After being beaten soundly by a quicker Oregon State team Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame knew it needed more speed. Wednesday, the Irish said they got it.
The disastrous Fiesta Bowl appearance, coach Bob Davie said, did not have a significant impact on recruiting season, which culminated Wednesday with 19 high school seniors signing national letters of intent to play for the Irish.
“I think the thing that jumps out at you is the speed of this class,” Davie said.
The group includes five linemen, three running backs, four linebackers, two tight ends, two wide receivers and three defensive backs, though several of the players are expected to move to new positions.
Among the standouts is Morgan Park linebacker Cory Mays, a USA Today second-team All-American. Mays is the first Public League player Notre Dame has signed since Chris Zorich in 1988.
“I love him,” Davie said. “I think he can be a star. He has great explosiveness, great quickness.”
Recruiting, Davie said, runs in two-year cycles. He used this year’s class to fill in some of the gaps from last year.
“Last year we didn’t sign any offensive linemen. We signed four offensive linemen [this year]. This year, obviously, we didn’t sign a quarterback [after signing three last season]. Last year we signed two defensive backs. This year we went out and got three, possibly four defensive backs. If you look at the totality of the last four years, it meshes well together.”
With two offensive linemen graduating this spring and several set to depart after the 2001 season, shoring up the line was a priority.
Nine of the 19 Irish signees attended summer football camp at Notre Dame, which helped the coaches evaluate them, Davie said. That group included 6-foot-7-inch, 310-pound tight end Mark LeVoir, who was a USA Today first-team All-American, and 6-4, 285-pound offensive lineman Zachary Giles, a second-teamer.
Two players that were considering the Irish, Shaun Cody, a defensive lineman from Hacienda Heights, Calif., and Lydell Ross, a tailback from Tampa, Fla., went elsewhere. Cody signed with Southern Cal and Ross, after verbally committing last month to Notre Dame, instead choose Ohio State.
And though Davie is pleased with his class, the players’ individual accolades won’t mean much come fall.
“None of us know for sure exactly what we have,” Davie said. “We won’t know until August, and it’ll probably be a long time after that until we’re sure.”
