Domination: Soon

I don't know how many times I've said it. The biggest difference between the all-mighty SEC teams and the rest of the country is the depth of stud players on the defensive line. They just rotate in massive bodies that run 4.6 40's and can bench press a VW Beetle. Their rotation keeps them all fresh, and opposing offensive lines, RBs and QBs feel the pain.

Under Weis (Davie and Willingham too), we were never able to get more than maybe one difference maker on the D-line. Not since Holtz have we had intimidating big uglies at the point of attack. Zorich, Stams, Alm, Jones, Kowalkowski, Williams, Jurkovich and Dahl ALL WOULD GO ON TO BE DRAFTED AND PLAY IN THE NFL!

All that is changing under Brian Kelly. It is clear that he has seen what any die-hard ND fan has seen over the last 10 years. We need a superior D-line to compete at the highest level. So what has Kelly done in his first two full recruiting classes?

• Stephon Tuitt 6'5"/252/5*
• Chase Hounshell 6'5"/250/3*
• Aaron Lynch 6'6"/265/5*
• Ishaq Williams 6'5"/225/5*
• Anthony Rabasa 6'3"/215/3*
• Tony Springman 6'6"/260/3*
• Romeo Okwara 6'5"/225/3*
• Sheldon Day 6'2"/290/5*
• Jarron Jones 6'7"/308/5* COMMITTED TODAY!!!

The first five guys on that list (mmmmmm, 5 Guys) are freshman in uniform right now. The last three are commitments for next year. Jones is an absolute monster and the #2 D-line recruit in the nation. Not only that, he only started playing football seriously in the last 2 years. He was a big basketball guy before that. That means he will turn into an absolute brick house once he gets in a couple years of strength and conditioning.

Are all these guys going to pan out? Of course not. However, they all will contribute mightily to our team. With a dominating D-line, we are a whole new team. Can you imagine what Kelly will be able to do with his offense, and a D-line that absolutely stuffs the line of scrimmage? There are so many subtle, positive changes that Kelly has brought about in two short years. This is a big one, but they are all going to start adding up. Anyone who doesn't see the trend is either ignorant or blind. We're coming, and soon.