irishunclebill
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Based on the latest activity, comments, rumors, message board nonsense, and various other gobbledygook.
This may be the longest post you have ever read on Irish Envy, even longer than my personal favorite call out of SLH, so be prepared to be interested, or bored.
Separated into 2 categories, the Top 15 prospects, and the Other 25.
The Top 15 Prospects
Listed in order of probable consensus ranking, the Irish would most likely want to get their last 10 recruits for the 2008 class from this group. In order to be on this list, the recruit must have exhibited some interest in the Irish offer, or vice versa, so consequently there will be some higher rated players than the recruits on this list who will appear in the Other 25.
1) Arthur Brown- LB- Maybe the best LB recruit of the last 5 years, the Irish are given little or no chance with Arthur. However, CW did visit with Brown and his coach two weeks ago, and elicited a promise from Arthur to at least make an unofficial visit to Notre Dame this summer, so there is at least a glimmer of hope. If Brown is still showing any interest in ND as time goes on, look for the Irish to hold a schollie for him.
2) Will Hill- ATH/Safety- There is virtually no news from Hill, but the recruiting pundits have long said that “The Thrill” will end up in Florida somewhere. Despite this, persistent rumors float around that Hill is very interested in the Irish, and some of those rumors go so far as to say that Hill will definitely choose ND in the end. A probable NSD announcement, ND will hold a schollie for Hill as well, unless he indicates no interest prior to NSD. Hill received a visit from CW on 5/1. “Jersey guys stick with Jersey guys.”
3) Michael Floyd- WR- Floyd has expressed the most interest in ND, Minn., Mich., OSU, & Florida, but a guy whose information is usually pretty reliable says that it is all a smokescreen. Floyd wants to take advantage of his elite status to do the whole recruiting trip scene, but at the end of the day, he will choose between home state Minnesota and the Irish at the AAA game. His plans may change if the Irish are not willing to hold a schollie for him until the AAA game, and that may be why Mike Frank is now reporting that Floyd may move his decision time up. Michael had a visit from CW the same day as Arthur Brown, 4/24.
4) Marcus Forston- DT/DE- CW visited Marcus this past Friday, and one of the first announcements this week was that Forston now planned to make his selection on NSD. If the Irish can nab Forston, it would be one of the biggest recruiting coups of the past few years, and ND is definitely in contention here. Marcus will most likely make an Official visit to South Bend in the fall, hopefully on the day that the Irish pull off one of the all time great upsets when they kick the Poodle’s arse on October 20. Another Irish schollie hold if Forston continues to show interest.
5) Etienne Sabino- LB- Another recruit who CW visited this past Friday, successfully recruiting Sabino would be almost as big a coup as Forston. After the CW visit, rumors are flying that ND is now in the lead for Sabino who is arguably the best LB available who has serious interest in the Irish. Etienne hopes to make an unofficial visit to South Bend in the summer, and because he is planning on being an early enrollee, will most likely make his decision in the Fall.
6) Ethan Johnson- DE- Big time talent with big time upside. A lot of people consider Johnson to be a USC lock, but according to Ethan, he does not even have a Top 5. Johnson is also planning a summertime visit to South Bend. Look for the Irish to give the Trojans a run for their money with this kid who will probably make his decision in January.
7) Carlton Thomas- RB- Carlton also received a visit from CW last Friday and the latest news on him says that the Irish are his current favorite over Auburn, WVU, Arkansas, and Arizona State. Thomas was recently named the #1 RB in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel, and is probably ND’s best shot at an elite RB recruit this year.
8) Steve Filer- LB- Latest rumors have Filer leaning to Michigan now, but Filer has flatly denied that. I don’t buy it either. ND is most likely still Filer’s top choice at this point, but there is no doubt that he is definitely looking around, and considering how many times he has already been on the ND campus, that is not a good sign. The longer Filer looks around, and the longer he waits, the less likely it becomes that he will end up in South Bend. If not ND, Filer will end up in the Big 10 somewhere, but IMO it will not be with Michigan or OSU.
