Last time I checked, it doesn't matter what the facts are; it doesn't even matter what we, or the proverbially everybody thinks; it only matter what Mssrs. Neal think.
That is a valid point for some recruits, though some take all of that stuff very seriously. And of course it doesn't matter what we think, I just happen to think we are well positioned here.
Most of the time kid and his family want a good education, but not nearly as much as they think. Generally, I tend to discount the importance of "education" on a kid's decision unless a kid is focusing on schools like ND, Stanford, Duke, UVA, Northwestern. These are schools that non-athletes fight to get into, so a kid that prioritized academics would logically place them at the top. What I think most families mean is that I want a place where academics is not going to be an afterthought, and will serve their son well-enough if things don't pan out. They don't really mean academics is priority #1, more like a non-negotiable bar that has to be overcome and then is forgotten about. Sometimes a parent like Ms. Floyd or Ms. Lynch (and perhaps Mr. Neal) step in and really make education/graduation priority one, but most families--especially the one's we recruit--figure their kid is going to graduate from whatever school he goes to, and the diploma sounds fine to them.
When the recruitment is driven by the kid, I generally think its about fit. Where do I feel most comfortable? When a kid really feels comfortable at ND, the other stuff tend to make the decision easy.
UNC is a pretty awesome place, but so is ND. Based on the interviews after his visit, I think Neal generally felt like ND is a place where he would fit in and enjoy himself. When a kid really fits in more than one place, I think the other stuff comes in as a soft tie-breaker. In this case I think ND has football and academics on its side, and UNC has location and some other stuff on its side. My guess is that this one goes to ND, although I am nothing more than hopeful. As Bogtrotter pointed out, no one knows for sure. I certainly don't.
