Archive for the ‘Notre Dame Recruiting’ Category

Weis’s last quote of today’s press conference was his best. After talking about soft verbal, silent verbals, decommitments, etc; Weis ended with.

“If they’re looking, we’re looking. That’s it.”

I hope Weis holds true to that and pulls a Ferentz and tells kids who want to keep visiting after they “commit” that if they are moving on, so is Notre Dame.

I’ll have plenty more on the blog and on the main site tonight on the 18 kids who did sign their LOI’s for Notre Dame this year.

Here is a brief overview of all 20 commitments expected to sign with Notre Dame later this morning. As we learned yesterday, there could be some late drama with Chris Little and Ian Williams, but for now, he is some info on who the Irish are expected to sign.

I will have another version of this tomorrow evening after watching the Weis press conference and grabbing some quotes like I did last year.

Offense

Jimmy Clausen - Quarterback
There isn’t much to be said about Clausen that hasn’t been said already. He is simply the most highly anticipated freshmen to enroll at Notre Dame since Ron Powlus way back in 1993. Clausen is one of the most hyped high school recruits in recent memory and brings with him crazy accuracy and the ability to make all the throws. I expect Clausen to start from day one especially considering he is already enrolled at Notre Dame.

Armando Allen – Running Back
Allen is one of the most exciting recruits in this year’s class. He’s got tremendous speed and balance. He simply does not go down easy despite being a fairly small back. He is extremely dangerous in the open field and could be the home run threat this offense has been lacking. Allen’s senior year was cut short because of an injury, but he was an early enrollee and will hopefully be able to at least rejuvenate Notre Dame’s lack luster kick return unit this year.

Robert Hughes – Running Back
Hughes will be the Thunder to Allen’s lightning. Hughes is a big, bruising running back who can be an every down, Eddie George type work horse running back. Hughes is a powerful runner who won’t win many foot races, but when he runs through defenders he won’t have to. Hughes was a huge commitment for Weis and an Irish offense that has had trouble converting short yardage situations over the past two seasons. Hughes has the size to be able to come in and immediately challenge for playing time.

Duval Kamara – Wide Receiver
Kamara has all the physical tools needed to become a great wide receiver in this offense. He will come in a little rough around the edges because his high school didn’t have a very passing friendly offensive attack, but once he gets some experience in this offense under his belt… look out. Kamara’s very good at snatching the ball out of the air and timing his jumps. Kamara reminds me quite a bit of Maurice Stovall. He’s not as tall or big, but he’s still a pretty big receiver who will need some polishing.

Greg Little – Wide Receiver
I’ve haven’t made a post or written an article lately without mentioning Little and how much I’m looking forward to see him line up at receiver. Like Kamara, he will need quite a bit of polish, but his sheer athleticism makes him a very exciting prospect. Little is a natural athlete and could probably play five different positions, but he was recruited as a wide receiver. Little could be a very dangerous weapon in the Notre Dame offense.

Golden Tate – Wide Receiver
Tate brings a lot of speed to the wide receiver position. He is easily the fastest of the three Notre Dame receivers in this year’s class and could be the down field threat the Irish have been missing. It will be tough for Tate to see much time at receiver as a freshman, but his speed could land him on special teams along with Armando Allen. Tate has “take it to the house” speed and could be a weapon for the Irish on kick offs from day one. As a receiver, Tate will need some work after playing a lot of running back this year for this high school team.

Mike Ragone – Tight End
Ragone is one of the highest rated tight ends on everyone’s board. He’s got great speed for a tight end with a 4.5 40 time and he is the kind of tight end that stretch a defense. If Ragone can show he is fully recovered from an injury that caused him to miss his entire senior year, it would not surprise me to see Will Yeatmen moved to offensive tackle with Ragone securing the 3rd tight end spot.

Matt Romine – Offensive Line
There’s isn’t a whole lot not to like about Romine. He was one of the most impressive offensive linemen at the All American Bowl in January. He impressed enough to be named a captain for the West Squad. He played a little big of guard in the AA game, but will be back at tackle for the Irish. He might not be as physically gifted as say Sam Young was last year, but he is still one the best OL ND has grabbed in the last few years. Romine should challenge for playing time next year.

Chris Little – Offensive Line
Rumors have popped up Tuesday that Little may end up at Georgia which would be a major shame. Little to me seems like all he needs is a coach to light a fire under his butt and I think Latina and Weis would do just that. Get him working with Reuben Mendoza in the weight room and we’d have one hell of an offensive tackle. He is a USA Today All American and could develop into a great tackle for the Irish. He wasn’t very impressive at the All American Bowl, but he was also hampered by injury. Let’s hope we are still talking about where Little fits in along the offensive line at this time tomorrow night.

