Kerry Neal First Commit for Notre Dame Class of 2007

(UHND.com) — Three weeks after signing one of the best recruiting classes in over a decade, Charlie Weis and Notre Dame got the 2007 recruiting efforts off to a good start with the commitment of defensive end/tight end prospect Kerry Neal.

Neal (6’3”, 220lbs) didn’t take long to decide Notre Dame was the place for him. He got his offer from Charlie Weis in the early morning hours Friday and accepted later yesterday morning as the first commitment in the class of 2007.

Weis offered Neal after reviewing his film at 5:30 AM Friday according to the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer.

Neal is listed as a defensive end or tight end prospect and currently weighs in around 220 pounds but according to the paper, he should be closer to 235 pounds for the football season. Neal is currently at 220 for basketball season which should speak a little of his athleticism.

Right now, there isn’t much information out there about Neal who was just starting to get noticed and receive some offers when Weis called his coach with an offer. All we need to know right now though is that it took Neal less than 5 hours after Weis’ call to accept the offer.

Neal committed to the Irish before ever seeing the Notre Dame campus or knowing an offer was coming, that’s something that hasn’t happened much at Notre Dame recently.

Weis is continuing to show his recruiting prowess and his insane work ethic. Not many coaches are reviewing film at 5:30 AM in late February, but Weis was.

Don’t let the lack of stars or info from recruiting sites influence your opinion of Neal. For one its still very early and there are a lot of recruits that there isn’t much known about. The important thing however is that Weis offered as soon as he saw the kid’s tape and his opinion on talent should be worth a lot more than any recruiting analyst’s.