Catching Up On the Recruiting Trail

It’s the dog days of summer and that could only mean one thing to die hard football fans: The latest on high school recruits. Notre Dame is preparing their Who’s Who list of possible candidates for their summer camps. So far the Irish have once again laid some solid ground work for what looks to be another top notch recruiting class.

Below is a breakdown by position of possible signees and current verbals:

Quarterback - ND might not grab anyone. I believe they have 2 offers out, and if they say no I don’t think the Irish will take anyone.

Running Back - ND is done. Cierre Wood (# 3 overall recruit according to Rivals) and Theo Riddick of Sommerville, New Jersey, verballed early on for the Irish.

Cierre Wood: 6’0 192 lbs. Ran for more than 2,600 yards and scored 42 TDs in 2007.

Theo Riddick: 5’10 185 lbs. Rushed for 1,192 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Had 23 TDs his sophomore year.

Fullback - They want to find someone. No names have really surfaced yet, but if all else fails, Manti Te’o (see Linebacker) could be a possible 2-way player.

Wide Receiver - ND would like 2-3. The Big names right now are Uzoma Nwachukwu (Allen, TX), Shaquelle Evans of Inglewood, California (#24 overall recruit), and Reuben Randle from Bastrop, Louisiana (# 6 overall recruit).

Uzoma Nwachukwu: 6’1 186 lbs. Six of his 22 catches went for scores.

Shaquelle Evans: 6’0 203 lbs. Caught 30 passes for 608 yards and three TDs, also returned a kickoff for a score.

Reuben Randle: 6’3 195 lbs. Star receiver on state championship team will be playing under center senior season. Has over a 30 yard a catch average for his career.


Tight End- They will try and go after 1 more after Jake Golic (West Hartford, Connecticut) pledged his intentions in March. Top prospect, Orson Charles of Tampa, is a possibility until his test scores and grades improve. If he clears that hurdle, Weis and Co. will be visiting the sunshine state regularly.

Jake Golic: 6’5 210 lbs. First verbal of the 2009 class runs a solid 4.65.

Orson Charles: 6-2 216 lbs. Broke Florida's BCS championship trophy on a recruiting visit. Hopefully he’ll break more than that if he commits to the Irish!

Offensive Line - Look for the Irish to try hard and get Xavier Nixon of Fayetteville, North Carolina (# 27 overall recruit) and Xavier Su’a-Filo from Provo, Utah. I think ND has a good shot to get both, if not we will definitely get 1. Others that are in the mix that we look good at is Chris Watt of Glen Ellyn, Illinois (# 52 overall recruit), and Brentwood, Tennessee, guard Alex Bullard.

Xavier Nixon: 6’6 275 lbs. Emerged as one of the top linemen at the U.S. Army All-American Combine.

Xavier Su’a-Filo: 6’4 285 lbs. Led team to an undefeated championship last season.

Chris Watt: 6’3 280 lbs. The # 1 guard prospect in the nation and the top rated player in the state looks to stay close to home.

Alex Bullard: 6’3 275 lbs. Currently visiting South Bend this weekend, and will be back this summer for camp. Bullard is a very productive offensive lineman that could be a big asset for the Irish.

Defenive Line - Another New Jersey product, Tyler Stockton of Princeton got the ball rolling for the Irish on the defensive front. Look for ND to grab 1 more DT, if not, they will take 2-3 DE's. Right now the Best option is Anthony LaLota, a teammate of Stockton at Princeton Hun.

Tyler Stockton: 6’1 290 lbs. An impressive player that had 68 tackles, including 24 for a loss and nine sacks, his junior year.

Anthony LaLota: 6’6 260 lbs. The rangy DE had 40 tackles and 10 sacks last season. Could be a possible preferred walk-on for Mike Brey’s squad too!

Linebacker - Look for ND to land 3 more here after Verona, New Jersey, product Carlo Calabrese bolstered the Irish 2009 to five this month. As of right now Dan Fox of Cleveland, Ohio, looks like he’ll be the next LB to pick the Irish. Also looking ok is Manti Te'o of Honolulu, Hawaii (# 7 overall recruit according to Rivals), and Jelani Jenkins of Wheaton, Maryland (# 10 overall recruit).

Carlo Calabrese: 6’2 225 lbs. Made a 104 tackles and four sacks last season.

Dan Fox: 6’4, 219 lbs. Hails from the same high school as current Irish players Robby Parris and John Ryan.

Manti Te’o: 6’2 230 lbs. Recorded 90 tackles, five sacks and rushed for 400 yards and 10 TDs as a junior.

Jelani Jenkins: 6’0 203 lbs. Jenkins is the biggest mover so far, from his previous ranking (79).

Defensive Back - Two kids that look good right now is Lauderhill, Florida, native Brandon McGee and E.J. Banks of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.

