Coming off an impressive 8-5 season the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are looking to continue their winning ways in the future. With the newest Notre Dame addition of speedy wide out Jason Ferguson the Fighting Irish have sured up themselves of 6 committed star recruits thus far. 

These standout players include defensive backs Nicky Barati, Ronald Darby, and Tee Shepard as well as offensive linemen Scott Daly and Taylor Decker.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the Notre Dame 2012 Recruiting class:

1.       Nicky Baratti (6’4” 230 lbs Spring, TX)
The extremely athletic Baratti is versatile and could switch from quarterback to safety. He is being recruited for the secondary and the coaching staff has compared him to current safeties Harrison Smith and Zeke Motta. In the 40 Baratti registered an impressive 4.5. His parents are of Irish-Catholic and Italian-Catholic descent are certainly proud of their Fighting Irish son.

2.       Ronald Darby (5’11” 172 lbs Oxon Hill, MD)
This highly touted defensive back is known as one of the fastest sprinters in the country. His 4.31 in the 40 was the quickest time at the Under Armor All-American Combine in Orlando. Darby’s speed has translated into deft football skills. He rushed for 1,329 yards and 23 touchdowns and picked off three passes last season. He is also a skilled return specialist who had two kickoff returns for touchdowns and two punt returns for touchdowns.

3.       Scott Daly (6’4” 230 lbs. Downers Grove South, IL)
The five star recruit was a highly sought after by many schools including a scholarship offer from Northwestern, Michigan, Stanford, and Wisconsin to name a few. The Long snapper is considered one of the top recruits at his position in the country. He has been described by his coach Chris Rubio coach as “extremely athletic and smooth. Tremendous frame. He’s very, very hardworking.” Scott is the youngest Long Snapper ever to be offered and commit on full scholarship.

4.       Tee Shepard (6’2” 185 lbs.  Fresno, CA)
One of the most coveted corners on the West Coast is considered a four star coup for the Fighting Irish. He received offers from over 27 colleges including Alabama, Auburn, Miami and UCLA. According to Scout.com Shepard “is excellent in coverage and has great hands.” Hehas safety size and is a physical specimen with an explosive back step and fluid hip action. He could be the anchor of the defensive backfield for the Irish.

5.       Taylor Decker (6’8” 270 lbs  Vandalia, OH)
This offensive lineman behemoth chose Notre Dame despite receiving full scholarship offers from Boston College, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. He brings bravado and confidence to the squad and lists his skills sets as “I can move well; come off the ball well. I like to finish blocks.” According to Scout.com his strengths include his aggressiveness tenacity and size. He may be a project but it will pay hefty dividends for the Irish.