As things stand just before Christmas, Notre Dame's 2017 recruiting class ranks in the top 10 by Rivals (No. 8), 247 Sports (No. 8), Scout (No. 8) and ESPN (No. 9). That's a good start for Mike Elston & Co., especially in the face of 2016's brutal 4-8 record.
But this class is far from finished, with plenty of needs on the defensive side of the ball for newly-minted defensive coordinator Mike Elko to fill. Notre Dame needs to finish strong in its recruiting efforts with about a month and a half left until signing day, and a few weeks until the end of the College Football Playoff championship game signals the conclusion of the current NCAA-mandated dead period.
With that in mind, Mike Monaco and I were joined by IrishIllustrated.com recruiting guru Jake Brown on the Still Independent Podcast this week to break down the state of Irish recruiting. Among the topics we covered, plus more:
-- Positions of need to fill out the 2017 class
-- Which 2017 commits could play right away in the fall
-- The importance of Mike Elston and what kind of recruiter Mike Elko may be
-- What to expect from four-star QB commit Avery Davis
-- Undecided recruits to watch over the next few weeks
Listen to the full episode at this link or below: