irishunclebill
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As we head into the homestretch for the 2008 Class, the Irish seem to have a clear vision as to what they would like to accomplish in the next 9 weeks leading up to NSD, both in terms of what slots they hope to fill, and who they would like to see fill them.
There are now only 15 High School seniors with Irish offers who have not made any kind of commitment to a school. In addition to those 15, Notre Dame is also looking at 4 other players. Two, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Datone Jones, have ND offers but are "Soft Verbal" commitments elsewhere. One, Milton Knox, is also a "Soft Verbal" elsewhere, but does not have an ND offer yet, and the fourth, Nick Perry, has not committed anywhere, and also does not yet have an ND offer.
Now is a good time to set up a summarized road map for these 19 recruits that are theoretically at least still potential Irish football players, as well as a list of the 6 potential slots they are looking to fill to complete possibly the most talented and deepest recruiting class in Notre Dame history. Let's start with the 19 players.
First let's look at the 9 outsiders:
A.J. Alexander- Early commit to FSU who was scared off. Latest ever changing Top 5 are Clemson, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, and UNC. Pitt, PSU, and Tennessee have been on there for awhile and the best guess is he will end up at one of those three.
Jonathan Baldwin- Disappointment for ND. Final three are Pitt, Miami, and Florida. As it was in the beginning, it will probably be in the end, and JB should end up staying close to home at Pitt.
Arthur Brown- Brown still playing it pretty coy. Makes his announcement on 12/17. Arthur is said to be considering 6 schools, Florida, K-State, LSU, Miami, UNC, and USC. I would be surprised if it is not really simply out of Florida, LSU, and USC.
Shayne Hale- Tomorrow is the big day for Shane and cuz Cameron Saddler. WVU looks most likely, Virginia seems to be the only other contender.
Martavious Odoms- Honestly who knows, more importantly who cares. I'm not really sure why this guy was ever offered, but he will probably end up at the U.
Matt Patchan- I would still be surprised if Matt does not end up at the U as well, but Urbie & Miles are still in the running.
Terrelle Pryor- The #1 recruit in the land is most likely going to be a Buckeye, but he is also still looking at Florida, PSU, Texas, Tennessee, and WVU. WVU is my dark horse pick here.
Darrell Scott- The #1 RB in the class is also keeping it pretty much under wraps with 10 schools still listed as being considered. Don't be surprised if he ends up at Colorado.
Ryan Williams- Once a hot ND prospect, RW is now looking at VT, BC, Rutgers, and Maryland. VT is the favorite.
Now the 10 being looked at the most, and vice-versa:
Cyrus Gray- The last RB slot is Cyrus's for the taking, but his ardor for ND seems to have cooled a bit since Jonas Gray hopped on the bus. He is considering seven other schools in addition to ND, and my guess is that if he does not come to South Bend he will stay close to home at either Texas A&M or Oklahoma State. Louisville is the dark horse here.
Chris Harper- Ever the Wild Card and still looking to play QB, Chris is the only guy on this list who is not vying specifically for one of the 6 available slots. Corwin Brown is still trying hard to convince Harper that ND is the place for him, no matter what position he plays. If he is successful, there will be one less positional slot available. Top competition for ND appears to be Oregon and Illinois, although Harper is also still considering Mizzou and K-State. Chris will make his announcement jointly with Arthur Brown in Wichita on 12/17, although it would be a shock if they both picked the same school as their only common favorite is K-State. Stranger things have happened.
Datone Jones-- Jones is another UCLA Soft Verbal who has been shaky in his commitment since long before Dorrell’s firing. He has frequently mentioned visiting ND and may still do so in January. ND is also putting the full court press on Datone with visits from CW & CB in the last week. Jones is one of three recruits potentially vying for the last available Defensive slot.
Milton Knox- Milton lobbied heavily six months ago to join his friends Dayne Crist & Anthony McDonald in South Bend. When an offer did not come, he committed to UCLA, but that has always been a shaky commitment. Milton is looking around at primarily Colorado, but may still jump at an ND offer if it ever comes. That seems to be contingent upon whether Cyrus Gray goes elsewhere, and also whether CW wants to max out the class. If Milton does get an Offer, it is likely not to happen until at least late January.
Kapron Lewis-Moore- KLM is also vying for the last spot on Defense. He had a lot of early interest in ND before committing to Texas A&M. He has been an A&M "Soft Verbal" for almost a month now, since word of Franchione's troubles first started. With Franchione officially gone, KLM is officially looking. He has scheduled only one Official Visit, that to ND on 1/18/08, which is eerily similar to earlier in the season when he also scheduled, but did not take, only one Official Visit, also to ND. If he shows up this time, and if either Datone Jones or Nick Perry have not taken the last "D" slot, KLM could still very well end up Irish. He claims to be considering other schools, but my guess here is that if he does not take the Irish up on their Offer, that he will stay at A&M.
