Notre Dame picked up yet another commitment Monday in the form of safety Chris Badger - a former Stanford commitment who visited Notre Dame this past weekend. Badger committed to Stanford in March, but he told Irish Sports Daily that his weekend visit to Notre Dame blew him away and that he felt it was a perfect fit.
“I think it’s a perfect fit for me,” Badger stated. “Notre Dame is who I am, with what they offer.
“The beauty of the campus, the history when you’re walking through all the buildings, the facilities, the academics blew me away, I never knew how great they were. I just think the history of the stadium, the coaches blew me away with how knowledgeable they are and how ready they can make me for the NFL.”
Badger won’t be winning any track meets anytime soon, but what he lacks in top end speed, he more than makes up for with his hitting. Badger is a hard hitting safety who delivers the knock out blow while still being fundamentally sound. ESPN’s Scouting Report of Badger backs this up as well.
Very instinctive and is a quick reactor to both the run and the pass. Attacks downhill on run support and takes great angles to the football; rarely is out of position. A sure reliable tackler attacking from the inside out and in the openfield. Especially impressive defending the sweep and option before the ball can break the perimeter. A physical hitter that makes a ton of face up tackles; absolutely doesn’t shy away from contact. Tackles from low to high and explodes through the ball carrier.
Badger was impressive back in March at the Under Armour Combine in Los Angeles and
The well-built safety showed better range than testing speed (4.75 40) and impressed us with his 4.35 shuttle and solid footwork for a high-point safety during DB drills. The Stanford pledge benched 185 pounds 18 times and showed some of that upper-body strength getting physical with slots running up the seam and battling for position against outside receivers on deep routes. On film, you might not find a bigger hitter than Badger, which he couldn’t show in this setting. Still, we did see some great intangibles and athleticism.
Among the most important parts of the trip was time spent with top incoming recruit Manti Te’o. Badger, like Te’o, is Mormon and the two had a chance to talk about their faith.
“We went to church together on Sunday for a little while,” Badger said. “We both think it’s great being out here and representing our church and doing our best to represent our church and being great people and great football players.”
Safety is a major position of need in this recruiting class and Badger is an excellent start to recruiting at the position. Look for Notre Dame to add another two safeties in this class.
Late last week Notre Dame added another verbal commitment to the Class of 2010 when cornerback Lo Wood picked the Irish over the likes of Stanford, Michigan, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
Wood, a Florida native, was the first corner back to be offered a scholarship this year by Charlie Weis and staff and became the first defensive back in this year’s class. Wood might not be the last Florida cornerback to join this class either. Fellow Floridians Cody Riggs and Spencer Boyd are also strongly considering the Irish and would give Notre Dame an outstanding trio of corners.
The weather in South Bend was used against Notre Dame in the recruitment of the Sunshine State corner, but it didn’t play a factor in his decision. Notre Dame’s consistent presence on TV as Wood was growing up, however, was a factor according to what he told the South Bend Tirbune.
“A lot of schools tried to say it’s going to get cold,” Wood said. “But if you want to play in the NFL, you’ve got to go to Green Bay sometimes. And it’s going to be cold there, so you better get used to it.”
Wood got used to Notre Dame being on TV constantly when he was growing up.
“That’s kind of where the recruiting process started,” he said.
Notre Dame picks up one of most skilled CB’s from the Sunshine State. A pure corner who is ahead of the curve, Wood has the opportunity to see the field early in his career. Lo will hit from his corner spot and is capable of excelling in both zone and man schemes. Wood is more quick than fast and has above average size for a CB prospect. Due to extensive playing time at CB, Wood has a tremendous feel for the position.
Has good body control and change-of-direction quickness when playing off-man coverages. Will walk up and play press aggressively as well; knows how to use his hands to take away leverage, but lacks the upper-body strength at this time needed to reroute and jam bigger receivers of the line. Best asset may be his ability to recover in the short-area with burst and quickness. Anticipates the pass well and undercuts a lot of balls.