Emeka Nwankwo – Offensive Line/Defensive Line
Nwankwo was originally recruited as an offensive linemen, but recently reports are he may get a look at defensive tackle first. Notre Dame pulled him out of Florida which is always nice to see. Wherever he ends up, Nwankwo is most likely going to need a year or two in the weight room. He will especially need to bulk up if he is going to get a serious look at defensive tackle. He’s got some pretty good quickness though.

Andrew Nuss – Offensive Line/Defensive Line
Like Nwankwo, Nuss may get a shot on defense first. Nuss has stated he wanted the chance to play on defense and it appears as though he will get that chance. Nuss could be actually be a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme unless he bulks up a bit which is entirely possible. I like the fact that Nuss wants to play defense. Being a good defensive lineman is a lot about attitude and it appears Nuss has that attitude.

Taylor Dever – Offensive Line
Dever got some good late offers after a slow start, but ended up picking the Irish in December. Dever’s got prototypical size for an offensive tackle at 6’6”, 300. He really come on strong during his senior season which is usually a good sign for an offensive lineman because it shows he still has a lot of room to improve. Dever could turn out to be a very good offensive lineman for the Irish.

DEFENSE

Ian Williams – Defensive Tackle
Like Chris Little, there have been a lot of rumors about Williams changing his mind at the 11th hour, but let’s hope not. Williams is one of the most important recruits in this class because of Notre Dame’s need for defensive tackles. Williams is the only true tackle prospect in this class and for that reason let’s hope his letter of intent is signed and faxed to the Notre Dame football offices tomorrow morning.

Williams is only listed as a 3 star prospect at defensive tackle by Scout as the 36th defensive tackle in the country, but if there are 35 better tackles in the country I’d like to see them. I really liked what I’ve seen of Williams in the limited video I’ve watched. He is very quick for a defensive tackle and is extremely quick off the line. He could be a great cog in the middle of the Notre Dame defensive line if they indeed switch to a 3-4.

Kerry Neal – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
Neal is listed as a defensive end on pretty much every website, but in a 3-4 defense, Neal might be a pass rushing outside linebacker ala Adalius Thomas from the Baltimore Ravens. Neal is also probably the most under rated recruit in this year’s class. He has some SERIOUS pass rushing ability and could be a holy terror coming after opposing quarterbacks. He played a lot of tight end in high school and has some pretty good hands which would make dropping into coverage when necessary not that big a deal for him.

This is one recruit I am really excited to see line up for the Irish, especially in a 3-4 scheme. He is probably too small (listed at 230 lbs) right now to make an immediate impact at defensive end in a traditional 4-3 defense, but he’s got the skill set that makes me think he is going to be an absolute perfect fit in a 3-4.

Brian Smith – Linebacker
Smith was a very late addition to this class after receiving an offer from the Irish in the middle of January. It’s not really clear where he’ll fit in at linebacker – whether its as on the inside or on the outside as a pass rushing outside linebacker. Smith is listed at 225 pounds and could easily add the size to play in the middle and be a pretty good run stuffing linebacker, but he also likes the idea of lining up on the outside and getting after the quarterback. Either way, this seems like a kid who really wants to be at Notre Dame and was an excellent late addition. Smith’s father Chris was a fullback for the Irish in the early 80’s.

Aaron Nagel - Linebacker
Nagel was originally going to be an outside linebacker in a 4-3, but in a 3-4, he is probably going to add some weight and move inside. Nagel had a nice week of practice at the All American Bowl and turn some heads in the process. Playing linebacker will be new to Nagel though who played safety and running back in high school. Notre Dame has had good luck in the past turning high school running backs into linebackers (see Courtney Watson and Anthony Denman) and Nagel should continue that success for the Irish.

Steve Paskorz - Linebacker
Paskorz is another high school running back who will be making the move to defense on the college level. He’s got the speed to play on the outside, but could also end up inside if he adds some weight. He had some injuries that slowed him down the past two seasons, but prior to the injuries his senior year he was on the Rivals preliminary Top 100 last spring. Had he been completely healthy he would probably be heading into NSD with much more fan fare.

