Welcome to the fold, Mr. Smith! Let's grab Chris Donald and make it the hat trick for "Volunteer Irish".
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 11:37 am | #

It will interesting to see what Chris Donald does. On the one hand, having the other top two Tennessee players go to ND certainly speaks volumes about the direction of the program and not to mention give him some in state buddies, but I would have to believe that Fulmer & Co. are going to pull out all the stops with Donald in order to get him. Losing the three best Tennessee players to Notre Dame will certianly not sit well with the good 'ol boys down there.

And re: Harrison Smith, I think I may be mst excited about this guy than any other recruit. He appears to have great instincts and is a big fast guy .
PM | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 11:37 am | #

That one-handed grab was pretty nice. I wish we could get more defensive highlights to see what a true safety prospect he is. Welcome to the family, Mr. Smith!
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 11:43 am | #

Wow. Great highlight clip. In fact for that big Catholic game, it was basically a Harrison Smith highlight reel.

Nice.

Kind of reminds me, wasn't Chinedum Ndukwe Brady Quinn's #1 WR in high school?
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 12:18 pm | #

This kid looks like a hell of a safety. Great speed, great athleticism, and it even looks like he wraps up when he tackles!! Hallelujah for a safety that can actually tackle instead of trying to make the big hit and bouncing off of the receiver.
Mike | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 12:42 pm | #

1,800 on the SAT? What is that out of? I thought 1,600 was perfect.
The Butabi Brothers | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 12:56 pm | #

1,800 on the SAT? What is that out of? I thought 1,600 was perfect.

New SAT, new scoring. Three categories, IIRC, math, writing, and critical reading. Perfect score is now 2,400
DJ | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 1:17 pm | #

so I reckon that's around a 1200 old school SAT points, according to my SAT math skills. i think. sounds about right anyway, i cant be bothered to set up an equation as math gets me sturified
Fred | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 1:46 pm | #

I, too, was wondering about the new SAT. Tried to look it up online but didn't find much in a quick search of the SAT website.

Anyway, does anyone else wonder if Smith's dad is thinking "Why didn't he go to Tennessee like a good child" in that picture of the press conference? He has kind of a funny expression on his face.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 2:17 pm | #

If you look up "SAT" on Wikipedia, they have an interesting chart that takes your old SAT score, and approximates it to the current table.
DJ | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 2:26 pm | #

1800 on a 2400 scale you old farts
TheJolta | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 2:42 pm | #

I am also really excited about this kid. Heck of an athlete, and he is gonna find a way to get on the field regardless of position. There have been a few guys who have committed to ND this year that can be described that way, but I think that definition applies to this kid more than anyone.

While I think he is a dead-on at safety, can you imagine what this kid could do if they packed on 25 lbs. of muscle on him and moved to LB? Sweet Jesus, I don't think we've ever had that kinda speed at LB. Either way, I can't wait to see the coaching staff get this guy on the field.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 3:57 pm | #

Erik '04 - my exact thoughts re Dad Smith's look! Harrison appears to be quite an impressive young man for reasons also extending beyond the gridiron (and you just know the networks are gonna love airing that 'Quinnish' mug!).

What's also more than a pleasant surprise is CW going into the Volunteer State. Forget their '05 program burp, you've got to remember that this (UT) is a program that year-in, decade out turns out contender teams and truckloads of talent. Had CW gotten 1 great recruit from there, I'd be doing (ok, trying to do) cartwheels. Plus, these guys seem to be our type of young men.

CW - again, congrats! Am I, ahem, correct to believe that the faithful of this blog STILL have a very pleasant surprise (or, dare we say....3!!) on the way?

Thanks, Pat, for a nicely put-together piece.

Go Irish
Bill H | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 5:27 pm | #

These are the kind of recruits that really get me excited about where the ND football program is headed. CW is going to always be able to pull in top-notch offensive recruits simply based on his name and his record - he's taken 3 or 4 talented guys and turned them into great NFL prospects, which is what the blue chippers are really looking for.

However, signings like this guy show good promise for our defense. We just need to keep them rolling in to boost that side of the ball.
PAK '00 | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 5:41 pm | #

@Erik '04: actually, word is that his family (and especially his dad) favored ND far above the Vols.
tedwick | Email | Homepage | 12.29.06 - 6:54 pm | #

tedwick,

Not to contradict you sirrah, but be very careful on the rumors and inuendo (is that a real word?) on this site. We hardcore fans want to only give recruits and fans an accurate picture of life at Our Mother. These men have a hard enough time picking their future without fan pressure.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 12.30.06 - 2:00 am | #

tedwick,

That might have been a bit harsh for my taste. Sorry, I've been watching Colombo all night and it makes me suspicious.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 12.30.06 - 2:02 am | #

I have family in TN who are Vol season ticket holders. They say that Smith's father was pushing him ND the whole time and he had a major influence on his son. Thank God for fatherly advice.
maxwell | Email | Homepage | 12.30.06 - 11:53 am | #

There is a sour grapes aspect to that rumor as well maxwell. When a kid decides to head to ND over the local school, it's often because "the parents forced him to". The ND version is "he's only interested in girls" or "he wasn't a good fit academically". Not that those types of situations don't occur from time to time, but not nearly as often as the post-decision rumors suggest.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 12.30.06 - 1:36 pm | #

Whereas many of us went to ND because we were good fits, academically, and were not interested in girls.
Lo-fi | Email | Homepage | 12.30.06 - 2:32 pm | #

good one, lo!
indy | Email | Homepage | 12.31.06 - 12:40 am | #

LMAO, lo-fi!!! As for me, I scored below the mean on SAT and ACT, so I guess I wasn't a good fit academically. Nah, the 3.7 GPA and cum laude kinda made me a fit at graduation, I suppose. And I am a fan of the ladies, so no fit there, either. This quote from Smith sums up what is the perhaps the most underrated factor in getting a player to choose Notre Dame:

"...the main thing was just being comfortable."

Comfortable is what made Sam Young, Dan Wenger, and Armando Allen leave Florida, Chris Stewart leave Texas, Clausen leave Cali, and Kumara leave Jersey, all for the wonderful climate and local urban comforts of South Freakin' Bend! The comfort they feel with a locale and that they feel with the coaches seal the deal. That is why Weis is succeeding where Willingham failed. (Note: not Davieham, as Boob was a very excellent recruiter).

Personally, any player that chooses a school based mainly on social prospects (i.e. the Hollywood/Chick factor) is never a guy I want representing my team, no matter how hard they play or how well they can catch a football (see Rey Maualuaga and Dwayne Jarrett at U$C and the baggage they brought to an already shady program).

On an unrelated note, anything new on the K-Mac situation?
Kevin | Email | Homepage | 01.02.07 - 12:35 pm | #

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ciscoblog25 | Email | Homepage | 01.17.07 - 12:49 am | #

I just noticed how #3 in the photo with Smith looks like he is delivering a death blow to the opposing player.
D | Email | Homepage | 02.08.07 - 11:14 pm | #