INTEL: Thoughts From The Outside
On this Thanksgiving week, our source at a high-profile Division-I program took a few minutes to go over a few points heading into Notre Dame’s game at Stanford.
The College Football Playoff might be a longshot at this stage, but the Irish have plenty to play for as a New Year’s Six bowl is definitely in the picture as well as beating the Cardinal in Palo Alto for the first time since 2007.
“Very big,” the source said of what a win on Saturday would mean for the Irish program. “Those are the two major academic schools, always going against the same kids. If ND can start to beat Stanford on a consistent basis, they can take control of that niche of recruits.”
Stanford is one of the few programs that can beat Notre Dame with the ever popular ‘4 for 40’ pitch. Our source believes it comes down to preference, but South Bend holds a few more advantages beneath the surface.
“The major recruiting points for Notre Dame are the fanbase, football tradition, and chance to win a National Title,” explained the source. “Notre Dame gets more national attention when they’re good. Unfortunately, the Cardinal beat the Irish in academics and weather, which combined with consistently beating Notre Dame, makes it very difficult for Notre Dame to win recruiting battles against them.”
Brian Kelly and his staff will stay on the West Coast to conduct recruiting visits and most importantly in-home visits for 2018 prospects. These visits can be turning points, so making sure they visit the right recruit at the right time is crucial.
“It’s one of the few times (if any) a recruit and their family can have an hour or more to be with the head coach,” the source said of the importance of an in-home visit. “They can get all of their questions answered, know the coaches personality, and the coach can give their best pitch to the whole family.”
Our source also had three names the Irish need to land in the 2018 recruiting class.
“Lawrence Keys III, Houston Griffith and Nicholas Petit-Frere. All studs at positions of high recruiting need."
As far as the game goes, our source believes the keys to victory are simple for Notre Dame.
“Establish the line of scrimmage,” stated the source. “Limit big plays. Don’t turn the ball over. That’s the formula for every Notre Dame game the way the Irish team is formulated this year.”