Christmas Comes to South Bend in February

Stephon Tuitt, 5-star DE

In what could be the best defensive recruiting haul in the last 15 years for Notre Dame, Brian Kelly locked-up a class that includes a pair of 5-star and trio of 4-star incoming freshman - and that's just on defense! In all, the Irish signed 23 players to official commitments.

The class is led by Stephon Tuitt of Monroe, Georgia and Ishaq Williams, of Brooklyn, New York - a pair of dominating defensive ends. Thier elite talent could be the remedy to what has ailed the Notre Dame defense. Other highlights in this class ... QB Everett Golson (Myrtle Beach, SC), DE Aaron Lynch (Cape Coral, FL), TE Ben Koyack (Oil City, PA) and the Atkins Brothers - ATH George and DB Josh.

Troy Niklas, 4-star OL

In a turnaround compared to recent years - the Irish didn't lose much at the deadline. DB Bennett Okotcha switched his commitment to Oklahoma at the last minute - a move that could hurt in the secondary over time. On the other hand, Brian Kelly secured the commitment of 4-star OL Troy Niklas (Anaheim, CA) over the USC Trojans. Niklas was thought to be a lock for USC, but sanctions against the football team and a more stable situation in South Bend could have been the deciding factor.

For a complete look at Notre Dame's 2011 recruiting class - check out Rivals - http://rivals.yahoo.com/notredame/football/recruiting/commitments/2011