Early verbals hurt Irish

[Irish Envy]

Man, I was just re-reading some threads and it is painfully obvious that some of our earlier recruits would not have been given offers or taken had we known how the season would have played out.

For instance, Barry Gallup looks to be a good prospect, but can we really say he is a better choice then some of the WRs we'll end up turning down? Taking both Frazier and Jones early hurt us in taking Mustain. You can go down the list of our first 10 recruits or so and some of those spots (2 or 3) could have been better suited for those we may miss out on due to lack of scholies.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[cpprhead59]

No not at all. Remember at during the spring we were all concerned on how charlie would do in recruiting period nevermind recruiting the top talent.

early guy's like gallup were throughly examined by the staff before they were offered so i am sure that they feel that they have the talent to play for ND.

 

[LuckoftheIrish86]

you guys are both right in a way. CW and his staff have all examind these guys very much so they will be good prospects but I do kind of feel like Svoboda is saying, Like we are losing out on Austin cause of Kallen Wade?

I would personally like to see the Jones Mustain combo as well

 

[irish4life99]

I agree somewhat. I think that taking verbals too early may have backed us somewhat into a corner. I think that looks like the stradegy being set up for future recruiting also. I think that it will work out well for the future because we are already setting up good relations with junior HS players now. Still, this will be a great recruting year, and better than we've seen out of the last two coaches.

 

[domerfor life]

you guys are both right in a way. CW and his staff have all examind these guys very much so they will be good prospects but I do kind of feel like Svoboda is saying, Like we are losing out on Austin cause of Kallen Wade?
I would personally like to see the Jones Mustain combo as well

I'm not even going to act like I don't want the "best" athletes available. I'm glad the Irish are having great sucess in recruiting. However, there's a little part of me that wishes we had more scholarships available.

 

[Slingsup]

I agree with the assessments above. However, let us also keep in mind that recruiting is in large part guessing on their potential in the college game. Some of these guys (Barry Gallup included) may in fact be forces to be reckoned with (ala. Justin Tuck) even though they are lower rated prospects.

Regardless, this is a great class. If everyone comes including McCoy and Young followed by another class just as good if not better, then I don't foresee any reason for us NOT to have a national championship in the next four years.

Go Irish!

 

[jiggafini19]

Tom Lemming mentioned this in the chat today.

Let me just say this: This class still might be ranked #1 in the end.

What is scary is that 2005's success on the field will manifest itself in the CLASS OF 2007 even more.

I'm not delusional enough to believe that the next 10 classes will be the best classes ever, of all time, anywhere, but the talent is going to start coming again.

Quarterbacks and receivers will see it. Guys will come here who want to get a degree and win.

Would I like Steve Brown, Percy Harvin and Taylor Mays? Sure. But they chose to go to two of the worst schools in the entire world (hopefully Harvin goes to Florida rather than SC). That's their choice. They are good players and will succeed there.

These guys want to be here. The quality, academics and coachability is there.

 

[bigdon]

Man, I was just re-reading some threads and it is painfully obvious that some of our earlier recruits would not have been given offers or taken had we known how the season would have played out.

For instance, Barry Gallup looks to be a good prospect, but can we really say he is a better choice then some of the WRs we'll end up turning down? Taking both Frazier and Jones early hurt us in taking Mustain. You can go down the list of our first 10 recruits or so and some of those spots (2 or 3) could have been better suited for those we may miss out on due to lack of scholies.

Anyone else feel this way?

Hinesight is always 20-20, isn't it! Here we are talking a possible No 1 class and we are thinking it could be better if we hadn't taken those early verbals. Shame on you guys!!! Answer this question--Did any of you think we would be in this position in June? What COULD HAVE BEEN is always the absolute retrospect question.

This is a superior class--in position strategy it is No1. Gallup may not be the best WR but he had the guts to commit to ND when his Father was the AD at BC!!! Is this the type of player we want at ND? You bet!! and we are lucky to have a lot more like him.

