Hello and Good-Bye

A weeks ago, Notre Dame's recruiting class of 2011 officially signed their name in ink committing themselves to playing football at ND. Always lost in the shuffle of bowl games and recruiting is the exodus of seniors. Therefore, as we say hello to the Class of 2011, we must say good-bye to the class of 2007.

JIMMY CLAUSEN - 5 star QB - Clausen arrived with as much fanfare as any recruit in Notre Dame history. By the second game of his career, Clausen was starting for the Irish. However, Clausen only led the Irish to a 16-21 record during his career. In only three years, Clausen broke numerous Notre Dame passing records en route to 8148 passing yards, 60 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. Clausen was selected by the Carolina Panthers with #48 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

ROBERT HUGHES - 4 star RB - Hughes arrived at Notre Dame as the bruiser tailback - the thunder to Allen's lightning. While Hughes had some dominating performances, he never quite reached the elite level. He finished his career with 1392 yards on 321 carries and 15 touchdowns. Yet, Hughes was far and away the fan favorite.

ARMANDO ALLEN - 4 star RB - Allen arrived at Notre Dame with the stereotype of the quick, speedy running back that Notre Dame never seemed to be able to recruit. Allen was suppose to be the prototypical tailback for the Weis system. However, it seemed as if every time Allen showed those flashes, he was suddenly hampered with injuries. Because of that, Allen finished his career with 2144 rushing yards on 469 carries, but only 8 touchdowns. Allen also had 129 receptions for 933 yards and 3 touchdowns.

DUVAL KAMARA - 4 star WR - Kamara entered as ND's tall athletic receiver and saw immediate playing time on a roster depleted at wide receiver. When all was said and done, Kamara's freshman season (357 yards - 4 TDs) turned out to be his best. He finished his career with 86 receptions for 893 yards at 9 touchdowns. Kamara did not travel with the team to the bowl game and reported dropped out of school.

GOLDEN TATE - 4 star WR - Tate entered Notre Dame with a name perfect for success. Used sparingly his first season, Tate broke through the ranks at wide receiver with his speed and game changing ability. So much so that Tate had back-to-back 1000 yard receiving seasons. Tate finished with 157 receptions for 2707 yards and 25 touchdowns plus 3 rushing touchdowns. Tate won the Biletnikoff Award following the 2009 season, prompting him to leave school early for the NFL, where he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2nd round.

MIKE RAGONE - 4 star TE - Ragone was a highly recruited TE with high hopes of continuing Notre Dame's recent tradition of NFL TEs (Fasano and Carlson). However, multiple injuries sidelined Ragone for two straight seasons, while an off-the-field arrest further complicated things. Ragone currently has 10 receptions for 99 yards and zero touchdowns in his career, but will return for a 5th year of eligibility. It's hard not to root for Ragone after all he has been through at Notre Dame.

TAYLOR DEVER - 4 star OT - Dever quietly entered Notre Dame and has quietly bid his time at Notre Dame, before finally earning a starting spot at right tackle this past season. Dever will return for a 5th year and is expected to anchor an experienced offensive line.

ANDREW NUSS - 3 star OT - Nuss entered Notre Dame with the hope of providing depth at offensive line. Early in his career, Nuss shifted potions on a few occasions between offensive and defensive line, before finding his niche at offensive guard. Nuss will return for a fifth season and is expected to be the sixth o-lineman and can play guard or tackle.

MATT ROMINE - 4 star OG - Romine entered as the most highly recruited lineman for the Irish, picking the Irish over Oklahoma. However, things just never seemed to click. Romine barely saw action until this past season where he started a few games due to injuries. Romine was declined a option to return for a 5th season.

EMEKA NWANKWO - 4 star DT - Nwankwo was a big body at a position of need for the Irish, but never really panned out. Nwankwo was not accepted for a fifth year at Notre Dame.

IAN WILLIAMS - 3 star DT - Williams enrolled not highly ranked at defensive tackle. However, Williams quickly made an impression, working his way into the defensive rotation, ultimately earning Freshman All-American honors. Williams was a force in the middle for the Irish his whole career, but struggles as a team and a defensive unit kept Williams from earning the praise he deserved - 162 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions. Look for Williams to get drafted in the mid to late rounds in this years NFL Draft.

KERRY NEAL - 4 star DE - Neal was the first commitment to this recruiting class and never wavered. Neal saw significant action on defense as a freshman, but the plethora of defensive scheme changes and coaching changes saw Neal switch back and forth between DE and LB almost every season. Therefore, it was tough for Neal to get into rhythm at one position. Neal started every game as a senior finishing with 112 tackles, 7 sacks, and 1 interception.

BRIAN SMITH - 3 star LB - Smith was a late recruiting switch to Notre Dame in which the Irish clearly benefited. Smith starred early in his career with his sophomore season arguably his best. For that season, he was named a Captain for the 2009 season, but he quickly fell out of the rotation at linebacker and lost his starting spot going into the 2010 season. Nonetheless, Smith was one of the most productive players in this class finishing with 200 tackles, 6 sacks, and 4 interceptions.

AARON NAGEL - 3 star LB - After freshman year, Nagel transferred to Northwestern.

STEVE PASKORZ - 3 star LB - Paskorz enrolled as a linebacker, but finished at fullback. Paskorz played in 13 games in his Notre Dame career, but never recorded any statistics.

GARY GRAY - 4 star CB - Gray arrived at Notre Dame as a highly-ranked lock down cornerback. Gray did not play at all freshman year, and was used sparingly as a back-up in 2009, prompting Gray to rethink his commitment to Notre Dame. Ultimately Gray stuck with ND and has flourished ever since. Gray lived up to the lock-down hype this past season and will lead the Irish defense in 2011 when he returns for a 5th-season. Gray currently has 109 tackles and 4 interceptions in his career.

HARRISON SMITH - 4 star S - Harrison Smith entered Notre Dame as an athlete and immediately redshirted for down the road success. During the next two seasons, Smith bounced back and forth between linebacker and safety. Once finally rooted at safety, Smith has settled in and produced, racking up 219 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 7 interceptions. Smith will return for a fifth season in 2011 and was named defensive captain.

BRANDON WALKER - 3 star K - Walker entered an open competition at kicker and was given a fair opportunity his freshman season. However, Walker only connected on 6 of 12 attempts, and 22 of 23 extra points. Sophomore season, Walker finished 20 of 24 on field goals and a perfect 39 of 39 on extra points. However, the following season saw the enrollment of Nick Tausch and rise of David Ruffer and Walker quickly fell out of the rotation.


ANALYSIS

The class was headlined by Jimmy Clausen, and while the team did not fair well under his guidance, Jimmy was one of the best talents ever to play at Notre Dame. Clausen's main target Golden Tate is easily the biggest surprise or diamond in the rough from this class and much of that can be attributed to Clausen. The biggest assets from this class were Ian Williams, Brian Smith, Harrison Smith, and Gary Gray. The biggest disappointment based on rankings was Matt Romine. And while Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, and Kerry Neal posted solid careers, they failed to consistently amaze and reach the elite level. Lastly, Mike Ragone and Taylor Dever have one more opportunity to leave their mark on the Irish program. All in all, while the class of 2007 endured the worst season in Notre Dame history, they individually and as a unit have undoubtedly laid the foundation for future success.


-DH