Without a connection to New Jersey, it might not be worth bringing in.
indy | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 7:30 pm | #

Excellent.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 7:33 pm | #

Holy Shit! That bridge is for sale? How much? Where's the link to the news story? I could totally put together an investment team to purchase it! Let me know!
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 7:46 pm | #

What is not very well known is this bridge was Kevin White's choice for his own successor as Athletic Director.
Chris | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 7:59 pm | #

I believe we have been without football for too long. NSD, Spring practice, Blue-Gold, baseball, Summer practice, baseball...FINALLY FOOTBALL.
Ted | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:22 pm | #

Indy, that's why we brought in Verducci. His New Jersey connections will keep that pipeline going. :)
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:26 pm | #

I have some ocean front property just outside of Phoenix, please let me know soonest.
Times are tough, I have deals, work with me.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:37 pm | #

Verducci is best with a simple marinara and a nice chianti, imho.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:37 pm | #

There's a joke in here somewhere about our recruit, Starling.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:39 pm | #

Too bad the GW Bridge isn't for sale too...that one DOES have a Jersey connection!
Matt '09 | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 8:51 pm | #

Alex,

I'll take media fabricated sports rumors for $500 please . . . .
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 9:31 pm | #

Wouldn't it be great if Gruden started calling Florida his "dream job"?
The Butobi Brothers | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:01 pm | #

Gruden has just been named head coach...and the school just changed its name to Notre Dame University at South Bend.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:02 pm | #

what is all this crap? I want a believeable link...when i dont see "rumor" in front of this piece of news, (which has been circulating for a few weeks) then i will believe it.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:06 pm | #

Brad - Sorry, buddy. You can't buy that bridge.

I already own it and it's not for sale.
dbldomer7375 | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:08 pm | #

by the way, read this, it makes PERFECT sense.

No way Notre Dame would be so STUPID:


So a lot of action this week. Rumor-mills about with potentially the lamest rumor ever. Weis makes a few genius hires - in my opinion - and is working on a third. Awesomeness.

Firts, the rumor. Gruden to be hired day after NSD? This is potentially the most moronic thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life. No program would ever do this for any reason. Ever. Why? First, no coach would want to work at an institution that did this. Right after declaring support for a coach, they turn around and boot him? Any coach hired would never feel secure in that job, and they’d have zero trust in the admin, and that would include the incoming hire. Which means that the new incoming guy wouldn’t take the job in the first place. Circular? Yep. Makes it impossible? Yep.

The second reason is that the program would lose all credibility with recruits. The entire class (or almost all of it) would transfer asap, and rightly so, after a move like that. And the next year’s class would bolt. And rightfully so. The NCAA would likely grant exceptions that negate the 1-year waiting period for these kids as well. And rightfully so.

Finally, all those assistant coaches that were recently hired, recently moved, recently started recruiting for Notre Dame would have to go and find new jobs. They’d HATE the program for uprooting their lives only to flip right around on them. These people left good jobs for a better one, uprooted their lives. It would result in ND not being able to hire any quality assistants. It would result in tons of negative recruiting. There’s ZERO chance that any school worth anything, and especially a Catholic school with moral values like ND, would do something so heartless and mean-spirited.

This is why ND, and every other school in the country, would never even consider such a move. This is also why anyone that believes this rumor is an idiot. It’s also why anyone that hopes for this to be true is an idiot, and in no way is a true ND Fan…

From moronic to genius, I LOVE these new hires.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:25 pm | #

So the meeting with Tim Grunhard happened, and he went from "probably not" to this:


http://www.blueandgold.com/conte.../conte...ntent/ ? aid=6584
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:28 pm | #

ok here's that link....i'm sucking with these links lately geez....

http://www.blueandgold.com/conte...ntent/? aid=6584
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:30 pm | #

Tim Grunhard was my favorite o-lineman when he played at ND. His play on special team is what I really remember, as he was always one of the first guys down the field on punt coverage, almost outrunning the gunners. I can only see a positive impact on the o-line by adding him to the staff. Come on down, Timmy!
NDOtter98 | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:40 pm | #

CommonSense...show some, dude.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 10:41 pm | #

Felipe; Hahahaha.
BGI didn't even send anyone on staff to the Army AA All-Star Game.
Neither to the Aloha Bowl.
What are they selling if not recruitng & pre-game, game, & post-game reporting?
jim masterson | Email | Homepage | 01.22.09 - 11:35 pm | #

Hey, you can't sell that bridge!! I bought it last year, I still have the receipt!!
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:12 am | #

Love the Grunhard stuff -- How about a grad assistant meeting with the President of the University... Where else does that happen. Young and Grunhard would be great additions to the weakest parts of this team.

Awesome stuff.

Common Sense -- you can also add -where is the logic in replacing one NFL coach with another... Gruden also seems to be the most overhyped coach in the NFL. I don't get the love affair.
jmc | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 8:09 am | #

jmc...

You can call the guy overhyped all you want, but the guy has a ring. Even with the latest fad of firing coaches with rings...he still has one, and few men can lay claim to that.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 9:21 am | #

if thats the case, few coaches can say they have 3 (which charlie has) but rings dont make you a good college coach (as we have seen) but changes that were obvious in need seem to be being made. maybe they want to give charlie another year so that if he STILL doesn't have the team perform, its a year less on his buyout....
Either way, gruden is NOT the answer, we dont need to make the same mistake, given the scenario, we need an established COLLEGE coach that knows what he is doing from the beggining. Gruden's players in tampa bay (and the executives themselves) say that gruden has NO RELATIONSHIP with his players, and at the college level, that is important, especially for 18-21, 22 year old KIDS. Gruden NO. there's no basis to that story anyways.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 9:36 am | #

felipe: dedicate yourself to reading posts instead of insulting others, ESPECIALLY when you dont know what you are saying, and all you trying to do is be funny.

if you entertain yourself with insults, here's a good page for you

http://www.insult-o-matic.com/
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 9:40 am | #

I apologize for the prior post, but people that are like that just irritate the sh** out of me. NOW LETS JUST CONTINUE WITH POSTS based on the subject at hand shall we?
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 9:42 am | #

Common, you certainly are prolific my man. And I really dig your use of CAPS!!
caps lock | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 9:47 am | #

emphasis my friend.....emphasis
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:01 am | #

if you take that as an insult you're just as fragile as a little flower flowing in the wind. I think you missed the purpose of the post...or do you consider sarcasm a deadly sin? Maybe you simply expect others to follow your agenda and to consider your rants good reading. Chill man.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:17 am | #

