Recruits Mind: ND vs USC

[Brandon]

So this season, USC is starting to have an unreal recruiting class, averaging 4 stars per player, now we all know two of the most historic programs in college football are Notre Dame and USC, so I got to wondering if your a recruit why would to you chose Notre Dame over USC.

Now, I am a huge Notre Dame fan, and I am going to put my green glasses to the side for a moment and think this through.

Your 18 years old, you can chose to play in Los Angeles, in beautiful weather in front of 92,000 people or you can chose to play in South Bend, Indiana, a small town with a huge love for college football, in font of 82,000 people.. More than likely, the kid will pick USC.

Academics are something you have always cherished, although USC has grown in stature recently and their academic quality has risen, you choose Notre Dame, for the simple fact that they have been one of the best for a long time.

You want to play in the NFL, Pete Carroll has done a fabulous job of developing players, Charlie Weis, while he has had two great recruiting classes, the development of those players has been disappointing in the minds of some. While looking at recent drafts, you see that USC players almost double Notre Dame players taken, and many of those in the first round, you take USC.

If your a top prospect, and you want to play in the NFL and live the glamorous college lifestyle you choose USC. If your an intelligent kid, and believe that solid schooling is important and think that the NFL might be a possibility you choose ND.

Thats just an outlook of mine, especially being 20 myself.

 

[Legacy]

A recruit may also consider the percentage of players drafted. Nearly all of Irish players have a degree, too. In the last two classes at ND, the total numbers of football players may have been much smaller.
In '07, seven were drafted and four undrafted players signed contracts after the draft. In '08, four players were drafted and three signed contracts. Both were smaller classes, so the percentage of players going to the NFL was high.

 

[mick2]

yeah but you have to be godly to go in and start as a freshmen @ sc right now, charlie can promise a little more playing time than pete can, and i think if the kid wants to go to the nfl charlie will just wave that hand with that giant ring on it in front of the kids face, charlie is much more connected in the nfl than carroll.

 

[NDinL.A.]

yeah but you have to be godly to go in and start as a freshmen @ sc right now, charlie can promise a little more playing time than pete can, and i think if the kid wants to go to the nfl charlie will just wave that hand with that giant ring on it in front of the kids face, charlie is much more connected in the nfl than carroll.

I know what you're saying mick2, but no coach guarantees playing time. Pete Carroll's mantra is, if you are good enough to play as a freshman and you work for it, he'll play you. Some coaches don't play freshman, rookies, etc because of inexperience and rookie mistakes. But both Pete and Charlie have shown that they'll play freshmen if they're ready. I wish CW would have done it earlier w/ Floyd over Kamara, but I digress.

The thing w/ ND is (and i think what you were really trying to say is), our talent level was so down last year, CW was able to just look at our team while talking to a recruit and say, "Kid, you will have every opportunity to play heavy minutes next year as a true freshman if you're ready." And he was being absolutely honest. And we have several freshmen that are getting minutes and who will continue to get heavier minutes IMO as the year progresses.

 

[Folsteam_Ahead]

this discussion has happened several times on this site. it's been hashed out and rehashed many times over.

the bottomline is that not all of the best 17 and 18 year old recruits like the flash and glamour. we tend to get those guys. we can win with those guys. we do very well in recruiting regardless of all the pros and cons that may lean toward usc.

nd and usc are both very unique schools, with their own diserables. we can't change the climate in indiana. we can't move hollywood there either. yet somehow we continue to be a strong program and institution. flash and glamour apparently helps you to lose to oregon state 2 out of 3 years while the entire country had been touting you as the nc front runner.

i like the way nd runs things. i dont really care what is going on at usc. what they have is new and temporary. the glamour wont carry over forever. we've always had the same identity. although we go through down periods like every other program, our day will come again and it wont be bc of some teen-brown-nosing head coach. it will be bc notre dame is historic and kicks ass.