9) Jaromis Slaughter- CB- Jaromis received a visit form CW last Wednesday, and ND is at or near the top of his list. Slaughter has expressed a desire to leave Georgia for college, and was at South Bend for the B&G game, after which he spoke highly of the ND program. He is still going to be tough to pull out of the SEC, but ND has a better shot than anybody else of succeeding at that task.
10) Brice Butler- WR- Butler was also on the CW visit list last Wednesday. A lot of recruitniks consider Butler to be a better long term prospect than Floyd, but Floyd is rated higher by all of the recruiting boards. Nonetheless, Butler has a great athletic pedigree and seems to have all the intrinsic WR skills, and though his speed has been questioned, Rivals shows him as doing a 4.4 40. Butler is rumored to have narrowed his choices to USC & ND, but I believe that FSU & Florida will also be in the mix before a decision is made. At least one recruiting guru is all but predicting that ND will end up with both Floyd & Butler.
11) Kenneth Page- OT- This could have just as easily been Art Forst listed here, but I do not have a good feeling about Forst. Shortly after receiving his ND offer, Page listed ND as his favorite, but has since cooled that down. He will also be tough to get out of the SEC, but of the remaining ND OL offers, IMO he is the best chance of committing to ND. However, I’m not so sure that there is really much of a shot here either. If ND wants to recruit another OL from the 2008 class they may have to extend more offers to the next level of guys like Wermers, Pocic, or Dotsy.
12) Brandon Newman- NG- The prototypical NG for CB’s 3-4 Defense, Newman has received more attention from the ND coaching staff than just about any other recruit. CW visited him on 4/25 and CB was there to visit him this week. Newman is not that highly regarded on the recruiting boards, but CW and CB must see something very special in him. He was expected to commit at the B&G game and when he did not, many Irish fans figured he was a lost cause. However, all of the love appears to be paying off as Brandon has scheduled another visit to South Bend at the end of this month, and if things go as well as expected, he appears likely to commit to ND at that time.
13) Robert Blanton- CB- A visit from CW last Wednesday almost turned into a verbal commit from Robert. According to a message board guy who claims to be Blanton’s father, Robert was ready to commit after CW’s visit, but his parents convinced him to hold off for a little while. This purported father also claims that ND is definitely Blanton’s top choice at the present time, with VT the only competition. I hope that is all true because Blanton IMO is at least as good as Slaughter, and is the best pure athlete that I have seen on video clips thus far this year.
14) Dan McCarthy- Safety- CW visited Dan on 4/25, and there were a lot of rumors flying that he would commit to ND shortly thereafter. That did not happen and in fact McCarthy spent last weekend at Stanford. Latest indications are that he is keeping an open mind, but that open mind is most likely limited to deciding between ND & Stanford, with OSU potentially lurking in the background. McCarthy will not wait much longer to decide and will probably make his final decision based on whether he wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, or blaze a new trail out West. IMO, the Irish will still land Dan.
15) Jeremy Brown- CB- Another recruit who received a visit from CW last Friday, Jeremy is one of the three elite southern CB’s that CW/CB have a great shot at landing. Jeremy and his family rave about Corwin Brown, and Jeremy is one of the few recruits who have already scheduled an Official Visit to South Bend, for the USC game. Notre Dame, Auburn, and Florida are his Top 3, and his decision may very well hinge on how well his Official Visit to South Bend goes, including how well the D performs against the Trojans.
13 of the 15 guys on this list have been visited by CW in the last 2 weeks which would seem to indicate they are priority for the staff. The only 2 exceptions are Kenneth Page who CW may also have visited, but it has not been confirmed, and Ethan Johnson. The month is not over yet, so CW may still have a visit planned for the West Coast to visit recruits like Johnson as well.
The Other 25 Prospects
Listed in alphabetical order. I would not be in the least surprised if 2-3 of the guys on this list end up as ND commits.
1) Chancey Aghayere- DE- Chancey may be getting a visit from CW this week. He lists ND in his Top 5, is planning on making an Official Visit to South Bend in September, and is also planning on making his decision shortly after the ND visit. After all is said and done though, Agahyere is expected to commit to Texas.