The Brooklyn Bridge, as you might imagine goes to Brooklyn and not New Jersey......
captain jack | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:37 am | #

But you can see Jersey from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Jim '72 | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:45 am | #

If the hiring of Young and possibly Grunhard doesn't get one pumped for the 'Spring Game" and next fall, nothing will.
These two are very intense individuals who carry the mystique squarely and with pride on their shoulders.
Emotion and attitude win games at the college level and these two surely possess those qualities.
TBoneND | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 11:03 am | #

In bridge we trust
Majnun | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 11:35 am | #

LOUD NOISES!!!
Domer Guy | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 12:06 pm | #

I'd rather have Urban Meyer.
NDdallas | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 12:15 pm | #

I do like to see that Charlie is trying to surround himself with grad assistants who love and embody the Notre Dame spirit. They won't put up with players slacking off or potentially tarnishing the golden dome. However, how much authority do GA's have with the players?
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 12:35 pm | #

Take it easy on 'common sense'. He can't really believe BGS was pushing the rumors with this post, right? I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:05 pm | #

here we go....always someone.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:32 pm | #

It's pretty simple and basic....of course I understand the post is sarcastic, and I dont believe BGS was pushing the rumors....if that were the case, I'm sure they would have dedicated more time to that rumor. As all of us, I enjoy giving my opinion, and mine consists of expressing why I would not want Gruden as coach.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:37 pm | #

thanks jay for the benefit of the doubt. It's obvious that if this were a rumor that was being pushed, you would have given reasons to back it up...
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:39 pm | #

It was supposed to be a hush-hush deal, and you've spoiled it! Our recruits are going to run for the hills!

Now I have to go pull the comps on bridges...
JM | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:40 pm | #

I hope Grunhard heads back to South Bend, but does that make anyone else wonder if Verducci was really Weis' top pick for the position?
JM | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:41 pm | #

A computer now backs up what no human writer can comprehend:
A mormon to South Bend... to play football not spread the word of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com...hine/ index.html
Mark | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 1:58 pm | #

Love The Butobi Brothers comment>

But seriously, Jay this posting is a perfect message. Well done.
JB | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 2:28 pm | #

Maybe Jon Gruden and Urban Meyer can sign on as grad assistants?
Matt '09 | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 2:51 pm | #

Jim 72

You can smell Jersey from under the bridge
Domerplayer | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 4:11 pm | #

Can I ask a simple question that might expose some personal ignorance? (Watch it.)

Why do Grunhard and BY need to be 'graduate assistants,' rather than assistance coaches for OL and DL? Doesn't this imply that they are graduate *students*? I have 3+ kids of my own, was only a few years behind Grunhard, was a classmate of BY, and I cannot imagine trying to do my current job AND go to graduate program classes.

It is quite possible I don't understand exactly what the graduate assistant role entails, which is what I would hope to have corrected by the more enlightened among us. Please be kind.
IndyEsq | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 4:17 pm | #

IndyEsq, excellent question. The answer is yes, GAs have to be enrolled as students and taking classes. There was a bit on this phenomenon in USA Today just yesterday:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ c...ssistants_N.htm

Notre Dame looking at ex-NFL players as graduate assistant coaches
By Steve Wieberg, USA TODAY
Notre Dame may be tweaking the image of the eager, young graduate assistant coach.

The school appears close to hiring former Irish All-American and NFL All Pro Bryant Young as a grad assistant to football coach Charlie Weis next season and has interviewed Tim Grunhard, an anchor on Notre Dame's offensive line in the late '80s, for a similar position.

Young, who retired at the end of last season after 14 years with the San Francisco 49ers, turns 37 on Tuesday. Grunhard, an 11-year NFL veteran who retired from the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2000 season and currently coaches high school football in the KC area, is 40.

The school has made no hires, Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick said Thursday. But he acknowledged interest in Young, and Grunhard spoke with Blue & Gold Illustrated about interviewing Wednesday with Weis and the university's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins. Neither Young nor Grunhard could be reached Thursday.

"I've spent a lot of time talking with Bryant about it," Swarbrick said, "and it's a situation where you've got a (former) student-athlete who is representative of so much of what we hope our program is about. Academic excellence. Athletic excellence. A great citizen. A great family guy. He reaches out and would like to get reconnected, and we discussed a range of options (in both coaching and in administration). … For him, there was a coaching itch that he wants to scratch."

Swarbrick acknowledged the departure from the norm of the typical 20-something graduate assistant.

"The common feature is they're guys starting their nonplaying careers," he said. "For guys who don't have a pro (playing) opportunity, that happens when they finish college. But for a guy who can play in the NFL, it happens when they're done there. And I don't think we should, in effect, hold that against them."

The NCAA requires grad assistants to carry at least 50% of a school's minimum graduate studies course load and rules limit their pay to the value of a scholarship, limit their recruiting activities to phone calls and generally allow them just two years in the position. But there are no age specifications.

Tennessee is going even older under new coach Lane Kiffin. According to sports information director Bud Ford, former Syracuse and Minnesota offensive coordinator Mitch Browning is "slated" to be hired as a grad assistant. He's 52 and a 29-year veteran of college coaching who most recently was on the staff of fired Syracuse coach Greg Robinson.

Former Baylor coach Grant Teaff, who heads the Texas-based American Football Coaches Association, welcomed Notre Dame's move as a way of working more promising coaching prospects into the college ranks.

"Everybody would love to have a former pro guy as a GA, but most of them don't want to do it," Teaff said. "We are anxious to get that flow of quality people into the profession.

"They are grunt jobs. There's nothing glamorous about them. But they are an avenue."

Said Swarbrick, "I think it's a rare guy, maybe, who's willing to do it. First of all, you have to have put yourself in a position financially where it's OK to take a job at this pay scale for a year or two. And you have to feel awful strongly about your institution to want to come back and explore it. I'm not sure how big the pool is.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 4:21 pm | #

some light recruiting news today....


Trojans have Byron no Moore
ESPNU 150 prospect Byron Moore of Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) has decommitted from the USC Trojans.

Moore is ranked No. 4 nationally among athletes and No. 71 prospect overall. Recruited as a safety, he now favors Notre Dame and LSU. Among his other offers are UCLA, California, Arizona State, Arizona, Minnesota and Colorado.

