NOTRE DAME - National Signing Day is upon us.

Also known as Christmas Day for college football fans.

Notre Dame has secured 17 commitments heading into tomorrow, three of which have already signed. Six of those 18 are ranked in ESPNU’s Top 150, which places Notre Dame’s Recruitment Class of 2012 at No. 9 in the nation.

Here’s how things look for the Irish as Wednesday approaches:

DONE DEALS

Easily the biggest story coming out of Notre Dame recruitment this year is Gunner Kiel, whose 11th-hour decommitment from LSU allowed the five-star quarterback to enroll in Notre Dame from the spring semester.

Kiel, Indiana’s Mr. Football 2011 and a graduate of Columbus East High School, is joined by defensive lineman Sheldon Day and cornerback Tee Shepard as the three players who have already signed with Notre Dame.

Four-star running backs William Mahone and KeiVarae Russell verbally committed to the Irish during the 2011 season and will add depth to a tailback corps that is preparing to lose Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick in the next two years.

Receivers Justin Ferguson, Chris Brown and Deontay Greenberry have also committed to Notre Dame. Greenberry paid an official visit to Houston last weekend, but is still expected to sign with the Irish alongside Shepard, a Washington Union High School teammate, tomorrow.

Offensive linemen Mark Harrell and Ronnie Stanley are the two final offensive commitments in Notre Dame’s arsenal.

On the other side of the ball, four-star defensive line Jarron Jones has committed to the Irish and, coupled with Day, will make a strong defensive front alongside the class above them.

Linebacker Romeo Okwara and safeties Nicky Baratti, CJ Prosise, Elijah Shumate and John Turner are also verbal commitments to Notre Dame. Shumate came on board relatively late, announcing his decision during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 after considering offers from South Carolina and Rutgers.

IN THE HUNT

Cornerback Ronald Darby, who was once one of Notre Dame’s most highly-touted recruits, backed out of his verbal commitment with earlier in the month at the Under Armor All-American game but is still considering the Irish along with Florida State, Clemson and Auburn.

Darby has kept any hints at his final decision away from the public eye but plans to announce tomorrow.

Cornerback Brian Poole has given a soft verbal commitment to Florida, but Notre Dame has hovered as a strong contender for the Florida native. Poole visited UF on Jan. 20, but Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly paid the four-star cornerback an in-home visit during the final week of recruitment.

Receiver Davonte Neal announced that he’ll make his decision after signing day in order to get an official visit in with Arizona on Feb. 10. Neal visited Notre Dame in early December but has since toured Ohio State, North Carolina and Arkansas.

Neal is ranked No. 8 on ESPNU’s Top 150 list and landing him would be a grand slam for an Irish team struggling at the receiver position.

Conerback Anthony Standifer was likely a shoe-in with the Irish until an academic issue created a serious road block. According to ESPN, Standifer is “lacking sufficient Spanish credits to be admitted into Notre Dame.”

Standifer told ESPN that coaches were attempting to work out an online Spanish course to fulfill the credits and become eligible to enroll at the university. Standifer is also considering Boise State, Illinois and Pitt.

LONG SHOTS

Receiver Nelson Agholor seems to be favoring Florida and USC, which Agholor visited last weekend. The five-star receiver ranks third in his position and 18th overall and is expected to announce his intentions just after noon tomorrow.

Defensive End Ken Ekanem cancelled plans to visit Notre Dame last weekend and will likely pick Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Ekanem tore his ACL in the Virginia AAA Division 6 championship, which caused Notre Dame to pull back a bit in the recruiting race against the Hokies, Ekanem’s high school coach Chris Haddock told the Washington Post.

Less of a “long shot” and more of an “out of the picture entirely,” Arik Armstead, an All-American defensive end, verbally committed to Oregon Sunday after considering Notre Dame, Cal and Washington.

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