2) A.J. Alexander- ATH- A.J. showing no interest in ND despite a recent visit from CW. He is expected to head south to the SEC or ACC.
3) Blake Ayles- TE- Ayles may still be planning an Official Visit to South Bend, but there is no place for him on the ND roster. He will most likely end up a Trojan.
4) Jonathan Baldwin- WR- Another long shot who has been favoring Michigan all along, but Baldwin lists ND as one of his 4 favorites along with scUM, USC, and Pitt. Jonathan is also planning an unofficial visit to South Bend next weekend, which is commencement weekend, always a great time to be on the ND campus.
5) Brendan Beal- LB- Beal received a visit from CW last Tuesday, and lists ND as one of his Top 5 along with USC, OSU, Florida, and BC. I am ever the optimist that Brendan’s character will win out and he will choose between ND & BC, but I am in the minority on that opinion as most seem to think that this is a USC/Florida scrum. Beal will make his announcement on either October 12 or at the AAA game. BTW, Beal, not Sabino, was the subject of the false rumor started on ND Nation yesterday of an imminent LB commit.
6) Xavier Brewer- CB- Along with T.J. Bryant, Brewer is one of the elite CB’s in the nation who have both received an ND offer, and are also showing absolutely no interest in that offer.
7) T.J. Bryant- CB- See Xavier Brewer.
8) Art Forst- OL- Forst lists ND as one of his 3 favorites along with Florida & Rutgers, received a visit from CW last Tuesday, and also visited ND for the B&G game. However, IMO if ND had a real chance with Forst, he would have had more favorable things to say about ND after the B&G visit. Instead, he reiterated that Rutgers was still his leader. I do not see Forst at ND. I also don’t believe that Florida has a shot either because by all accounts Art is a deeply religious kid who will not fit in at the Swamp den of iniquity. Rutgers will most likely be Forst’s choice with possibly BC making a late charge. Forst is also expected to make a decision pretty soon. Two other notes on Forst. He did not perform particularly well at the Elite NJ combine last week, and he may make a decision before his stock drops on some of the recruiting boards. Secondly, I should point out that the day before Lane Clelland committed to ND, none other than the head guy at II had him going to Michigan, so I would not be upset if I am just as wrong about Forst as Jack was about Clelland.
9) Garrett Goebel- DT- Garrett received a visit from CW on 4/23, and an ND offer followed shortly thereafter. Many people expected an immediate commit from Garrett after he received the offer, but instead Goebel seemed to show more interest in his Big 10 offers. ND still has a shot here, but if Newman commits at the end of May, and Goebel does not commit shortly thereafter, I would not expect him to eventually end up at ND.
10) Cyrus Gray- RB- Cyrus is expecting a visit from CW today, and without a Texas offer, ND has a shot at recruiting him. Cyrus hopes to visit South Bend this summer. If he does not make that trip, he would appear to be a long shot for the Irish, and would then most likely end up at Texas A&M or Texas Tech.
11) Shayne Hale- LB- Not a chance, OSU bound unless the Cockwad or the Poodle can influence him.
12) Khaled Holmes- OL- Claims to be interested in ND. I am skeptical. It’s just a matter of when he commits to USC.
13) Omar Hunter- DT- On the surface, it would appear that Omar falls into the same category as Holmes, but I do not think that CW would have visited Big Omar last Wednesday if he felt that ND had no chance at all. He lists his Top 5 as Notre Dame, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and Michigan, with Michigan still in the lead, and expects to make his decision in September. Big Omar also broke his leg yesterday, I wonder where there they found enough plaster to make that size cast.
14) Josh Jenkins- OL- NEXT!!
15) Julio Jones- WR- May be the best Wide Receiver in the 2008 class, but has no interest in ND. NEXT!!
16) Kapron Lewis-Moore- DE- Another guy who may get a visit from CW this week, Lewis-Moore like Brandon Newman is another guy who is not that highly rated by the recruiting boards, but has received a lot of attention from the ND coaching staff. Kapron would also like to make an Official Visit to ND, and if he does, he could very well end up at ND as the Irish continue to have the best shot of any school outside of Texas at recruiting Lewis-Moore. Lewis-Moore also does not hold an offer from the University of Texas.
