Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Another Top Class For The Irish

Ronald Darby, one of the top cornerback recruits in the country and a former Notre Dame commitment, has narrowed his focus to Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame and Auburn. Darby originally committed to the Irish on April 16th after Notre Dame’s spring game. The Under Armour All-America backed out of his commitment in early January.

Darby stars for Potomac (Oxon Hill, Md.) and is one of the top players in the state. After decommitting from the Irish, the 5’11, 174-pound Darby proceeded to take visits to Florida State and Clemson. Darby has previously visited Notre Dame, Auburn and Maryland. Those four schools, minus Maryland, comprise his final four.

Also, in reference to the popular theory from the LSU side of the equation that it all came down to a teary plea from his mother:

As far as burdens go, being shrieked at by Brian Kelly sounds like a whole ‘nother one, but for the time being let’s all emit positive vibes about a young man finding what he believes to be his place.

Notre Dame fans are justifiably excited with the commitment of Gunner Kiel. He’s one of the top pro-style quarterbacks in the country. But just what does Kiel’s commitment mean for the Irish? For that answer, let’s turn to the excellent Notre Dame site, One Foot Down:

I do wonder if Notre Dame will ever be able to have a top run game with a pro-style quarterback operating entirely from the shotgun. I suspect they will not. Still, the Irish can have an excellent offense with Kiel at the helm.

Commenting on the move, here’s Kiel:

For more on LSU football, head to And The Valley Shook. For more on Notre Dame football, head to One Foot Down.

The report has him enrolling early, just as he’d planned to do at LSU, and installing himself at the campus’ O’Neill Hall.

Kiel has become perhaps the 2012 recruiting crop’s biggest name, thanks in part to his talent (he’s rated a five-star quarterback and considered by most to be the nation’s top dropback passer), but thanks also to his quest to find the right school. His very early commitment to IU came as a surprise; his October decommitment did not.

Yuri Wright is arguably the top cornerback prospect in the country. Out of New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep, he’s received offers from most of the top BCS schools in the country. And it’s easy to see why. Wright has elite size at 6’2” and 180 pounds, can press receivers, and drives on the ball well. Yet he is still able to turn and run.

Wright visited Notre Dame on December 16th, and was complimentary of the visit. At that time, Notre Dame held a commitment from Maryland cornerback Ronald Darby. Darby has since decommitted and is considering Florida State and Clemson, among others.