Of course, as I write this, we get number 18 in the form of Sergio Brown. Some might worry that we have 3 safeties and only 2 offensive lineman, but Brown is a good pickup. Gotta love recruiting. The minute you write something, it's wrong.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 9:11 am | #

I'd say that I'd take receivers over more than 4 linemen- get too many linemen in this class, and you run into the issue we have now of a logjam in a certain class. If we take five offensive lineman in one year, we may only take two next year, and as we saw with the last few classes injuries and transfers can leave you with a gap in your class-progression that can force you to play people who aren't ready. On top of this, we could use the receivers, since after this year we have Jeff S. and a bunch of people who haven't played (Grimes doesn't count yet.)
Dillon08 | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 9:41 am | #

ESPN and Blue and Gold still have Kates as a commitment, too.
Bill | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 9:56 am | #

Keep in mind that the success of the offense will become increasingly more apparent to the skill position players out there. I think we'll have our pick of the litter, in the coming years, much like Pete Carroll has at SC. We need "big uglies" on both sides of the ball! Personnaly, I have no problem with getting at least 5 OL, and picking up at least 2 more DL. It won't matter much to Brady or Demetrius or Zach just how good the wideouts are if they're getting consistently planted on their backs because the o-line is thin. Also, I think you'll see continued struggles in the secondary if we don't pick up guys that can bring pressure, not just from the perimeter, but also from the interior line. Anyway, this should be fun!
Kevin | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 11:02 am | #

AWESOME STUFF PAT! THANKS!!

Agree that 5 O-linemen out of 25 per class is a good strategy. As far as Olsen-WOW! The two things that I'm most impressed with are:

a) his LaCrosse stats; the guy must be a freak of an athlete. I'm a Midwestern boy, but from what I understand, LaCrosse is a big deal on the east coast and 55 goals in, what, a 20 game season sounds pretty freakish.

b) His desire to be at ND. This statement says it all about how we're getting and will continue to get these types of recruits under Weis: " ... the mystique is above every other school and with the success they're having, it's become such a hot commodity that I didn't want to miss my chance."
Didn't want to miss my chance?!?! When was the last time an ND recruit said/thought that? Under Holtz I would guess.
Irish Rat | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 11:17 am | #

What about OL Lawrence Marsh from Augusta, GA? Is he no longer in the picture?
Mike | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 11:40 am | #

He's still in the picture. I figured I'd miss a name or two. He's on the list now.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 12:16 pm | #

You guys must be annoyed that Weis is getting recruits so fast you can't keep up with the articles about them. It's a real shame.
Mike Steedle | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 10:26 pm | #

Oh, yeah - you may not have to mentioned that TE Will Yeatman would not count against the number of football scholarships because his freshman year would be on a full lacrosse scholarship.
Mike Steedle | Email | Homepage | 09.27.05 - 10:30 pm | #

Under NCAA rules if a student plays football and is on scholarship for another sport he still counts against the football scholarship limits. You can see how a school like UM would abuse the system otherwise.
Mike | Email | Homepage | 09.28.05 - 12:39 am | #

Pat - I may be wrong, but isnt Will Yeatman already committed to Notre Dame? And the structure was the lacrosse team is providing him with 1 of their scholarships for his first year at ND. Am I right about this?
Will | Email | Homepage | 09.28.05 - 10:38 am | #

Update - Aaron Brown has just verbally committed to Virginia Tech
Ken | Email | Homepage | 10.06.05 - 3:10 pm | #

I play at Rancho Bernardo with Will. He hasn't committed to ND.
Trevor | Email | Homepage | 10.19.05 - 6:21 pm | #