'15 HI DL Canton Kaumatule (Oregon Verbal)

[ResLife Hero]

His brother was no slouch either, and I wish we'd pursued him harder. I figured Stanford's trajectory would stall once Harbough left, but it looks like they're just going to keep getting better.

Honestly, they may have benefited more from USC's issues than any other program besides UCLA.

 

[greyhammer90]

For those of you that don't understand why we all want a fellow academic institution to do badly... This is why we all cheer against Stanford. They're going to keep robbing us of prototypical ND guys until they suck again.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Hopefully we will offer him soon.

 

[aubeirish]

Hopefully we will offer him soon.

I thought he was saying that we offered in the video.

edit: It's unclear I guess.

 

[Luckylucci]

His brother was no slouch either, and I wish we'd pursued him harder. I figured Stanford's trajectory would stall once Harbough left, but it looks like they're just going to keep getting better.

Honestly, they may have benefited more from USC's issues than any other program besides UCLA.

Stanford's recruiting board is probably vastly different from USC's. It doesn't mean that they haven't offered some of the same prospects but they're not going head to head with USC for a lot of recruits. However, yes for UCLA.

 

[Ndaccountant]

For those of you that don't understand why we all want a fellow academic institution to do badly... This is why we all cheer against Stanford. They're going to keep robbing us of prototypical ND guys until they suck again.

I don't disagree, but I also would like to point out that they can still be good but ND can offer more to a player than Stanford.

The pecking order should be ND then Stanford, not ND or Stanford.

 

[koonja]

I don't disagree, but I also would like to point out that they can still be good but ND can offer more to a player than Stanford.

The pecking order should be ND then Stanford, not ND or Stanford.

What can ND offer a player that Stanford cannot, besides the fact that ND is a religious based school (which in recruiting is probably more of a hindrance than help)?

 

[drake29]

What can ND offer a player that Stanford cannot, besides the fact that ND is a religious based school (which in recruiting is probably more of a hindrance than help)?

Playing on NBC every weekend. Religion is usually a positive. ND isn't quite as strict on their admissions (see Troy Niklas). Other than that it's basically tradition and playing a schedule of teams coast to coast.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

What can ND offer a player that Stanford cannot, besides the fact that ND is a religious based school (which in recruiting is probably more of a hindrance than help)?

Expanding on drake29's post above, ND offers:

• Tradition - Stanford's success is a very recent phenomenon. They've been west coast doormats for most of their history.
• Fan Base - This is directly related to tradition, but ND has one of the largest, most wide-spread and passionate fan bases in CFB. Stanford has difficulty selling out their small stadium on a regular basis.
• Exposure - The vast majority of ND games are televised nationally, and ND plays a national schedule. Stanford plays a largely regional schedule, and few of its games are televised nationally. For instance, their most recent game against Utah aired on the Pac-12 network, which most people don't have access to.
• Religion - Stanford is a thoroughly secular institution, which stands in stark contrast to ND's spirituality. That's a big deal for some recruits (see Manti Te'o, Juju Smith, etc.)
• African-American GSR - ND graduates 100% of its African-American football players, whereas Stanford only graduates 78%. That should be a significant factor for the parents of many recruits.
• Business Majors - ND has the #1 ranked undergraduate business program, whereas Stanford doesn't offer any form of business major.

 

[koonja]

Playing on NBC every weekend. Religion is usually a positive. ND isn't quite as strict on their admissions (see Troy Niklas). Other than that it's basically tradition and playing a schedule of teams coast to coast.

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

National exposure is still national exposure.
It matters a lot.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

Of course the NBC contract is less important than it used to be, but that doesn't negate the exposure advantage ND still enjoys over virtually every other program in the nation. What if a recruit has family in multiple states and wants them all to be able to watch him play on most Saturdays? The bigger stage ND offers is still very appealing to elite athletes.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

It's not just Catholics. We've pulled a lot of Mormons and evangelicals as well who valued ND's spirituality. It probably counts us out with some prospects, but there are enough kids like Te'o, Juju Smith, Drue Tranquill, etc. out there that I strongly doubt it's a net negative.

