No reason to worry about our committed players

[johnnd05]

It's been asked whether ND's slow start will impact our current group of committed players, possibly leading to some decommitments. Here's what Charlie Weis said when asked about this during his press conference on Tuesday (via Ben Ford):

Notre Dame's 0-2 start hasn't caused second thoughts among the team's current recruiting class, coach Charlie Weis said during his weekly press conference.

Weis said that when he's talked to members of the high school class of 2008, he's asked them jokingly if they'd be able to play this week against Michigan. But Weis said that when a team struggles, recruits see an opportunity to play right away.

"So if there is a silver lining in the recruiting aspect and you're a young man who is already coming or thinking about coming and you just watched the game, you know, all these guys want to go to a school where they think they have an opportunity to play," Weis said. "And I think that most of them, based on the evidence they have after the first two games would like their prospects."

The recruits he's spoken to since the start of the season have remained upbeat about Notre Dame's long-term prospects.

"Actually, it's been pretty positive," Weis said of those conversations.

The South Bend Tribune has a much longer piece on this today, as they caught up with a bunch of our current commitments and asked them how they're feeling about the Irish. Here are some highlights.

Dayne Crist on taking it all in stride:

"I'm not sure that I've run into someone who hasn't given me a hard time about the Irish starting out 0-2. But I take it in stride. I tell them, 'Wait, you'll see.' I'm supposed to talk to coach (Charlie) Weis tonight. And I really don't have any questions for him. I can't question him, because I have so much faith in him. And I know he's such a talented coach, he's going to find a way to win. I just can't wait to get up there and be a part of it."

Mike Golic Jr. and Robert Blanton on how surprised they feel at ND's 0-2 start:

... some Irish commitments, like offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr., are surprised about ND's 0-2 record and all the statistical ugliness that comes with it, heading into Saturday's showdown at Michigan (0-2).

"I thought there might be growing pains," the 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman from West Hartford, Conn., said. "I've been such a fan for such a long time, you don't want to believe it, but I know they have the talent and the senior leaders there to put it all together."

Some, like Williams, N.C., cornerback Robert Blanton, are in outright shock but still firmly committed.

"I didn't think they'd be dominating, based on who they were playing and how young they were, but I never thought about them losing," said Blanton, his Butler High team (3-0) ranked No. 2 in the state, thanks in part to his four interceptions on defense and two offensive touchdowns.

Darius Fleming and Lane Clelland on being excited to get to ND and perform:

... linebacker commitment Darius Fleming and future Irish offensive lineman Lane Clelland are seeing the same thing, too.

"When I watch Notre Dame, I can't wait to get there and do my best for them," said Clelland, from Owings Mills, Md. "Not from a sympathy standpoint, but because I think we're building something special."

"This class, our class, is going to get a shot right away to help," said Fleming, who plays for unbeaten Chicago St. Rita High. "You look at all the freshmen that coach Weis is playing now. That's going to be us next year. We're going to work our hardest and see what happens."

And of course Tom Lemming weighs in:

"Notre Dame is doing a great job of staying in touch and communicating, and that's key," Lemming said. "There's always a guy or two who could jump ship in any season, but with Jimmy Clausen starting off well at quarterback, that's a definite plus, especially considering with the guys who Notre Dame is still looking at.

"I think most kids are smart enough to realize the junior and senior classes are perhaps the two worst in Notre Dame history. They were going to suffer with leadership. They were lucky they had some fifth-year seniors coming back. But having almost all of your talent in the lower two classes does not bode well when you start out with a schedule like Notre Dame's.

"One thing people have to realize is these kids, these recruits are not yet part of the team, so they don't feel the malaise about the team now. They're looking to the future, and the future is Jimmy Clausen."

Crist also had a bunch of stuff to say about his relationship with Jimmy Clausen, who played a role in his recruitment:

"I consider Jimmy a friend," Crist said. "Some people think there's this animosity or rivalry between us. Well we are both very competitive people, but we want to be around other competitive people. That's how college is. I mean it's a competition. That's how you get better. That's how you build winning teams."

...

"I definitely have a lot of people ask me why I'd go to Notre Dame with Jimmy already there," he said. "Again, what they don't know is how competitive I am at everything. Just by nature, I give 110 percent to whatever I do. I'm just confident that whatever I do and whatever happens will be the best situation.

