Kendall in the Middle – LB Makes it 12 for Irish

Notre Dame picked up its 12th commitment for the class of 2010 over the weekend when North Carolina linebacker Kendall Moore selected the Irish over Florida State and in state powers North Carolina and NC State.  Moore, a four star prospect on Rivals.com, is rated as the 14th best outside linebacker, but considering Moore is already listed at 232 lbs, he most likely will end up as a middle linebacker for the Irish before all is said and done.

While Rivals lists Moore as a fourt star recruit, Scout only has him as a three star.  Tom Lemming, however, gives Moore the highest praise of any of the recruiting services and told the South Bend Tribune that he is close to a five star recruit.

“(He’s) not quite a five-star guy, but very close,” Lemming said. “He’s also a good tight end, but a better outside linebacker. He’s a big, big kid who can run. He drops into coverage perfectly. He’s a good all-around athlete. He comes off the edge very well and could grow into a defensive end too. He’s the kind of big guy that could be real versatile that way. It’s a great catch, one of their best players in this class.”

Moore told Irish Sports Daily that one if the biggest reasons he chose Notre Dame was because of Assistant Head Coach Corwin Brown.

“Coach (Corwin) Brown, before I went there, they were pretty much my top school because of coach Brown. He’s such a good recruiter, and we formed such a good relationship, and we’re always on the same page. From there, I just knew I needed to go see it. When I checked it out, everything was good and it put the icing on the cake. I gelled with the guys and they all seemed real cool, and I could see myself going there.

There’s a lot to like about Moore and what he brings to this class.  He’s a very versatile linebacker who will start off on the outside, but most likely end up playing middle linebacker or even defensive end before all is said and done.  He moves very well in space and was a tackling machine last year with 120 tackles.  Moore isn’t close to a finished product though – in many ways he’s still a pretty raw prospect who has a very high ceiling ahead of him.  He will benefit greatly from a coach like Jon Tenuta who will

The only thing not to like about this commitment is that Moore told Irish Illustrated that he still intends to take official visits to other schools.

“Yes sir, definitely,” Moore said. “I felt like this is the start of my decision. I’m still going to wait throughout the whole season and see what goes on. I haven’t talked to coach Weis about it, but I think that’s pretty much accurate.”

Moore said he’s interested in checking out several schools.

“If possible I’d like to visit Florida State and Oregon, South Carolina and maybe Maryland, but that’s just if coach Weis wants me to,” he said.

Based on Weis’s stated policy of “if you’re looking, we’re looking”, I can’t imagine that he’d be happy about Moore taking official visits elsewhere.  Like with most recruits, committed and uncommitted, winning early this season should reduce Moore’s urge to take visits elsewhere.

Moore is a great pickup for this class and continues a string of defensive commitments over the last few weeks that is laying the foundation for a great defensive class this year.