As Kerry Neal wandered through the Guglielmino Center and Notre Dame Stadium last weekend during his visit to the Blue-Gold Game, the outside linebacker heard the same message over and over and over. Every time he ran into an Irish assistant, he heard it. When he met with Charlie Weis, Neal heard it again.
"As soon as we walked in, all the coaches said the same thing, 'You better be ready to rush the passer come Sept. 1,'" Neal said. "They all said the same thing, literally. I was like, 'OK, yes sir.' As soon as one coach walked away, another coach would walk in and say it again. Then 20 minutes later Coach Weis walked in and said it."
The visit let Neal watch Corwin Brown's defense in action and get a glimpse of where the North Carolina product would line up in it. Neal said he's being groomed to play right outside linebacker, a spot where Anthony Vernaglia and Scott Smith split starter's reps this spring. That pair has combined for eight career tackles and no collegiate starts.
Beating out a veteran, even an inexperienced one, won't be easy, but Neal has spent his off-season positioning to do just that. The former Bunn star has bulked up to 237 pounds and has been working with a personal trainer in addition to running with his high school track team.
"I'll probably do more football drills now, rushing off the right side, getting my body turned, working on balance," Neal said. "I've been focusing on my speed so far. In one track meet I ran down a dude and passed him. Guys are like, 'How did you get so big and so fast?' I keep that to myself."
Neal knows that fitting in at Notre Dame will require more than an explosive first step. Talking with classmate Gary Gray, who enrolled early but missed most of spring with a broken arm, Neal got a preview of the stress of life at Notre Dame off the field.
"Gary said the academics are something you have to get used to, it's completely different from high school," Neal said. "He said just to come in in the best shape that that you can because it's going to be kind of tough. He said there's nothing really you can do to prepare for it other than get in the get shape of your life."
The Blue-Gold Game visit also let Neal get another look at Notre Dame's fan support. He watched a record crowd gather to see the spring finale a year ago, but the Irish fan base crushed that mark by more than 10,000 last weekend.
"That was wild, that was crazy," Neal said of the turnout. "You watch a typical North Carolina game and you don't have that many people at a home game."
Neal can't wait to play in front of those same fans this fall. With Notre Dame's changing defense that should highlight his skills, Neal might get that opportunity sooner rather than later. The Irish coaching staff seems to believe he will if those talking points are any indication.
"It seems like I'd really fit in with the defense," Neal said. "I like the way that they're playing."
------got to love the kid, our first commit and never EVER wavered...this is an ND guy and a damn good one too.