 

[Guest]

Man, I was just re-reading some threads and it is painfully obvious that some of our earlier recruits would not have been given offers or taken had we known how the season would have played out.

For instance, Barry Gallup looks to be a good prospect, but can we really say he is a better choice then some of the WRs we'll end up turning down? Taking both Frazier and Jones early hurt us in taking Mustain. You can go down the list of our first 10 recruits or so and some of those spots (2 or 3) could have been better suited for those we may miss out on due to lack of scholies.

Anyone else feel this way?

I agree somewhat, except for the Frazer, and Jones part, both are highly touted QB's, and both were offered early on. Mustain looks great as well but whats to say Jones or Frazer dont turn out to be better, its not like they're 2 star recruits.

As for the others, I think it was essential ND took guys early because of all the bad press we received, and nobody expected us to win this year, and depth was a serious concern, therefore ND really couldn't be too picky. I'm sure it won't be like this next year, I expect us to be alot like USC, and Florida States of the world.

I have no complaints though, everyone said ND couldn't recruit anymore, and we now have a shot at luring the number one class....

 

[punishment]

I think we are just getting extremely greedy now. Did anyone ever think that maybe the fact that so many players began to commit early on might have made some of our current 4 and 5 star commits think to themselves "I better make my decision quick and commit." Besides, we are also making a big assumption that we would be getting other players like austin and ausberry, etc. But we don't know how that would have played out.

We have to look at it in a positive light. This years class of 2006 is a set up for next years class of 2007. Now the highest rated recruits will have to give ND a good hard look early in the recruiting process since they will remember that we ran out of scholarships this year quickly. Who knows, you get a couple of 5 and 4 star guys to commit early next year to ensure a scholarship is "saved" for them, then next thing you have is a snowball effect of highly rated players committing early. But, this is just speculation also. But I have no regrets about this years class. Now, if next years class does not have more 4 and 5 star recruits, then I'll be disappointed.

Besides, remember the type of recruiting classes that we are coming from in the previous years. This is a huge leap in a short time.

 

[St.Kittsnd]

Tom Lemming-like everyone of these recruiting specialists-are boneheads!!! That's why they are recruiting specialists instead of recruiters! We always here Tom Terrific tell us about how he saw the talent in a player that nobody else saw. Well, I haven't heard him brag about the many hundreds that he has gotten wrong.

I suspect its for one reason-HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SELL HIS SERVICE AND HE WOULD HAVE TO SCRAMBLE BACK TO HIS MAIL ROUTE!!! Trust Charlie, not what this yahoo has to say.

 

[Domer95]

REMEMBER that w/ CDub the QB is KEY player on the team. Obvious, yes I know, but that's his most crucial position to fill and I don't think he'd fill it just for the sake of having two highly rated prepsters, but rather for having two QBs who could and (hopefully will) thrive in HIS SYSTEM and are ones that are coachable, malleable and can get on the same wavelength.

 

[BigIrish]

we can't get it all in one class.

rest assured - if the Irish manage one or two more classes of the same caliber as this one, we'll be playing in a national championship game soon enough.

there may be some players in this class that wouldn't be taken today, given the current recruits and available scholarships. but those kids are quality players and scholars that weis believed could excel in his system. moreover, we should take comfort in the knowledge that in this single class, there are several players that would have been considered the jewels of previous classes.

 

[loweND]

Why are people so down on Gallup? He's got great speed. Is a Gatorade player of the year. And an Army all American.

 

[Irish Envy]

Why are people so down on Gallup? He's got great speed. Is a Gatorade player of the year. And an Army all American.

To be honest, I see Matt Shelton. Matt Shelton didn't thrive in Weis system as he likes the taller, lanky receivers. That's my only qualm.

 

[BigIrish]

OR shelton, like so many other players, just wasn't quite the same after knee surgery and he wasn't able to develop as fast as other receivers on the team. once you fall behind, it's difficult to catch up in the same year.

 

[jiggafini19]

I like who they've got.

Wait until 2007. It might be the best class we've seen.

