[johnnd05]

See the article below from the SB Tribune. This goes pretty strongly against what I said the other day about Harper not having a realistic shot at QB for ND - of course, all that matters is whether HE thinks he has a shot, though we certainly don't want another Jones-type situation on our hands where he'll transfer if Crist beats him out for the job. That said, he can't realistically think he'll supplant Clausen, so presumably we might have three years of him playing at WR (or LB?) before he wanted to play QB.

Anyway, the article indicates that his interest in us is VERY high right now ... man, if he has the right attitude, then he'd be a HUGE get ...

Jones' departure opens space for Harper

BOB WIENEKE
Tribune Staff Writer

Until a few weeks ago, Wichita (Kan.) Northwest High football coach Weston Schartz estimated that, on a scale of 1-10, Chris Harper's interest in Notre Dame was somewhere around a seven.

That, however, has changed for Harper, a standout athlete who could play quarterback or receiver in college.

"I think it's up much higher than that now," Schartz said Thursday.

With the departure of Demetrius Jones, Notre Dame's opening-day starting quarterback, and the earlier defection of Zach Frazer, ND's depth chart at quarterback is thinning.

Freshman Jimmy Clausen has established himself as the starter. Junior Evan Sharpley is the backup and senior Darrin Bragg, who had been a receiver and for a while left the team, is the de facto third-stringer.

Sharpley is a sophomore eligibility-wise and Bragg retains the possibility of a fifth year. Notre Dame has already received a verbal commitment for next year from California standout Dayne Crist, considered one of the top passing quarterbacks in the nation. But depth needs to be cemented.

"There's room where you could bring in another player," ND coach Charlie Weis said, "but you'd like that player to be able to play that position and to be able to play other positions as well."

Enter the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Harper, who will make an official visit to Notre Dame for this weekend's Michigan State game.

He's the starting quarterback at Wichita Northwest, but isn't considered a pure passing type. But it's also the position he'd like to get a shot at in college.

"He's not a pro-style quarterback that's going to drop back and throw 35, 40 times a game, but he's just a great athlete," Schartz said. "He could play receiver for anyone in the country. As a matter of fact, if he was playing receiver, I think he'd have 50 offers. But he doesn't play receiver."

There is, however, an asterisk with Harper.

"The only place he will consider, and maybe I'm talking out of turn here, but after my conversations, to play receiver at would be Notre Dame and the University of California," Schartz said. "And don't ask me why."

Because of Jones' departure, the Irish coaches have told Harper they are recruiting a quarterback who can play another position.

"All he wants is a shot, I think," Schartz said. "If it doesn't work out, he will get snaps as a freshman at receiver, he's that type of kid. I'm not kidding you. He can come in any place and play receiver."

Schartz said Harper is also involved with Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M. USC, Miami and Florida were willing to offer him as a receiver, but not at quarterback.

At quarterback this season, Schartz estimated Harper has passed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with 360 rushing yards and five TDs.

Harper has been timed as low as 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

"He's legitimately fast, he can run," Schartz said, "and he's big."

And big would describe the impact the Notre Dame offer, which arrived two or three weeks ago, had at Northwest High.

"When you get offered by Notre Dame, you look," he said. "And that's what I told him. I said, look, this is like getting a date with Raquel Welch back in my day."