"Yeah, I went ahead and decommitted today," Moore told ESPN affillate WeAreUSC.Com. "I just felt USC wasn't the place I wanted to be and I want to look at some other options out of state. Right now it's pretty much Notre Dame and LSU, with Notre Dame in the lead. I'll probably take a trip down to LSU next week.

"I kind of feel like I want to go to school out of state, see something new on my own, go somewhere I will get a good education and have an opportunity to play early."
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 4:47 pm | #

Am I the only one who thinks this thread should have closed after indy's brilliant first comment? Outstanding, sir.
The Song of Hiawatha Francisco | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 5:03 pm | #

As far Gruden goes I consider the inverse relationship between success in the NFL and failure in the college ranks and vice versa (see Holtz, Carroll, Spurrier, Weis, Walsh, etc.). Next year at this time ND fans will likely be lamenting that in January 09 the bird in hand opportunity wasn't taken if JS relatively strikes out on CW's replacement.
PZ | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 7:38 pm | #

everybody hates gruden. especially his players.
so | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:06 pm | #

Re Diesel Knights link above: "I kind of feel like I want to go to school out of state, see something new on my own, go somewhere I will get a good education and have an opportunity to play early."

Hmmmm, which would offer the better opportunity to do those things, ND or LSU? Methinks we may have another pea in the pod!!!
Domer Guy | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 10:23 pm | #

Me hopes ye is correct!
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.23.09 - 11:16 pm | #

DieselKnight

I am sure that Moore's decomit had nothing to do with PC's treatment of Sanchez. wink wink
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 4:20 am | #

"everybody hates gruden. especially his players." -- so
----------
ditto when Ara Father reigned
NorthBendBlarer | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 9:58 am | #

group hug...no hard feelings common sense, but show some love for satire. it makes people happy.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 10:14 am | #

Does this mean that Grunhard is going to have to be up to his knees in rice paddies, with guns that didn't work, going in there, looking for Charlie, slugging it out with him, while pussies like Urban Meyer are down there partying, putting headbands on, doing drugs, and listening to goddamn Beatle albums? Agh!
indy | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 12:35 pm | #

GB
I totally agree woith your sentiments... I'm sure the players are thinking, "man if he does that to the star QB, what's he gonna do to me?"
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 1:05 pm | #

Jay,
Thanks for the reprint from USA-T. I am curious into what graduate programs they'll enroll, and will keep an eye on where this takes them in a year or two as far as actual paying coaching jobs. Seems like a good idea - maybe this is a small piece of what JS was alluding to when he talked about the fundamental changes coming in college sports, and he's getting ahead of the curve as promised.

indy,
I am sorry to say I didn't get your reference. I feel like I should have (I typically have above average aptitude in song/movie quotes - assuming that's what this is), but alas I'm at a loss. Explain?
IndyEsq | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 1:08 pm | #

I should have done it in all caps, as it was delivered in Back to School by the genius Sam Kinison.
indy | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 2:14 pm | #

Manti Te'o just dropped Stanford and BYU from consideration. I think it is down to you guys and us.

Also, Tyler Gaffney is likely going to Stanford.

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 8:52 pm | #

Felipe, no sweat...it was a bad day for me the other day. No bad blood, no worries!
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 9:05 pm | #

DieselKnight -

Just some SC perspective on losing Byron Moore. It hasn't been viewed as a big loss at this time, as we have 5 safeties that he would be behind. With that said, he's very talented and he should be a nice recruit for you guys though.

All would be forgotten if we land Manti Te'o, Devon Kennard, James Boyd, Devon Flournoy, Randall Carroll, Jawanza Starling and Torin Harris.

If we lose any of those 7, then people will be questioning why we also let Moore get away. Rumors from inside Heritage Hall (SC football offices), the 2009 recruiting class is expected stellar.

It does look like ND may have one of the top classes again this year, and we should not be too far behind.

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.24.09 - 11:13 pm | #

WeAreSC

So far ND's recruiting class is not looking like top 10. Maybe a last minute influx will change things but I think they only have 3 top 100 recruits so far. I can only think of Motta, Watt and Wood on Rivals.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 2:36 am | #

gaffney is going to commit to stanford on monday. I live across the street from the Stanford baseball coach.

BUMMER
eric | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 3:29 am | #

My dad would probably get the most of this team over the next 2 years and overachieve to the point of being in NC talk and a top 5 ranking. ND would be a fresh new start and he would be committed to winning. His intensity would be felt throughout the land. Then he will do what he always does, get disenchanted with the young guys and start plucking old QB's and WR's into the system. Before you know it, he'll be scowling at Shaq Evans and Dayne Crist, bench them and find a way to get Chris Weinke and Desmond Howard 1 more year of eligibility.
Gruden Jr. | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 10:12 am | #

GB -

I'm surprised by ND not having a higher recruiting class ranking. I was under the assumption that you guys had a bunch of 4 and 5 star recruits lined up.

Position matters too. OL generally aren't ranked as highly as skill positions coming out of high school. If you guys are loading up on OL and DL, then it could be a great class, despite the recruiting services showing otherwise.

One final thought - Manti Te'o removed BYU from his list because he would feel too comfortable there. As a Catholic, my first thought was oh great, he's going to ND. A Hawaiian Mormon in South Bend may be the right fit he's looking for.
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 11:34 am | #

So I missed the Senior Bowl yesterday. Whoops! Did any Irish participate?
Dave in the basement | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 11:40 am | #

indy, you marvelous bastard. I read your book!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X...h? v=Xfi4s8cjLFI
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 4:03 pm | #

Please Manti, please........I think we need this one
mikes1160 | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 4:27 pm | #

Voice, if you haven't read it yet, here's the next must read:

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford

I promise you, you won't be disappointed.
indy | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 5:38 pm | #

That's eerie, Indy. I JUST finished that book. Really. Today.

It's quite good.
Hal | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 8:42 pm | #

Hooligans......I lived in Europe for 15 years and it can definitely get crazy with their soccer matches
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 8:45 pm | #

remember irishgruden.com?
brian custer | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 8:49 pm | #

ND recruiting is at a standstill. Need a big year on the field to instill confidence in recruits...
www.southbendblarney.com | Email | Homepage | 01.25.09 - 9:35 pm | #

Okay, since nothing is going on I'll toss out a couple of questions that have been on my mind:

1. If you have the ball on the 30 yard line and run the ball in for a touchdown, do you get credit for picking up the 1st down if you pass the first down marker?