17) Kyle Long- OL- Long is apparently going to FSU, and is just as likely to play baseball as football. I have to believe that Howie must have stayed completely out of this decision.
18) Sam McGuffie- RB- McGuffie has a Top 13? Are you kidding me! Somewhat surprisingly ND is actually on the list. I won’t list all of the schools, but can anybody say “posturing”. OSU never did offer him and is not on his “Lucky 13”, so I guess Sam has given up on his dream of playing with his buddy J.B.
19) Brandon Moore- TE- Like Ayles, no spot on the roster, even if Brandon continues to express interest. Moore is probably hoping for an offer from OSU, which he is likely to accept. Otherwise, Georgia, Michigan, and Miami seem to be his favorites.
20) Martavious Odoms- WR- A tough and very quick little WR, Odoms continues to show interest in ND as the Irish were one of the first major programs to offer him. Even today, he mentions ND as the only offer he is certain of. All that being said, it will be very difficult to get Odoms out of Florida, and ND is focusing more on Floyd & Butler anyway.
21) Matt Patchan- OL- Received a visit from CW last week, Patchan is the quickest and possibly the best OL in the 2008 recruiting class. Matt has consistently had nothing but good things to say about ND. He tried to make it for the ND Junior Day in March, but had flight problems. Another potential early enrollee, the Irish need to have Patchan visit campus this summer to have any chance at all. Miami & Florida are way out in front on Patchan, but the Irish are still trying.
22) Terrelle Pryor- ATH- Pryor is generally considered to be one of the Top 10 recruits in the class of 2008, but he wants to play QB in college. NEXT!!
23) Darrell Scott- RB- ND did not make Scott’s Top 10 cut, so there will be no “Great Scott” in ND’s immediate future. NEXT!!
24) Andrew Sweat- LB- Sweat is now planning on making his decision after the end of this month. By all recent accounts his favorites are ND, OSU, & PSU. Interestingly enough both OSU & PSU message board fanatics consider Sweat to be a lock for their respective schools, while virtually no one on the ND message boards take Sweat seriously as a possible ND recruit. Given the roller coaster recruiting trip that Andrew has taken, maybe he will pull a June surprise and pick the Irish. Uh, no I don’t think so. My guess is PSU ends up as the choice.
25) Ryan Williams- RB- Last but not least, Ryan Williams is probably the best pure Running Back with an ND offer who has not already eliminated the Irish as a possibility. However, there is so little information available on Ryan that it is also hard to tell whether he even has any interest in ND. On the positive side, Tennessee is the only other truly elite program outside of ND and VT to offer Ryan, so ND should definitely have an opportunity here, especially if they can get him to make a campus visit.
So, in summary 40 uncommitted offers for maybe 10 slots, and by my count 27 of the 40 are all still possibilities in varying degrees of being potential ND commits. The 13 that I have excluded are Alexander, Ayles, Brewer, Bryant, Hale, Holmes, Jenkins, Jones, Long, McGuffie, Moore, Pryor, and Scott.
Please add to this thread your thoughts, comments, disagreements, and any additional information you may have.
Tell the truth, did anybody actually read the whole thing?
This may be the longest post you have ever read on Irish Envy, even longer than my personal favorite call out of SLH, so be prepared to be interested, or bored.
Separated into 2 categories, the Top 15 prospects, and the Other 25.
The Top 15 Prospects
Listed in order of probable consensus ranking, the Irish would most likely want to get their last 10 recruits for the 2008 class from this group. In order to be on this list, the recruit must have exhibited some interest in the Irish offer, or vice versa, so consequently there will be some higher rated players than the recruits on this list who will appear in the Other 25.
1) Arthur Brown- LB- Maybe the best LB recruit of the last 5 years, the Irish are given little or no chance with Arthur. However, CW did visit with Brown and his coach two weeks ago, and elicited a promise from Arthur to at least make an unofficial visit to Notre Dame this summer, so there is at least a glimmer of hope. If Brown is still showing any interest in ND as time goes on, look for the Irish to hold a schollie for him.