If Jon Tenuta’s blitz schemes start coming together in 2009 as they have in his previous stints as a defensive coordinator, a corner with excellent cover skills on underneath routes will be essential for Notre Dame making Wood an excellent addition to this class.
Wood had originally been leaning towards Michigan early on in the recruiting process, but Notre Dame pulled even with the Wolverines after the Blue Gold game. Wood is planning on graduating early and enrolling at Notre Dame in January to get a jump start on his college career.
Notre Dame added another defensive end to pair with five star commitment Chris Martin on Friday when instate standout Blake Lueders committed to the Irish. The four star prospect became the seventh commitment in the Class of 2010 and the second commitment of the week along with quarterback commitment Andrew Hendrix.
Lueders (6′5″, 250, 4.8) plays linebacker for Zionsville Community HS, but projects to defensive end on the college level and is an excellent compliment to Chris Martin. Lueders will most likely fill the role of the bigger, strong side defensive end in the Irish defense since he has the frame to bulk up some from his current weight of 250 lbs.
"I thought it was the best combination of academics and football in the country," Lueders said. "I just love the tradition. The coaches are great. The players are great. Everything."
The athleticism he shows for his size should translate well to the end position, but there will be some adjustment. He moves well and has the lateral ability to stretch plays and come across the ball and squeeze down. He displays a physical nature in taking on blocks from the linebacker spot. Flashes the ability to generate power from his lower body on contact and use his hands to engage and separate from the blocker. He will need to be more consistent though in using his hands and also get accustomed to more quickly engaging blockers on a consistent basis. He has a good motor and is a good wrap-up tackler. An area Lueders will need to work on and adjust is his pass rushing from the end position. He displays the raw tools to be a productive rusher as he can attack half-a-man and work around blockers, but he will need to learn to use his weapons.
This was a great pickup for the Irish. Defensive end is a high priority position in recruiting this year and the Irish now have a five star and four star defensive end in the fold while the calendar still says June. If Notre Dame can add a couple top notch tackles to go with Lueders and Martin, this year’s defensive line class will be just what the doctor ordered.
After a few swings and misses at quarterback during the first few months of recruiting, Notre Dame has landed a quarterback - Ohio native Andrew Hendrix of Moeller High School.
Hendrix told the Cincinnati Enquirer it was tough to turn down the other schools that offered him, but that Notre Dame was the right place for him.
"It’s definitely been pretty cool to tell everyone you are going to Notre Dame," Hendrix said. "My phone has been ringing off the hook."
Hendrix, who also considered Ohio State, Miami (Fla.) and others said it was honor to consider Ohio State and Notre Dame.
"It was really tough," Hendrix said. "(But) Notre Dame is the right place for me in the end and it’s everything I want in a school athletically, academically and religiously."
After striking out at quarterback last year, it was imperative for Notre Dame to land a top notch quarterback in this class and Hendrix is one of the fastest rising signal callers in the class of 2010. It was also important for the Irish to get a quarterback in this class sooner rather than later after missing out on the likes of Austin Hinder, Jake Heaps, and Nick Montana.
Hendrix fits the mold of a Weis-system quarterback - he’s a traditional dropback passer with a big arm. Hendrix also brings some pretty good mobility and athleticism with him. He’s more mobile than Clausen and might even bit a little bit quicker than Dayne Crist.
While Hendrix fits the mold of a Weis-system quarterback, he plays in a spread offense at Moeller so he will take some adjusting to the offense. Most scouting reports of him, however, suggest that he might have more upside than some of the other quarterbacks the Irish were pursuing.
Here’s some video on Notre Dame’s newest quarterback.
This was a very nice pickup for the Irish for this class. It’s unclear whether or not Weis will look to add a second quarterback to go along with Hendrix. Conventional wisdom heading into this recruiting season pointed towards the Irish bringing in two quarterbacks this year, but without many other viable options at the moment it’s not a sure thing. Luke Massa, teammate of offensive tackle recruit Matt James, will be camping at Notre Dame this summer and could pick up an offer with a strong showing.
