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*According to this article Jashaad Gaines could commit to ND after this weekends game. Also says Kates committed to ND, and that Kates will try and persuade teammate Aaron Berry to commit to ND....
MATT TALKS ABOUT HOW THE EARLY 2-0 IRISH START IS MOUNTING INTO A HUGE RECRUITING WEEKEND FOR NOTRE DAME
Coach Charlie Weis has the Irish off to a hot start thanks to two wins over ranked opponents on the road. Notre Dame will be playing it's first home game of the season this Saturday against Michigan State. Michigan State is the same university that has won more (11) than any other school at South Bend, including 4 in a row. The first home game also signals the first big recruiting weekend for the Irish, who are already off to a hot start on the field and off it in terms of recruiting. Here is a look at who will be visiting officially and unofficially (with inside scouting information from ESPN recruiting expert Tom Luginbill) for the ND-Michigan State game:
Aaron Brown, OT 6'6" 260, out of Cincinatti, OH. Brown is ranked as the #11 offensive tackle in the country. He also is #115 on the top ESPN 150 players, regardless of position. Although he is small in terms of weight, his tall frame will fill out nicely once he matures. "Brown really comes across as a man amongst boys," says ESPN's Luginbill. He expects Brown to fill out to about 320 once on the college level and to be one of the more dominating offensive lineman in the country. Coach Weis hopes to add this "man amongst boys" to his first official class with an impressive performance from the Irish this weekend.
Chris Stewart, OT 6'5" 340, out of Klein, TX. Another huge man-child offensive tackle (#21st ranked OT) recruit for this weekend, the Irish could use a guy like Stewart who already has the frame and weight to come and play right away. "He displays the ability to get off on the snap of the ball and deliver a good initial pop," says Luginbill. This Texas boy will take a lot of wooing from Weis and his staff to get him away from his region. Currently Texas A&M, LSU, and Nebraska are all recruiting him real hard.
Alex Stadler, OT 6'5" 290, out of Bealeton, Va. Stadler is ranked as the #44 offensive tackle in the country. "Stadler is a big body that can open up holes in the running game," says Luginbill. It appears that with all the early commitments from offensive skill positions, Weis has decided to really go after the offensive line by bringing them all in on the same weekend. Could we see all three of these huge offensive tackles commit after a big ND win on Saturday. Don't expect it, but not many people expected the Irish to be number 10 in the country right now. Irish fans hope that Weis can reel in at least 2 of the aforementioned recruits.
Jashaad Gaines, Safety 6'1" 190, out of Las Vegas, NV. The defensive side of this recruiting class is the most interesting. Last year the Irish picked up S Ray Herring from Florida, but are looking for much needed depth and talent in the secondary. Gaines (30th ranked safety) fills both of these needs. The 30th ranked safety prospect in the nation, Luginbill says Gaines " has great anticipation and he attacks the line of scrimmage." If Weis and defensive coordinator Rick Minter want to keep a Nasty mentality on the defensive side of the ball, Gaines could be the man. Look for a commitment following this weekend.
Leonard Gordon, Safety 6'1" 200, out of Ft. Campbell, KY. Gordon(29th ranked safety) is another safety recruit that Minter and Weis will be going hard after. A little bit taller and bigger than fellow recruit Gaines, Gordon "is equally effective playing both run and pass and you love his physical style of play," says Luginbill. If Weis is willing to take two similar safeties, then Gordon and Gaines could fill in nicely next year for the Irish in terms of depth. I wouldn't expect both guys to be Irish after this weekend, look for Gordon to take his visits and wait for a decision.
Aaron Berry, cornerback 5'11" 160, out of Harrisburg, PA. Berry is a cornerback ranked the 17th best at this position in high school. A classmate of fellow recruit Jason Kates (Irish commitment as of now), Berry could come in right away and earn playing time for the Irish. "He is one of the faster players and could end up as a corner or receiver in college. He has the speed, hands and playmaking skills to create mismatches as a receiver and those same qualities enable him to hold up on an island in man coverage," says Luginbill.