"I'm not necessarily concerned about having to go play early or play right away. But when I do play, I want to play great. I want to be the best prepared when it's my time to play. I want to be comfortable. I just want to be in the best position to be successful when it's my time. And I'm going to compete every day until coach Weis says, 'Dayne, it's your time.'"

The whole article is well-written and worth a read. But yeah, don't worry about it folks. We've got a great class locked up and there's no reason to think a few more losses are going to do much damage to that.

 

[KAPLAN]

That makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I just hope no one "littles" us and we get Floyd.

Goal for 2007-Win a bowl game
Goal for 2008 and beyond-Win the national title and make Mark May eat his words.

 

[goldandblue]

I'm glad we have recruits with that attitude, I'm so freaking excited about the future of N.D. football!!

 

[Sureal]

No lie. I haven't read in this section because of the beat downs. Johnnd05 you've helped me sleep better with this post.

 

[johnnd05]

No lie. I haven't read in this section because of the beat downs. Johnnd05 you've helped me sleep better with this post.

No problem - glad to help. Next time, though, perhaps try going the pharmaceutical route.

 

[grantphilly]

To me it dosen't matter how the Irish are performing. I went 8 months with out any football and now I going to watch and cheer each game as if it were the last of the season. Charlie Wies has got me so excited about the future and football in general this year I'm just happy to see the Blue and Gold take the field. And I know what you all are thinking and yes it is some pretty good shit!

 

[fitz_bu47]

I'm w/ you Philly, we are struggling but watching ND struggle is still getting to watch ND. And we aren't beating our heads against the wall w/ no future, we got great freshman, and great ones coming in, if Dayne is really like he sounds in interviews, i freakin love that kids attitude, not to mention Darius and Lane and all the other commits I have heard talk.

 

[Tennesseeirish]

I'm w/ you Philly, we are struggling but watching ND struggle is still getting to watch ND. And we aren't beating our heads against the wall w/ no future, we got great freshman, and great ones coming in, if Dayne is really like he sounds in interviews, i freakin love that kids attitude, not to mention Darius and Lane and all the other commits I have heard talk.

Go Irish!!

 

[goldandblue]

Agreed. I don't really watch any other sports besides football so the offseason SUCKS!

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Is very comforting knowing the types of kids we will have coming in. This is the class that will put us over the top and win it all. Go irish!

 

[johnnd05]

Here's another article on this issue, with a Chicago-area focus and a (mostly) positive outlook ...

Irish putting faith in future
Notre Dame may be 0-3, but new recruits hold promise

September 18, 2007

It has been a season of misery for Notre Dame, so let's start with something novel—good news.

The Irish have received 19 commitments from recruits, and even though "de-committing" has become something of a trend among high school seniors, the recruiting analysts don't expect them to stray.

"We've checked with almost every one over the last two weeks," said Jeremy Crabtree, national analyst for Rivals.com. "The vibe we've gotten is that they're still excited about being part of the building process. They realize it's a young team and look at it as, 'Hey, we've got a chance to come in and play pretty quickly.' "

Now for the bad news. Even if Notre Dame secures its third consecutive stellar recruiting class, there's no assurance the Irish coaches will develop that talent.

Consider this. Two players, both undersized Floridians, stood out for their speed at January's Army All-American Bowl: Noel Devine and Armando Allen.

Devine chose West Virginia, and last week he carved up Maryland's defense for 125 yards on his first three carries. Allen chose Notre Dame, where he has rushed 20 times for 60 yards.

"Miami was going crazy trying to recruit Allen," CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "They told him he could start right away. Now you watch him and he seems to be tripping over his own feet."

Or the feet of his offensive linemen, who seem directly responsible for this embarrassing fact: Notre Dame is the nation's only Division I-A team without an offensive touchdown.

No one could have predicted that a Charlie Weis offense would produce 57 points per game fewer than Oklahoma's, but Lemming did envision a major falloff after he panned the Irish's 2004 and 2005 recruiting classes.

"When you have two bad classes in a row, it usually spells disaster," Lemming said. "And they had two disastrous classes—the worst in their history. They were lower-level MAC classes."

Just seven players remain from Tyrone Willingham's 2004 class, 14 more from the 2005 class that was a combined Willingham/Weis production. Even the best of those 21 players—senior linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. and junior safety David Bruton—are not making much of an impact.

