'08 GA DT Omar Hunter (Florida Verbal)

[The Polish Irishman]

I remember his MySpace was all ND

 

[NDRock]

One of my favorite periods of time in ND recruiting lore. Zook and Illinois HAD TO be cheating in order to land good recruits away from everyone else. Despite the lack of evidence from anyone, the Illinois AD conducts an investigation himself, the results of which were never made public as far as I can recall.

I believe Corwin Brown attended a rival HS to Martez Wilson's and nearly strangled one of Wilson's coaches during a visit, which is about as Chicago as it gets. Needless to say, that probably benefitted Illinois a bit when Wilson ended up making his final decision.

I think Arrelious Benn's mom got a job in the dorm cafeteria or something. Quite the scandal.

Yeah, Ole Miss used the Illinois playbook years later. Not sure what they were doing but it wasn't within the rules.

 

[TDHeysus]

What about Alex Analzone? So many close calls and decommits. I had to LOL at this thread being resurrected on a post of mine from 2011.

IIRC - dudes father (FLA alum?) hated ND and BK specifically; after BK got some NFL love post NC game v Bama, he flipped his son to FLA quicker than you can say candy.

 

[Legacy]

David Perkins - part of Meyer's first class and one of his first recruits. "Boom" will always be remembered there for tackling Brutus.

https://youtu.be/Hl40OBEdN08

 

[Rogue219]

Yeah, Ole Miss used the Illinois playbook years later. Not sure what they were doing but it wasn't within the rules.

I think they hired people who knew how to recruit at places that are not known for winning nor is winning consistently easy at those programs.

Illinois football is an afterthought. It isn't an easy place to win. When Ron Zook got there, he had Mike Locksley and Reggie Mitchell on his staff. They worked Chicago, Ohio , Florida in ways nobody at Illinois had recruited before. There was also playing time available. By year three they went 9-4 and went to the Rose Bowl.

Nobody really won there before and nobody has won there since.

Florida was a different story. He replaced Spurrier but didn't exactly leave the cupboard bare for Urban Meyer.

 

[Henges24]

Was it Analzone that had a photograph taken with some pedo OSU fan on a visit there?

He took some heat for it and his family had to release a statement about it.

 

[StPaul_Irish]

IIRC - dudes father (FLA alum?) hated ND and BK specifically; after BK got some NFL love post NC game v Bama, he flipped his son to FLA quicker than you can say candy.

Analzone


Was the a TE and did he have a Nose for the "End Zone"

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Chris Martin.... Charlie's Moby Dick

 

[Mattmags]

We need to start a "where are they now?" thread to just see where some of these guys lives have headed. I'm sure a mix of surprise and disappointment.

 

[Rogue219]

We need to start a "where are they now?" thread to just see where some of these guys lives have headed. I'm sure a mix of surprise and disappointment.

So all the hand wringing back then wasn't worth it, is what you're saying?

 

[Mattmags]

So all the hand wringing back then wasn't worth it, is what you're saying?

I guess I should replace "lives" with "careers". I'm more interested to see if some of these guys made questionable decisions (in the eyes of ND fans) and succeeded in the end. Did they make it to an NFL active roster or practice squad? Do they leave football completely? Or...maybe they became CEO of an investment firm. Would just be interesting is all I'm saying.

I always think it's intriguing when writers work up interest pieces like this.

 

[Rogue219]

I guess I should replace "lives" with "careers". I'm more interested to see if some of these guys made questionable decisions (in the eyes of ND fans) and succeeded in the end. Did they make it to an NFL active roster or practice squad? Do they leave football completely? Or...maybe they became CEO of an investment firm. Would just be interesting is all I'm saying.

I always think it's intriguing when writers work up interest pieces like this.

Lorenzo Booker rushed for 230 NFL yards. Always makes me laugh.

 

[Junkhead]

Lorenzo Booker rushed for 230 NFL yards. Always makes me laugh.

That'd be 1 great game though.

 

[Ndaccountant]

You all are failing to see the most important "miss" in ND football history. Let me explain.

It was a nice year, Big Mac just broke a HR record, John Glenn returned to space and ND upset Michigan to start the year. ND laid an egg in East Lansing, but had found a way to win the rest of the games with one more to play. All they needed to do was run out the clock with a safety. They did that, but in the midst of doing so, Jarious wrecked his knee, couldn't play the following week, and ND lost a BCS bowl game when they lost 10-0 to a bad Trojan team. Likely opponent in the BCS game? Syracuse and some QB named McNabb. That team ended up getting crushed by Florida in the Orange bowl.

ND was expected to have a top 2/3 class, including the 5th rated QB, named CJ Leak. Leak spurned the Irish on signing day, dropping the class in the rankings.

This is where the old butterfly effect comes to play. If ND wins that game, finishes in the top 5, ND ends up keeping CJ Leak. Two things then happen. 1) ND doesn't have the crappy QB play that is Matt LeVecchio in the 2000 season. Again, ND ends up avoiding the Oregon State fiasco with CJ Leak at the helm and Boob has more clout despite not being a good coach. CJ goes on to finish his ND career in strong fashion and his brother, Chris, follows in his footsteps.

