University of Notre Dame men's soccer head coach Bobby Clark has announced another stellar recruiting class, signing seven players to letters of intent on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Matt Besler (Overland Park, Kan.), Kyle Dagan (Westlake Village, Calif.), Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla.), Cory Rellas (Plano, Texas), Luke Seibolt (Gilbert, Ariz.), Jack Traynor (St. Charles, Mo.) and Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md.) have all made the commitment to enroll at Notre Dame next year and take the field for the Fighting Irish.

"This was the class we were looking for," Clark says of his seven-player group.

"We graduated a large part of our defense and we addressed some needs with this group. All of these players are highly talented and we are excited to have them in our program."

Notre Dame graduated three starting defenders and a four-year starting goalkeeper in 2005 and this group of student-athletes will provide depth at all of those positions. The class is made up of a forward (Dike), a midfielder (Besler), a defender/midfielder (Rellas), two defenders (Dagan and Traynor) and two goalkeepers (Seibolt and Quinn).

The class has been ranked 13th in the nation by StudentSportsSoccer.com and been named a "Class to Watch" by CollegeSoccerNews.com.

Here is a closer look at the future class of 2009:

Matt Besler, MF, 5-10, 150 (Overland Park, Kan.)

Plays for Blue Valley West High School ... led Blue Valley to the Kansas 5A State Championship last season, scoring 23 goals with 19 assists ... member of the KCFC Alliance club team ... also a key member of the Region II Olympic Developmental Program (ODP), playing on the under-16 U.S. National Team ... rated 16th for midfielders in the Class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.

Bobby Clark on Besler -
"Matt is one of the strongest left sided players in Region II. He was the best player in a very strong soccer area. Not only is Matt a great player, but he is an outstanding student who is a great fit for Notre Dame."

Kyle Dagan, D, 6-0, 160 (Westlake Village, Calif.)

Three-year varsity starter at Westlake High School ... helped the Southern California United to the 2003 under-16 National Championship ... also a member of the ODP California South '86 team ... an all-star selection at Notre Dame's Elite Camp in the summer of 2004.

Clark on Dagan -
"He was the engine room when his club team won the National Championship two years ago. He is one of those players that can sometimes be overlooked. He is an honest, hard-working player. He really came to our attention at our summer camp. He is going to be a big-time college player before he finishes."

Bright Dike, F, 6-1, 195 (Edmond, Okla.)

Led Edmond North High School to the Oklahoma 5A state title as a junior ... was named the all-city player of the year in 2004 after scoring 17 goals ... member of the Oklahoma City NWO Spirit - the four-time Oklahoma state club tournament championship team .. rated 11th for forwards in the Class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.

Clark on Dike -
"He is an amazing athlete. People will be very excited to see Bright Dike in action. He is a strong athlete, very fast, and all three coaches here cannot wait to start working with him. He could develop into one of the top strikers in the BIG EAST."

Andrew Quinn, GK, 6-3, 210 (Silver Spring, Md.)

Three-year varsity starting goalkeeper at DeMatha High School ... led team to a 14-0-4 record and two consecutive WCAC Championships ... high school team was ranked fourth in the nation by the NSCAA ... also helped the Bethesda Internationals claim the Maryland State Championship ... an all-star selection at Notre Dame's Elite Camp in the summer of 2004.

Clark on Quinn -
"Andrew is one of the reasons that DeMatha has been one of the top high school teams in the country. He also was a stand out for Bethesda, which is one of the top club teams in the D.C. area. He is a good player and, like Luke (Seibolt), he is one of the guys who will be looking to compete for Chris Sawyer's spot."

Cory Rellas, MF/D, 6-1, 165 (Plano, Texas)

Plays for Plano West Senior High School ... member of the Solar Soccer Club, which plays in the CCSA Classic League and claimed the North Texas State Cup Championship in 2004 ... also played on the ODP North Texas '87 team ... an all-star selection at Notre Dame's Elite Camp in the summer of 2004 ... younger brother of current Irish junior defender Dale Rellas.

Clark on Rellas -
"It is great to have the Rellas boys. He is similar to his brother, but has some different traits as well. He has a similar build but is perhaps a little more mobile. Cory will have the opportunity to play both in the back and the midfield. He is a very simple, safe player like his brother."

Luke Seibolt, GK, 6-3, 200 (Gilbert, Ariz.)

Plays for Gilbert High School ... member of the Sereno Golden Eagles Soccer Club which has dominated the Arizona State Cup ... Sereno finished third in 2003 and 2004 after claiming the cup championship in 1998, 1999 and 2000 ... member of the ODP Arizona '86 team ... rated sixth for goalkeepers in the Class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.

Clark on Seibolt -
"Luke is a big, strong lad that we have watched over the years and saw at our camp. Every one has seen that our All-American goalkeeper has graduated and he is going to come in and compete for that spot."

Jack Traynor, D, 5-9, 150 (St. Charles, Mo.)

A first-team all-state selection for Francis Howell North High School ... helped the Scott Gallagher Soccer Club claim the 2004 under-17 National Championship ... also a member of the ODP Missouri '87 team and the region II '87 player pool.

Clark on Traynor -
"Jack was one of the best players on his team which won the under-17 National Championship last year. We think we have a very, very good player. He is a very composed, calm player who never seems to be ruffled by any circumstance. He has the potential to come in and have the possibility to play right away."