UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

Markus Burton, the most important of the three signees, will make a decision after his season is done.

The new coach may have to try to talk Cormac Ryan into coming back. However, the implication from Tom Noie that ND has been focused on grad transfers over the years is completely false, and there is zero chance that the new head coach will not be given the ability to bring in a number of undergrad transfers if there is a mass exodus. I really, really hope that Lubin stays, but I could see him and Starling leaving. If the entire current freshman class leaves, then ND would have a grand total of three scholarship players returning, with the possibility of Burton and Parker Friedrichsen joining them, if they stay committed. That's frightening, considering that Matt Zona has barely played and Tony Sanders really hasn't played at all. The silver lining is that a new coach can go out and find some athletes that fit what he wants to do. Every season, we see ND play a mid-major or two, or three, where it's clear that the mid-major school has better athletes, if less skill, than ND's guys. Guys in that top 200-400 range nationally, from which some turn into real players. Off the top of my head, Carleton Scott, Russell Carter, and Torrian Jones were lower-rated recruits during the Brey era who had athleticism and were particularly assets on the defensive side of the ball. Guys like that are out there every recruiting cycle.