As Jay noted in this thread

http://bluegraysky.com/forum/index.php?id=23725

ND was dead last among getting front 7 bodies over two overlapping time periods (05-07 and 05-09). ND picked up 14 such players in the first 3 year time period and 28 in the larger 5 year time period.

Per year that came down to 4.7 and 5.6 front 7 players per year.

Looking at the recruiting class as it currently is (plus Lynch) with last year's class, ND has 14 already.

2011 - Burton, Carrico, Springmann, Councell, Rabasa, Lynch, Grace
2010 - Roback, Spond, Schwenke, Nix, Utupo, Shembo, Moore

That's 7 players per year (with the chance that ND will add one or two more hopefully in this class). Granted, some of those guys will move around in their career, but the first step to establishing depth is filling up the depth chart with bodies. That seems to be largely accomplished at this point.

Take a look at a way-too premature and quick rough draft 2011 depth chart. That's plenty of experienced talent and some excellent underclassmen depth.

OLB - Filer (sr). Fox (jr). Utupo (so). Roback (so). Rabasa (fr).
ILB - McDonald (sr). Calabrese (jr). Posluszny (jr)
ILB - Te'o (jr). Moore (so). Grace (fr).
OLB - Fleming (sr). Shembo. (so). Spond (so). Burton (fr). Councell (fr).

DE - E. Johnson (sr). Lynch (fr). Heggie (so). Carrico (fr).
NT - Nix (so). Cwynar (sr). Stockton (jr). Newman (sr).
DE - KLM (sr). H. Williams (sr). Schwenke (so). Springmann (fr).

28 players for 7 starting spots with only Fleming, Filer, and Ethan Johnson in their final year of eligibility. The other 25 players can return for 2012. If we can add someone like French and maybe another elite DE to that group...well, damn.

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