'08 VA RB Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech Verbal)

[GoshenGipper]

I like that he is going solo for these other visits but bringing mom to ND in August and wants to be there at the same time as Weis is around. Not like Steve Filer not even seeing Jimmy Sweatervest on an official visit to Columbus.

This guy and Jon Baldwin are both worth waiting until Signing Day for.

We're on the same page once again jigga. I especially agree about Ryan bringing his mom to ND. (The ND trip is the first trip she'll be taking with Ryan. He will be taking other trips before ND, but she just won't be going with him.)

 

[jiggafini19]

Everything about him screams that he's a good kid. He's humble, a good student, hard worker and grasps the fact that football is a team sport. He wants to bring attention to his teammates via his own recruiting. He's keeping a low profile.

And he happens to be a very good football player.

 

[GoshenGipper]

Profile updated

 

[OCIrish]

Out of the RB's that we have offered, do any of you feel that he is our best shot to land, or does anyone feel better about the other 2 RB's? Also, do you guys feel that Ryan is the most talented RB we have offered or is there someone you guys would rather have in the Irish backfield?


Go Irish!!!

 

[GoshenGipper]

Out of the RB's that we have offered, do any of you feel that he is our best shot to land, or does anyone feel better about the other 2 RB's? Also, do you guys feel that Ryan is the most talented RB we have offered or is there someone you guys would rather have in the Irish backfield?


Go Irish!!!

From what I've heard it would appear that ND's best shot is R.Williams, Cyrus Gray would be right up there as well, but I've heard he may have some big time hurdles that he needs to cleart befor he'll pass ND's admissions. I've heard Carton Thomas is now favoring two schools, neither of which is ND.

As far as the most talent goes, I think R.Williams has the potential to be quite a bit better than either Gray, or Thomas.

 

[OCIrish]

Thanks Gipper,

I haven't seen any footage of the 3 just cause I feel we're soo stacked at RB, I don't know how much we need a RB in this class. We have Thomas, Aldridge, Allen, and Hughes. Is there anyone I missed? I mean, I feel we're pretty athletic at that position right now, I just don't know if we need a RB in this class. But from what you guys are saying, Ryan sounds like a hell of a kid and if ND is the place for him, then by all means, welcome aboard. I certainly don't mind the extra depth at the position. It scares me only having 2 FB's on scholarship though. At the same time I could say the same thing about McCarthy, in that we have a lot of talent at the S position, I just don't know how much of a need there is in this class for him, but I shouldn't be taking up time for Ryan with Dan's position. Anyway, just my thoughts, and again, thanks for the info.\


Go Irish!!!

 

[bbrennan]

I keep hearing that we don't need to recruit a RB this year and don't fully understand this position. Travis Thomas is a non-issue with the 2008 recruiting class. He will be gone when the 2008 recruits arrive, so you can't really include him in the picture/depth chart. In 2008 we will have Aldridge (junior) and Allen and Hughes both of which will likely be 2nd year players as I suspect both will see playing time in 2007.

I understand the class is filling up quickly and we have other positions which could be deemed of greater need, but I think we need to land a good RB in the 2008 class. It appears the scholarship numbers available for 2009 will be limited, you never really know how a RB is going to perform at the next level, and they are only 1 big hit away from injury. I would argue that getting Williams or Thomas, both of which appear to be very talented and highly interested in ND is a key piece of the 2008 recruiting class.

 

[knute]

I keep hearing that we don't need to recruit a RB this year and don't fully understand this position. Travis Thomas is a non-issue with the 2008 recruiting class. He will be gone when the 2008 recruits arrive, so you can't really include him in the picture/depth chart. In 2008 we will have Aldridge (junior) and Allen and Hughes both of which will likely be 2nd year players as I suspect both will see playing time in 2007.

I understand the class is filling up quickly and we have other positions which could be deemed of greater need, but I think we need to land a good RB in the 2008 class. It appears the scholarship numbers available for 2009 will be limited, you never really know how a RB is going to perform at the next level, and they are only 1 big hit away from injury. I would argue that getting Williams or Thomas, both of which appear to be very talented and highly interested in ND is a key piece of the 2008 recruiting class.

Great post! I agree. Without a RB in this class we'd only have 3 next year. You need one workhorse and one backup when the starter needs a breather. Then after injuries, etc., 3 is dangerously thin and who knows if we'll have this quality of prospect next year? We're not desperate, but we should take a great RB if we can.

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

Williams or Thomas would be excellent. Next year we will have 2 power backs in Aldridge & Hughes and a small burner in Allen. It would be nice to have a back that has both power and breakaway speed. But those types of guys are very rare and not too realistic.

Of course, in Weis's offense, they need to be able to catch the ball as well. I guess I'd take Thomas based on his highlight reels alone.

 

[Fishin'_Irish]

You can never, ever, have too many running backs. In the days of Holtz, one guy would go down, and he'd just plug in someone else. Same goes for USC now-a-days. If all else fails, they're usually talented and athletic enough to switch positions and be successful.

 

[DaLastFarleyite]

Would we really be as thin as suggested in 2008? Can't other people on the roster slide over to RB, like Tate, etc.?

