'14 KS OL Braden Smith (Auburn Signee)

[rtrn2glory]

we're number one in the nation, we are the best university in the country...how do we not have a chance??

 

[PraetorianND]

we're number one in the nation, we are the best university in the country...how do we not have a chance??

I love Our Lady's University but this is incorrect.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Spiewak has done a couple write ups on Braden, one even before he got on the national scene. He works for a major site on the interwebs.

 

[anarin]

in regards to football and academics...we are the best in the country.

everyone knows partying and hot chicks is whete its at

 

[MrIrishCanadian1]

He unofficially visited Oklahoma for the Notre Dame game. Obviously, Kelly's squad looked more than good.

Do the Irish have a shot with this stud?

Isn't this where we're supposed to obnoxiously retort "people on here post info the second it's known. If nothing's said, you're forbidden to ask!" and then disparage the poster's mother?

 

[NDhoosier]

Isn't this where we're supposed to obnoxiously retort "people on here post info the second it's known. If nothing's said, you're forbidden to ask!" and then disparage the poster's mother?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Isn't this where we're supposed to obnoxiously retort "people on here post info the second it's known.

We generally prefer polite reminders, but obnoxious retorts are acceptable as well. Thank you, by the way, for performing this service here.

 

[PraetorianND]

I think he's correct. Notre Dame is the best school in the country. Maybe it's not the best for everyone, but it is for me and many others. It's a school that is ranked highly academically, produces very successful graduates, is known for being a school of leaders (eagle scouts, sports captains, student government), is rich in tradition, has elite athletic programs, and is a Catholic theological/philosophical juggernaut.

There are, quite literally, thousands of other reasons why I believe Notre Dame is the greatest University in the world, but I don't have the time or the space to list them.

Ok, by no objective standard is Notre Dame the best school in the country. I could say Ball State is the best school in the country if I wanted.

I agree ND is awesome but saying it is the "best" is an opinion, not a fact. I'm sure many recruits don't see it that way for obvious reasons... Mainly it not being ranked #1 academically by any source. Yes, certain programs are number one, football is #1, and it has a lot of tradition and other stuff. But ND is not the #1 school in the country. Sorry. I believe Harvard gets that honor at the moment. Sometimes Princeton is on top and some rankings even have Williams or MIT ranked best overall.

If all you cared about was education would you rather your kid went to Harvard or Notre Dame?

 

[PraetorianND]

Let's not get pedantic here. rtrn2glory clearly didn't mean that ND is the top academic institution in the nation, and cyrano was clearly considering more than academics in his assertion that ND is the best.

Academically, ND is easily in the top 10. Discounting engineering schools, top 7. For theology or business, one could easily argue for #1.

I shouldn't have made such a big deal about something like that. My bad.

But since we're on the topic now what is the "best" overall school in the country when considering:

Academics
Athletics
Quality of Life
Employment
Religion/Spirituality
(whole person concept)

I would put Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, Service Academies, and Notre Dame into the elite bucket.

 

[PraetorianND]

When I applied to schools I considered all of these factors and decided on Notre Dame. My runner up was Georgetown. That's because the religious aspect was very important to me (theology classes, dorm mass at 10 pm on Sundays, the basilica, etc).

If I had to choose another school based on your overall criteria and excluding religion/spirituality I think Stanford, Duke, Northwestern or Vanderbilt would have been decent choices.

Honestly, two huge other factors for me were dorm intramural sports and D1 athletics (most importantly football and basketball, but I love hockey too).

Ya Georgetown is a good one. Also USC, Cal, UCLA, Northwestern, UVA, Michigan, and UNC. None of those schools have the spiritual aspect however.

 

[Emcee77]

Coach Elliot will visit Braden Smith next Thursday. Smith attended the ND/OU game, sitting behind the ND bench, and was very impressed. He is looking likely to visit ND this spring or summer. Probably our top 2014 target, or near the top, and we are in the mix, per Tunnel Vision.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Braden Smith is at the top of my list.

 

[irishff1014]

This would be a HUGE get!!

 

[beryirish]

All this promising talk about 2014 lineman makes me think that haul could cast a huge shadow on this 2013 elite class coming in

 

[Ironman8]

ISD update on Coach Elliott's visit to Braden's HS:

Irish Sports Daily Forums

Braden isn't delving into recruiting much yet but ND is definitely in the mix.

 

[Pa Golden Tate Fan]

Irish Sports Daily ‏@ISDUpdate

#Irish Intrigue Top 2014 OL Braden Smith (Premium) http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/rec...ll-recruiting/8316-irish-intrigue-top-2014-ol … #NotreDame

 

[chicago51]

This guy is big time.

 

[Buster Bluth]

do want badly

 

[PraetorianND]

Braden Smith is at the top of my list.

I agree with you here. USC has proven that you can have all the talent in the world, but if it's not on the line (or your coach is an idiot), you won't be able to get it done at a championship level.

 

[MrIrishCanadian1]

Irish Sports Daily ‏@ISDUpdate

#Irish Intrigue Top 2014 OL Braden Smith (Premium) http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/rec...ll-recruiting/8316-irish-intrigue-top-2014-ol … #NotreDame

ISD didn't interview Braden, only his coach:

Braden and parents went to Notre Dame-Oklahoma game (he's interested in both schools) and they came back "beaming" from the great experience (ambiguous if its because they saw the Norman campus or because Notre Dame won).

He also went to TAMU-ALA game. It was a "huge" game.

though he has invites to junior days and to visit campuses, he hasn't yet started figuring out where to check out. Doesn't have a short list, but ND's on the soft list.

Coach says Braden's interested in more than football, and it's not in the forefront of his mind to use college as a stepping stone to the NFL. Coach tells him to pick a school as if he's not gonna play ball there.

 

[D-BOE34]

Kid looks like he could grow into the next Braxton Cave! (Big and ripped)

Love it. Plus he is a midwest boy from area I know pretty well. Would love to land. I'll step in for Trinity and say Top of my list!

 

[30MilesSE]

On his flight from Atlanta to Tampa today, kid looks like an animal.

 

[Ironman8]

Irish Illustrated ‏@NDatRivals

Braden Smith is a big 6-6, 285. No wonder #NotreDame likes him so much.

 

[Ironman8]

Irish Illustrated ‏@NDatRivals

I look at Smith and 1st thing I think of is Ivan Drago's "I must break you," movie line.

 

[Ironman8]

 

[Ironman8]

 

[NDBoiler]

HOLY ****!

 

[rtrn2glory]

dude could puncture a lung if he punches you with those arms.

 

[Ironman8]

Per Gerry Hamilton at 24/7, Braden Smith just did 39 reps of 185-pounds on the bench, which is by far the best of the day.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

I feel like I am going to get my hopes way too high on this one.