On signing day, Rivals.com had only three players from the 2004 class and four from the '05 class rated among the 20 best at their positions.

The 2006 class had 15 players in the top 20 at their positions and eight in the top five. The smaller 2007 class had 11 in the top 20, including four in the top five: quarterback Jimmy Clausen (1), Allen (2), tight end Mike Ragone (3) and offensive tackle Matt Romine (3).

Rivals.com rates the 2008 class, with those 19 early commitments, the nation's best.

Lemming calls it "maybe Notre Dame's best class in 17 years."

That's if the vast majority of those 19 remain committed—and assuming the Irish can add skill-position stars with their remaining half-dozen offers.

What could hurt Notre Dame—on top of a possible 0-8 start—is what transpired with quarterback Demetrius Jones, a popular Chicagoan who has left the program to transfer to Northern Illinois.

"Demetrius is a very outgoing, gregarious kid, and I can tell you his personality helped Notre Dame in its recruiting," said Tim O'Halloran, Rivals.com's Chicago area analyst. "After he committed, he played a big part in helping them get verbals."

Jones started the season opener but was benched after attempting just three passes. His package of plays looked something like this: QB draw, QB sweep. QB draw. He rushed 12 times for 28 yards, fumbling twice.

Did he get a fair shot?

"I don't think it was a true, fair chance," said Mickey Pruitt, the former Bear and current football coordinator for the Chicago Public League.

And because of that, Pruitt said, Notre Dame could get a cold shoulder from future Public League recruits.

"I can't tell you that it won't hurt," he said.

Notre Dame's 2008 class has two Chicagoans—linebacker Steven Filer from Mt. Carmel and defensive end Darius Fleming from St. Rita, both Catholic Leaguers. O'Halloran said Jones helped sway them to Notre Dame, "and when kids commit that early, they're always reconsidering.

"I guarantee you Illinois will have assistants out at St. Rita or Mt. Carmel in the next couple of weeks."

 

[JeremyND07]

I was worried about the Chicago area recruits and now I am even more worried! Hopefully Corwin is there right now reassuring those kids!!! It will be an uphill fight for future Chicago kids if Corwin does not turn this D around, IMO!

 

[jonesman]

This is very troublesome about Chicago recruits. I just saw that Irish Illustrated has an update on all 19 recruits, but I do not have their premium service. Would love to know what the recruits are saying now??????

 

[johnnd05]

I don't see why people are so worried about the Tribune article. It has nothing specific; just a lot of rampant speculation. I wouldn't be worried until there's word that some particular recruit is reconsidering his commitment; so far, all the quotes I've seen from our recruits have been very positive.

 

[jonesman]

What was said in the Irish Illustrated article??? Anything negative there??

 

[johnnd05]

What was said in the Irish Illustrated article??? Anything negative there??

I haven't seen it. I'm sure if there were anything bad we'd have heard about it.

 

[Tennesseeirish]

I haven't seen it. I'm sure if there were anything bad we'd have heard about it.

We shouldn't lose any commits

 

[NDboy15]

We shouldn't lose any commits

Certainly hope not, but we lost some last year, so we'll have to wait and see.

 

[johnnd05]

Via Michael Rothstein:

Notre Dame's decision could lead to struggles in convincing future Chicago Public League recruits to attend the South Bend school.

"The coaches (of the CPL) are a tight-knit group so if one of them feels slighted, it could have an effect down the road," Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree said. "Notre Dame could say that it is our policy and how we do it with all our kids.

"... It'll be all right but maybe will turn one or two guys off or some coaches off against them, it might. But it is left to be determined what will happen."

Weis said Jones' departure will not change how he recruits quarterbacks.

Notre Dame has Californian Dayne Crist committed for the class of 2008 and Weis said he'll recruit one quarterback in 2009. He also said if he does look at a second quarterback in a class, he will have it be a person who would also be willing to play another position.

Yikes. Once again there's nothing specific here so take it FWIW, but this quote does make me worry a bit - not necessarily for this year, but for the status of the "pipeline" down the road. Corwin's been a miracle-worker so far, though ...

 

[goldandblue]

The Irish will be ok!