 

[bigdon]

Why are people so down on Gallup? He's got great speed. Is a Gatorade player of the year. And an Army all American.

I for one am not down on Gallup. This guy had a pot full of offers and was one of Charlies early commits. Would I like him to be 6'3"? Sure!!! But he has sure hands and can run away from people. You can't teach speed..You can improve it but you either have it or not. This guy could be explosive.

 

[BigIrish]

i don't think anybody's down on gallup. he's a quality recruit, and the fact that weis got a verbal from him means that he intends to use him within the system. i don't think comparisons to shelton's are justified.

 

[IRISHMAN]

i don't think anybody's down on gallup.

i think gallup was a great get. he's a lot like terrence austin except gallup is 3 inches taller, 15 pounds bigger, gallup is faster running a 4.44 40 (austin ran a 4.5) and he's got just as good of hands and is just as elusive in the open field. so when you look at it, it seems that barry gallup maybe a better prospect than terrence austin.

 

[ND Lifer]

I think Charlie is a very astute judge of talent (look what he did with the players that TW couldn't get to perform at the level of play that Charlie did). He also got the most out of his players in NE. I don't think Charlie would waste one recruiting spot on a guy he didn't think would help the team. Charlie's aim is to win multiple NC's and Charlie's going to be here for at least 10 more years. I don't believe he is recruiting anyone, or accepting them, if he isn't 100% sure the kid is a winner.

Also, the other members of the coaching staff are either former head coaches or excellent recruiters and they all know talent when they see it.

I'm casting my lot with Charlie's experience, knowledge and player intuition. I feel he knows exactly what he's doing and this recruiting class (as well as future classes) will be extremely successful. Only time will tell. Four years from now we should revisit this subject on this recruiting class to see what Charlie really did with his first real recruiting class.

Keep the faith.

 

[scooper]

Coming into this recruiting year, the team needed numbers. Period. Nobody, not even the staff knew how quickly or how well this class would fill up. The relationships with many of these kids were brand new. They took who they could get early on.

And I like who they got. I trust the evaluation skills of this staff. Look at the Bennett kid down at Vandy. He was not highly ranked, but Charlie gave him late offer last season. Folks were asking who he is. This year as a true freshman, he tore up probably the best defensive conference in college football. I really wish now that we had gotten the kid.

Getting back to relationships-the staff will have a much better idea of where they stand with the class of 07 and may be more selective in who they offer. But don't be surprised if you are still seeing 3 * guys being offered ahead of some 4 and 5. The ND coaches are recruiting these guys. Not some dude at Rivals and not Tom Lemming.

In reality, with the thousands of kids playing high school football, how much difference in ability can there really be between the 3rd best receiver and the 12th best or whatever. I trust the guys in the ND offices who are watching more tape and meeting with more kids than anybody at Rivals or Scout can dream of.

 

[BGIF]

Why are people so down on Gallup? He's got great speed. Is a Gatorade player of the year. And an Army all American.

Gallup's short, light, quick, but the majors didn't fawn over him. ND is his best offer.

ND was also Joey Getherall's best offer. I doubt Gallup's as quick as Joey was but he a couple of inches taller. IF he has Joey's intestinal fortitude and work ethic, we've got a winner. Joey caught 5 passes in the first half of the first game he was on campus. He was quick, ran crisp patterns, and read defenses in sync with his QB. Joey would have caught 60+ balls a year with ease with Weis as his OC. The first year Colletto ran him mostly on out patterns. I don't recall a single pump and go. Charlie ran Shark more often on receiver reverses than Colletto ran Joey.

Gallup is a Gatorade POY but it's for Massachuessetts and the Burtons, Wallaces, et al don't cover that state. And the guy that does cover the area is a BC homer. Gallup was considered a lock for BC because of his dad and because he had been a fixture there for several years as a high school player. No drama, no internet sites getting overloaded with hits to find out which major dangled an offer or an official. No articles on how many lobsters he ate on a visit, or how many times he was arrested. No notoriety. There wasn't much ink. Everyone knew where dad's kid was going to end up. I think he's a private individual but suspect out of respect for his dad's position he remained low key. He didn't play the prima donna and announce, "I'm going to check out my options and see what I'm worth." No press conferences.

