'12 VA OLB Ken Ekanem (Virginia Tech Signee)

[BeauBenken]

You'd best change your avatar.

lmao! Nice catch!

 

[Irish8248]

Update from scout.. No access

Scout.com: Ekanem Ready for Notre Dame Visit

 

[NDPhilly]

After reading the most recent II update its sounds like ND has lost interest while the Va Tech staff has been pressing still.

 

[IrishLax]

After reading the most recent II update its sounds like ND has lost interest while the Va Tech staff has been pressing still.

As rehashed before, I think there is some merit to that but it's largely overblown. Until this past couple days ND did not think they would have a scholarship open in most scenarios + his injury + they've been sending coaches out to visit CBs, etc. over the past couple weeks because of our situation there and not pushing hard for Ekanem on the trail. It's all about priorities. There's a very good chance that if ND has a scholarship open that he becomes the Troy Niklas of this class.

 

[zbikowski88]

Ekanem wants ND reconnect

 

[SoJerseyIrish]

scratch and dent.......makes me nervous, will he fully recover and be the same?

 

[stlnd01]

Ekanem wants ND reconnect

Couldn't read this, but he is still visiting this weekend, right? I'd imagine that should clarify matters for us and for him.

 

[NDhoosier]

we are still visiting, hopefully the injury bug leaves this kid, I would really like to have him...

 

[NDPhilly]

If only we were Alabama or some other team in the SEC. Then we could take Byron Marshall, Ian Thomas, Taylor McNamara, David Perkins, Marcus Rios, Tommy Schutt, Yuri Wright, and Ken Ekanem and just dropped the under performers. Did I miss any?

 

[Old Man Mike]

I am going to guess that since this was always somewhat of an unusual recruitment [notice originally coming to us via some internet source way back when, as I read in some article] and that it was Charlie Molnar who got the "odd" assignment to be the primary contact, that with his departure it put us in a little time-and-staff bind, as far as continuous stoppings-by are concerned. If the family is OK with such a situation, and if we and they understand that the visit this weekend will cover everything imaginable, then all may be OK and this young warrior will pick ND.

Obviously a blatantly hypothetical scenario, but Ken Ekanem was used as an example in some article as to how, with the internet, some athletes can come to the notice of staffs who otherwise would not. If I'm misremembering any of this, apologies.

 

[rtrn2glory]

i just simply see him as a late night addition...i think they'll tell him to go home and think things over and make sure he's making the right decision, simply to just buy some more time for the guys higher on the board. they'll take him if he wants to come, but they're not gonna break the bank so to speak to make it happen imo

 

[Old Man Mike]

If he wants to verbal immediately, and Kelly tells him to go home and think about it, my money is that he will say yes to Beamer, Foster, and VT. That's why I don't see that situation happening.

Kelly/Diaco either want him or they don't. I think that they very much want him, as do I. So, if he and his family are comfortable with an immediate commitment, then I believe smiles will break out all over the building and it will be a sunny day at ND. We however will not know what happened, on the sole exception of if he verbals immediately.

 

[rtrn2glory]

the way the recruitment has broken down seems like they consider him the cherry and not the frosting. unless he keeps a lot of what goes down in his recruitment close to the chest, he hasn't said too much about us visiting/contacting him recently, which this time of year usually means they've cooled on you. again who knows the truth behind this one is anyones' guess.

idk where he wants to go personally, but it just seems like he goes where he is wanted it will be va tech. i'd love to have him, we need all the edge guys we can get and he has a lot of upside even injured.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

If he wants to verbal immediately, and Kelly tells him to go home and think about it, my money is that he will say yes to Beamer, Foster, and VT. That's why I don't see that situation happening.

Kelly/Diaco either want him or they don't. I think that they very much want him, as do I. So, if he and his family are comfortable with an immediate commitment, then I believe smiles will break out all over the building and it will be a sunny day at ND. We however will not know what happened, on the sole exception of if he verbals immediately.

Yeah, it would be unwise to delay on Ekanem. It seems HIGHLY unlikely to me that the staff would land 3 of Poole/Darby/Neal/Agholor/Armstead.

 

[rtrn2glory]

personally the only two i feel safe saying we'll get on signing day are standifer (admissions) and ekanem.

outside of that i have no clue.

