First it was 247Sports ranking their top assistant coaches for their recruiting prowess. It was Josh Helmholdt of Rivals turn Friday as they announced their Top 25 recruiters for the 2020 class. Once again, no current Irish coaches made this list, but Chip Long’s efforts prior to being released in December were recognized.
Long clearly didn’t mesh well with what Brian Kelly wanted offensively, but on the recruiting trail Long was very successful. “Brian decided to part ways with his offensive coordinator after the season, but the impact Long had on this Notre Dame class cannot be understated,” Helmholdt noted. Long’s impact will be felt in the ’21 class also, as prior to being relieved of his duties, he was instrumental in WR Lorenzo Styles Jr. and TE Cane Berrong’s commitments.
Some of the players he was responsible for included 5-Star TE Michael Mayer and RB Chris Tyree who were two of the top players in the ’20 class. Once again this is a reiteration of the fact that the rest of the Notre Dame staff has to step their game up on the recruiting side. So far in the 2021 class it has been a team effort to get the current 8 commits, but whatever works to get the best players to South Bend.