Notre Dame’s recent surge in recruiting should not take away from the progress it has made as a “developmental program” these last four years. That was former-and-now-again recruiting coordinator Mike Elston’s phrase on National Signing Day, and it is meant as a compliment to the backbone of the Irish program and its 43-8 record since the 2016 debacle.
Combining a renewed four-star focus with that development should yield even better results. And when Drew Brees calls those home games down the line, he may be someone to whom the development particularly resonates.
When asked last week if Notre Dame showed him any interest coming out of high school during the Bob Davie era, he made it clear the Irish did not and he did not fault them for that.