 

[aubeirish]

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

That's not true. A lot of guys that are not catholics have stated that they loved the religious aura of Notre Dame. Besides, Notre Dame is very liberal for a catholic school.

 

[koonja]

I get the NBC contract helps, but every year it's becoming less important. There's more exposure, more alternative channels that features games, hell I can literally watch any game I want free on my laptop without even creating a sign in name.

And I just don't see elite recruits caring much about church and religion when it comes to football. Just my opinion.

 

[Ndaccountant]

What can ND offer a player that Stanford cannot, besides the fact that ND is a religious based school (which in recruiting is probably more of a hindrance than help)?

Whiskey pointed out many of the tangible things I was thinking of. But, all of those points are icing on the cake if ND puts out a better product on the field, which when looking over the last 4 years, they have not. Simply put, win more and we don't have to worry about Stanford.

 

[Luckylucci]

I get the NBC contract helps, but every year it's becoming less important. There's more exposure, more alternative channels that features games, hell I can literally watch any game I want free on my laptop without even creating a sign in name.

And I just don't see elite recruits caring much about church and religion when it comes to football. Just my opinion.

Not sure how many there is but JuJu smith just told us within the last couple of weeks that it's the number 1 factor in his recruitment. It meant a lot to Manti Teo. The Robinson family is very religious and that played a role in CRob's recruitment. There are plenty more examples so to say elite recruits don't care about isn't accurate. Maybe not that many but some definitely care.

 

[koonja]

Not sure how many there is but JuJu smith just told us within the last couple of weeks that it's the number 1 factor in his recruitment. It meant a lot to Manti Teo. The Robinson family is very religious and that played a role in CRob's recruitment. There are plenty more examples so to say elite recruits don't care about isn't accurate. Maybe not that many but some definitely care.

Of course some care, but very, very few. The exception is not the rule. Most elite recruits don't give a damn about religion while they're in college. And just because they say it's important when the mic is shoved in their face doesn't mean that factors into their decision. I mean, how many recruits say academics will guide their decision and they end up in the SEC while they have offers from ND, Stanford, Michigan, etc.

 

[IrishLax]

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

Stanford has barely been on TV this year despite being top 5 unless you count the PAC12 network that no one has. Why do you think no one could see them lose to Utah?

There is a lot about ND from a football standpoint that Stanford doesn't offer. A better way to look at it is what does Stanford have that ND doesn't? More elite school (though ND obviously isn't shabby) and weather. That's it. Kid you not, ND even wins on the hot girls front.

Why do you think we've been able to flip so many kids who were committed to Stanford since Kelly has been at ND? There are simply a lot of things on the football end of things that are in the positive column for ND.

 

[Luckylucci]

Troy Niklas, Jaylon Smith, Max Refield are a few more that I have seen in the past make statements about that playing into their decision. There are more out there than your giving credit for.

 

[koonja]

Troy Niklas, Jaylon Smith, Max Refield are a few more that I have seen in the past make statements about that playing into their decision. There are more out there than your giving credit for.

If you take every interview of a recruit and what they say to heart, how do you explain why 95% of recruits say 'academics is important to them' at some point in their recruitment, and they turn around and choose a school that doesn't fit that bill at all?

They say what sounds good when the cameras on them. They have to. Not all are like that, but 95% of them are and it should be taken with a grain of salt. Teo was an exception, we'll see about JuJu. If religion is truly that important, Juju has a no brainer decision based on his top 5.

 

[aubeirish]

I think there are valid points on both sides. I think what you have to understand is that ND doesn't shove the religious stuff in your face like let's say BYU. You don't have to go to church to go to ND. It's just part of the neat tradition and strong values of the school. ND offer plenty of other things...