Kenneth Page- ND is putting the full court press on Kenny with Latina visiting last week, and CW and Powlus visiting today. Page can have one of the two OL slots available, but is not expected to make a choice until late January. If not ND, it would seem to be Clemson or South Carolina, although Tennessee and UNC are also lurking.
Nick Perry- Perry is just now being looked at by the Irish after a record breaking monstrous season as a Defensive Lineman. If Perry passes muster at Admissions, he is likely to get an Offer. However, even with an Irish Offer, he would have to be characterized as a long shot as he has a very impressive Offer List already. Nonetheless, the Great Lemming has said that even without that offer that Notre Dame is in Nicks's Top 5.
Gerrell Robinson- One of ND's best hopes for one of the two potential WR slots to be filled. The Irish seem to have the inside track here after multiple visits from ND coaches in the last two weeks. Oregon seems to be the only remaining competition here. Gerrell is expected to make a decision before the New Year and is considered by many pundits to be a heavy ND lean at this point, if not a downright commit.
Trevor Robinson- Another possible silent commit or heavy ND lean, Trev would take one of the two OL slots available. If as expected he shows up for the ND Football Banquet this weekend, a lot of people would be surprised if he did not follow that up as a ND EE in early January.
Deion Walker- Once considered a long shot, many pundits now believe that ND is in the lead for Deion to take the other available WR spot. Competition now appears to be only PSU & FSU. Announcement is expected at the ESPN All-American game in early January.
The Six Slots
2 OL- TRob's and Page's for the taking. It appears that the Irish will be satisfied if they fill only one of these. If they lose out on both, we may see a late offer to a Plan B candidate.
2 WR- GRob's and Deion Walker's for the taking. If ND loses out on both, a scenario that now seems very unlikely, they will probably stand pat with Floyd & Goodman.
1 RB- Cyrus Gray's for the taking although that seems less and less likely. Could be filled at the last minute by Milton Knox, depending on what happens with the 5 other available slots and what Chris Harper decides.
1 DE/OLB- Three guys (KLM, Datone Jones, Nick Perry) vying for one spot. One of them is not offered, the other two are "Soft Verbals" elsewhere. This is a first come, first serve deal. There will probably be no other Offers for this slot if none of these three guys fill it.
The only variable to this appears to be the Wild Card, Chris Harper. If he ends up Irish, either the RB or DE/OLB opportunity is likely to disappear. It also appears that the only potential new offers out there during the homestretch would go to Perry, Knox, and possibly an Unknown Plan B OL.
That's all folks. Enjoy the ride.
There are now only 15 High School seniors with Irish offers who have not made any kind of commitment to a school. In addition to those 15, Notre Dame is also looking at 4 other players. Two, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Datone Jones, have ND offers but are "Soft Verbal" commitments elsewhere. One, Milton Knox, is also a "Soft Verbal" elsewhere, but does not have an ND offer yet, and the fourth, Nick Perry, has not committed anywhere, and also does not yet have an ND offer.
Now is a good time to set up a summarized road map for these 19 recruits that are theoretically at least still potential Irish football players, as well as a list of the 6 potential slots they are looking to fill to complete possibly the most talented and deepest recruiting class in Notre Dame history. Let's start with the 19 players.
First let's look at the 9 outsiders:
A.J. Alexander- Early commit to FSU who was scared off. Latest ever changing Top 5 are Clemson, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, and UNC. Pitt, PSU, and Tennessee have been on there for awhile and the best guess is he will end up at one of those three.
Jonathan Baldwin- Disappointment for ND. Final three are Pitt, Miami, and Florida. As it was in the beginning, it will probably be in the end, and JB should end up staying close to home at Pitt.
Arthur Brown- Brown still playing it pretty coy. Makes his announcement on 12/17. Arthur is said to be considering 6 schools, Florida, K-State, LSU, Miami, UNC, and USC. I would be surprised if it is not really simply out of Florida, LSU, and USC.
Shayne Hale- Tomorrow is the big day for Shane and cuz Cameron Saddler. WVU looks most likely, Virginia seems to be the only other contender.
Martavious Odoms- Honestly who knows, more importantly who cares. I'm not really sure why this guy was ever offered, but he will probably end up at the U.
Matt Patchan- I would still be surprised if Matt does not end up at the U as well, but Urbie & Miles are still in the running.
Terrelle Pryor- The #1 recruit in the land is most likely going to be a Buckeye, but he is also still looking at Florida, PSU, Texas, Tennessee, and WVU. WVU is my dark horse pick here.
Darrell Scott- The #1 RB in the class is also keeping it pretty much under wraps with 10 schools still listed as being considered. Don't be surprised if he ends up at Colorado.
Ryan Williams- Once a hot ND prospect, RW is now looking at VT, BC, Rutgers, and Maryland. VT is the favorite.