Brandon McGee: 5’11 186 lbs. One of the most electrifying athletes in the country could be a possible early enrollee candidate for Charlie Weis and the Irish.

E.J. Banks: 6’0 180 lbs. Has the Irish very high on his list. Could possibly pull the trigger after his ND camp visit.

Overall ND looks good again. I think ND will land in at #5- #8 this year in Recruiting.

Here's a look at a few clips of the current verbals.

Cierre Wood


Carlo Calabrese (courtesy of Irish Illustrated)

Sign of the Apocalypse?

First it was Mark May saying Notre Dame will go to a bowl next season and now this? What gives? Why are they jumping back on the Fighting Irish bandwagon?

Simply put, Trev Alberts hit the nail on the head: PLAYERS! Charlie Weis will reap the benefits of his stellar recruiting classes. The star will still be wet behind the ears a little bit, rest asure, the Irish will be back. Maybe sooner than one expected!

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 9

Weis on the Bubble

What does Mike Stoops (Arizona), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Steve Kragthorpe (Louisville), Randy Shannon (Miami), Joe Paterno (Penn State), Dave Wannstedt (Pittsburgh), and Charlie Weis have in common? They are all on the bubble of the Hot Seat, according to CBSSportsline.com's yearly list. After a 3-9 season, would you have expected anything less?

Dennis Dodd listed 16 coaches on the Bubble with a 3-3.5 rating. Below is the list of coahces that fell into that [Bubble] category:

Jeff Genyk (3): Eastern Michigan 13-33 (5th year)
Rob Akey (3): Idaho 1-11 (2nd year)
Kirk Ferentz (3): Iowa 61-49 (10th year)
Ron Prince (3.5): Kansas State 12-13 (3rd year)
Doug Martin (3): Kent State 15-31 (5th year)
Ricky Bustle (3): Louisiana-Lafayette 26-44 (7th year)
Steve Kragthrope (3.5): Louisville 6-6 (2nd year)
Randy Shannon (3): Miami, FL 5-7 (2nd year)
CHARLE WEIS (3): NOTRE DAME 22-15 (4th year)
Joe Paterno (3.5): Penn State 372-125-3 (43rd year)
Dave Wannstedt (3): Pittsburgh 16-19 (4th year)
Chuck Long (3.5): San Diego State 7-17 (3rd year)
Tom Amstutz (3): Toledo 55-32 (8th year)
Neil Callaway (3): UAB 2-10 (2nd year)
Bobby Johnson (3): Vanderbilt 20-50 (7th year)
Joe Glenn (3): Wyoming 26-33 (6th year)

There are four coaches that are in the 4-4.5 range known as the Warm Seat; basically felling the pressure. Of those unlucky four, two of them will be on the Fighting Irish schedule this season: Syracuse and Washington. Also Greg Robinson and Ty Willingham have the highest scores.

Mike Stoops (4): Arizona 17-29 (5th year)
Mike Sanford (4): UNLV 6-29 (4th year)
Brent Guy (4): Utah State 6-29 (4th year)
Greg Robinson (4.5): Syracuse 7-28 (4th year)
Ty Willingham (4.95): Washington 11-25 (4th year)

Was I surprised to see Coach Weis on the bubble, no. Was I shocked to see others on this list, absolutely. First, Joe Pa will leave when he is damn ready to leave. No way will Penn State ask the man who put Happy Valley on the map to step down or be fired. Kirk Ferentz's name did surprise me a little bit, but he did have some trouble last season at Iowa. As for Robinson and Willingham, it's only a matter of time, and that time will be at the end of the season!

With the way things are going in recruiting and getting his players up to snuff and ready for action, Weis will be here to stay in South Bend of awhile!

There Can Only Be One: College Football Style

I'm not a real big fan of the NBA, however I like their ads for the Playoffs: "There Can Only Be One", with a split shot of two faces. Well since it is down time for Notre Dame athletics, especially after the Fighting Irish baseball team crapped out the last few weeks of the season (Thanks Dave Schrage!); I've decided to make my own ads for the upcoming College Football Season.

If you want to make your own, please share with the rest of the Fighting Irish Nation, and take a look at what others have done on this NBA site: http://www.nba.com/therecanonlybeone/.

Enjoy and have a safe and Happy Memorial Day!







Here's a few good ones that everyone should enjoy.

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 8

Wouldn't be something if Bob Davie was calling this game on ABC? ND's last three Head Coaches in Seattle battling it out. Does anyone want to place their bets on this happening?

California Dreaming for Kevin White?

What would the off season be without rumors? Well according to CBSSportsline.com journalist Dennis Dodd, Notre Dame Athletic Director Kevin White could be a possible candidate as the next Pac 10 Commissioner.