Gary Gray – Cornerback
Gray is the third early enrollee in this class and is the only corner. Gray is a big time prospect for the Irish and one of the best pure corner recruits, along with Raeshon McNeil and Darrin Walls last year, to head to Notre Dame in a while. He’s got good not great speed and is straight up pure cover corner. He doesn’t have sprinters speed, but he’s got great football speed and plays fast. Gray has the ability to see playing time next year with his early start.

Harrison Smith - Safety
Smith is one of the best safeties in the country this year with the ideal combination of size and speed you look for in a safety at 6’2”, 205, 4.45. Tom Lemming has referred to Smith as another John Lynch multiple times and that seems fairly accurate. He adjusts to the ball well in the air, is a sound tackler, and looks like he does a good job of keeping everything in front of him. He will battle with last year’s crop of safeties for playing time along the two deep.

Brandon Walker – Punter/Kicker
When it was apparent that Notre Dame would not fill out the 25 scholarship spots this year, Weis went after Walker to bring in some competition for Ryan Burkhart who did not impress much last year as a freshman. Burkhart could not win the place kicking or kickoff duties last year so Weis went out looking for a kicker and landed Walker. He’s got a pretty strong leg and the hope here is that Walker can come in and at least consistently put the ball in the end zone on kickoff’s. If he can do that, it will make his scholarship more than worth it.

A Washington Post article from Tuesday night shows Notre Dame in a not so positive light about the recruiting of Arrelious Benn by former quarterbacks coach Peter Vaas.

“Throughout his junior school year, Benn said he had considered Notre Dame his top choice, but when he felt as though the Fighting Irish coaching staff was putting too much pressure on him to commit he stopped considering the school. Once Benn orally committed to Illinois, Notre Dame assistant Peter Vaas continued to pepper Benn with text messages and voice mails, some of which Benn provided to The Post:

“FYI, ILL is telling Robert Hughes that they will build their offense around him? Didn’t they tell you that?

Coach Vaas,” Vaas wrote Benn on Dec. 17″

It had been rumored that Vaas’s contract was not renewed mainly for botching up some recruiting.  Benn was considered one of Notre Dame’s top targets at this point last year already and it appears, according to this article that he was there’s for the taking, but they screwed it up.

The text message from Vaas above does not really bother me too much because that’s normal in recruiting.  Coaches will always tell recruits that another school will misuse them or that they will be better utilized at their school.  The following quote, however, I do not like at all:

Earlier that month, Vaas left this voice message on Benn’s phone: “You don’t want to do anything except bury your head in the sand. . . . I guess you’re not tough enough to compete at the big level.”

It’s one thing to tell a recruit that they won’t get the ball enough at another school, but it is certainly quite another to tell them that they aren’t tough enough to compete at the “big level” because they don’t want to come to your school.  Vaas also did not deny that he left the messages
according to the article:

Vaas, who was let go as quarterbacks coach by the Irish after their 44-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl, did not deny leaving the messages. He said last night that even though Benn made his announcement on national television, that isn’t necessarily a recruit’s final word.

“Did he say [he was going to Illinois] to me? Did I see him on TV?” Vaas said. “There’s an awful lot of rumors or innuendo out there . . . and kids change their minds after they do that. A lot of times, it depends upon what kind of conviction a kid has about a place. You know how you read between the lines? As a recruiter, I have to hear between the lines.”

I think it’s safe to say Vaas’ mishandling of the recruiting of one of Notre Dame’s biggest recruits could be why he is no longer the quarterbacks coach for the Irish.

Wednesday will be my eight NSD since joining UHND back in the summer of 1999 and in that fairly short period of time, it’s amazing how much its changed in significance. Even back then, a good number of top recruits still waited until Signing Day to make their decisions. It was a lot more common to hear, “I’m going to decide on Signing Day” back then than it is today. Take the Scout.com Top 100 for example. Only 9 of their top 100 prospects have yet to decide where they are going.

Because fewer and fewer recruits wait until NSD to make their decisions, Signing Day has turned into a nerve racking, paranoid filled day on most college football message boards. Many schools are finished receiving verbal commitments or have one or two left lingering out there, but a lot of schools have multiple players that could be rumored to be wavering.

Read any Notre Dame message board and you’ll hear rumors about Greg Little, Chris Little, Ian Williams, or Robert Hughes rethinking. Nevermind that 99% of these rumors have little or no solid sources behind them.

Part of the problem is that recruiting junkies want there to be news up until NSD and when there isn’t any out there, people make it up so there is something to discuss or freak out about.