Rising sophomore tight end Joseph Fauria was suspended for the upcoming semester earlier this week by the office of Residential Living. Up until Friday, it was assumed that Fauria would sit out the season and then rejoin the Irish for the 2010 campaign. This afternoon, however, it was reported that Fauria will instead be transferring from Notre Dame and won’t be back with the Irish.
On Wednesday Charlie Weis announced that Fauria would not be with the team for the upcoming season, but that he hoped Fauria would be back in the spring. The oh so vague “personal reasons” explanation was given as the reason for Fauria’s departure. Since then a bunch of rumors have popped up on the various Irish forums and blogs. Out of respect to Fauria, I won’t post them here since he has yet to give any details into his departure.
Friday a number of reports with some unflattering quotes towards the University surfaced stating the Fauria intended to transfer instead of sitting out the season and rejoining the team in 2010.
” I’ve always been a fan of Notre Dame, but I was mistreated by the Office of Residence Life,” he said. “They mistreated me very much. Something happened at school and I don’t think the punishment fit the crime. They didn’t handle the situation how it should have been handled. I guess they were trying to make an example out of me and I was not the person to do it to.”
Whether or not the suspension handed down by Res Life was warranted or not, this is sure to be used against the Irish on the recruiting trail by opposing coaches.
The only silver lining, if there can be one in a situation like this, is that Fauria gave the Irish coaching staff a ringing endorsement on his way out.
From the same ISD report:
“I’m not leaving because of the coaching staff. I love all of the coaches. My tight ends coach Bernie Parmalee was amazing, my recruiting coordinator Brian Polian, I was really close to him, he was great,” said Fauria. “I loved being coached by Coach Weis. It was great, he knew what he was doing. I’m proud to say that I was coached by him and that I was able to play for him.
The loss of Fauria is a killer for the Irish offense in 2009. He was one of the biggest surprises this spring and had passed Mike Ragone as the #2 tight end on the Irish depth chart and had a very bright future ahead of him. Without Fauria in 2009, Notre Dame will have just two scholarship tight ends with playing experience.
Despite some stellar recruiting at the tight end position over the last four years. Notre Dame will once again have a depth problem at the position this season. Fauria joins Konrad Reuland and Will Yeatman as the third tight end to transfer from Notre Dame in the last three years.
Nick Montana won’t continue the family tradition of playing quarterback for Notre Dame. The Oaks Christian signal caller committed to Washington and new head coach Steve Sarkisian according to the Seattle Times. Montana, one of the top targets on the board for Notre Dame at quarterback, picked the Washington over traditional power houses like Notre Dame, LSU, Ohio State, and Alabama.
“He’s an awesome coach,” Nick Montana said. “You just have to look at all the guys he’s put into the pros.”
“He [Sarkisian] is going to get the place turned around,” Montana said.
Montana said his father had no complaints that his son wouldn’t follow his South Bend footsteps, saying “he’s pumped up as well.”
With Montana off the board, look for Notre Dame to put the full court press on Andrew Hendrix who visited Notre Dame this week. Hendrix won’t bring the fanfare with him that Montana would have, but some believe that Hendrix has more upside than Montana. In fact, Brian Smith recently wrote on the Irish Sports Daily blog that Hendrix sits atop his priority list of remaining recruits.
Yes, I believe Hendrix to be a better player than Montana, not that Montana is a slouch by any stretch of the imagination.If not Hendrix, then Montana goes into this slot.Notre Dame needs a big-time signal caller for this class.
While it would have definitely be great to have another Montana line up under center for the Irish, Weis and staff will have to move on and focus on landing a top notch quarterback like Hendrix for this class after not signing a quarterback last year.