 

[IrishLax]

If only we were Alabama or some other team in the SEC. Then we could take Byron Marshall, Ian Thomas, Taylor McNamara, David Perkins, Marcus Rios, Tommy Schutt, Yuri Wright, and Ken Ekanem and just dropped the under performers. Did I miss any?

Joe Bolden and Patrick Destefano.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Joe Bolden and Patrick Destefano.

gonna bite us, i gotta bad feeling.

 

[dublinirish]

Bolden will be the next Keuchley knowing our luck!

 

[IrishLax]

gonna bite us, i gotta bad feeling.

Yeah, could be a Mike Martin redux. On Ekanem, I don't think anyone really knows what will happen. Assuming 4 spots our staff might still pass and hope for Standifer/Darby/Poole/Armstead if they're really confident and then swing for the fences with Neal if we miss on one of them. But I personally hope we push hard for him because he's a great looking prospect and the odds are not in our favor with 3 of those 4 listed above.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Yeah, could be a Mike Martin redux. On Ekanem, I don't think anyone really knows what will happen. Assuming 4 spots our staff might still pass and hope for Standifer/Darby/Poole/Armstead if they're really confident and then swing for the fences with Neal if we miss on one of them. But I personally hope we push hard for him because he's a great looking prospect and the odds are not in our favor with 3 of those 4 listed above.

I was thinking that if we get Standifer, he could be our Mike Martin.

 

[Ironman8]

Lax I know Ekanem is from you neck of the woods, and I am high on him just like you, but from everything being said I just don't see how he is coming to ND. Looking more and more like Standifer than a prayer for Armstead, Agholor and Poole. If we can get one of the three I will be estatic.

 

[Irish8248]

show Ek the love and hes Irish... He and ND are a match made in heaven

 

[IrishLax]

Lax I know Ekanem is from you neck of the woods, and I am high on him just like you, but from everything being said I just don't see how he is coming to ND. Looking more and more like Standifer than a prayer for Armstead, Agholor and Poole. If we can get one of the three I will be estatic.

Yeah, I agree with everything you're saying. But here's what people need to realize:

1. If this kid wanted to go to VT he would've already committed to VT. He wants to go to ND. This is both what I've heard "on the street" and what logically makes sense.

2. He's visiting this weekend unless our coaches call and say "don't come up." I don't care what Mike Frank or the Rivals guys or anyone else says on this... he's 100% planning on visiting. Mike Frank was also dead wrong about Armond Armstead visiting ND and I don't think these guys are as "plugged in" to the ND side of things as they appear to be sometimes.

3. The lack of interest/contact reults from a number of factors. First, his injury. Second, limited scholarship slots. Third, priorities of the staff. We don't need Ekanem... we do need Poole/Darby/etc.

There are three possible scenarios here. The first is that he doesn't visit this weekend because our staff says "sorry, we're basically out of room" and he goes to VT. The second is that he does visit this weekend, our staff says "we're waiting on things to shake out on NSD and if we have a scholarship open we would LOVE to have you" and Ekanem waits and then commits to ND when/if we miss on guys. The last scenario is that he comes for a visit, decides that he'd rather go to the place where he's a first priority, and commits to VT.

No matter what way you slice it, Ekanem is the epitome of a "RKG" and he wants to go to ND. If our staff wants him, he's ours and will be a great piece of the puzzle. If they don't want him and instead opt to bring back someone like Golic Jr... they're, in my humble opinion, total idiots.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

It could also be that any perceived lack of interest or contact is a simple result of Ekanem having an upcoming official visit to South Bend. If the staff knows they have 48 hours with him coming up they probably are wiser to spend their time visiting with players who live thousands of miles away and can't be flown in to ND.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Sapp says he is not visiting anymore and we are moving in a different direction.

 

[Emcee77]

BUMMER. I was getting really excited about this kid.

 

[Domina Nostra]

This is a lesson for all the people who think that taking your time and going through the process is always the smart move. Sometimes you have to take a chance.

 

[koonja]

Isn't it a little late to be going in a different direction? Maybe they just didn't like him after the injury.

 

[IrishLax]

Sapp says he is not visiting anymore and we are moving in a different direction.

Beyond idiotic by the staff unless they really know something we don't about other prospects.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Beyond idiotic by the staff unless they really know something we don't about other prospects.

Apparently they do...