"If you playoff proponents want a ray of hope, here it is: Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen is rumored to be stepping down next year. (His choice, by the way) Hansen, along with the Big Ten's Jim Delany, is part of the blockade against a plus-one. The new commissioner might be able to slowly melt some cold presidential hearts within the conference.

Watch for the Mountain West's Craig Thompson to go after the job. That makes sense, but there is another name in the rumor mill that will blow your doors off: Notre Dame AD Kevin White.

Hansen is the longest-tenured major-college commissioner having been in his position since 1983."

If Hansen does indeed call it quits in 2009, White would be the frontrunner. 1.) His familiarity with the conference and his ties with those schools should help. Dr. White's tenure as the head of the Arizona State athletic department didn't get unnoticed whatsoever, as he helped improve facilities and the NCAA violations. 2.) Family will be close by too! White's son, Danny, is an Associate AD at Fresno State and is expecting their first child. That would be the first grandchild in the White family.

Other possible candidates for the Pac 10 besides White and Craig Thompson might be Ohio State AD Gene Smith. And speaking of Smith; if White does bolt South Bend for the sunny skies of California, he would easily be the Fighting Irish's first and most obvious choice. Smith was a former player that was part of the 1973 National Championship squad and a coach under Dan Devine from 1977-1981.

If Smith doesn't pan out, there's a huge list of folks that would be itching at the chance to come to South Bend. Below is just a short list of the most obvious choices for Fr. Jenkins.

Athletic Director Candidates
Smith is the only choice in my opinion, but the rest will be considered because of university ties.

Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin): Assistant football coach under Lou Holtz
Joel Maturi (Minnesota): ND Alum
Steve Orsini (Southern Methodist): ND Alum
Mike Bobinski (Xavier): ND Alum
Bubba Cunningham (Tulsa): ND Alum and former Associate AD
Larry Williams (Portland): ND football captain under Gerry Faust and former ND employee

Once again this is only rumor and speculation, but in this crazy world of Intercollegiate Athletics, moves are made in a blink of an eye!

To Cheat or Not To Cheat, is that the Question?

Spygate is just not going to go away anytime soon, as long as, Senator Arlen Specter has anything to say about it. After the latest in the he said/he said, more and more is coming out about Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis' role in the whole scandal.

In a recent ESPN.com article it states,

"An offensive player would memorize the signals, watch for them on the sideline and pass them on to assistant coach Charlie Weis, who would then inform quarterback Tom Brady."

So far no word has come out of university on Weis' implications to situation. Whether this is true or not, I have a few issues regarding this whole spgygate:

1.) Why now? If Matt Walsh had all this information why did he decide to unveil this during the time he did? Why did he keep all these tapes? Walsh's answer was that he was using that for his resume. Okay, I'm not buying that one bit. You mean to tell me, hey here's some of my work that I did for the Patriots. It's me filming signals from the opposing team. Yeah, that I don't understand either.

2.) Cheating, everyone does it, and just not in football either! I don't believe for one second that the Patriots are the only team in the National Football League to do this. How about stealing signs in baseball? I don't see anyone getting all in an uproar about that, do we? We don't see Arlen Specter sticking his nose in that situation because his home state teams (Phillies and Pirates) suck!

3.) Why does it matter to Notre Dame? Seriously, does it really? All we do know is that ND's offense the first two seasons under Weis was amazing. What he did with a team that didn't do much whatsoever under Willingham were setting school records left and right. So saying that Weis got the Notre Dame job because he benefited from cheating is pure and utter bullshit! Obviously he has some offensive play calling skills to produce those numbers with that "lack of" talent all the media said the Irish had during his first two seasons in South Bend.

And we won't rehash last season, because that too was pure and utter bullshit!

In the end, what spygate really is, is one old bag of wind trying to get his last 15 seconds of fame in trying to bring down the best sports franchise in the world. When it is all said and done, Bill Belichick will get some type of suspension, Matt Walsh will look like Brian McNamee (Roger Clemens BFF), and Weis will be part one of the best turnarounds in college football!

All in the Family: Reggie Bush Developments Could Spell Trouble for USC

Poor, poor Southern Cal. With all the attention of Reggie Bush and now O.J. Mayo is receiving, it's like kicking a poodle, err, I mean dog when it is down. Whatever the outcomes may be, it definitely does not bode well for the Men of Troy.

Bush might actually go to trial in March 2009 and possibly drag Pete Carroll's program through the mud. It's about time, because no way in hell is a program that good, squeaking clean!

The farther the Bush case is distanced from 2004 and 2005, the better for the Trojans, but the damage assessment scenarios remain unchanged.

If it's determined USC had nothing to do with an alleged off-campus money grab from a dubious hanger-on, the NCAA won't hit USC with major sanctions. If USC is involved, well, that would be a good day for Notre Dame and UCLA fans!

