'11 GA DE Stephon Tuitt (Signed Notre Dame LOI)

IrishLax

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Old Man Mike said:
I know we're having Riddickulous fun here now [and I appreciate it], but to toss in one more small bit of Tuitt-related info: It was stated that Tuitt's power clean currently was 330 [and 390 was his goal]. My brother who is an Olympic National Team weight-lifting coach just happened into town [coming over after the annual Arnold Schwarzeneggar meet in Columbus], so I asked him [yesterday] what an elite power clean for a football player would be. He said: "really elite?? 350." I told him about Tuitt. He was impressed but gave a small warning. He said: "I wonder about his technique. If it's a true power clean or just a 'strength clean'. If a strength clean, then it's not as impressive. " He gave his opinion then that the kid is very strong for anyone in high school regardless. Since my brother IS an elite judge of these matters, I feel pretty good about Tuitt, whichever way he lifted it.
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Very cool. Love expert information in these matters.
 
Ironman8

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Hansen's new article in the SBT on Tuitt:

Stephon Tuitt took a break from his promising future this weekend just to exhale.

Everything seemingly in the soon-to-be Notre Dame freshman defensive end's life over the past three months, since signing with the Irish, has reeked with purpose.

Texting fellow defensive line prodigy Aaron Lynch about their dreams and aspirations, following ND director of football strength and conditioning Paul Longo's culture-shocking workout plan at home in Monroe, Ga., even taking up track and field for the first time ever this spring.

"The theory was to try something new, to push myself out of my comfort zone," Tuitt said of the track and field experience. "The guys in my (recruiting) class have big plans and big dreams, but none of it's going to happen if we don't start pushing ourselves hard and pushing now."

That's why a weekend trip to Alabama was so unfamiliarly sweet. Nothing was on the agenda but riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes.

"It was just my friends and me getting muddy and dirty and stuff," Tuitt said. "Just being a boy."

The expectations that will follow the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder from this point forward, though, are man-sized. Lynch, fellow early enrollee Ishaq Williams -- an outside linebacker from Brooklyn, N.Y. -- and Tuitt are the faces of an anticipated Irish defensive resurgence.

And they're not alone. Defensive recruits such as Chase Hounshell, Anthony Rabasa, Troy Niklas and Ben Councell would be headliners in most recruiting cycles. In this one, they're less-celebrated but important parts of the most impressive wave of defensive front-seven talent to cluster at ND in one class since the Lou Holtz Era.

Lynch's and Tuitt's arrival are punctuated by the fact that since Ross Browner and Willie Fry were bookend All-America defensive ends in 1976 and '77, the Irish have had just two players at that position reach that elite status in the 33 seasons that followed -- Scott Zettek in 1980 and Frank Stams in 1988. And many consider Stams to have been more of an outside linebacker than end.

"I get overwhelmed sometimes when I think about the talent in this class," Tuitt said. "I'm like all the fans -- I think we are going to turn a lot of heads and we are going to make people turn our way and jump on the bandwagon.

"My confidence is sky high, but not in a cocky way. I just have belief in what I do. I believe in the other guys, too. That's why we're out there recruiting too, trying to get other great players to join us. The thing is we know we have to work for it. My work starts from day one when I get up to Notre Dame in the middle of June. And Aaron has already told me to be ready to work harder than I ever have in my life."

It's not like hard work will be a new experience. Take Tuitt's test drive of track and field this spring at Monroe Area High School. Granted, Tuitt's stint as a 400-meter runner lasted all of one day, but he did stick with the shot put and the discus, even though the school didn't have someone to coach him in those events.

"There's a lot of technique, especially in the discus," Tuitt said. "At first, I was just kind of powering it."

To add finesse to his power, Tuitt went to his computer and essentially learned the proper form and steps by reading up on the subject online.

He ended up finishing sixth in the Class AAA state meet earlier this month with a throw of 148, six inches. He had a longer throw, estimated to be in the high 160s, that landed out of bounds but would have been enough to take the state title.

Tuitt just missed qualifying for the state in the shot as well.

And the 400?

"I realized I wasn't skinny enough to do that," he said. "I was a bad fit."

He doesn't question his fit at Notre Dame anymore, though he did flip to nearby Georgia Tech at the 11th hour in the recruiting cycle, only to end up at ND on signing day.

"There was a lot of pressure on me to stay home," Tuitt said. "There were a lot of people who wanted me to go to Georgia. There were a lot of people who wanted me to go to Georgia Tech. And I had a lot of time to think about my decision after committing in September -- too much time.

"Sometimes you have to take your head out of the gutter and kind of be by yourself to see things clearly. And when I did that, I remembered that I didn't have the feeling when I visited the other schools that I did when I visited Notre Dame. It's a place where I felt I could wake up every day and feel happy. And I didn't even know about all the traditions they had."

Tuitt has been studying ND football history, though, since he signed in February and has a fairly strong working knowledge now of the biggest names and the brightest moments.