 

[johnnd05]

From the Chicago Tribune:

Jones talk of Public League
Weis won't shy away from recruiting in area

By Brian Hamilton
Tribune staff reporter
September 19, 2007, 10:20 PM CDT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As much as Notre Dame might want the Demetrius Jonessaga
to descend rapidly into irrelevance, it simmers in one of the Irish's potential recruiting grounds: the Chicago Public League.

"It's on the tip of everybody's tongue at all our games," said Calvin Davis,director of sports administration for the Public League. "For the community in general, it's a hot topic. It's big news."

Still, after hearing chatter for a few days, Davis doesn't believe Notre Dame's decision not to release Jones from his scholarship is catastrophic to the Irish's chances of recruiting Public League players.

Davis even acknowledged that while the Public League supports Jones, a former Morgan Park star, most understand his departure could have been handled differently. Meanwhile, the denial of release should not affect Jones' ability to play for his apparent new school, Northern Illinois.

But the situation doesn't help. Davis said his constituency may be
circumspect with Notre Dame for the time being, especially looking at
how the Irish handle freshman tailback Robert Hughes, a former Hubbard standout.

"People certainly are watching this situation closely," Davis said. "People are watching and wanting to think wherever they go, they'll be treated fairly."

As for questions about his team's future ability to recruit the Public League, Irish coach Charlie Weisoffered this answer: Corwin Brown,Notre Dame defensive coordinator, Julian High School graduate.

"Anything that anyone wants to know, I have one of the greatest resources going, one of the most respected people to come out of the Chicago Public League," Weis said Wednesday. "I don't think we'll have any problems with the Chicago Public League."

 

[johnnd05]

From the Observer:

Firm commitments
Strong recruiting class appears to be stable despite on-field struggles

By: Chris Hine
Posted: 9/20/07

After an 0-3 start to the season, Notre Dame is searching for positives.

One good sign for the future of the Irish is the strong recruits coach Charlie Weis has lined up for the class of 2012. And even after a sluggish start to the season, those verbals seem as solid as ever.

"I've spoken with a number of [recruits], and all of them were very much behind Notre Dame and the coaching staff," said Mike Frank, who covers Notre Dame recruiting on Irisheyes.com. "I think they realize this is a young team that's going through some growing pains and they also realize there's a very good chance that they'll be able to come in and play early and be part of the solution."

The Irish have 19 verbal commitments, including Sherman Oaks, Calif., quarterback Dayne Crist and Chicago linebacker Steve Filer. The Irish also hold the No. 1 rated class in the country according to both rivals.com and scout.com.

So far, recruits such as Chicago linebacker/defensive end Darius Fleming, still have faith the Irish can turn this season around.

"I wouldn't say I'm worried about it, but it's shocking," Fleming said. "I didn't expect anything like this."

Fleming said he has talked to defensive coordinator Corwin Brown and wide receivers coach Rob Ianello frequently since the beginning of the season. He plans to attend this weekend's game against Michigan State, and he's confident the team will improve. He is not having second thoughts about attending Notre Dame, he said.

"They're struggling right now and they're trying to fix some things. I'm not sure what needs to be fixed," Fleming said. "But I'm pretty sure they'll get it together."

Frank said Fleming's attitude reflects that of most of the recruits.

"We've spoken with almost all of them in the last week or so and they're all very much behind the coaching staff and they seem really firm in their commitment," Frank said.

Frank said recruits like the fact that Weis is not afraid to play some of his younger talent even though the team is struggling. Recruits are also attracted to the non-football facets of the University, Frank said. But without improvement in the next couple of weeks, those commitments may be hard to maintain.

"He will play the best player and that has been a big selling point," Frank said. "In the end, the recruits are very excited about the opportunity to come play at Notre Dame. I'm sure they'll be looking for improvement throughout the season. But I think as long as Weis and the staff can show they're improving and getting things done, they should be pretty good."

Former quarterback Demetrius Jones' transfer to Northern Illinois could also represent a stumbling block for Irish recruiting.

Jones, a highly touted prospect from the Chicago Public League, was unhappy with how Weis handled the team's quarterback situation. There is some speculation that his transfer could make recruits from the Chicago area reluctant to come to Notre Dame, but Frank said it should not be much of a problem.