2) Boob lasts until 2004, where he is ultimately fired. The next coach that comes in, has a relationship with both ND and the Leak family, some guy by the name of Urban Meyer. Leak is at ND, not at UF, which is one of the reasons he went to UF in the first place. ND also makes the move one year before Zook is fired. Urban then wins 2 titles at ND.

All of this didn't happen, because of CJ Leak.

Also, imagine the 2012 team with Giovani Bernard. Ugh.

 

[GATTACA!]

Eddie Vanderdoes and his stupid Grandma broke my interest in recruiting.

 

[TorontoGold]

Caleb Kelly told me on Snapchat that Demetrius Roberston was going to ND, took a hail-mary chance and messaged him his thoughts on DRob and he said ND 100%. Ashamed I messaged a recruit, and got clowned for it.

 

[Rogue219]

Gerald McCoy, people.

Truly the only one that I ever really felt bummed out about.

 

[dublinirish]

Was it Analzone that had a photographed taken with some pedo OSU fan on a visit there?

He took some heat for it and his family had to release a statement about it.

yessir some OSU superfan pedo guy

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaa...augh-arrested-parole-violation-043440356.html

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Lorenzo Booker rushed for 230 NFL yards. Always makes me laugh.

Tom Lemming is still throwing his papers and walking off the stage!


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[Junkhead]

First page still shows Omar as an ND solid verbal, can we expect him on campus to early enroll? Seriously, I'm too lazy to look, whatever happened to him?

 

[Legacy]

I would have liked Myron Rolle to go to Notre Dame.

THE REJECTION OF MYRON ROLLE

Of the 20,000 men who have played in the NFL, only two, Colorado running back Byron "Whizzer" White (later a Supreme Court Justice) and former USC quarterback Pat Haden, were also Rhodes Scholars. Myron Rolle wanted to be the next. But there are reasons, beyond raw talent and intelligence, there have been so few.

For her part, Karioth is glad Rolle's NFL career was short-lived. "The world didn't need another pro football player. But they did need someone putting some care together for the poor in the Bahamas. They did need someone going to Africa with Bill Clinton to take care of fresh water. They did need someone to take foster children and give them a way to look at themselves that has meaning."

Rolle matched to a neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.Rolle is a Global Neurosurgery Fellow at Harvard Medical School. In July 2020 Rolle stated he felt that due to COVID-19 the NFL should delay or cancel the 2020 season.

He was always interested in Florida State, though I can't imagine the differences between him and many of his teammates. Or Omar.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I would have liked Myron Rolle to go to Notre Dame.

THE REJECTION OF MYRON ROLLE





Rolle matched to a neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.Rolle is a Global Neurosurgery Fellow at Harvard Medical School. In July 2020 Rolle stated he felt that due to COVID-19 the NFL should delay or cancel the 2020 season.

He was always interested in Florida State, though I can't imagine the differences between him and many of his teammates. Or Omar.

You can thank Tom Lemming for Rolle. Pushed him toward ND which turned Rolle off.


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[Henges24]

This Rutgers game got me thinking about Savon Huggins.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

First page still shows Omar as an ND solid verbal, can we expect him on campus to early enroll? Seriously, I'm too lazy to look, whatever happened to him?

I can’t find much but I see that he signed a three year 1.5mil contract with Steelers in April 2013. He was waived July 2013

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Remember when Anthony Vernaglia was once our top recruit in a class.... good times.

 

[phillyirish]

Remember when Anthony Vernaglia was once our top recruit in a class.... good times.

Maybe the worst ND class ever. Sucks because the one before that was one of the best in terms of producing NFL players: Victor Abiamri, John Sullivan, Brady Quinn, Tom Zibikowski, Ryan Harris, Trever Laws, Chinedum Ndukwe, and Jeff Samardzija who would of been had he chosen it over baseball (smart move considering he out-earned all his WR draft mates, including Calvin Johnson). This doesn’t include practice squad guys like Travis Thomas who never saw the field. None of them stars, best was probably John Sullivan who made an All Pro team and was still playing 2 years ago.

 

[Irishize]

Remember when Anthony Vernaglia was once our top recruit in a class.... good times.

Yup. A 5-star from Cali who I can only remember playing on ST.

 

[Rogue219]

I would have liked Myron Rolle to go to Notre Dame.

THE REJECTION OF MYRON ROLLE





Rolle matched to a neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.Rolle is a Global Neurosurgery Fellow at Harvard Medical School. In July 2020 Rolle stated he felt that due to COVID-19 the NFL should delay or cancel the 2020 season.

He was always interested in Florida State, though I can't imagine the differences between him and many of his teammates. Or Omar.

So you can get a good education just about anywhere if you truly want one?

My world is upside down now.

 

[AllGoldEverything]

I was very sad about missing out on Arrelious Benn and Ronald Darby. Watching Darby ball out yesterday against the bengals reminded me.

 

[Blazers46]

Tee Shepard and Deontay Greenberry and their Bang Bang Notre Dame Gang FB page.