2. When running the option, who gets credit for the yards? I am guessing it is the guy who gets tackled, but that is only a guess.

On the recruiting front, local WR Daniel Smith may be Irish after today:

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/he...s/ 38304134.html
Dave in the Basement | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 1:39 pm | #

Dave - these are my guesses based on years of watching. Hoping someone with rules background give definitive answers.

1. No - on a TD run that would pick up the first down if stopped, no first down is credited.

2. The person with the ball last gets credit for all the yards on the run. For example, if the QB makes the corner and is 5 yards down field before the pitch to the RB and the RB gets another 5 yards down field, the RB gets credit for 10 yards.
OldFan | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 3:26 pm | #

Junior Daniel Smith from South Bend just committed.

Per Scout his is one of their top 100.
Keepinthefaith | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 3:39 pm | #

So we've got two Top 100 commits for next year already? Whew, this stuff moves fast.
Hal | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 4:47 pm | #

Notre Dame has snared Daniel Smith, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver from Clay (South Bend, Ind.).

Smith also had early offers from Indiana, Purdue and Central Michigan. He caught 51 passes for 1071 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior last season.

The Irish now have two pledges for the Class of 2010, including offensive lineman Christian Lombard of Fremd (Palatine, Ill.).

Smith's sister is married to former Irish safety Gerome Sapp.
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 4:54 pm | #

It is a slow news day. Read the SI story about the 2005 QB class. It puts some of our general complaints in perspective- so few rated qbs even remotely panned out. In all liklihood the ratings of rbs would be similar. We are already statistically lucky that Clausen is better than average. Now we need to get lucky with Wood, Evans etc.
The other funny article is the one on the front page about the complaints about Ohio State by its bloggers.Lets hope we never get to the point where we are remembering Ty and Davie fondly!
canuck 75 | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 5:23 pm | #

Thanks for the answers, OldFan!
Dave in the basement | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 7:29 pm | #

2010's class looks like it has started well. Good news.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 8:36 pm | #

The guy can jump and also catch the ball in traffic, although seems a little slow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3...h? v=3ORpqlem0BQ
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 9:18 pm | #

i think the term is...deceptive speed (i want to stay positive). Either he is deceptively fast or everyone else obviously slow because he was running past most of the defenders, and as you say, outjumping them.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 9:42 pm | #

Common

I saw a few instances where he got caught from behind.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.26.09 - 10:53 pm | #

BGS - Any updates coming soon?
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 7:27 am | #

thats why i said MOST defenders :)
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 8:37 am | #

One of our commits, Nyshier Oliver from New Jersey took an official visit this past weekend to Tennessee where he had previously committed last summer. With the change in coaching staff at UT do you think we have reason to worry that Oliver will not be with us on NS day?
Knoxville Irish | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 8:47 am | #

Tyler Gaffney to the Cardinal ...

Stanford snares big back Tyler Gaffney
Tyler Gaffney, a 6-foot-0, 210-pound record-setting running back, has committed to head coach Jim Harbaugh of Stanford over Notre Dame and the USC Trojans. Among over 20 other offers, he also considered UCLA, Utah and San Diego State.

He told ESPN's Greg Biggins, "Stanford was just the perfect school for me. It wasn't any one thing, Stanford had a lot of things that really appealed to me. I like the football program and the direction the team is going in. I like Coach Harbaugh a lot and of course the academics at Stanford are second to none."

"I always like how I'll be used in the offense. They want me to have a similar role as Toby Gerhart and that's exciting for me. I'll also get the chance to play baseball and Stanford has a great program so it ended up being a pretty easy decision for me."

Gaffney rushed for 329 yards and five touchdowns to lead Cathedral to a state championship against St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 37-34, in December.

The running back earned City and League Player of the Year honors after setting a San Diego single season rushing record of 2,857 yards as a senior. He had 48 rushing touchdowns and caught 25 passes for another eight scores. His 56 total touchdowns was the fourth best total in state history.
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 9:38 am | #

Knoxville-
I think we can pretty much count out Oliver.
kmf | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 10:01 am | #

Bad news about Gaffney, I really thought he was going with us. And I'm positive that's the last we've seen of Oliver...."If your looking, we're looking". Hopefully we can finish with a bang.
VicPaul | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 11:18 am | #

I'm hopeful that we can finish with a bang, too, but aside from a hawaiian miracle where is it going to come from? Are there any other recruits at all who are still considering us? It's unlikely that we'll have some one sign with us who hasn't even been on the recruiting rader, right? Perhaps CW has been in contact with soft verbals at other schools who are experiencing coaching turnover.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 1:07 pm | #

Here's a terrific athlete with the best football name I've ever seen. Notre Dame's only a dark horse for him, though:

http://lsu.rivals.com/viewprospe...sp? pr_key=74047
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 1:33 pm | #

Erik, Byron Moore would be another top 100 commitment. Also, I don't think Te'o is that much of a long shot. He obviously still is heavily considering the Irish especially since he just dropped BYU and Stanford. If we pick up those two, and keep Oliver, I think we're on the cusp of top 10.
Mark | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 1:40 pm | #

Sorry boys, but the rumors are that Te'o is a silent commit to SC, and will make it official after his official visit to USC on 1/30.
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 1:45 pm | #

voice, indy would be a magnificent bastard, regardless of which of his books you read.
yz | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 2:26 pm | #

WeAreSC-
SC may end up with Teo, but it won't happen the way you describe. All along Teo has said that he'll announce his decision on signing day, and with the way he's conducted himself throughout the recruiting process, I'm inclined to believe him. He sounds like a great individual in addition to being a terrific football player.
kmf | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 3:22 pm | #

Landing Manti Teo and Byron Moore are good.

Manti Teo it will between USC and Notre Dame.
He could go to either for good reasons.

Byron Moore looks like hes going to ND but LSU could get him. We have to wait in see.


