where we are in process and here's what we're asking from you in order to get this thing over the top or keep us moving forward,' he's always been there and he's always energetic and enthusiastic about it. I think again, the national recruiting, I think it's unfair to, to think that as we begin to vet our board, that Coach Kelly's going to text every recruit on our board six times. It's just not reasonable, not with the amount of ground that we have to cover.
“When you compare other places where you're going to build the roster out of, two states and they're not vetting the way that we are, I just think it's a little bit different. So, my experience, and I can speak specifically to this class, this world that we had to live in the 21 class, the digital world that we're living in right now, the amount of work that Coach Kelly did with this group via Zoom and phone calls and text messages, he was unbelievable. There was a hit list. Coach, 'We'd like you to do XYZ ', and he was phenomenal. So, I can only speak to my experience and look in the end, the anecdotal stuff will be out there. I don't think it's fair. I think sometimes it's a little sensationalized, but it's the world that we live in. But again, from my experience, I thought he killed it in this class.”
On Name, Image and Likeness:
”I think that as other schools are putting out propaganda is not the right word, but they're putting out, 'Hey, look, what we're going to do for you in name, image, and like this,' I think it's very premature.
“The federal government is involved in this is so to think that right now, there is a clear plan and path in place is it's just not right. Once the parameters are set, then we will build a program and be able to address it in recruiting. But I also believe we are not going to get into recruiting battles with another school because they can have a guy go to a car dealership and sign autographs for $10 an autograph. If you're picking Notre Dame, something like that is not going to be the difference in picking this education and this atmosphere and this incredible campus if you want that. It's not going to be the difference. So obviously as the rulings come out and the parameters are set, we will work with our athletic administration with Jack Swarbrick. Father John will give us an idea of how we're going to move forward and we'll be competitive. And frankly, the power of the Notre Dame brand is national. It's not regional and I have no doubt as the rules are put in place that we will be able to capitalize on the power of that brand and our student-athletes will as well.”
On grad transfers and the Transfer Portal:
”The grad transfers and the transfer portal in general, this is getting to be grad transfers are pretty cut and dry. The transfer portal, now there was a great article in SI Today, I believe by Ross Dellinger about what a slippery slope this thing is in how recruiting as we know it may have a reckoning now because of the transfer portal. I'm afraid that guys went in and aren't going to be able to find homes.
“I've heard high school coaches talk about how Group of Five programs, FCS programs are not taking as many high school kids right now because they plan on filling their rosters through the Portal.
“We are all going to have to get adjusted, I assume, and I'm speaking for myself, not Coach Kelly, not anybody else in the program, I am under the assumption as the recruiting coordinator that the one-time transfer is going to pass here at some point in the near future. When that occurs, teams are going to have to consider a dedicated staffer just to monitoring the transfer portal in the way that an NFL franchise will have a director of college scouting and a pro personnel office where the pro personnel office, their job is to know all the people that are playing in the League currently.
“It could get to the point where staff is going to have to be dedicated to knowing who's in the portal and having some sense of academic background, years of eligibility, amount of time that they played. If we're going to function in that world, we're going to have to dedicate resources to making sure that whatever decision we make is as educated as possible.”
On the large number of early enrollees:
”As the number goes up, it's a credit to two places first to our administration for having the faith in us and to make sure that these mid-year student athletes transition well. And then it's a credit to Coach Kelly, to Hunter Bivin and to all the support staff, Dave Peloquin and all the support staff that surround the mid-years as they go through the process and they arrive here.
“I think the numbers have gone up because I think through the last couple of years, we have proven that when we provide the right structure and support, these guys will succeed. This year was a little bit of a one-off in the sense that you look at a player like Will Schweitzer, for example. Will did not get to play his senior year of high school football in California due to the pandemic.
“Tyler Buchner, another example. These are guys that if given the choice between staying in for the rest of their senior year and hoping that California will allow football to be played or accelerating themselves academically when a lot of the guys were working from home, if I can get myself accelerated academically and get to Notre Dame, Justin Walters, another example.
“Justin made all these athletic gains between his junior and senior year, and then he lost his senior fall. If you ask these guys, 'Would you rather stay at home and hope that you play in the winter or would you rather get to school and get started with strength and conditioning and spring practice?'
“I think the number got a little bit higher this year, because there were guys in that group that said, 'Given what's going on in the world right now, I would rather get to campus as quickly as I can and get started with my college experience.'
“And I think that, in part, speaks to why the number was so high in this specific year.”