Another name to look out for is Luke Massa. Massa visited for the Blue/Gold game and is a teammate of offensive tackle recruit Matt James. Massa does not yet have an offer from the Irish, but with prospects like Montana, Jake Heaps, and Austin Hinder off the board for the Irish, Notre Dame might have to widen its search for a quarterback for this class.
Notre Dame picked up its 5th commitment of the season on Sunday when New Jersey wide receiver Bennett Jackson committed to the Irish. Jackson, a 6′1″, 165 lb wide out is the second commitment at the position for Notre Dame this year and has the versatility to help out in a number of areas. He picked the Irish over Michigan State and Pitt.
“I just really liked Notre Dame a lot,” said Jackson, who visited Notre Dame May 23. “When I went out there, I felt really comfortable with the coaches and the players. There wasn’t anything bad or negative I can think of. Notre Dame just had all positives.”
Jackson has seen his stock sky rocket since the beginning of the Spring when he sat without any offers. Since then, however, the offers started to roll in - including one from Notre Dame last month. Mike Farrell of Rivals.com recently called Jackson one of the fastest rising recruits in the northeast after his string of offers began coming in.
“Jackson is the second best recever in the state behind Shakim Phillips,” according to Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell. “He is one of the fastest rising recruits in the northeast and most schools who came to see him this spring eval came away impressed and offered.”
Jackson runs the 40 in the 4.5 range and caught 35 passes for 806 yards last season. Considering some of the elite wide receiver prospects still listing Notre Dame among their favorites, Jackson’s tape must have really caught Weis’s attention for the Irish to offer so early. He joins Daniel Smith at the wide receiver position with highly regarded recruits like Corey Cooper, Kyle Prater, and Justin McCay still heavily considering the Irish.
“There was never a question,” he said. “He was happy there, he fell in love with not just the football program, but the University. A lot of people dream of going there and there was never any question that he was going back.”
The entire report from ISD has some great quotes and is definitely worth a read.
Gray did not make the trip to Hawaii for the bowl game and was not enrolled at Notre Dame this spring after playing quite a bit in 2008. He picked off two passes this past season as a backup corner and will most likely serve a backup role again in 2009.
This is indeed great news. Notre Dame will be absolutely loaded at cornerback this year with Darrin Walls, Raeshon McNeil, Robert Blanton, and Jamoris Slaughter all coming off of impressive springs, but McNeil will exhaust his eligibility this year and with a great senior year, Walls could be playing on Sundays next year.
Gray still has three years of eligibility and his return will give Notre Dame another very talented corner who is more than capable of playing meaningful downs. His return could also allow Notre Dame to move Slaughter or freshman EJ Banks to safety where the Irish don’t have nearly as much depth.
Next week Notre Dame will be one of several schools ESPN profiles during it’s daily College Football Live show.
Here’s the schedule of the ND related content.
Monday, May 11 - A discussion on what Notre Dame needs to do to return to prominence and a BCS bowl; George Smith’s conversation with Weis and guard Eric Olsen as guest
Tuesday, May 12 - A breakdown of the offense, an in-depth look at the depth chart and players to watch this season; with assistant coach Corwin Brown as guest
Wednesday, May 13 -A breakdown of the defense, an in-depth look at the depth chart and players to watch this season; with safety Kyle McCarthy as guest
Thursday, May 14 - A discussion on impact players who must step up to get Notre Dame back to a BCS bowl; with linebacker Brian Smith as guest
Friday, May 15 - What to expect this season, and a game-by-game breakdown of the schedule with a season-record prediction; with Jimmy Clausen as guest
It seem strange to anyone else that they’d interview Corwin Brown on the day they take an “a breakdown of the offense, an in-depth look at the depth chart and players to watch this season”?
Anyway, should be interesting to see what the world wide leader ends up producing.
kevin said: if safety is such a pressing need, and linebacker is so full that must have recruits are 3 down on the deptch chart, why is zeke motta playing LB instead of safety where he... on: Notre Dame Bags A Badger
According to Mike Frank’s Irish Sports Daily, 