Only 7 days till Signing day.
Go Irish
Mexican Irish | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 3:50 pm | #

It's coming down to the wire. Thanks for the info!
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 4:13 pm | #

Teo sounds like such a good kid, I can't believe he'd waste himself at SC.
VicPaul | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 5:11 pm | #

Vic, I understand that's a jab at a bitter rival, but seriously it's hard to figure out why someone would NOT want to go to USC. List any reason why someone would want to go to a specific school and USC has it. Weather, on-field performance, next level potential, a well liked and respected coach, national exposure, chance to win the Heisman, facilities, women, academics (it's no ND, but it's also not South Florida.) There is a reason Carrol has a well oiled machine running down there. I think the scariest prospect is the fact that Slick Rick could do the same thing at UCLA. I don't think all of this means ND can never be good again, certianly all great periods in football come to an end (in 1997 you couldn't convince anyone FSU would ever be in the position they're in now.) However, I think losing recruits to USC shouldn't be something anyone at ND loses sleep over.
Mark | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 5:33 pm | #

kmf - you very well may be correct. i'm only passing along what i've heard. rumor? absolutely, but this is what is being repeated quite often at SC. "after his official visit" is open to interpretation - could be 1/30 or 2/4, if at all. we'll see.

Mark - ND, nor anyone else for that matter, will lose recruits to ucla. neuheisel can not get anyone to buy into his vapid "relentlessly positive" message. kids are opting to leave the state rather than be mired in mediocrity at UCLA. I am biased but look at this years recruiting class for UCLA - its terrible with no OL. People are already griping about his complacency (maybe he thinks kids will come to him). Combined with Norm Chow likely leaving in 2+ years, things still do not appear to good at UCLA.

Coaches like Weis, Saban, Carroll, Pellini, etc. understand recruiting, while Mack Brown and Neuheisel don't. They are doing things the old way, and expect local kids to always choose their school over the out of state school.
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 6:06 pm | #

Rivals' site shows that Oliver has committed to Tenn.
jugmed | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 7:20 pm | #

Mark,

How about USC graduates 57% of its football players. Thats about 1 of every 2 for all the USC grads reading. You talk about academics but only about half get a degree so what does academics matter with USC. It is truly hard to imagine that only 57% graduate. Every time I think of that I just laugh because they just don't care. I understand your point but let's not pretend like any football player would go to USC for an education. Also, I am not so sure USC gets as much national exposure as they would like because they are not a national team. Every network knows California is the only state in which people will watch them and root for them. I may be wrong on that but USC is not close to Notre Dame as far as national exposure
bk | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 7:45 pm | #

Maybe everyone heard this already, but Grunhard declined the graduate assistant job.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/...4/1023/ SPORTS13
KyleJones | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 7:48 pm | #

WeAreSC

Maybe you know something I don't know. According to Rivals, Texas is #4 in recruiting right behind USC so it would seem that Brown does a pretty decent job. Neuheisel is # 22, which is 2 places ahead of ND. He just got Pollard back from ND.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 8:15 pm | #

http://rivals100.rivals.com/view...=1& pr_key=64108

one less commit...Oliver gone for sure according to this
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 9:15 pm | #

GB,

My mistake. I said Mack Brown and meant Nick Saban. The NCAA now has what is affectionately referred to as the "Nick Saban Rule," which effectively prevents coaches from recruiting from mid-April through May.

It was the work of Saban against coaches like Carroll, Weis, Pellini, Stoops, etc. who will get on a plane and recruit anywhere. Nick Saban wanted to keep other coaches from recruiting kids in his state, so he convinced the NCAA to establish questionable rules (which he later violated). Rather than try to convince kids in Florida, Texas, California to attend Alabama, he tried to make it more difficult for kids in his own state to leave.

Neuheisel is terrible. He never recruited well at Colorado or Washington, and inherited fairly talented teams and turned in only mediocre results. Anecdotally, two weeks ago, while every college football coach was flying all over the country or driving through out their states trying to get soft commits to sign LOIs on 2/4, Neuheisel was at the ucla basketball game (w/out recruits). If my employer is paying me $2M/year and my first year as HC was an embarassment, I really need to be doing everything possible to sell kids on the virtues of attending my university and playing football for me.

I doubt ND's recruiting #s are the issue of lack of effort on Weis' part. I've understood him to be a great recruiter. I believe you've had top 5 classes in the prior 3 year. With uncertainty at HC, you can understand why kids may be hesitant to commit.

I spend way too much time on this blog, but you guys are civil and it is very well run.

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 9:35 pm | #

Rumors suck, and it does hurt recruiting efforts.....2010 should be better though
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 9:40 pm | #

WeAreSC

Saban makes more sense. I think ND is having trouble simply because recruits are looking at Weis' record for the past 2 years. Weis may not be a good coach but he is an excellent recruiter, especially having the #1 rated class last year with a 3-9 record.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.27.09 - 10:58 pm | #

Just went to the Rivals site where they wrote about Oliver going back to the Vols and they actually write 'solid verbal' beside his name. Can we get away from all this Soft/Silent/Solid verbal crap and just wait till signing day. I'm sick of wasting my time getting to know these kids only to have them say, "see ya", at the last moment. Maybe I'm just getting bitter in my ripe old age of 34 but man, it stinks losing these kids.
VicPaul | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 12:46 am | #

I watched Daniel Smith highlight film. He looks like a pretty solid WR. Needs to work on speed but he reminds me of Jeff Samardzija
in the way he runs.

Cant wait to see this kid play.
Mexican Irish | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 2:21 am | #

kids just dont understand the word commitment these days......Oliver changed his mind TWICE. i think that there should be an early signing period, and i think that would actually help kids think things through 100% before commiting.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 7:50 am | #

How many head coaching contracts are they paying for now?
Nd456 | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 9:44 am | #

WeAreSC:

Maybe slick Rick was at the Bruins basketball game doing some bracket research for his "neighborhood" NCAA basketball tournament pool.

Go Irish!
Knoxville Irish | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 10:45 am | #

Either way, Oliver is not a big loss......he didnt even want to play receiver (which is what he would have done at Notre Dame) and we still have Evans coming in, and Walker/Goodman with 4 years left since they didnt play last year. I actually think in a way that its a good thing...it gives the new receivers from last year and this year a chance to prove their worth. Yes, a decommit sucks, but at least it wasnt a very important one.
CommonSense | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 1:13 pm | #

The sad part is that ND pulling in a recruit over USC is a coup! But what can you expect when we don't play a close game for six years and counting (though not all of those were complete disasters). When you go through the intangibles, you can argue both sides (women v. graduation rates, national championship v. national exposure, SoCal v. South Bend), and I still choose ND. But the results on the field I'm sure are making it harder to convince high schoolers of that.