Honestly, I don’t know what’s worse, waiting till NSD to hear that your one and only quarterback recruit has decided to go to Wake Forest, or worrying about whether or not your one and only true defensive tackle recruit will sign somewhere else?

Jimmy Clausen and Duval Kamara were both honored as Parade All Americans on Sunday with Clausen taking home the Player of the Year honors along with Joe McKnight.

The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Clausen entered his senior season with high expectations. In his two previous years as starting quarterback, he had never lost a game. And his two brothers also had played in college (Casey for Tennessee, Rick for LSU and Tennessee). “Having two brothers play quarterback really helped me a lot with my game and handling all of the preseason hype,” Jimmy says.

The results testify to that. In the 15-0 season he just ended, Clausen completed 194 of 281 passes for 3,428 yards and 49 touchdowns with only six interceptions. In his career, he completed 630 of 937 passes for 10,764 yards and a state record 146 TDs with only 18 interceptions. He also rushed for seven scores. Clausen will follow in his brothers’ footsteps this fall, when he plays for Notre Dame. (LINK)

Clausen was also named the Army All American Player of the Year and the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year.

Jason Peters came back from LSU this past weekend and committed to Georgia Tech after leaving Baton Rouge unsure of whether or not he would have an offer.  Rumors circulated over the weekend that Peters still intended to commit to LSU even if he had to gray shirt in 2007, but according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Just hours after Georgia Tech was disappointed to learn it won’t get one of the final two recruits the Yellow Jackets sought, coach Chan Gailey learned that he’ll get another as Baton Rouge (La.) defensive end Jason Peters committed to Tech.

Peters visited LSU over the weekend, and also visited Nebraska and national champion Florida.

Peters hasn’t been seriously considering Notre Dame for weeks and never officially visited Notre Dame, but he may have been Notre Dame’s last hope at defensive tackle this year.

After Notre Dame stopped recruiting Joseph Barksdale, they made a strong push for Peters, but projected him at defensive tackle rather than end.  Despite a real lack of depth along the defensive line, however, the Irish were unable to even persuade Peters to visit.

Here’s some quotes and info on Notre Dame’s newest verbal commitment Robert Hughes…

From the Chicago Tribune:

Hughes, who goes 5-11, 226 pounds and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, is regarded as one of the nation’s 10 best running backs.

“There’s no wiggle to him,” CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. “He’s a north-south runner with great hands, a Darius Walker-type with more power. Robert’s not a runaway guy; he runs over people.”

I really don’t like the Darius Walker comparison here from Lemming because I think the two backs are completely different. Walker excelled at using his vision and using his acceleration to change direction without losing much speed. Walker was NOT a power back and all one needs to do is watch the many, many instances where Walker ran out of bounds at the end of runs (even against USC when we needed to kill the clock… but I digress). Hughes is NOT that kind of back. Hughes is a smashmouth, run you over kind of running back that will be able to convert short yardage situations. One of Walker’s limitations was his ineffectiveness in short yardage situations.

Walker was, however, a better receiver out of the backfield than Hughes coming out of high school. The only real similarity between the two is that both lack top end speed. Hughes power and ability to break tackles will more than compensate for a lack of blazing speed.

More from the Chicago Tribune:

Former Notre Dame and Bears defensive tackle Chris Zorich, who attended Hughes’ announcement, said he’s encouraged by the Irish’s recent efforts to sign Public Leaguers.

“There has been such a gap, and I don’t want to blame the coaching staffs from that time period,” said Zorich, a Chicago Vocational product. “But do you want to tell me that there haven’t been good enough athletes in the Public League? Obviously, that’s not true.”

From his Scout.com profile:

Runs with power and a good pad level…Good forward lean…Tough in the red zone…Good hands out of the backfield…Very good burst…Size, naturally strong with thick legs…Quick but lacks top end speed…Not a shifty runner…Same skill set as former Florida State running back Greg Jones.

That pretty sums of Hughes perfectly. He isn’t going to win any track meets, but he is going to be a work horse running back for the Irish that will wear down defenses as games develop. I like the comparison to Greg Jones too as Hughes has the ability to be that kind of powerful runner for the Irish.

From the Chicago Sun Times (October 28, 2006)

In overtime, the game plan was simple — give it to Hughes, a 6- 1, 230-pound running back, and let him carry the ball. Hughes ran for six yards and then three before his third-down touchdown.

“That one yard seemed like a 200-yard game all by itself,” Hughes said. “I thought I ran a mile. We were losing at the half, and everyone’s head was down in the locker room. I just told them, ‘Let’s get it done.’ I closed my eyes and prayed that we would just have a chance.

