The first February of the year. It means national Letter of Intent day for college football, and is basically Christmas Day for recruiting nerds. That can be in a good or bad way (As in, “Yeah, I got Optimus Prime!!!!!” Or…”Yeah!! I got a…Pro Thumb Wrestling Ring???). Another one is in the books for Notre Dame, the anticipation and excitement that gives way to reality is over now. The Irish signed 16 players (3 already enrolled) that will certainly help in the program’s development, but the one that got away is what reverberated through the homes of Irish fans today. Here is a quick recap:

Notes from BK on the newest 16.

Biggest name: Gunner Kiel (all ready on campus). It never gets bigger than the #1 quarterback in the country. Ever. And this is a kid who has good athleticism, is built like a linebacker, and has a laser-rocket arm. Oh, and he kinda sounds like Darth Vader to up the intimidation factor. Kiel will be in the mix to impact Notre Dame from day one.

Most important get: Tee Shepard (all ready on campus). Perhaps the finest cornerback in the nation, Big and physical, plus, he can run. ND hasn’t had an elite lockdown guy since Bobby Taylor, and Shepard is in that mold as far as physicality. There is nothing ND needs more than back 7 guys on defense who can run.

Guys that can really help build a program: OT Ronnie Stanley and DT Sheldon Day. Say it with me: “You win football games in the trenches.” These two bring big boy athleticism that pundits thought ND could no longer attract just two short years ago. Stanley is long and lean–while weighing close to three bills. He is athletic enough to star in basketball as well, and BK said that he hasn’t come around an offensive lineman with that type of athleticism often. All the big boys wanted him. Day is a 6′2 bullish as hell defensive tackle/jumbo defensive end. His explosiveness off that ball has been compared to Warren Sapp, one of the elite DTs of all time as far as bringing pressure. All you need to know about Day is that the major SEC powers like Alabama were after him, and he is an Indiana kid. SEC schools never come to Indiana in search of defensive talent.

Sleeper pick: Chris Brown. The South Carolina receiver instantly upgrades the explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball. An Olympic-level triple jumper in track and field. Only a 3* recruit, but with pure athleticism that any program would covet. He is a RAC (run after the catch) receiver that Notre Dame doesn’t have on its roster, and BK believes he isn’t close to tapping his potential.

Hardest hitter: Elijah Shumate. The explosive safety from Don Bosco Prep (besides getting Shumate, it is a huge deal to open a pipeline to perhaps the best high school program in the country) reminds me of former Buckeye All-American Mike Doss. When he hits, the opposing player falls three yards backwards.

Mr. Utility: Nick(y) Baratti. The Texan all-everything played just about every position in high school from quarterback to band director, but he looks to be a safety at ND, and many have him pegged as a Harrison Smith clone. (I wouldn’t hate to see him put on weight and become a speedy Sean Spence-type of linebacker, truth be told.). The Irish need defenders that can cover ground quickly, and Baratti is faster for the first 20-yards than even elite sprinters like Ronald Darby (h/t: Keith Arnold).

Biggest Disappointment: Losing corner (again, the Irish need back 7 defenders that can run) and super speedster Ronald Darby a month ago was devastating, but he was never going to come back once he decommitted, despite the hopes of some. He wanted to run track as well, and FSU offered a much better opportunity for that. However, losing 5* receiver Deontay Greenberry (Michael Floyd with more speed) to Houston was perhaps the biggest disappointment I have witnessed since following recruiting. It tops Lorenzo Booker, Greg Little, or any other renege on or before signing day (Omar Hunter, Justin Trattou, etc.) in the last ten years. Notre Dame needs guys that can stretch the field from the day they step on campus, and despite the physical play-making skills of Justin Ferguson, and the explosiveness of the aforementioned Brown, no ND receiver had the whole package like Greenberry. The disappointment is almost comical. To think, the Irish held off Southern Cal (Greenberry is a Cali kid), but not the dreaded Houston Cougars for a 5* recruit? Unbelievable.

More recruiting coverage to come.

The gist of the craziness that is Notre Dame recruiting was covered in Part I. Part II is strictly thoughts on whether the biggest targets left this year will sign with the Irish on Feb. 1st. Here they are–and here’s what they will do:

Nelson Agholor. No shot at perhaps the biggest playmaking receiver in the country outside of Dorial Green-Beckham. I thought he would stay in state for a good part of this recruiting season, but most pundits really feel USC (in fact, most think he has been a silent commit for a while). In the end, you can’t blame him. He is a receiver, USC always has great quarterback play, and Kiffin had proven his coaching chops as far as offense is concerned.

Ronald Darby. Curses! Darby may be the fastest player in the nation, and this would have been the first time the Irish could have laid claim to having a player with that title since the days of Rocket. It will not be however, as this kid takes track serious, and there are some schools down south that have Olympic-level track programs. FSU will be the winner here.

Brian Poole. Advanced beyond his years in technique, and a top 5 cornerback in the country. His dad prefers ND, so many feel that Brian Kelly has had a good shot with this current Florida commit. My guess is that the thought of going to ND causes Poole a few sleepless nights, but he stays with the Gators in the end. Hard to get Florida kids out of Florida.

Arik Armstead. This 5* defensive end has been the object of many a ND fan’s recruiting obsession. Another elite front 7 player. A California kid hard to pry from the West Coast. Another statement made by ND that they are playing with recruiting firepower not seen in South Bend since the very early 90’s. However, I have always felt that he truly wanted to stay in the West, and today it came out that he is considering Cal, Washington, Oregon and… Auburn? Which is west of Florida, I think. He would be at Cal if super recruiter Tosh Lupoi hadn’t left to Washington for sure. In the end, I think it still comes down to Cal and Lupoi’s new school (seriously, that guy is the Egg McMuffin of recruiters, I have never heard of an assistant having this type of impact). In the end, Lupoi’s whisperings of sweet nothings into Arik’s ear won’t be enough to take him away from the school he’s been most comfortable at all along, and he goes to Cal. No dice for the Irish.