I think the two biggest problems for our recruiting right now are (1) how long Weis will be there (obviously the biggest influence) and (2) not showing up to play the second half of the season. recruits by into hype just like fans, and the "young, inexperienced" team argument only goes so far. On the other hand, a 9-3 season in 2009 (not saying that's an acceptable goal) will probably be good enough to keep top recruits coming in.

Regarding Mack Brown, I wouldn't lump Mack Brown in with good recruiters. Look at the state of Texas and how many kids dream of playing at UT. (Just look at where his recruits are from). He makes offers and tells them the first to accept gets it. That fills about 80% of his Top 10 class without trying. Then he only has to work on a handful of recruits. Now, I can't say he is a bad recruiter, but with the deck stacked like that a really good recruiter would be keeping more Texas kids from heading to OU.
JM | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 3:38 pm | #

Only 16....we had the number 1 ranked class last year. Calm down.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 5:24 pm | #

I agree only16, ND needs to be pulling in at least 28-30 Freshman. Forget needs and numbers, "KILL'EM ALL, LET THE PARAMEDICS SORT'EM OUT!"
Nick Saban | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 5:36 pm | #

"thank gosh"??
anon | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 5:44 pm | #

Only 16.....I will take the risk of this statement being deleted. You are an idiot. Every recruiting analyst worth a damn has stated very publicly this is a down year for players. Very few high quality recruits across the board. I am fine with only 16 this year and focusing on the needs. A kicker, punter and long snapper may not be sexy but they win games. 2010 is a huge year for O-Line and D-Line and a ton of other key roster spots for the Irish. We already have a 5* O-lineman and a projected 4* WR to make up for the Oliver loss.
A top five class in 2010 is key. Save the scholarships for the big guns next year.
Thank Gosh!!!!!!! | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 6:17 pm | #

You all can thank me for being the heart of the American Recreational Vehicle business.
Goshen | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 7:28 pm | #

Preach Brother Gosh!!!
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 7:31 pm | #

Is that why Charlie is recruiting in Greensburg?
indy | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 7:32 pm | #

JM-

I would say Mack Brown is a great recruiter. He brought talent to North Carolina, and Texas was down for a long time before he got there. Also kids are more business-like these days, and don't (as often) make decisions based on who they loved as a kid.

Schools like Texas and USC have an advantage, but their coaches are still superior recruiters.
www.southbendblarney.com | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 9:43 pm | #

--thank gosh,

You forgot the part about how we need to settle down, and for god's sakes everybody just trust Charlie Weis. He knows what he's doing!

It's a down year, yet USC has 18 commits and waiting on a few more. But hey--what the heck does Pete Carrol know about recruiting. That stick-in-the-mud will get stuck with all the crappy recruits this year and we'll get all the GOOD ones next year. Yeah, that's it. ND football: returning to glory next year...for the past 15 years.

**end of sarcastic rant
Steve | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 11:23 pm | #

I could make an argument that the great recruiting classes lost a few 4*s (weeded out), and maybe 2010 will be THE year but there's probably 2 million kids that play football accross the u.s. and to only pull in 13 full time players has to raise an eyebrow. Averages say, 3 more will drop from the class. What are you gonna do with all the leftover scholarships?, put em in the bank and save em for a rainy day (they don't collect interest)? And what about the committing meaning committing. Oh well, I guess it's expected after the year. I need to pour myself a nice glass of cool aid (with a lemming) and calm down.
idiot16 | Email | Homepage | 01.28.09 - 11:44 pm | #

Who was the last big-time recruit we landed on NSD? I can remember a couple slipping away, but I am sure there were some good "saves" as well. I don't follow recruiting too closely, so please don't harass me too much if we landed a good surprise last year.
Dave in the Basement | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 8:28 am | #

Didn't Sam Young announce on NSD? I could be wrong...

My thoughts on the recruits...GIVE THE BALL TO GOLDEN.
RedMahoney | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 8:53 am | #

I am not concerned with anyone calming dowm or keeping the faith in Charlie. I take offense to the random rant of "cancel the program" and "at a MAC level now."
Poodle Pete only has 18 and waiting on a few. We have 16 and waiting on a few also. May end up with T'eo, Starling and Moore(USC Decommit). A class of 19 this year would be damn fine with me. Wood, Watt, Motta, Shaqfu, Bullard, Martin....are great additions to the program. For the first time in a long time I feel confident the program is moving in the right direction. Forgive me for being inspired by the recruits and recent hirings.....glug glug glug....damn...my kool-aid is all gone.
Thank Gosh!!!!!!! | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 9:32 am | #

We had some big classes, we weren't expected to have a ton of recruits this year. I'm pretty sure it'd put us over the scholarship limit. Which is a bad thing.
Majnun | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 10:28 am | #

Ha. In a recent interview at the Super Bowl, former Tressel-led Ohio State star Santonio Holmes admitted that he used to sell drugs when he was younger to make money. With the stellar, high-quality student athletes brought in to Ohio State under Tressel, I, for one, am completely shocked by this admission.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 1:09 pm | #

"Lets hope we never get to the point where we are remembering Ty and Davie fondly!" -- canuck 75

Ummm, Canuck, we've PASSED that point.
newtsrockedknee | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 2:46 pm | #

"Vic, I understand that's a jab at a bitter rival, but seriously it's hard to figure out why someone would NOT want to go to USC." -- Mark
-----
Mark -- go back about 10 years ago. Notre Dame hadn't lost to USC since Grant was president. The best thing 'SI' wrote about the school was that the local drive-by shooters tended to be poor shots.

PC has been that one coach (since the Nixon era) capable of catching lighning in the proverbial bottle. Trojan fans stay up nights, worried Pete'll be seen at an NFL podium the next day.

Cheerleaders -- they've always owned that; always will!

Bounce On!
newtsrockedknee | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 3:00 pm | #

Newtsrockedknee -

You are wrong!!! Oregon has the best cheerleaders! We're not even in the same league with the Duckettes!

The 1980s were a terrible time for us in the rivalry. It seemed like the streak would never end.

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 3:20 pm | #

It's starting to feel the same way over here.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 3:27 pm | #

Congrats on getting Byron Moore. He's supposed to commit to ND tonight. I think Shaquelle Evans and he are good friends on Evans got him to commit to ND. Should be great addition to your secondary.
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 3:37 pm | #

16 is a good number for this year. Even though next year will be alot more better. More talented recruits.
Mexican Irish | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 4:26 pm | #

Absolutely agree with the Oregon cheerleaders. What do they put in the water in Eugene!? Those girls are beautiful. Now they just need to adopt the USC cheerleader unis.
ndfootball4ever | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 4:30 pm | #

SC,
you are absolutly correct, Oregon has the best cheerleaders by far. Sad part is I didn't notice it until their bowl game this year. I used to favor our girls down here in the south, not any more. GO DUCKS!
Keepinthefaith | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 4:49 pm | #

woah there cowbow, you just ruined my thought process. that is uncalled for.
Keepinthefaith | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 6:24 pm | #

LOL.