2) Will Hill- ATH/Safety- There is virtually no news from Hill, but the recruiting pundits have long said that “The Thrill” will end up in Florida somewhere. Despite this, persistent rumors float around that Hill is very interested in the Irish, and some of those rumors go so far as to say that Hill will definitely choose ND in the end. A probable NSD announcement, ND will hold a schollie for Hill as well, unless he indicates no interest prior to NSD. Hill received a visit from CW on 5/1. “Jersey guys stick with Jersey guys.”
3) Michael Floyd- WR- Floyd has expressed the most interest in ND, Minn., Mich., OSU, & Florida, but a guy whose information is usually pretty reliable says that it is all a smokescreen. Floyd wants to take advantage of his elite status to do the whole recruiting trip scene, but at the end of the day, he will choose between home state Minnesota and the Irish at the AAA game. His plans may change if the Irish are not willing to hold a schollie for him until the AAA game, and that may be why Mike Frank is now reporting that Floyd may move his decision time up. Michael had a visit from CW the same day as Arthur Brown, 4/24.
4) Marcus Forston- DT/DE- CW visited Marcus this past Friday, and one of the first announcements this week was that Forston now planned to make his selection on NSD. If the Irish can nab Forston, it would be one of the biggest recruiting coups of the past few years, and ND is definitely in contention here. Marcus will most likely make an Official visit to South Bend in the fall, hopefully on the day that the Irish pull off one of the all time great upsets when they kick the Poodle’s arse on October 20. Another Irish schollie hold if Forston continues to show interest.
5) Etienne Sabino- LB- Another recruit who CW visited this past Friday, successfully recruiting Sabino would be almost as big a coup as Forston. After the CW visit, rumors are flying that ND is now in the lead for Sabino who is arguably the best LB available who has serious interest in the Irish. Etienne hopes to make an unofficial visit to South Bend in the summer, and because he is planning on being an early enrollee, will most likely make his decision in the Fall.
6) Ethan Johnson- DE- Big time talent with big time upside. A lot of people consider Johnson to be a USC lock, but according to Ethan, he does not even have a Top 5. Johnson is also planning a summertime visit to South Bend. Look for the Irish to give the Trojans a run for their money with this kid who will probably make his decision in January.
7) Carlton Thomas- RB- Carlton also received a visit from CW last Friday and the latest news on him says that the Irish are his current favorite over Auburn, WVU, Arkansas, and Arizona State. Thomas was recently named the #1 RB in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel, and is probably ND’s best shot at an elite RB recruit this year.
8) Steve Filer- LB- Latest rumors have Filer leaning to Michigan now, but Filer has flatly denied that. I don’t buy it either. ND is most likely still Filer’s top choice at this point, but there is no doubt that he is definitely looking around, and considering how many times he has already been on the ND campus, that is not a good sign. The longer Filer looks around, and the longer he waits, the less likely it becomes that he will end up in South Bend. If not ND, Filer will end up in the Big 10 somewhere, but IMO it will not be with Michigan or OSU.
9) Jaromis Slaughter- CB- Jaromis received a visit form CW last Wednesday, and ND is at or near the top of his list. Slaughter has expressed a desire to leave Georgia for college, and was at South Bend for the B&G game, after which he spoke highly of the ND program. He is still going to be tough to pull out of the SEC, but ND has a better shot than anybody else of succeeding at that task.
10) Brice Butler- WR- Butler was also on the CW visit list last Wednesday. A lot of recruitniks consider Butler to be a better long term prospect than Floyd, but Floyd is rated higher by all of the recruiting boards. Nonetheless, Butler has a great athletic pedigree and seems to have all the intrinsic WR skills, and though his speed has been questioned, Rivals shows him as doing a 4.4 40. Butler is rumored to have narrowed his choices to USC & ND, but I believe that FSU & Florida will also be in the mix before a decision is made. At least one recruiting guru is all but predicting that ND will end up with both Floyd & Butler.
