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SI.com - Writers - Kevin Armstrong: Top-rated recruiting class offers Notre Dame hope - Friday January 4, 2008 2:11PM
They are Charlie Weis' Angels, often talking, text messaging and instant messaging each other while rarely seeing their central communicator. Fresh-faced, fumble-free and representing the future, they see South Bend, Ind. as a football heaven, not the Hades it became during the disastrous 2007 season.
They hail from all four corners of the country. Some are sons of Domers past, others were raised Michigan and USC fans, throwing their childhood allegiances out with the leftover recruiting letters. Together they are Notre Dame's 2008 recruiting class, a talented group that Weis hopes will help lift the Irish into the future. "Coach Weis wanted forward-thinking, smart guys who want to win a title sooner rather than later," says Dayne Crist, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback from Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif. who will join 13 other future Domers in Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl. "We're already getting to know each other across the country and encouraging each other to be ready for Notre Dame."
Over the last year, as Weis and his current players endured a bowl-less 3-9 season, the coach continued to secure verbal commitments. "I don't think the losses got to those who committed before the season," says Mike Golic Jr., a 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman and son of a former Notre Dame player, Mike Sr., from Northwest Catholic (West Hartford, Conn.).
By all accounts, this recruiting class is Weis's best. Five of the 21 recruits currently committed to the Irish are ranked among the SI/TAKKLE.com Top 100, including highly-touted, athletic tight end Kyle Rudolph (6-6, 230) from Moeller (Cincinnati) and Lincoln (Portland, Ore.) defensive end Ethan Johnson (6-4, 266). Though many committed last spring, more enlisted during the Irish's hapless season. Shortly after the 38-0 drubbing to USC, running back Jonas Gray of Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), who was in Notre Dame Stadium for the rout, offered his verbal commitment.
"I have been evaluating for 30 years, and this is their best class since 1990 when they produced five first-round NFL draft picks," says CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
Crist's choice is the most intriguing. A USC fan growing up, he visited 15-20 college campuses (all but five unofficially) during his recruitment, whittling his list down to LSU and Notre Dame before giving his Irish aye. A class behind Jimmy Clausen, Crist, who attended Chaminade Middle School with Clausen before Clausen's family moved 15 minutes away, did not seriously consider Notre Dame until Clausen sent him encouraging text messages in February of his junior year. During subsequent visits, Crist spent time with Clausen in his off-campus house. "Notre Dame wasn't on my radar until Jimmy contacted me," says Crist, who is a finalist to be the Army's Player of the Year, which Clausen won last year. "Anywhere you go, you're going to compete against other players."
During Crist's formative years, he and Clausen worked out together at Steve Clarkson's Quarterback Academy in Pasadena, Calif. Both are take-charge types, but they played for different high school offenses. Clausen, who attended Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) ran more pro-style sets, which trained him to get the ball out on time. Crist, who unlike Clausen will not enroll a semester early this winter, ran more spread offense shotgun sets, which highlighted his strength and athleticism to make reads at the point of attack. "Dayne could have had easier situations if he stayed local and played at UCLA or Stanford," Clarkson says.
Notre Dame's national pull and Southern California alumni also helped recruit Crist. There they were, packs of Notre Dame families and fans trekking to his 7-on-7 passing tourneys from Saugus to Long Beach, Calif. last summer. "It was surreal to see them coming to throwing sessions like that," Crist says. "I loved the support, though."
Adding further intrigue to the signing of two Southern California quarterbacks in consecutive years is the expected enrollment of 6-5, 195-pound quarterback Nathaniel Montana, son of Joe, Notre Dame class of 1979. Perhaps the darkhorse of the class, Montana's oldest son, who also worked out with Clarkson, played just one season of high school ball at De La Salle in Concord, Calif. He will walk on with the Irish. "He is taller than dad but raw with potential," says Lemming. "He'll add needed depth to the position."
Even with all the verbal commitments, Weis remains in touch with the recruits. A year after losing three verbal commitments, only top-rated nose guard Omar Hunter of Buford (Ga.) has decommitted to date. The recruits still hear from other schools, who insist that choosing the mystique was a mistake. For Rudolph, it was then-Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who has since taken the head position at Duke, phoning once a week. Florida, which lured defensive lineman Justin Trattou after winning last year's title, also sought to have Rudolph visit Gainesville. Darius Fleming, a 6-3, 230-pound linebacker from Chicago's St. Rita, still has Michigan recruiters after him. "Those [Michigan] guys just won't take no for an answer," says Fleming, who committed last April.