My evil twin appears to also be posting as "WeAreSC," but he forgot to add "Fight On!" to his post.

Without either the obligatory "Fight On!" or two finger Victory salute, we genuine Trojans know you are an impostor, albeit a very funny one...

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 6:43 pm | #

You make me tired WeAreSC.....come back in the fall
mikes1160 | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 9:05 pm | #

How come we can't get a decent staff?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com...ex.html? eref=T1

Oh, yeah this is ND, what was I thinking?
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 9:30 pm | #

WeAreSC,

Given the makeup of islanders on the respective teams, it should be pretty obvious where Teo is going.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 10:03 pm | #

I think we have a good shot with teo, especially with his parents having visited...
ndgoldenirish.blogspot.com | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 10:54 pm | #

SC boards are lighting up with news of a Teo commitment....
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.29.09 - 11:41 pm | #

I don't get how the 2 yr missionary will work out for Teo. Does he intend to play one year then go on mission and then return to college? Why won't he then just go into the pros.

If its not ND or Stanford I think he'll just go to Hawaii.

We forget last years class of linebackers McDonald and Poz.

I think we have a super star in Calabrese
John NJ | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 9:11 am | #

Whoever is posting under "WeAreSC" is very funny, but I believe he has taken the joke to far to the point of being offensive.

Therefore, out of respect for everyone on this blog and those who run it, I will no longer post on this board. So if you read anything posted under "WeAreSC," it is not me.

With that said, I wish you all good luck in 2009, and will see you in South Bend in October.

Fight On!
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 10:43 am | #

the more i think about it, the harder i think it is going to be to improve upon what we already have... (except a surprise or two) It's great to think about the studs that are left chosing us, but i think it's time to start thinking about next year's class
ndgoldenirish.blogspot.com | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 10:48 am | #

Article about teo according to his father and others. So if teo is looking for something COMPLETELY opposite of what he has lived all his life (LDS mormon church) i think ND is the place, because USC has LDS churches scattered all over the friggin place!
ndgoldenirish.blogspot.com | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 12:39 pm | #

And here is that article :



"I think for Manti, BYU will always hold that special place," Te'o's father Brian said. "All this time, he was thinking of what school he would attend had football been out of the equation, and I think that had a lot to do with why schools like BYU and Stanford [have been in the mix]. And in his decision-making, BYU was up with the best of them.

"When he had BYU up against the schools he had them up against I was thinking, 'Wow,' I guess anybody else would have decided on the others a long time ago, but he struggled with this one. He came to tears with coach Bronco [Mendenhall] while talking to him on the phone because he felt like he was letting down a family member."

Mendenhall's been through this before. Although he couldn't speak specifically about any of this year's recruits, he said his program is usually in on four or five of the nation's elite players each year not only because BYU is a faith-based school, but also because of its academics and the level of its football team.
And though most of those elite players tend to sign with the bigger name schools, the Cougars have been able to secure a commitment from at least one of the upper tier players each year since 2007, including a couple players for the 2009 class who are rated highly by several recruiting services.

"The level of interest has grown each and every year that I've been the head coach," Mendenhall said. "Maybe 18 of the 25 will sign or commit very early and then there are a handful that are the most sought after in terms of national recruiting and those young men usually take longer. But we're certainly, I would say, one of the favorite choices beyond what we were a number of years ago. We're picking up a number of those commitments each year and that number will continue to grow. It's not 100 percent and it might never be, but I do think the consideration that we're receiving may be at the highest level in the history of the school."

For Manti, though, BYU's greatest attraction might have been it's greatest turnoff. Brian Te'o said his son is very much devoted to his faith, but he also wanted to experience new things. It's one of the reasons Brian Te'o sent his son to high school at Punahou School in Honolulu, a private school on the other side of the island from the family home. Brian Te'o said he and his wife forced their son to go there so he could learn about people outside of the community of La'ie, which is 90 percent LDS. After Te'o's seventh and eight grade years, he begged his parents to allow him to go to Kahuku High School in La'ie. But after spending his freshman year at Kahuku, Brian Te'o said his son begged to return to Punahou.

"When you walk through the campus grounds here at Kahuku High School everybody you bump into thinks, feels and believes the same way you do," Brian Te'o said. "There's no growth there and really you just take for granted that everybody else that you're going to meet in the world is going to do the same. The people in town are very different from the people here on the North Shore, and he has found that there are great people that aren't LDS that he has forged great relationships with and I think that's part of the experience he still wants to continue to explore.

"BYU was a place that he felt like he's seen before and that he's lived all his life. He wanted to see the world, or in this case the United States, through a different lens... I don't think it was a search for glitz or glamour. I just think he just wants to be challenged... He told me he felt a little bit comfortable [at BYU]. That was the best way he could explain it."

The delicate recruiting balance of football and faith is something Mendenhall said has appealed to many of his recruits. Mendenhall said 90 percent of the student athletes at BYU are LDS and that that often plays into his selection of players. Mendenhall and his staff identify about 35 prospective student athletes each recruiting season that fit the criteria of faith, family, education and football. And while BYU does offer players a unique collegiate experience, sometimes BYU recruits want to be like other recruits.

Said Mendenhall: "There's a lot of different perspectives when you coach at BYU and you can use those perspectives and the list of criteria as either a constraint or a fantastic opportunity."
ndgoldenirish.blogspot.com | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 12:40 pm | #

I doesnt matter who ND recruits, Charlie will find an Offensive coordinator that runs the same boring offense. Zone blocking schemes that are uninspiring, and dont seem to bring excitement to the team. The only time the offense works is when Clausen lobs the ball in the air and Tate or Floyd comes down with it. Last year teams down the end of the regular season figured that out. Charlie needs to realize that college is much different from the pros and stop trying to mimic Belichik.

Also has anyone noticed that the Patriots have gotten more explosive on offense since Weis left.
Golden Parachutes | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 12:48 pm | #

"Also has anyone noticed that the Patriots have gotten more explosive on offense since Weis left."