11) Kenneth Page- OT- This could have just as easily been Art Forst listed here, but I do not have a good feeling about Forst. Shortly after receiving his ND offer, Page listed ND as his favorite, but has since cooled that down. He will also be tough to get out of the SEC, but of the remaining ND OL offers, IMO he is the best chance of committing to ND. However, I’m not so sure that there is really much of a shot here either. If ND wants to recruit another OL from the 2008 class they may have to extend more offers to the next level of guys like Wermers, Pocic, or Dotsy.
12) Brandon Newman- NG- The prototypical NG for CB’s 3-4 Defense, Newman has received more attention from the ND coaching staff than just about any other recruit. CW visited him on 4/25 and CB was there to visit him this week. Newman is not that highly regarded on the recruiting boards, but CW and CB must see something very special in him. He was expected to commit at the B&G game and when he did not, many Irish fans figured he was a lost cause. However, all of the love appears to be paying off as Brandon has scheduled another visit to South Bend at the end of this month, and if things go as well as expected, he appears likely to commit to ND at that time.
13) Robert Blanton- CB- A visit from CW last Wednesday almost turned into a verbal commit from Robert. According to a message board guy who claims to be Blanton’s father, Robert was ready to commit after CW’s visit, but his parents convinced him to hold off for a little while. This purported father also claims that ND is definitely Blanton’s top choice at the present time, with VT the only competition. I hope that is all true because Blanton IMO is at least as good as Slaughter, and is the best pure athlete that I have seen on video clips thus far this year.
14) Dan McCarthy- Safety- CW visited Dan on 4/25, and there were a lot of rumors flying that he would commit to ND shortly thereafter. That did not happen and in fact McCarthy spent last weekend at Stanford. Latest indications are that he is keeping an open mind, but that open mind is most likely limited to deciding between ND & Stanford, with OSU potentially lurking in the background. McCarthy will not wait much longer to decide and will probably make his final decision based on whether he wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, or blaze a new trail out West. IMO, the Irish will still land Dan.
15) Jeremy Brown- CB- Another recruit who received a visit from CW last Friday, Jeremy is one of the three elite southern CB’s that CW/CB have a great shot at landing. Jeremy and his family rave about Corwin Brown, and Jeremy is one of the few recruits who have already scheduled an Official Visit to South Bend, for the USC game. Notre Dame, Auburn, and Florida are his Top 3, and his decision may very well hinge on how well his Official Visit to South Bend goes, including how well the D performs against the Trojans.
13 of the 15 guys on this list have been visited by CW in the last 2 weeks which would seem to indicate they are priority for the staff. The only 2 exceptions are Kenneth Page who CW may also have visited, but it has not been confirmed, and Ethan Johnson. The month is not over yet, so CW may still have a visit planned for the West Coast to visit recruits like Johnson as well.
The Other 25 Prospects
Listed in alphabetical order. I would not be in the least surprised if 2-3 of the guys on this list end up as ND commits.
1) Chancey Aghayere- DE- Chancey may be getting a visit from CW this week. He lists ND in his Top 5, is planning on making an Official Visit to South Bend in September, and is also planning on making his decision shortly after the ND visit. After all is said and done though, Agahyere is expected to commit to Texas.
2) A.J. Alexander- ATH- A.J. showing no interest in ND despite a recent visit from CW. He is expected to head south to the SEC or ACC.
3) Blake Ayles- TE- Ayles may still be planning an Official Visit to South Bend, but there is no place for him on the ND roster. He will most likely end up a Trojan.
4) Jonathan Baldwin- WR- Another long shot who has been favoring Michigan all along, but Baldwin lists ND as one of his 4 favorites along with scUM, USC, and Pitt. Jonathan is also planning an unofficial visit to South Bend next weekend, which is commencement weekend, always a great time to be on the ND campus.
5) Brendan Beal- LB- Beal received a visit from CW last Tuesday, and lists ND as one of his Top 5 along with USC, OSU, Florida, and BC. I am ever the optimist that Brendan’s character will win out and he will choose between ND & BC, but I am in the minority on that opinion as most seem to think that this is a USC/Florida scrum. Beal will make his announcement on either October 12 or at the AAA game. BTW, Beal, not Sabino, was the subject of the false rumor started on ND Nation yesterday of an imminent LB commit.