Davonte Neal. Urban Meyer really wants him. ‘Nuff said, he’s going to OSU. Brian Kelly will have to win more on the field to win wars against coaches like Meyer when they really go after the same player. It’s too bad, ND could have used his explosiveness in the slot.

Anthony Standifer. Signed, sealed, and delivered for ND. He’s even willing to take Spanish to get to South Bend. A physical, solid corner, and good pickup, but still a condolence commit. Unfortunately, the Irish struck out on their top targets.

Ken Ekenam. A good linebacker, but not a position of great need, and at this point, Brian Kelly is just going to save a scholarship for next year–to go chase some more elites as scholarships will be limited next year (gotta stay under 85, and the last few classes have been large).

In the end, Irish recruiting ends with a whimper. Standifer helps with depth and “solid” talent, but BK couldn’t close the deal with the true playmakers to make this class great. Some think Poole is more than likely to flip, but I feel Kelly used up his magic last year. Still, two very good classes in a row, adding 5*-type studs in Shepard, Greenberry Kiel, and Jarron Jones this year. Kelly is upgrading talent significantly, but Notre Dame has been down so long, he will likely need to make/win a BCS game to show ND is back, and be able to reel in those “top 5″ recruiting classes.

No Notre Dame recruiting cycles have been as crazy as Brian Kelly’s–Period. No Notre Dame coach has worked harder to build a team in a fashion that will lead to success in today’s college football–Period. Kelly lives true to his Irish heritage, puts his dukes up, and battles for the type of difference-making recruits not seen since the Holtz era. Recruits that the “so called” experts have said Notre Dame can no longer get. Explosive and powerful kids on the defensive side of the ball that chew up ground (no, not like The Mad Hatter) quickly and get to the ball to make plays.

Last year, Kelly pulled out all of the stops in getting the signatures of 5-star defensive studs Aaron Lynch (who committed, de-committed, and re-committed), and Stephon Tuitt (who did the same–Kelly changed his mind in one day). Defensive Coordinator and Kelly protege Bob Diaco waited outside of 5-star Ishaq William’s Brooklyn home at 5 a.m. (sans even a Starbucks coffee–and I mean coal-black coffee–nothing wussy for Diaco I would assume), and got him to commit on the spot before he headed over to Penn State. California stud linebacker Troy Niklas was a surprise commitment on signing day (over USC) thanks to the staff’s hard work.

No Irish staff in recent memory could have pulled those coups. Not Weis. He could get skill offensive talent, but lost out on stud defensive players, and lost many players to the poaching of other coaches. As Kelly showed with Lynch and Tuitt, he would sooner lose his ability to spontaneously combust on any sideline than give away a recruit without a fight. Not Willingham. His only successful class (Brady Quinn’s class) was based of a surprising 10-win first year. Not Davie. His only difference-maker in FIVE YEARS was running back Julius Jones. Holtz got it done, but the recruiting competition isn’t what it is now.

Kelly is fighting the recruiting battle, and Notre Dame’s recruiting world is wackier than ever, as illustrated above. This year is no different (perhaps even more of a roller coaster), and with a week to go until National Signing Day, here are some of the happenings is a second straight year of “What The?” moments:

-Notre Dame got hot, with a commitment form stud safety Elijah Shumate at the U.S. Army Bowl. 4-star athlete Kei’vare Russell surprised many and left Washington to attend ND. Then, even more shocking, Parade All-American and 2010 recruit Amir Carlisle decided to transfer from the hated Trojans to South Bend. Tee Shepard, perhaps the best cornerback in the land, got over a hot and heavy affair with home state USC, and kept his promise to enroll early at Notre Dame (thereby guaranteeing his cousin and elite receiver Deontay Greenberry, will also call ND home on NSD).

-Then, Notre Dame got cold. The other stud cornerback (and perhaps the fastest player in the country), Ronald Darby, said goodbye. Urban Meyer scoffed at the fact that another school took an elite Ohio offensive lineman, and reeled back Taylor Decker to his home state. Would there be more attrition?

-In the third act, #1 quarterback Gunner Kiel sent shockwaves when he never went to LSU as planned, and instead enrolled at Notre Dame Jan. 17th. Rumors were that the Irish also had a shot at California stud defensive end Arik Armstead (and his brother, USC transfer Armond). Stud corner Yuri Wright seemed like a heavy Irish lean as well.

-Then, things slowed yet again, with the Armsteads putting a halt to their recruitment (choosing a future is slightly more difficult than picking soup or salad) until Arik picks a school on NSD (oh, even schools like Alabama and USC are trying to get involved now), and Yuri Wright basically made himself radioactive with Twitter comments about weed, and his favorite part of the female anatomy–dooming himself to play football at Colorado today. Nice skiing to be sure. Football? Not so much.

So, how will recruiting end this year? One week left, with the Irish trying to gain just a few more good men. The targets are:

-Nelson Agholor (3rd-best receiver in the country?)
-Ronald Darby (trying to sway him back)
-Brian Poole (current UF commit and stud corner)
-Arik Armstead (probably with Armond)
-Davonte Neal (aaathlete)
-Anthony Standifer (former Michigan commit)
-Ken Ekenam (good linebacker and backup plan)

Bring on the wacky come Feb. 1st. Let’s see how this plays out. Willy Wonka would like this kind of shit.

(Part II comes tomorrow with guesses on how this will play out.)