No reason to worry about our committed players

[johnnd05]

It's been asked whether ND's slow start will impact our current group of committed players, possibly leading to some decommitments. Here's what Charlie Weis said when asked about this during his press conference on Tuesday (via Ben Ford):

Notre Dame's 0-2 start hasn't caused second thoughts among the team's current recruiting class, coach Charlie Weis said during his weekly press conference.

Weis said that when he's talked to members of the high school class of 2008, he's asked them jokingly if they'd be able to play this week against Michigan. But Weis said that when a team struggles, recruits see an opportunity to play right away.

"So if there is a silver lining in the recruiting aspect and you're a young man who is already coming or thinking about coming and you just watched the game, you know, all these guys want to go to a school where they think they have an opportunity to play," Weis said. "And I think that most of them, based on the evidence they have after the first two games would like their prospects."

The recruits he's spoken to since the start of the season have remained upbeat about Notre Dame's long-term prospects.

"Actually, it's been pretty positive," Weis said of those conversations.

The South Bend Tribune has a much longer piece on this today, as they caught up with a bunch of our current commitments and asked them how they're feeling about the Irish. Here are some highlights.

Dayne Crist on taking it all in stride:

"I'm not sure that I've run into someone who hasn't given me a hard time about the Irish starting out 0-2. But I take it in stride. I tell them, 'Wait, you'll see.' I'm supposed to talk to coach (Charlie) Weis tonight. And I really don't have any questions for him. I can't question him, because I have so much faith in him. And I know he's such a talented coach, he's going to find a way to win. I just can't wait to get up there and be a part of it."

Mike Golic Jr. and Robert Blanton on how surprised they feel at ND's 0-2 start:

... some Irish commitments, like offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr., are surprised about ND's 0-2 record and all the statistical ugliness that comes with it, heading into Saturday's showdown at Michigan (0-2).

"I thought there might be growing pains," the 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman from West Hartford, Conn., said. "I've been such a fan for such a long time, you don't want to believe it, but I know they have the talent and the senior leaders there to put it all together."

Some, like Williams, N.C., cornerback Robert Blanton, are in outright shock but still firmly committed.

"I didn't think they'd be dominating, based on who they were playing and how young they were, but I never thought about them losing," said Blanton, his Butler High team (3-0) ranked No. 2 in the state, thanks in part to his four interceptions on defense and two offensive touchdowns.

Darius Fleming and Lane Clelland on being excited to get to ND and perform:

... linebacker commitment Darius Fleming and future Irish offensive lineman Lane Clelland are seeing the same thing, too.

"When I watch Notre Dame, I can't wait to get there and do my best for them," said Clelland, from Owings Mills, Md. "Not from a sympathy standpoint, but because I think we're building something special."

"This class, our class, is going to get a shot right away to help," said Fleming, who plays for unbeaten Chicago St. Rita High. "You look at all the freshmen that coach Weis is playing now. That's going to be us next year. We're going to work our hardest and see what happens."

And of course Tom Lemming weighs in:

"Notre Dame is doing a great job of staying in touch and communicating, and that's key," Lemming said. "There's always a guy or two who could jump ship in any season, but with Jimmy Clausen starting off well at quarterback, that's a definite plus, especially considering with the guys who Notre Dame is still looking at.

"I think most kids are smart enough to realize the junior and senior classes are perhaps the two worst in Notre Dame history. They were going to suffer with leadership. They were lucky they had some fifth-year seniors coming back. But having almost all of your talent in the lower two classes does not bode well when you start out with a schedule like Notre Dame's.

"One thing people have to realize is these kids, these recruits are not yet part of the team, so they don't feel the malaise about the team now. They're looking to the future, and the future is Jimmy Clausen."

Crist also had a bunch of stuff to say about his relationship with Jimmy Clausen, who played a role in his recruitment:

"I consider Jimmy a friend," Crist said. "Some people think there's this animosity or rivalry between us. Well we are both very competitive people, but we want to be around other competitive people. That's how college is. I mean it's a competition. That's how you get better. That's how you build winning teams."

...

"I definitely have a lot of people ask me why I'd go to Notre Dame with Jimmy already there," he said. "Again, what they don't know is how competitive I am at everything. Just by nature, I give 110 percent to whatever I do. I'm just confident that whatever I do and whatever happens will be the best situation.

"I'm not necessarily concerned about having to go play early or play right away. But when I do play, I want to play great. I want to be the best prepared when it's my time to play. I want to be comfortable. I just want to be in the best position to be successful when it's my time. And I'm going to compete every day until coach Weis says, 'Dayne, it's your time.'"

The whole article is well-written and worth a read. But yeah, don't worry about it folks. We've got a great class locked up and there's no reason to think a few more losses are going to do much damage to that.

[KAPLAN]

That makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I just hope no one "littles" us and we get Floyd.

Goal for 2007-Win a bowl game
Goal for 2008 and beyond-Win the national title and make Mark May eat his words.

[goldandblue]

I'm glad we have recruits with that attitude, I'm so freaking excited about the future of N.D. football!!

[Sureal]

No lie. I haven't read in this section because of the beat downs. Johnnd05 you've helped me sleep better with this post.

[johnnd05]

Originally Posted by Sureal

No lie. I haven't read in this section because of the beat downs. Johnnd05 you've helped me sleep better with this post.

No problem - glad to help. Next time, though, perhaps try going the pharmaceutical route.

http://www.insomnadrene.com/images/pics/insomadrene.jpg

[grantphilly]

To me it dosen't matter how the Irish are performing. I went 8 months with out any football and now I going to watch and cheer each game as if it were the last of the season. Charlie Wies has got me so excited about the future and football in general this year I'm just happy to see the Blue and Gold take the field. And I know what you all are thinking and yes it is some pretty good shit!

[fitz_bu47]

I'm w/ you Philly, we are struggling but watching ND struggle is still getting to watch ND. And we aren't beating our heads against the wall w/ no future, we got great freshman, and great ones coming in, if Dayne is really like he sounds in interviews, i freakin love that kids attitude, not to mention Darius and Lane and all the other commits I have heard talk.