Hutton: Kiel doesn’t address Notre Dame’s biggest needs

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FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2010, file photo, Columbus East quarterback Gunner Kiel looks to pass during a high school football game against Jennings County in Columbus, Ind. Prized recruit Kiel has decided to join Notre Dame according to head coach Brian Kelly on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. The decision marks one of the most significant recruits Kelly has landed in his two-plus years on the job at Notre Dame. (AP Photo/The Republic, Andrew Laker, File)

Updated: March 1, 2012 8:32AM

If the world ended for some Notre Dame recruiting fanatics when Ronald Darby, a five-star cornerback recruit de-committed a few weeks ago, the resurrection occurred when Gunner Kiel, the nephew of former ND quarterback Blair Kiel, who had a forgettable career as the Irish signal caller, enrolled at Notre Dame in almost the dead of the night after spending a week at LSU.

The Gunner news turned ND cybersphere from dour and depressed into downright giddy. Even Jimmy Clausen arriving in a limo at the College Football Hall of Fame to tell the world he was Irish didn’t have the impact that Kiel’s sudden change of heart has had already.

Kiel hasn’t thrown a live pass, had a microphone shoved under his chin or even participated in a practice. But no player has inspired more hope for the Notre Dame faithful, who are captivated and obsessed with whose about to commit, who has committed and who might commit.

Personally, I don’t believe it was an even trade. Spring practice went from a three-player quarterback battle to four. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had a hard enough time selecting between two last season. This could make it messier, but you know what they say: “Gotta take a great QB if you can get him even if the need for one is questionable.”

The Irish needed an impact cornerback to go with the plethora of defensive linemen they’ve stocked up on over the last two years (Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt and recent verbal commitments Jarron Jones, a 300-pound tackle from New York and Sheldon Day, a 300-pound lineman from Warren Central in Indianapolis). Tee Shepherd, a defensive back from California, fits that profile. They need more than one, though. Time is running short with signing day arriving Wednesday.

Still, with Kelly’s second full class almost in the books, there is good news on the horizon for the foundation of Notre Dame football. Kelly has proven it’s not impossible to get quality, interior defensive players. The persistent failing of the past three coaches to score great defensive linemen had snowballed into the myth that you just couldn’t get really good defensive tackles and defensive ends at Notre Dame. Why? All sorts of theories were offered — from the pool of academically eligible players for ND was smaller at those positions to they just didn’t have a history of recruiting game-changers at those spots.

When athletic director Jack Swarbrick was searching for a coach, one of his talking points was the need to build a championship defense because the BCS games were typically about great defensive teams. The snoozer between LSU and Alabama for the national title is proof of that.

Kelly, an offensive-minded coach, seemed like an odd choice then. He had never recruited on a national level and he was known for his spread offense, not a stingy defense. Obviously, he took Swarbrick’s message to heart.

The depth the Irish have built on the defensive line is impressive. It was virtually unfathomable a few years ago.

ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill has a simple explanation for why the Irish seem to have turned the corner on one key front. They are selling the need for potential prospects in that area — something that was neglected during the Charlie Weis era.

“It’s just a point of emphasis now,” Luginbill said.

The next hump for Notre Dame revolves around getting more depth at the linebacker and cornerback spots and in bringing in some high-level skill players, particularly at the wide receiver spot, for whoever the next quarterback is.

Luginbill is optimistic that double-digit wins are around the corner for the Irish, given the talent pool that Kelly has started to stock-pile. Luginbill believes in the five-year plan. Can’t really judge the coaching job until he has had five recruiting classes in place.

That may seem like an eternity for the Irish fans, who have been waiting two decades for a great team again but it’s generally the kind of lifeline coaches at Notre Dame get to make it work. That still gives him another year or two to build offensive depth at those spots. It’s too early to know now but it seems like that’s a problem Kelly should be able to solve, given time.