 

[GoshenGipper]

Tate wants to try WR first, and Weis told him that was fine and that's where he would gert his first shot. It's always smart to load up on RB's. Just remember ND had so much RB talnt in the early 90's that Jeff Burris played S most of the time, Reggie Brooks spent a lot of his early carrer at DB, and Dorsey Levens transferred to GT.

 

[GoshenGipper]

I've recently seen some info that if true would indicate that W.Virginia is a bigger challenger to ND than VaTech.

 

[irishdan123084]

I've recently seen some info that if true would indicate that W.Virginia is a bigger challenger to ND than VaTech.

and what info would that be?

 

[johnnd05]

and what info would that be?

He read it on a bathroom wall.

 

[GhostSpirit]

He read it on a bathroom wall.

Right next to Irishnd31's avatar's phone number for a good time. Damn, I wish I still had that number...

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

What kind of shot do you think we have for him? Go Irish!

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

I've recently seen some info that if true would indicate that W.Virginia is a bigger challenger to ND than VaTech.

lol...

 

[OCIrish]

I saw over on the II page, that he may be reconsidering his August visit. Is their any fruition to this story, or do we have to wait for an official visit to get him on campus? I would like to have a RB by early in the season, don' t know if it will happen or not, but it would be nice.


Go Irish!!!

 

[irishdan123084]

I saw over on the II page, that he may be reconsidering his August visit. Is their any fruition to this story, or do we have to wait for an official visit to get him on campus? I would like to have a RB by early in the season, don' t know if it will happen or not, but it would be nice.


Go Irish!!!

i would like to be dating jessica alba, but i dont think that would happen.

 

[irish4ever]

i would like to be dating jessica alba, but i dont think that would happen.

Sorry, I'm dating her already. Hands off!

 

[IrishAddiction]

has anyone heard any news about ryan in awhile? heard he seemed to reallylike nd, but now have heard that VT is a serious contender to get this kid... hope we land him by NSD. think he has more upside than thomas.

 

[GoshenGipper]

has anyone heard any news about ryan in awhile? heard he seemed to reallylike nd, but now have heard that VT is a serious contender to get this kid... hope we land him by NSD. think he has more upside than thomas.

No, but that's not unusually for RW, and I don't get the impression that VT is as big of a contender here as many would think.

 

[GoshenGipper]

Ryan has scheduled an Official Visit to ND on Sept. 22 for the Michigan St. game. His game that week is on Thurs. night so he'll be able to spen the whole weekend at ND. This will be his virst official visit to any school, and he doesn't have any other currently scheduled but his coach says more are comming, just not during the middle of their season.

To me that's a good sign if you only have one open weekend for an official visit and you choose ND as the school you woiuld like to see.

 

[KamaraPolice]

Yeah, I'm getting the feeling from him that he's Irish. I'd like to think if we start the season off well that he would verbal while on his Official, but I think in time we will land him.

 

[rockne19]

charlie, and co. work your magic!

 

[johnnd05]

A nice article on Ryan from a local paper:

Stonewall running backs among best in the nation

By:Steve Franklin
09/05/2007

One wears No. 34 and runs like Walter Peyton. The other wears No. 25 and reminds people of Reggie Bush. One has scholarship offers from all over the country. The other will soon have. One is considered by most to be the greatest running back in school history. The other may soon dethrone him.

This season, Stonewall Jackson's Ryan Williams and Damien Thigpen form the scariest one-two running back punch in the state - one reason "The Gainesville Times" predicts they'll dethrone two-time defending district champion Osbourn.

"They're very talented athletes," said Stonewall Jackson coach Loren Johnson. "They've both put in a lot of time in the weight room and have dedicated themselves to the game."

Williams is the third ranked player in the state by Rivals.com and is considered the 55th best player in the nation from the Class of 2008. Just last week, Thigpen - the 300-meter state champion in track - was named a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, and is projected as one of the top 100 players in the nation from the class of 2009.

"What I like the most about them is that they're both good kids," Johnson said. "They'll both do anything to help the team. They're just special kids."

Besides spending numerous hours in the weight room, Williams and Thigpen have become students of the game. They've spent countless nights together watching old game film and studying retired players such as Peyton and Barry Sanders.

"I love those guys, because that's my style," Williams said. "I'm kind of a dancer. I like to spin and make people miss. Damien, he's more like a Emmitt Smith. He just makes one cut and goes."

The two are good friends, but they've got two totally different mentalities.

"I would like the ball on every play, where Ryan doesn't care how many carries he gets," Thigpen said with a chuckle. "I know we are better off with Ryan in there, but I'd still like the ball more."

Williams predicts that Thigpen will set the school record for rushing yards in a season next year.

"He could get 2,500 yards next year," Williams said. "He won't have to split carries, so next year he's going to be awesome."

Both would like 2,000 yards in 2007, but winning is there first priority.

"We just want to win the district," Williams said. "If I get 2,000 yards or 100, we just want to win."

 

[johnnd05]

Ryan gets some nice coverage in this video on his team: Tragedy Unites, Drives Stonewall Jackson Football Team - DC - MySpace News.

 

[johnnd05]

Per ESPN, Ryan sat the first half of last week's game with a bad ankle, but came in and rushed 16 times for 94 yards.

 

[johnnd05]

From USA Today:

Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson running back Ryan Williams is expected to take an early unofficial visit to Virginia Tech this month. Williams' coach played at Virginia Tech, and the Hokies are rumored to be his leader.

Is that true?