The thing that has been the biggest hurdle and will always be as we go on is the academics. We cannot compete for every kids like Alabama or LSU, and that's the way it is.

Fortunately, there are still enough kids out there with great family values and have been thought that hard work in the classroom and on the field pay off for us to be competitive.

 

[koonja]

I think there are valid points on both sides. I think what you have to understand is that ND doesn't shove the religious stuff in your face like let's say BYU. You don't have to go to church to go to ND. It's just part of the neat tradition and strong values of the school. ND offer plenty of other things...

The thing that has been the biggest hurdle and will always be as we go on is the academics. We cannot compete for every kids like Alabama or LSU, and that's the way it is.

Fortunately, there are still enough kids out there with great family values and have been thought that hard work in the classroom and on the field pay off for us to be competitive.

How does that work with ND football players? Are they required to go to mass? Or is it optional? If it's more optional than I retract my statement about it being an impediment in recruiting more than an advantage.

 

[Luckylucci]

If you take every interview of a recruit and what they say to heart, how do you explain why 95% of recruits say 'academics is important to them' at some point in their recruitment, and they turn around and choose a school that doesn't fit that bill at all?

They say what sounds good when the cameras on them. They have to. Not all are like that, but 95% of them are and it should be taken with a grain of salt. Teo was an exception, we'll see about JuJu. If religion is truly that important, Juju has a no brainer decision based on his top 5.

I just gave you examples of kids that did choose ND and had mentioned that as a positive. Again, their aren't going to be a lot but you made a blanket statement saying elite recruits don't care about religion. I said that's incorrect and gave you some examples and there's more than that. Religion plays a pretty major role in sports regardless of what team or sport.

 

[ResLife Hero]

How does that work with ND football players? Are they required to go to mass? Or is it optional? If it's more optional than I retract my statement about it being an impediment in recruiting more than an advantage.

Mass is completely optional. You just have to take 2 semesters of theology. The first semester is a pretty standard one for freshman, but my professor was actually a non-Catholic minister. You can choose from a wide variety of courses for the second semester.

 

[GowerND11]

How does that work with ND football players? Are they required to go to mass? Or is it optional? If it's more optional than I retract my statement about it being an impediment in recruiting more than an advantage.

Mass is completely optional. You just have to take 2 semesters of theology. The first semester is a pretty standard one for freshman, but my professor was actually a non-Catholic minister. You can choose from a wide variety of courses for the second semester.

I believe kuehnja was referring to Mass before the game (well now Fridays)? I have often wondered if it was optional or manditory. Personally I don't think a player, even if he is not very religious, wouldn't have much of a problem with attending what basically amounts to a team function such as going to Mass before the game.

 

[EuropeanDomer]

Man, he plays with a lot of violence, a non-stop motor and has elite athleticism with a very huge size/frame, in the mold of Troy Niklas but even better. What an absolute beast.

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>2015 Punahou (Hawaii) DE Canton Kaumatule Receiving Interest From <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NotreDame&src=hash">#NotreDame</a> (Premium) <a href="http://t.co/22ve3TbcQJ">http://t.co/22ve3TbcQJ</a></p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/statuses/415121558487564288">December 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[irishmarine]

just now?

 

[Irish#1]

The NBC contract isn't as important as it was 15 years ago. Any top 25 team will be on TV in their home state every week.

The religious aspect will always appeal to recruits that care about Catholicism, but far more recruits don't care about that than do, and if religion isn't crucial to you, I'd argue its a negative to go to a religious school.

ND still enjoys far more exposure than any other team. There's only one school that can claim to be on national TV every week, even when they are on the road. Not every top 25 team is on TV every week, even in their home state.

 

[pumpdog20]

ND still enjoys far more exposure than any other team. There's only one school that can claim to be on national TV every week, even when they are on the road. Not every top 25 team is on TV every week, even in their home state.

What team is that? Because it isn't the Irish anymore, unless you consider CBS Sportsnetwork national tv.