The secret in Trojan football is to win first and ask questions later.

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 7

Here's a look at USC's new marketing poster for Admissions! Instead of Fight On, it should be, "Prepare for 15 to 20!"

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 6

This is the reaction of folks in Columbus when they found out former Head Coach, John Cooper was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. Good bowl records and wins over your hated rivals proves hard work really does pay off!

Holtz Makes it to the Pinnacle of College Football

From the national ballot of 75 candidates and a pool of hundreds of eligible nominees The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) Class, which includes the names of 13 First Team All- America players and two legendary coaches. Notre Dame Legend Lou Holtz was among the chosen few to be enshrined to College Football immortality.

Archie Manning, Chairman of the NFF and CFOH said,

"The 2008 class represents six decades of football's finest athletes, and they are all exceptionally worthy of having their accomplishments preserved forever in the College Football Hall of Fame."

The only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games, Coach Lou Holtz was a fixture in the college football coaching landscape for more than three decades.

Best known for his tenure at Notre Dame, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 National Championship and 100 wins. He won conference championships at William & Mary, North Carolina State and Arkansas and is the only coach to guide four different programs to final Top 20 rankings. The Follansbee, W.V., native produced the best four-year win-loss record in NC State history and led Arkansas to six straight bowl games and four Top Ten finishes.

Holtz received Man of the Year laurels from the Walter Camp Foundation in 1997 and twice earned the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Academic Achievement Award, which annually honors the school with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. He also coached Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown and College Football Hall of Fame inductees Chris Zorich and Billy Ray Smith.

Here is the list of the 2008 class:
Players
TROY AIKMAN- QB, UCLA (1987- 88)
BILLY CANNON - HB, LSU (1957- 59)
JIM DOMBROWSKI- OT, Virginia (1982- 85
PAT FITZGERALD- LB, Northwestern (1994- 96)
WILBER MARSHALL- LB, Florida (1980- 83
RUEBEN MAYES- RB, Washington State (1982-85)
RANDALL McDANIEL- OG, Arizona State (1984-87)
DON McPHERSON- QB, Syracuse (1984- 87)
JAY NOVACEK - TE, Wyoming (1982- 84)
DAVE PARKS- SE, Texas Tech (1961- 63)
RON SIMMONS- NG, Florida State (1977- 80)
THURMAN THOMAS- RB, Oklahoma State (1984- 87)
ARNOLD TUCKER- QB, Army (1944- 46)
Coaches
JOHN COOPER- 192-84-6 (.691) -- Tulsa (1977-84), Arizona State (1985-87), Ohio State (1988- 2000)
LOU HOLTZ- 249-132-7 (.651) -- William & Mary (1969-71), North Carolina State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85), Notre Dame (1986-96), South Carolina (1999-2004)

Speaking of Brown, Tim was just short on his first try of making the Hall of Fame. Only one Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon (LSU), was selected for the 2008 class. Below is a breakdown of recipients' accomplishments:

- One Heisman Trophy winner (Cannon)
- Three players who placed in the Top Three in Heisman Trophy voting
(Cannon - 1st and 3rd, McPherson - 2nd, Aikman - 3rd)
- Nine consensus First Team All-Americas
(Aikman, Cannon, Fitzgerald, Marshall, Mayes, McDaniel, Novacek, Simmons, Thomas)
- Three unanimous First Team All- Americas (Cannon, Dombrowski, McPherson)
Four multiple-year First Team All-America honorees (Cannon - 2, Fitzgerald - 2, Marshall - 2, Simmons - 2)
- One Maxwell Award winners (McPherson)
- One Walter Camp Player of the Year (Cannon)
- One Sullivan Award winner (Tucker)
- Two Davey O'Brien Award winners (Aikman, McPherson)
- One Nagurski Award winner (Fitzgerald - Two-time recipient)
- One Bednarik Award winner (Fitzgerald - Two-time recipient)
- Two members of National Championship teams (Cannon, Tucker)
- Five conference Players of the Year (Aikman, Cannon, Fitzgerald, Mayes, Thomas)
- Eight multiple-year First Team All- Conference selections
(Cannon - 3, Dombrowski - 2, Fitzgerald - 2, Marshall - 3, Mayes - 2, McDaniel - 2, Parks - 2, Thomas - 3)
- Six first round NFL Draft picks
(Aikman - 1st Overall, Cannon, Dombrowski, Marshall, McDaniel, Parks - 1st Overall)
- Six Decades Represented: 1990s (1) - Fitzgerald; 1980s (8) - Aikman, Dombrowski, Marshall, Mayes, McDaniel, McPherson, Novacek, Thomas; 1970s (1) - Simmons; 1960s (1) - Parks; 1950s (1) - Cannon; 1940s (1) - Tucker