"I'll be honest, I was shocked at how many there were," he said. "But then I got to thinking, this is the way it's supposed to be. Everything is in place for something special like that to happen again.

"Notre Dame didn't have the best season last year, but it was a good season. They beat Miami -- a very powerful team -- in the Sun Bowl. And I think this year is going to be like a puzzle, putting the missing pieces in the right places. I think it's just a matter of time before everything starts blowing up and getting big."
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clashmore_mike

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Second page of that article:

"There was a lot of pressure on me to stay home," Tuitt said. "There were a lot of people who wanted me to go to Georgia. There were a lot of people who wanted me to go to Georgia Tech. And I had a lot of time to think about my decision after committing in September -- too much time.

"Sometimes you have to take your head out of the gutter and kind of be by yourself to see things clearly. And when I did that, I remembered that I didn't have the feeling when I visited the other schools that I did when I visited Notre Dame. It's a place where I felt I could wake up every day and feel happy. And I didn't even know about all the traditions they had."

Tuitt has been studying ND football history, though, since he signed in February and has a fairly strong working knowledge now of the biggest names and the brightest moments.

"I'll be honest, I was shocked at how many there were," he said. "But then I got to thinking, this is the way it's supposed to be. Everything is in place for something special like that to happen again.

"Notre Dame didn't have the best season last year, but it was a good season. They beat Miami -- a very powerful team -- in the Sun Bowl. And I think this year is going to be like a puzzle, putting the missing pieces in the right places. I think it's just a matter of time before everything starts blowing up and getting big."
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Rhode Irish

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The same could be said about seemingly every kid in this class, but it is hard not to be impressed with Stephon.
 
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Bogtrotter07

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Has anyone heard how he is doing with his rather lofty lifting goals? He had outlined goals for this spring that OMM identified as incredibly elite, for anyone, let alone a teenager. Has anyone heard his results?
 
Old Man Mike

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"Eli's comin'. Girls you better hide your hearts." The Georgia Giant is going to pile a lot of offenses up in their backfields. There is a chance that this recruiting class has upwards of sixteen starters in it sooner or later. Smart, high-motivation, strong-willed, aggressive, and high-values people --- I can hardly believe the potential. If the current recruiting year's super-speed guys come in as an overlay to this aggressive power .... whew .... Eli's comin' .... "Here come the Irish".
 
ndcoltsfan2010

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You gotta love this kid and his heart. I cannot wait to see him play and blow up some offensive lineman. This kid is going to be really special here in another year or two. Lynch and Tuitt are going to be a defensive force to be reckoned with.
 
G

GainesvilleIrish

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I don't think "forgot" is the right word... but I think people have forgot about Stephon with Lynch early enrolling & having a big B-G game. That kid is going to be a contributer THIS year & is perfect for out 3-4 defense.

Can't wait to see this kid next year. More excited about him than any other 11 recruit.
 
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Bogtrotter07

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"Eli's comin'. Girls you better hide your hearts." The Georgia Giant is going to pile a lot of offenses up in their backfields. There is a chance that this recruiting class has upwards of sixteen starters in it sooner or later. Smart, high-motivation, strong-willed, aggressive, and high-values people --- I can hardly believe the potential. If the current recruiting year's super-speed guys come in as an overlay to this aggressive power .... whew .... Eli's comin' .... "Here come the Irish".
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Same era. Hearing way to much about how many in this years ultra-talented class is working beyond belief to improve their game . . .

YouTube - ‪The Doors - The End (1967)‬‏
 
IrishAlum1997

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Pretty funny...but did you see the Louis Nix "Grenade" video? OMFG, hilarious. While he's eating a banana. Brilliant.
 
BeauBenken

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IrishAlum1997 said:
Pretty funny...but did you see the Louis Nix "Grenade" video? OMFG, hilarious. While he's eating a banana. Brilliant.
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Lmao yes, I did.

And at first I thought he was eating marshmallows. I was like, "Oh Irish Chocolate, of course you would be snacking on marshmallows."

I really love Nix's personality btw though. He's an Irish man and a good teammate. You can just tell.
 
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Buster Bluth

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Cali_domer said:
Then I take it you did not see Two girls and a Cup.
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Oh lord..

2yu3sw37748.gif
 
TerryTate

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Or the crying tree people.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/roFB7bGCAgc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Rocket89

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^ Looks like half of the professors at my Alma Mater.

And of course that woman's name is Syndee L'ome Grace. Of course it is.
 
mgriff

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TerryTate said:
Or the crying tree people.

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/roFB7bGCAgc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe>
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Holy ****ing ****. I know this has nothing to do with the thread, but it stole the show. You gotta be shittin' me.
 
J

johnnykillz

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mgriff said:
Holy ****ing ****. I know this has nothing to do with the thread, but it stole the show. You gotta be shittin' me.
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Not a one of them shed a tear when they furiously burned and vaporized those beautiful little Cannabis fruits, now did they...?

Posers.

;)
 
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