Jason Kates, defensive tackle 6'4" 300, out of Harrisburg, PA. Kates is a recent commitment to the Irish who will be taking a visit for the game. He is ranked the 25th best defensive tackle in the country, and look for him to do some persuading on teammate Berry during the weekend. "Kates gives you a big bodied presence on the defensive line with good strength and athletic ability," says Luginbill.
Will Yeatman, OL/TE 6'6" 255, out of San Diego, CA. Will is a two sport star (lacrosse being his other passion) who wants to play both sports in college. He has already made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame, so this will be his official visit. The Irish will have to battle with their arch rival USC amongst the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and many others who have offered him a football scholarship.
Also visiting this weekend will be Irish commitment RB James Aldridge (9th ranked tailback in the nation), who is expected to be at every home game. Other committed players who will be in attendance include QB Demetrius Jones, TE Paddy Mullen, K Ryan Burkhart, FB Luke Schmidt, DT John Ryan, and WR Robby Parris. The Irish also hope that recruit CB Darrin Walls, the most athletically talented player in the class of defensive backs according to Luginbill, will be watching. Walls attended the two road wins at Pittsburgh and Michigan, both schools that are also recruiting him. Irish fans see him as a good luck charm.
Coach Weis has brought his New Jersey "NASTY" attitude to the team, it's fans, it's students, it's alumni, and hopefully his recruits. With 13 players already committed (6 of which are top 150 players in the country), Weis will continue to flash his Super Bowl rings and winning mentality to impressionable high school football recruits who are willing to listen.
The class is expected to be at least 25 strong because of a small class last year due to circumstances. Weis decided to go after quality instead of quantity, guys he thought could come and play instead of filling out a scholarship on the bench. The football dynasty looks to be well on it's way, could a recruiting dynasty follow? We will see after this weekend.
Check back for more recruiting updates concerning the Irish.
You can contact the writer, Matt, at matt@sportscrack.com
http://sportscrack.com/ndrecruitsweekend.html
MATT TALKS ABOUT HOW THE EARLY 2-0 IRISH START IS MOUNTING INTO A HUGE RECRUITING WEEKEND FOR NOTRE DAME
Coach Charlie Weis has the Irish off to a hot start thanks to two wins over ranked opponents on the road. Notre Dame will be playing it's first home game of the season this Saturday against Michigan State. Michigan State is the same university that has won more (11) than any other school at South Bend, including 4 in a row. The first home game also signals the first big recruiting weekend for the Irish, who are already off to a hot start on the field and off it in terms of recruiting. Here is a look at who will be visiting officially and unofficially (with inside scouting information from ESPN recruiting expert Tom Luginbill) for the ND-Michigan State game:
Aaron Brown, OT 6'6" 260, out of Cincinatti, OH. Brown is ranked as the #11 offensive tackle in the country. He also is #115 on the top ESPN 150 players, regardless of position. Although he is small in terms of weight, his tall frame will fill out nicely once he matures. "Brown really comes across as a man amongst boys," says ESPN's Luginbill. He expects Brown to fill out to about 320 once on the college level and to be one of the more dominating offensive lineman in the country. Coach Weis hopes to add this "man amongst boys" to his first official class with an impressive performance from the Irish this weekend.
Chris Stewart, OT 6'5" 340, out of Klein, TX. Another huge man-child offensive tackle (#21st ranked OT) recruit for this weekend, the Irish could use a guy like Stewart who already has the frame and weight to come and play right away. "He displays the ability to get off on the snap of the ball and deliver a good initial pop," says Luginbill. This Texas boy will take a lot of wooing from Weis and his staff to get him away from his region. Currently Texas A&M, LSU, and Nebraska are all recruiting him real hard.
