Fox Sports has been running a series of Signing Day stories this week and one that is sure to grab the attention of Notre Dame fans is that of Randy Moss. One of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game, would still select Notre Dame if he could do it all over again – even though he never ended up enrolling at Notre Dame.
As a prep star in the early 90’s, Randy Moss committed to Notre Dame and then head coach Lou Holtz. Regarded as the best wide receiver in the country, Moss was set to enroll at Notre Dame along with the nation’s #1 rated prep quarterback Ron Powlus. A Powlus-Moss connection, however, was never meant to be as Moss was kicked out of Notre Dame before ever enrolling because of the off the field issues.
Despite never enrolling at Notre Dame though, Moss told Fox Sports he would pick Notre Dame all over again if he could.
“If I could do it over again, Notre Dame would’ve probably still been there,” Moss said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget. That was my team.”
Something tells me this article is sure to find it’s way into recruits welcome packets for years to come and has been shared with the remaining recruits left on the board for Notre Dame by the Notre Dame coaching staff over the last few days.
For Notre Dame fans though, Moss admission that he would still go to Notre Dame is just another reminder of what could have been. Imagine what Ron Powlus could have done with a wide receiving corps of Derrick Mayes and Randy Moss. Many have argued, myself included, that Powlus spent much of his career as a square peg in a round hole in Lou Holtz’s offense. Dr. Lou tried to go to a more pro-style offense with his “Blarney offense”, but Notre Dame never really had the receiving corps to pull it off. Having one of the great wide receivers in football history could have changed that.
How much would Moss attending Notre Dame have changed the course of Notre Dame history? Holtz didn’t last too much longer at Notre Dame and the Irish fell into a downward spiral of mediocrity under Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis. Had Moss attended Notre Dame and stayed out of trouble, would Notre Dame have had the firepower to remain at the elite level Holtz had Notre Dame at from 1988-1993? It’s a sick game of what if that Notre Dame fans have long talked about during the dark days of the Davie-Willingham-Weis regimes.
As we all know all too well though, Moss never attended Notre Dame and even though Lou Holtz wanted his good friend Bobby Bowden to have Moss if he couldn’t, Moss never made it to Florida State either. Moss didn’t have the maturity to stay out of trouble as a high schooler though and squandered both opportunities. An older, more mature Randy Moss though still recognizes the value of going to Notre Dame.
As we close in on Signing Day this year, there is still a prep star wide receiver left on the board for Notre Dame in Michiah Quick that could help change the course of this year’s class. Perhaps Brian Kelly and his staff will be able to reel in Quick to add to a deep wide receiving corps that he and his staff have already put together this year with Justin Brent and Corey Holmes.
It’s amazing that a school purportedly committed to winning national title would turn down Tony Dorsett and Randy Moss, because it had reached its quota of African-American players and students in a 95% Anglo-Saxon environment of hostility. Stick a pin in Irish, because it’s irrelevant without Deion Sanders as head coach to attract 5 stars players.
Bobby Howard was recruited with Randy Moss, being his high school teammate
before Moss ended up at an alternative HS to finish his senior season
(as I recall, apparently for a fight). Rumor has it excluding Moss by the ND admin.
had a bit to do with Lou exiting when he did.
Howard was a HS captain and many saw him as a lure, a throw-in, just to keep Moss interested.
Bobby became ND’s leading tackler as an ILB and went on to play a few more years in the NFL
with my beloved Bears.
Michiah Quick, if he enrolls, might indeed “help change the course of this year’s class.”
But so might a less celebrated recruit who, like Bobby Howard did, becomes a key contributor
despite not given the accolades some 4 and 5 star recruits receive.
The list of developed potential among lesser celebrated recruits is endless.
I doubt if many arriving as ND recruits don’t have the potential to, if not be a difference-maker,
at least fill a valuable role in the coming seasons. That’s what coaching-up is all about!
We’ll know more by the 2016 season than we’ll know this Wednesday as to who are the difference-makers
among our recruits. BCS and NFL teams all have their share of 3 star recruits who developed into stars.
You’re right on, Frank, to assume a Randy Moss reflection like this ought to be included
as part of the discussion in a recruit’s living room.