Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish suffered through a brutal 2016 season that ended with a 4-8 record. As you may expect, that type of ineffective campaign made for a myriad of internet jokes at Notre Dame's expense but, in short order, Kelly and his staff have worked wonders on the recruiting trail in an effort to quell the negative momentum.
Videos by FanBuzz
That continued over the weekend, as Allen Trieu of Scout reports that 6'5 offensive line prospect John Dirksen will be spending his college career in South Bend. Dirksen ranks as the No. 23 offensive tackle prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings and that same service places a four-star rating on the rising senior from Ohio.
Before committing to Notre Dame, Dirksen held offers from the likes of Michigan State, Kentucky and Northwestern (among others) and this is a big-time pickup from the Irish. With Dirksen on board, Notre Dame now ranks as the No. 3 team in the country when it comes to 2018 recruiting rankings according to 247Sports and that illustrates just how much of an emphasis has been put on this year's class by the staff.
It remains to be seen as to how effective Dirksen will be at the college level but he has all the tools of a quality player and Notre Dame's 2018 class is now stronger.