True, but they've also gotten more legitimate offensive weapons (Randy Moss, Wes Welker, etc.). And they haven't won a Super Bowl in that time frame either. I'm far from a huge Weis fan, but he didn't have much to work with while he was there other than Tom Brady, who was forced to throw to Troy Brown.

I do think, though, that the emergence of Matt Cassel does a lot to undermine Weis' reputation as a quarterback guru, if that makes any sense. Granted, he has a great supporting cast but he hadn't started a game since high school! It just goes to show how great a coach Belichick is, I guess. (And it kills me to say it, as a Colts fan.)
Jade | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 1:07 pm | #

Hey I was wondering if anyone can add some insight as to what our linebacker unit may be looking like next year?
I see B. Smith in the middle possibly with Flemming(?) as per Weis's comment that he wants his best playmakers in the middle. Does that leave Neal and Filer (?) on the outside? Does Neal stay on the D-Line? If so then who plays on the outside? Any kind of insights would be appreciated....
Biiggs | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 1:13 pm | #

Also what about T. Smith and M. Richardson (also listed as LB or DE/LB hybrids) and their potential role may be?
Biiggs | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 1:14 pm | #

John NJ---

Good point there.
I didnt forget about Poz but I did forget about Mcdonald. I wonder who will start at the second inside LB next year?
mexican irish | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 2:38 pm | #

Thank-you real WeAreSC for the outsider's perspective. Sorry for 12 year-old with access to Dad's computer.
Five Iron Frenzy | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 3:10 pm | #

WeAreSC (the original) - Don't let the johnny-come-lately spoil your participation here. I for one enjoy your perspective and insight. I'm not too familiar with the blogging world, but is it possible to spot and throw out the hi-jacker of a nom de plume? We've now had at least 2 within the recent postings...
DomerD | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 3:57 pm | #

So....eh.... Pat, Mike, Jay, et al., you guys are pretty much going to bag the whole season review thing then, kind of like last year? Just wondering.
Thundershaker | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 4:05 pm | #

"Also has anyone noticed that the Patriots have gotten more explosive on offense since Weis left."

Okay. And has anyone noticed that they haven't won a Super Bowl since he left either?
Burton | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 6:18 pm | #

WeAreSC,

Please don't allow the misgivings of one lost soul stop you from posting. I always enjoy your perspective. It is great to see a bitter rival posting and not being an a**.

Come back and post anytime. True fans will know which is your posting and which is the delinquent.
Thank Gosh!!!!!!! | Email | Homepage | 01.30.09 - 10:46 pm | #

I also like WeAreSC. I was wondering if we can throw out the imposter as DomerD said.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 4:29 am | #

It's unfortunate, but it has to be said - this site is slipping. It was, without question, the best Irish site on the web, without peer. I'm sure the reasons for the lack of posts are many, and the fact that the BGS guys do this for free is incredible, but if they want to stay competitive in the blogosphere, they should recruit some more writers.

I did a quick and unscientific word count, and in January 2008 9,116 words were written on BGS. In January 2009, it was 4,590.
james ND | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 9:02 am | #

agreed
DieselKnight | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 9:21 am | #

Brad has a mighty fine perspective on the program and a great football mind that he know to articulate. I also enjoy what Voice has to write about the program as he takes the "biggies" to task.

Finally,WeAreSC is also a welcomed voice. My wife went to USC for her MA, so I'm a little more accommodating...Plus, I like Pete Carroll's leadership style--even if he's not perfect. USC is at the heights where we want to be. However, according to the latest Sporting News, Michigan State is our main rival and is loading up on Ringer-esque running backs from the great rust state. Beat MSU, Pitt and BC in 2009!
Gold Wave | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 9:38 am | #

Thanks Gold Wave. Compliments are always welcome, and typically... sorely needed.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 10:26 am | #

Thank you, Irish, for the kind words. This is the best run college football blog that I've come across. The discussions are intelligent, humorous and respectful.

Anyways, I thought you all might like an update on Manti Te'o and his official visit to USC this weekend. As we all know, he is Mormon, so he actually took his visit from Thursday-Saturday, so he can be back home Sunday for religious reasons. His host at SC is Rey Maualuga. Yeah, we're not sure this is a good move either... Actually, I've heard that Rey is an extremely polite and very likable individual, and that he has matured a lot in his 4 years at SC.

Anyways, Te'o made a comment yesterday that he is undecided, but a slight lean toward SC, and that his decision will come down to how his visit goes this weekend. It sounds like his preference is: 1) USC, 2) ND, and 3) UCLA. He did make a comment to the effect that having friends/teammates at UCLA makes things a little more complicated for him.

Finally, I came across this website and thought it was well worth sharing. With 76% accuracy and ND having a slight edge in the statistical model, we may see Te'o in South Bend next year.

http://ssbea.mercer.edu/recruiting.htm
WeAreSC | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 1:57 pm | #

james nd, the lack of posts are due to the economic situation we are all facing as americans
ndgoldenirish.blogspot.com | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 3:31 pm | #

huh? Are you trying to be sarcastic?
james ND | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 5:14 pm | #

WeAreSC, that's a fascinating Mercer website. Even more interesting is that there is only one person so far who was predicted to go to ND who didn't...and that's Byron Moore. So it looks like that model is batting almost 1000 for ND. Hope that holds true for Te'o as well.
bcg | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 5:22 pm | #

I take it that WeAreSC is the impostor and not the real one since it is not signed, "Fight On". It is good info though.
GB | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 5:28 pm | #

biigs,

I really think that Fleming will stay on the outside. His pass rush skills are too valuable to put in the middle. I think that B Smith, T Smith, Filer, and Quinn (I think he's back and Tenuta has a boner for him) will man the middle unless we land Te'O. Neal will be the other main LB body at the other LB spot but I really think that Sergio Brown and Hayseed will come up in that spot like they did last season.
Joe B | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 7:42 pm | #

Anyone have any updates on Byron Moore? I know he came to CU this weekend for a visit, but anyone know whether he's leaning more towards ND or CU?
DenverIrish | Email | Homepage | 01.31.09 - 11:44 pm | #

Is it possible to find smart football players? I'm really doubting the possibility. Some of the players that seem to be really great on the football field can barely get into Ohio State.... and USC has to really work hard to get them in. It's seriously becoming an uphill battle for the irish.
irishcrazy | Email | Homepage | 02.01.09 - 1:27 am | #