'11 OH LB Jarrett Grace (Signed Notre Dame LOI)

[rtrn2glory]

i doubt he was 240 as a senior in high school...you can usually take away 10-20 pounds on what they're listed at

 

[Sherm Sticky]

You know why I like this kid, besides the fact that he is a werewolf, is Alabama offered this kid and wanted him and he is from OHIO not the South.

 

[rtrn2glory]

agreed...a few offers i look for on the lists and alabama is one of them...that means this kid is good boys.

 

[micks60]

i doubt he was 240 as a senior in high school...you can usually take away 10-20 pounds on what they're listed at

He could have been alot closer to 240 than you think. His frame and height along with mass look to put him right around 240. I have some comparison kids I coach that are very similiar to him. Seems spot on.

 

[Chamellion]

You know why I like this kid, besides the fact that he is a werewolf, is Alabama offered this kid and wanted him and he is from OHIO not the South.

According to scout, Alabama never offered.

 

[Domina Nostra]

According to scout, Alabama never offered.

Do you mean...

(a) Grace's page on Scout does not list an Alabama offer, or
(b) According to a source at Scout, Alabama never offered.

I am not sure Scout's player pages should be treated as comprehensive.

Either way, I remember that Alabama expressed interest at some point in in the process. That is a good sign. Grace is a stud.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

According to scout, Alabama never offered.

247 shows a 'Bama offer. Rivals and Scout don't. ESPN doesn't list offers.

 

[Chamellion]

I checked Rivals and Scout, not 24/7 but what I was referring to is that Scout has it listed as Alabama expressing interest, but no offer was extended. I also saw that OSU never offered him, which was a bit puzzling.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I believe if you read through this thread, which I don't want to spend the time to do, it sates he received an offer from Alabama.

 

[tko]

Go Colerain!

 

[Old Man Mike]

Diaco says he's a werewolf and that's good enough for me, regardless of who saw what the Moon did to him when he was in highschool.

We need to play more night games.

 

[irish4ever]

I checked Rivals and Scout, not 24/7 but what I was referring to is that Scout has it listed as Alabama expressing interest, but no offer was extended. I also saw that OSU never offered him, which was a bit puzzling.

Their loss is Notre Dame's gain! We're glad that he's Irish!!!

 

[Sherm Sticky]

 

[NDinL.A.]

He was most definitely offered by Bama...AFTER he already committed to ND. So did Tressel and OSU. Kelly jumped on him far before Saban and Tressel. Thankfully, Grace stayed true to his commitment and turned them down.

 

[clashmore_mike]

@DPFoxy: Jarret Grace just asked me if I ever dream of running through the hills of New Zealand with a sword. #wildman

 

[Redbar]

@DPFoxy: Jarret Grace just asked me if I ever dream of running through the hills of New Zealand with a sword. #wildman

Sorta like mgriff?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

@DPFoxy: Jarret Grace just asked me if I ever dream of running through the hills of New Zealand with a sword. #wildman

Grace is a nerd. Love it.

 

[yankeeND]

Grace is a nerd. Love it.

3 year starter... Am I right?

 

[Domina Nostra]

 

[Luckylucci]

Yes, grace will be a 3 year starter barring injury(knock on wood). I think he is going to be a real good one before he's done. Great middle linebacker tradition. Does he remind anybody of keuchly?

 

[DSully1995]

All the damn time.

 

[STLDomer]

Nice article on baking cakes and Grace:

Observer Sports: Football: ND looks to Grace in Te'o's absence

 

[PANDFAN]

another article saying he chose us over Bama

another article saying he chose us over Bama

17. Jarrett Grace (LB, Jr.) That our panel voted Grace above Calabrese shows the respect afforded to the heir to Manti Te’o's starting job. Anchoring multiple special teams units last season, Grace is now stepping into the starting lineup, all but being handed the starting job while Calabrese and Fox will continue their platoon.

That alone shows you the belief this coaching staff has in Grace. The 6-foot-3, 248-pounder is a sideline-to-sideline player that many believe is faster and more athletic than Te’o. A highly touted recruit who turned down Nick Saban to come to South Bend, Grace will now anchor a front seven filled with talent, but desperately needs production out of the first year starter.

There’s every reason to believe that Grace will deliver it, though holding him to the standard Te’o delivered last season would be unreasonable. That said, he’s already established himself as one of the team’s leaders and will likely carve out a place in Irish fans’ hearts with his energy and athleticism

 

[jimmymac]

I can't say enough great things about JG. One of the best people you'll meet on campus.

 

[FearTheBeard]

Wow i just saw hes got 3 years of eligibility left thats great. Hopefully he can be a really good player for us. Would like to see him wear a different number than 59 though, just not a big fan of it haha

 

[Old Man Mike]

In my VERY limited opportunity to view Grace at game speed conditions, it SEEMED to me that he was clearly faster than Manti, and maybe at least as instinctively quick at assessing what was going on in the play. Probably no one will ever hit as hard as Manti, but Jarrett might end up doing everything else better. My hopes here are sky-high.

.... and yes, Diaco keeping Fox and Calabreese at the WILL tells us all we need to know, even if Diaco hadn't called him The Werewolf.

 

[Domina Nostra]

In my VERY limited opportunity to view Grace at game speed conditions, it SEEMED to me that he was clearly faster than Manti, and maybe at least as instinctively quick at assessing what was going on in the play. Probably no one will ever hit as hard as Manti, but Jarrett might end up doing everything else better. My hopes here are sky-high.

.... and yes, Diaco keeping Fox and Calabreese at the WILL tells us all we need to know, even if Diaco hadn't called him The Werewolf.

Could you please explain to me why he didn't beat out Carlo or Fox at the WILL last year? Is there a significant difference between the positions?

 

[Emcee77]

Could you please explain to me why he didn't beat out Carlo or Fox at the WILL last year? Is there a significant difference between the positions?

I'm sure he just wasn't ready. He was a RS frosh; Darlo Calabrox were seniors, and they played well. Combined they had more tackles than Manti.

 

[Irishman77]

Grace is the player I can't wait to watch the most this year. #werewolf!

 

[Old Man Mike]

Only Diaco could explain that. If you'd like me to engage in semi-logical bullsh!t on the topic, here it is:

1). Grace was comparatively raw [vs. Fox and Calabreese] coming into August camp. Dan Fox was showing Diaco significant improvement playing in space, and looked to be a quite acceptable WILL linebacker --- this turned out to be true, and Diaco got a veteran solid WILL out of Fox all season.

2). Calabreese was never thought of as a starter at WILL but as a change of pace. He too was improving his play, dropped weight, and marginally improved in space. Though he was always a liability there, he WAS a superior run-thumper, and Diaco tried to out-guess the opposing play-caller to have Fox in vs passes and Calabreese in vs runs. This kept both WILLs fresh, and generally worked. The Calafox combination had almost as many tackles as Te'o.

3). Rather than worrying why Diaco chose to go with Calafox rather than Grace, we are better served to upgrade our appreciation of how good Calafox was last year. Then the sticking with seasoned veterans vs young talent seems much less confusing.

4). Diaco is not completely devoid of future planning. He knew that Te'o was leaving and we'd need a replacement this year. Understudying Grace completely to Te'o was maximum optimal planning. Now we still have Calafox at WILL and a superman-to-be sweeping sideline-to-sideline, who had a whole year of prep with one of the best.

I find Diaco's decision-making on this impeccable. I believe that the most significant element in the story was the play-in-space upgrade which Dan Fox showed him. Once that got fixed in Coach D's mind, the rest was a no-brainer.