Now the 10 being looked at the most, and vice-versa:
Cyrus Gray- The last RB slot is Cyrus's for the taking, but his ardor for ND seems to have cooled a bit since Jonas Gray hopped on the bus. He is considering seven other schools in addition to ND, and my guess is that if he does not come to South Bend he will stay close to home at either Texas A&M or Oklahoma State. Louisville is the dark horse here.
Chris Harper- Ever the Wild Card and still looking to play QB, Chris is the only guy on this list who is not vying specifically for one of the 6 available slots. Corwin Brown is still trying hard to convince Harper that ND is the place for him, no matter what position he plays. If he is successful, there will be one less positional slot available. Top competition for ND appears to be Oregon and Illinois, although Harper is also still considering Mizzou and K-State. Chris will make his announcement jointly with Arthur Brown in Wichita on 12/17, although it would be a shock if they both picked the same school as their only common favorite is K-State. Stranger things have happened.
Datone Jones-- Jones is another UCLA Soft Verbal who has been shaky in his commitment since long before Dorrell’s firing. He has frequently mentioned visiting ND and may still do so in January. ND is also putting the full court press on Datone with visits from CW & CB in the last week. Jones is one of three recruits potentially vying for the last available Defensive slot.
Milton Knox- Milton lobbied heavily six months ago to join his friends Dayne Crist & Anthony McDonald in South Bend. When an offer did not come, he committed to UCLA, but that has always been a shaky commitment. Milton is looking around at primarily Colorado, but may still jump at an ND offer if it ever comes. That seems to be contingent upon whether Cyrus Gray goes elsewhere, and also whether CW wants to max out the class. If Milton does get an Offer, it is likely not to happen until at least late January.
Kapron Lewis-Moore- KLM is also vying for the last spot on Defense. He had a lot of early interest in ND before committing to Texas A&M. He has been an A&M "Soft Verbal" for almost a month now, since word of Franchione's troubles first started. With Franchione officially gone, KLM is officially looking. He has scheduled only one Official Visit, that to ND on 1/18/08, which is eerily similar to earlier in the season when he also scheduled, but did not take, only one Official Visit, also to ND. If he shows up this time, and if either Datone Jones or Nick Perry have not taken the last "D" slot, KLM could still very well end up Irish. He claims to be considering other schools, but my guess here is that if he does not take the Irish up on their Offer, that he will stay at A&M.
Kenneth Page- ND is putting the full court press on Kenny with Latina visiting last week, and CW and Powlus visiting today. Page can have one of the two OL slots available, but is not expected to make a choice until late January. If not ND, it would seem to be Clemson or South Carolina, although Tennessee and UNC are also lurking.
Nick Perry- Perry is just now being looked at by the Irish after a record breaking monstrous season as a Defensive Lineman. If Perry passes muster at Admissions, he is likely to get an Offer. However, even with an Irish Offer, he would have to be characterized as a long shot as he has a very impressive Offer List already. Nonetheless, the Great Lemming has said that even without that offer that Notre Dame is in Nicks's Top 5.
Gerrell Robinson- One of ND's best hopes for one of the two potential WR slots to be filled. The Irish seem to have the inside track here after multiple visits from ND coaches in the last two weeks. Oregon seems to be the only remaining competition here. Gerrell is expected to make a decision before the New Year and is considered by many pundits to be a heavy ND lean at this point, if not a downright commit.
Trevor Robinson- Another possible silent commit or heavy ND lean, Trev would take one of the two OL slots available. If as expected he shows up for the ND Football Banquet this weekend, a lot of people would be surprised if he did not follow that up as a ND EE in early January.
Deion Walker- Once considered a long shot, many pundits now believe that ND is in the lead for Deion to take the other available WR spot. Competition now appears to be only PSU & FSU. Announcement is expected at the ESPN All-American game in early January.
The Six Slots
2 OL- TRob's and Page's for the taking. It appears that the Irish will be satisfied if they fill only one of these. If they lose out on both, we may see a late offer to a Plan B candidate.
2 WR- GRob's and Deion Walker's for the taking. If ND loses out on both, a scenario that now seems very unlikely, they will probably stand pat with Floyd & Goodman.
1 RB- Cyrus Gray's for the taking although that seems less and less likely. Could be filled at the last minute by Milton Knox, depending on what happens with the 5 other available slots and what Chris Harper decides.
1 DE/OLB- Three guys (KLM, Datone Jones, Nick Perry) vying for one spot. One of them is not offered, the other two are "Soft Verbals" elsewhere. This is a first come, first serve deal. There will probably be no other Offers for this slot if none of these three guys fill it.
The only variable to this appears to be the Wild Card, Chris Harper. If he ends up Irish, either the RB or DE/OLB opportunity is likely to disappear. It also appears that the only potential new offers out there during the homestretch would go to Perry, Knox, and possibly an Unknown Plan B OL.
That's all folks. Enjoy the ride.