Last month, Crist and several other recruits attended Notre Dame's football banquet. Though not yet officially in the program, the forward-thinking newcomers began to see the changes they can make. "That situation was not about us, it was for the guys who worked through last year," Crist says. "This week has been about getting to know each other. We're ready"
SI.com - Writers - Kevin Armstrong: Top-rated recruiting class offers Notre Dame hope - Friday January 4, 2008 2:11PM
They are Charlie Weis' Angels, often talking, text messaging and instant messaging each other while rarely seeing their central communicator. Fresh-faced, fumble-free and representing the future, they see South Bend, Ind. as a football heaven, not the Hades it became during the disastrous 2007 season.
They hail from all four corners of the country. Some are sons of Domers past, others were raised Michigan and USC fans, throwing their childhood allegiances out with the leftover recruiting letters. Together they are Notre Dame's 2008 recruiting class, a talented group that Weis hopes will help lift the Irish into the future. "Coach Weis wanted forward-thinking, smart guys who want to win a title sooner rather than later," says Dayne Crist, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback from Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif. who will join 13 other future Domers in Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl. "We're already getting to know each other across the country and encouraging each other to be ready for Notre Dame."
Over the last year, as Weis and his current players endured a bowl-less 3-9 season, the coach continued to secure verbal commitments. "I don't think the losses got to those who committed before the season," says Mike Golic Jr., a 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman and son of a former Notre Dame player, Mike Sr., from Northwest Catholic (West Hartford, Conn.).
By all accounts, this recruiting class is Weis's best. Five of the 21 recruits currently committed to the Irish are ranked among the SI/TAKKLE.com Top 100, including highly-touted, athletic tight end Kyle Rudolph (6-6, 230) from Moeller (Cincinnati) and Lincoln (Portland, Ore.) defensive end Ethan Johnson (6-4, 266). Though many committed last spring, more enlisted during the Irish's hapless season. Shortly after the 38-0 drubbing to USC, running back Jonas Gray of Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), who was in Notre Dame Stadium for the rout, offered his verbal commitment.
"I have been evaluating for 30 years, and this is their best class since 1990 when they produced five first-round NFL draft picks," says CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
Crist's choice is the most intriguing. A USC fan growing up, he visited 15-20 college campuses (all but five unofficially) during his recruitment, whittling his list down to LSU and Notre Dame before giving his Irish aye. A class behind Jimmy Clausen, Crist, who attended Chaminade Middle School with Clausen before Clausen's family moved 15 minutes away, did not seriously consider Notre Dame until Clausen sent him encouraging text messages in February of his junior year. During subsequent visits, Crist spent time with Clausen in his off-campus house. "Notre Dame wasn't on my radar until Jimmy contacted me," says Crist, who is a finalist to be the Army's Player of the Year, which Clausen won last year. "Anywhere you go, you're going to compete against other players."
During Crist's formative years, he and Clausen worked out together at Steve Clarkson's Quarterback Academy in Pasadena, Calif. Both are take-charge types, but they played for different high school offenses. Clausen, who attended Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) ran more pro-style sets, which trained him to get the ball out on time. Crist, who unlike Clausen will not enroll a semester early this winter, ran more spread offense shotgun sets, which highlighted his strength and athleticism to make reads at the point of attack. "Dayne could have had easier situations if he stayed local and played at UCLA or Stanford," Clarkson says.
Notre Dame's national pull and Southern California alumni also helped recruit Crist. There they were, packs of Notre Dame families and fans trekking to his 7-on-7 passing tourneys from Saugus to Long Beach, Calif. last summer. "It was surreal to see them coming to throwing sessions like that," Crist says. "I loved the support, though."
Adding further intrigue to the signing of two Southern California quarterbacks in consecutive years is the expected enrollment of 6-5, 195-pound quarterback Nathaniel Montana, son of Joe, Notre Dame class of 1979. Perhaps the darkhorse of the class, Montana's oldest son, who also worked out with Clarkson, played just one season of high school ball at De La Salle in Concord, Calif. He will walk on with the Irish. "He is taller than dad but raw with potential," says Lemming. "He'll add needed depth to the position."
Even with all the verbal commitments, Weis remains in touch with the recruits. A year after losing three verbal commitments, only top-rated nose guard Omar Hunter of Buford (Ga.) has decommitted to date. The recruits still hear from other schools, who insist that choosing the mystique was a mistake. For Rudolph, it was then-Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who has since taken the head position at Duke, phoning once a week. Florida, which lured defensive lineman Justin Trattou after winning last year's title, also sought to have Rudolph visit Gainesville. Darius Fleming, a 6-3, 230-pound linebacker from Chicago's St. Rita, still has Michigan recruiters after him. "Those [Michigan] guys just won't take no for an answer," says Fleming, who committed last April.
Last month, Crist and several other recruits attended Notre Dame's football banquet. Though not yet officially in the program, the forward-thinking newcomers began to see the changes they can make. "That situation was not about us, it was for the guys who worked through last year," Crist says. "This week has been about getting to know each other. We're ready"
