Irish Get Verbal #2
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
June 19, 2000

Notre Dame, Ind - In sharp contrast to the 1999-2000 recruiting season which didn't see Notre Dame their second verbal commitment until after the annual football banquet, the Irish have picked up verbal #2 and we are not even out of June yet.  On Sunday, Jeff Thompson committed to Notre Dame after stating he has known for a long time that Notre Dame is the place for him.

Thompson, the #11 rated defensive tackle by rivals.com, comes in with his fair share of hype, but it is too early for Irish fans to get overly joyed from the commitment.  Jeff has said he knows he has to get his 40 time (5.1) down if he wants to play defensive tackle in college.  Many Irish boards had posts with fans being ecstatic over ND getting a top rated defensive tackle, but this might not be the case.  At this point it appears that Jeff may be more suited for the offensive line than the defensive side.

Jeff still however comes in with a lot of talent and will be used somewhere and should be able to make an impact before he graduates.  He comes from Indiana powerhouse Penn High School which produced recently departed All American offensive lineman Mike Rosenthal and current Irish kicker David Miller. 

One potential problem is that the level of competition in Jeff's league is not particularly great. While he has shown he has the skills to be a division 1 player, he will have a big adjustment to make once he gets to Notre Dame regarding the level of competition.  Going from his current competition to lining up against a 6-6, 310 lb, offensive lineman will prove to be a challenge, but Jeff seems to be up to the challenge.  The South Bend Tribune reported that he is anxious to start lifting weights with coach Mick right after he signs in February.

Jeff is a true ND kid from everything I have read and been told of him.  He seems to truly love Notre Dame and he has his head screwed on right knowing that academics are just as important as football if not more important.   He is a soon to be senior who is more mature than many of the other recruits around the country who think college is just a stopping ground to the NFL and he is a "ND Kid."

The fact that Davie is doing so well early this year shows to me anyway that he doesn't want to leave Notre Dame.  Hopefully this renewed energy will carry over to the football field where it appears that he has his team confident for the up coming season.  Does a coach who is hitting the recruiting trial so hard and working to get a great class reflect a coach who is on his way out?  I don't think so.