Alex Stadler, OT 6'5" 290, out of Bealeton, Va. Stadler is ranked as the #44 offensive tackle in the country. "Stadler is a big body that can open up holes in the running game," says Luginbill. It appears that with all the early commitments from offensive skill positions, Weis has decided to really go after the offensive line by bringing them all in on the same weekend. Could we see all three of these huge offensive tackles commit after a big ND win on Saturday. Don't expect it, but not many people expected the Irish to be number 10 in the country right now. Irish fans hope that Weis can reel in at least 2 of the aforementioned recruits.
Jashaad Gaines, Safety 6'1" 190, out of Las Vegas, NV. The defensive side of this recruiting class is the most interesting. Last year the Irish picked up S Ray Herring from Florida, but are looking for much needed depth and talent in the secondary. Gaines (30th ranked safety) fills both of these needs. The 30th ranked safety prospect in the nation, Luginbill says Gaines " has great anticipation and he attacks the line of scrimmage." If Weis and defensive coordinator Rick Minter want to keep a Nasty mentality on the defensive side of the ball, Gaines could be the man. Look for a commitment following this weekend.
Leonard Gordon, Safety 6'1" 200, out of Ft. Campbell, KY. Gordon(29th ranked safety) is another safety recruit that Minter and Weis will be going hard after. A little bit taller and bigger than fellow recruit Gaines, Gordon "is equally effective playing both run and pass and you love his physical style of play," says Luginbill. If Weis is willing to take two similar safeties, then Gordon and Gaines could fill in nicely next year for the Irish in terms of depth. I wouldn't expect both guys to be Irish after this weekend, look for Gordon to take his visits and wait for a decision.
Aaron Berry, cornerback 5'11" 160, out of Harrisburg, PA. Berry is a cornerback ranked the 17th best at this position in high school. A classmate of fellow recruit Jason Kates (Irish commitment as of now), Berry could come in right away and earn playing time for the Irish. "He is one of the faster players and could end up as a corner or receiver in college. He has the speed, hands and playmaking skills to create mismatches as a receiver and those same qualities enable him to hold up on an island in man coverage," says Luginbill.
Jason Kates, defensive tackle 6'4" 300, out of Harrisburg, PA. Kates is a recent commitment to the Irish who will be taking a visit for the game. He is ranked the 25th best defensive tackle in the country, and look for him to do some persuading on teammate Berry during the weekend. "Kates gives you a big bodied presence on the defensive line with good strength and athletic ability," says Luginbill.
Will Yeatman, OL/TE 6'6" 255, out of San Diego, CA. Will is a two sport star (lacrosse being his other passion) who wants to play both sports in college. He has already made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame, so this will be his official visit. The Irish will have to battle with their arch rival USC amongst the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and many others who have offered him a football scholarship.
Also visiting this weekend will be Irish commitment RB James Aldridge (9th ranked tailback in the nation), who is expected to be at every home game. Other committed players who will be in attendance include QB Demetrius Jones, TE Paddy Mullen, K Ryan Burkhart, FB Luke Schmidt, DT John Ryan, and WR Robby Parris. The Irish also hope that recruit CB Darrin Walls, the most athletically talented player in the class of defensive backs according to Luginbill, will be watching. Walls attended the two road wins at Pittsburgh and Michigan, both schools that are also recruiting him. Irish fans see him as a good luck charm.
Coach Weis has brought his New Jersey "NASTY" attitude to the team, it's fans, it's students, it's alumni, and hopefully his recruits. With 13 players already committed (6 of which are top 150 players in the country), Weis will continue to flash his Super Bowl rings and winning mentality to impressionable high school football recruits who are willing to listen.
The class is expected to be at least 25 strong because of a small class last year due to circumstances. Weis decided to go after quality instead of quantity, guys he thought could come and play instead of filling out a scholarship on the bench. The football dynasty looks to be well on it's way, could a recruiting dynasty follow? We will see after this weekend.
Check back for more recruiting updates concerning the Irish.
You can contact the writer, Matt, at matt@sportscrack.com
http://sportscrack.com/ndrecruitsweekend.html