You get the sense from a lot of Hughes’ comments that he could be a real team leader for the Irish. He’s very level headed and seems like a no non-sense, old school football player.

More from the Sun Times (May 19, 2006)

Robert Hughes has given up his favorite Chinese takeout, beef fried rice, to keep in top shape. But Hubbard’s 6-foot, 225-pound running back admits it is a small price to pay to achieve his goals.

“I’d rather give that up than $1 million,” he said.

From ChicagoSports.com (October 28, 2006)

Hughes scored on a 13-yard run with 6:36 remaining in the 4th to tie the game at 20-20. Hughes carried 32 times for 190 yards and 2 TDs. QB Sean Catthouse rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries, and threw for a TD in the win. “We’ve all got heart,” Hughes said. “A few mistakes here and there is not the deciding factor in the game. It’s how you finish.”

[tags]Robert Hughes, Notre Dame Recruiting, Notre Dame Football[/tags]

Allen Wallace has a free update up on Malcolm Smith

“My only three are Cal, Notre Dame and USC. They all want me for outside linebacker. Coaches from Cal and USC will be at my house sometime this week, I think,” Smith said. “But I don’t know when. Notre Dame coaches will be at my school on Tuesday. Notre Dame’s probably recruiting me the hardest. I talk with them on the phone the most.

“I’ll announce sometime next week where I’m going. I don’t know how it will come out. I don’t have any plans. My parents don’t have any preference either.”

Another very interesting quote from Smith…

“I basically talked with all the coaches, probably Steve Sarkisian (quarterbacks) the most. He’s cool, but nothing really stands out about him.

I find that quote very interesting and very encouraging for Notre Dame here. The Irish had a lot of ground to make up at one point and the fact that Smith said that nothing stood out about the coach from USC he talks to most should be seen as a positive for the Irish.

Corwin Brown has been known to make an impression on people so here’s hoping he can come in and possible push Smith to Notre Dame since it appears he is still very much on the fence.

[tags]Notre Dame Recruiting, Malcolm Smith[/tags]

Notre Dame defensive end commit Justin Trattou threw Irish fans a curve ball when he visited Florida this past weekend. Charlie Weis was quick to visit Trattou, however, as he was seen on Don Bosco Prep’s campus Monday.

From SI.com:

Defensive end Justin Trattou, who gave Notre Dame an oral commitment on a nationally televised stage from the ESPN Zone in Times Square in June, was down in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend to visit with the national champion Gators.

On Monday, Notre Dame head coach and Jersey native Charlie Weis was seen on Bosco’s campus, presumably to firm things up with Trattou.

Trattou is a huge recruit for Notre Dame this year and it’s not clear why he decided to visit Florida this late in the game. The uncertainty about what kind of defense the Irish will be running with new defensive coordinator Corwin Brown could have played a role in Trattou’s decision to visit.

If Notre Dame were to switch to a 3-4, Trattou could be concerned about where he would fit in. Still, the Irish should be fine here if for no other reason than because I don’t want to think about Notre Dame’s defensive recruiting class minus another defensive lineman.

[tags]Charlie Weis, Justin Trattou, Corwin Brown, Notre Dame Recruiting[/tags]

Notre Dame running back recruit Robert Hughes will announce his college decision tomorrow night with the Irish being a finalist along with Illinois.  A couple weeks ago I had written Hughes off, figuring he was a lock for Illinois, but the early departure of Darius Walker and the addition of Chicago native Corwin Brown to the Notre Dame staff may just have the Irish back in the race.

From Saturday’s Chicago Sun Times:

In Chicago, where recruiting football players is a year-round activity, Hubbard High School’s standout running back Robert Hughes never has met Corwin Brown, but he knows Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator is a Chicago Julian grad.

That alone makes Hughes feel somewhat connected.

”I know he’s a former player in the Public League, in the National Football League, and a former NFL [assistant] who knows his stuff,” Hughes said. ”It’s always great to see someone out of Chicago, out of your area, do big things. Obviously, he’s very successful at what he does.”

Hughes would be a very nice pick up for the Irish and would really round out the offensive side of the ball in this class very well.  Hughes would be the perfect compliment to Armando Allen in a Reggie Bush-Lendale White kind of way.   Grabbing a Chicago area recruit after Ron Zook’s success in the area would also be reason for celebration.
[tags]Robert Hughes, Corwin Brown, Notre Dame Recruiting[/tags]