recruiting at #14 is near the bottom for ND.

There are approx. 17 other programs that are in ND's peer group; ND should never, ever drop below a #18 ranked class.

As others have pointed out, the gulf between the haves and the have-nots continues, and may be widening.

ND is on the right side of the gulf in terms of being in that tier of 18, but needs to push its way into the cartel at the very top.

Red flags abound when these programs drop below the top ~18 (like USC's disaster of a class last season), or consistently finish in the 12-18 range.