 

[jiggafini19]

Joey Getherall was one of my favorite ND players ever.

Bishop Amat out in Cali, where Kory Minor went, right?

I would compare George West to Getherall before Gallup in terms of size. Gallup is pretty shifty downfield once he breaks into the clear. Getherrall was just downright fast. He was like a 4.2 or 4.3....something crazy like that.

Hord, Jackson and Parris will play the red zone, center fielders ala Stovall and Shark. West, Gallup and Grimes will be bouncing all over the place and play good special teams returnmen.

 

[grantland]

Ya'll are hilarious. When we first received commitments from Jones and Frazer we were excited. Two top tier QB's, etc. Then we start wondering, OMG, we need offensive line men, do you think Charlie can get them? This class is okay, but if we don't get the OL, we will be in deep shit. Now we have 4 VERY good OL verballed. We are pretty damn sure we have the top tight end and another top OL ready to verbal (probably whenever our coaches suggest they verbal) and the top OL in the country a probability. So we start wondering if the QB's we have are good enough - maybe Mustain decomitted to come here, EE. Then we start wondering about defense. OMG, we need a good linebacker, done yesterday. Defensive line? Working on it. Well, since all has worked out "what did we do wrong?" Maybe we should have held off on Gallup - could have gotten a better WR in Austin or Ausberry or even Harvin. The funny thing is, it seems like every time we start worrying about something, Charlie answers us. It's as if he can read our mind. I really think our problem is, we will never be satisfied. Luckily for us, neither will Charlie.

 

[punishment]

Ya'll are hilarious. When we first received commitments from Jones and Frazer we were excited. Two top tier QB's, etc. Then we start wondering, OMG, we need offensive line men, do you think Charlie can get them? This class is okay, but if we don't get the OL, we will be in deep shit. Now we have 4 VERY good OL verballed. We are pretty damn sure we have the top tight end and another top OL ready to verbal (probably whenever our coaches suggest they verbal) and the top OL in the country a probability. So we start wondering if the QB's we have are good enough - maybe Mustain decomitted to come here, EE. Then we start wondering about defense. OMG, we need a good linebacker, done yesterday. Defensive line? Working on it. Well, since all has worked out "what did we do wrong?" Maybe we should have held off on Gallup - could have gotten a better WR in Austin or Ausberry or even Harvin. The funny thing is, it seems like every time we start worrying about something, Charlie answers us. It's as if he can read our mind. I really think our problem is, we will never be satisfied. Luckily for us, neither will Charlie.

You said it best, wouldn't change a word.

 

[PantsB]

Gallup's short, light, quick, but the majors didn't fawn over him.

And despite Stovall/Shark, Weis likes those type of WR. He knows how to best use them (see: Troy Brown, Deion Branch). I think at ND he won't lean as heavily in that direction, but he'll definitely use that style of WR.

 

[jiggafini19]

Parris and Jackson are rangy, while West and Gallup are the smaller, shifty types.

I like the option of having the tall guys inside the 20. The fade proved to be Brady's bread and butter this year with Stovall and Samardzija.

 

[adam0033]

While good height can cover up for some poorly thrown balls, it's not essential to run a good fade route. Tim Couch threw fades to Craig Yeast (5-8) for 3 years at Kentucky and nobody in the SEC could stop it. It's about running a good route and the quarterback hitting his spot near the pylon. Size didn't really help Hord (6-1) in getting on the field ahead of Grimes (5-9). It wouldn't surprise me if Gallup ends up seeing the field more than some of the taller recruits this season.

 

[jiggafini19]

After Weis dines with Latina and Sam Young, he's heading to see Gallup with Brian Polian.

What more can you say about his recruiting efforts? He is going into the homes of players already verballed for months now and giving them time.

Smart route running matters most. Height and speed without smart route running can't really do much for you. I like this group of receivers coming in. They should really be able to spread things out.