"I think that first of all, there are some good football players in the Chicago Public League, but a lot of the better players are actually in the Catholic League," Frank said. "I don't think it's going to affect Notre Dame in any way - maybe a player or two - but I just highly doubt it. I think Corwin Brown is a great recruiter and he's in charge of recruiting that area and he will overcome any questions anybody would have regarding why Jones left."

 

[Newc]

Wow...that is really good news to hear. Thanks for the update John.

 

[johnnd05]

Wow...that is really good news to hear. Thanks for the update John.

Sure thing. I figure you Sox fans can use some good ne ... oh, what the heck, it's just too easy!

 

[johnnd05]

Fully on board

Fully on board

(Via the Roundup. I don't know if there's anything to the Hunter/UF rumors; if so, count me as a little less confident than I come across here ...)

Via the Chicago Tribune's <strong>Brian Hamilton</strong>, here's some <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071215irish,1,6073905.story" target="_blank">great stuff</a> about the strength of the commitments among ND's 2008 recruiting class:
<blockquote><strong>Dayne Crist</strong> is a part-time Christmas tree salesman in Southern California and a full-time committed recruit for the Notre Dame football team. This means his hour-long break from hawking evergreens is a rare escape from needles, of any kind.</p>
"You know who you're talking to," Crist said. "You're talking to a kid from Los Angeles that's sitting in the heart of USC country."

The breadth and depth of the Irish's miseries this season spared few from collateral damage, and indeed Notre Dame's ballyhooed recruiting class endured more than a few caustic barbs.

Despite the slings and arrows that accompanied Notre Dame's outrageous misfortune, though, that class so far is undeterred. Not a single component of what is widely considered the nation's top talent haul has wavered publicly after the implosion of 2007.

Of course, some fallout zones were more toxic than others.

"It was just non-stop, people in my ear 'Oh my God, you're an idiot, why would you do that?' " Crist said. " 'You better get on the phone with [USC] coach <strong>[Pete] Carroll</strong>, I can't believe you made a decision like this, you're going to be terrible for the next four years.' I heard it <em class="i">all."</em></blockquote>
Similarly, here's superstar Chicago linebacker <strong>Darius Fleming</strong>:
<blockquote>"We know what Notre Dame is all about," said St. Rita linebacker Darius Fleming, who committed to the Irish in April. "We know that everyone has a bad year every now and then. Lately, Notre Dame hasn't had that bad year. Unfortunately, this year was it. But we're not going to let that continue."</blockquote>
And Ohio's <strong>Kyle Rudolph</strong>:
<blockquote>Never has one profession offered such compassion and selfless thinking, as coaches called Rudolph with the same refrain: It's a big decision. We don't want you to rush into it. We want you to check out all your options.

"They try to play that card," Rudolph said. "Then they'll be like, 'Are you sure that's what you want to get into?' They always pull that. I tell them, I'm solid with my commitment and I'm happy with my decision."</blockquote>
How has the staff managed to keep these kids on board despite the awfulness of the 2008 season?
<blockquote>"The majority of guys landed before Notre Dame even started its season," national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "They had built up a relationship for a full year, so these kids seem almost like kin to the coaches, they're tied in to what they're saying and buy into being able to play right away."

...

The Irish's plan to match the recruits' commitment apparently was a successful ploy. Notre Dame didn't fax over game plans, but the staff apparently offered just enough of a taste, to where Crist felt "as if we were sitting in a meeting with the rest of the guys."

"In some instances, they asked <em class="i">me </em>to evaluate the game, they asked me what I think I can add to the program," <strong>[Steve] Filer</strong> said.</blockquote>
The high level of camaraderie among the recruits hasn't hurt, either:
<blockquote>... <strong>[Charlie] Weis</strong> even remarked on the class essentially re-recruiting itself this season.

The running joke has offensive lineman <strong>Braxton Cave</strong> of Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., as the "East Coast Ambassador" while Crist monitors things from the West Coast.

"We're always texting each other back and forth," Crist said. "We feel it's important to have that chemistry before getting into the school environment and team environment. Just getting a jump-start on what we're going to be doing up there anyway."

Said Fleming: "We just have a bond like crazy. I trust those guys like I've known them since I was born."</blockquote>
Good, good stuff, and it fits 100% with everything else we've been hearing all year. Read <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071215irish,1,6073905.story" target="_blank">the whole thing</a>.

 

[kjones]

Great Post Johnboy, I doff my reps to yours.