ND is really in a difficult situation. When you subtract transfers who left, ND is made up of at least 3 relatively weak classes in a row. (I’ll withhold judgement on the freshman class for now). If Jackie Young had not left for the W, she would be the sole recruited senior left on the roster. As it is, there are 0 recruited seniors on the roster.
Mikayla Vaughn is the only recruited junior on the roster, and she’s out with an injury, after missing all last season with an injury. There are a few more recruited players in the sophomore class: Gilbert, Prohaska (out indefinitely) & Cosgrove. But none of them are elite players IMO. As for the freshman class, SB & Peoples are certainly getting plenty of minutes, and it remains to be seen just how good they will become, but I note that before she went out with an injured knee, SB was largely contained by Kyla Irwin.
To fill in the roster ND suits up no less than 5 walk-ons. Next year, ND appears to have a solid class of 4 incoming freshman. But the highest ranked player in that group is #22 Maddy Westbeld, who’s sister Kat was a solid forward at ND. The Irish missed on all of the elite recruits in the 2020 class, including a talented pg from nearby MN.
The recent combination of recruiting misses and high-profile transfers, all while competing in an extremely tough conference, makes me wonder if ND hasn’t reached a kind of tipping point in WBB, that previews a potential decline in the program to a 2nd tier status. Yes, MM has been incredibly successful and ND has enormous advantages as one of the premier universities in the country. But things change, as former elite WBB programs USC, LA Tech, TX, TN and others can all attest.
Although he WAS born the day we went to Cameron and beat the Dukies while the crazies mocked Geno with wait staff paraphernalia. So, it's fitting that my grandson has been to the last few with me since the wife has decided that travel is out of her recent plans.