6) Xavier Brewer- CB- Along with T.J. Bryant, Brewer is one of the elite CB’s in the nation who have both received an ND offer, and are also showing absolutely no interest in that offer.
7) T.J. Bryant- CB- See Xavier Brewer.
8) Art Forst- OL- Forst lists ND as one of his 3 favorites along with Florida & Rutgers, received a visit from CW last Tuesday, and also visited ND for the B&G game. However, IMO if ND had a real chance with Forst, he would have had more favorable things to say about ND after the B&G visit. Instead, he reiterated that Rutgers was still his leader. I do not see Forst at ND. I also don’t believe that Florida has a shot either because by all accounts Art is a deeply religious kid who will not fit in at the Swamp den of iniquity. Rutgers will most likely be Forst’s choice with possibly BC making a late charge. Forst is also expected to make a decision pretty soon. Two other notes on Forst. He did not perform particularly well at the Elite NJ combine last week, and he may make a decision before his stock drops on some of the recruiting boards. Secondly, I should point out that the day before Lane Clelland committed to ND, none other than the head guy at II had him going to Michigan, so I would not be upset if I am just as wrong about Forst as Jack was about Clelland.
9) Garrett Goebel- DT- Garrett received a visit from CW on 4/23, and an ND offer followed shortly thereafter. Many people expected an immediate commit from Garrett after he received the offer, but instead Goebel seemed to show more interest in his Big 10 offers. ND still has a shot here, but if Newman commits at the end of May, and Goebel does not commit shortly thereafter, I would not expect him to eventually end up at ND.
10) Cyrus Gray- RB- Cyrus is expecting a visit from CW today, and without a Texas offer, ND has a shot at recruiting him. Cyrus hopes to visit South Bend this summer. If he does not make that trip, he would appear to be a long shot for the Irish, and would then most likely end up at Texas A&M or Texas Tech.
11) Shayne Hale- LB- Not a chance, OSU bound unless the Cockwad or the Poodle can influence him.
12) Khaled Holmes- OL- Claims to be interested in ND. I am skeptical. It’s just a matter of when he commits to USC.
13) Omar Hunter- DT- On the surface, it would appear that Omar falls into the same category as Holmes, but I do not think that CW would have visited Big Omar last Wednesday if he felt that ND had no chance at all. He lists his Top 5 as Notre Dame, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and Michigan, with Michigan still in the lead, and expects to make his decision in September. Big Omar also broke his leg yesterday, I wonder where there they found enough plaster to make that size cast.
14) Josh Jenkins- OL- NEXT!!
15) Julio Jones- WR- May be the best Wide Receiver in the 2008 class, but has no interest in ND. NEXT!!
16) Kapron Lewis-Moore- DE- Another guy who may get a visit from CW this week, Lewis-Moore like Brandon Newman is another guy who is not that highly rated by the recruiting boards, but has received a lot of attention from the ND coaching staff. Kapron would also like to make an Official Visit to ND, and if he does, he could very well end up at ND as the Irish continue to have the best shot of any school outside of Texas at recruiting Lewis-Moore. Lewis-Moore also does not hold an offer from the University of Texas.
17) Kyle Long- OL- Long is apparently going to FSU, and is just as likely to play baseball as football. I have to believe that Howie must have stayed completely out of this decision.
18) Sam McGuffie- RB- McGuffie has a Top 13? Are you kidding me! Somewhat surprisingly ND is actually on the list. I won’t list all of the schools, but can anybody say “posturing”. OSU never did offer him and is not on his “Lucky 13”, so I guess Sam has given up on his dream of playing with his buddy J.B.
19) Brandon Moore- TE- Like Ayles, no spot on the roster, even if Brandon continues to express interest. Moore is probably hoping for an offer from OSU, which he is likely to accept. Otherwise, Georgia, Michigan, and Miami seem to be his favorites.
20) Martavious Odoms- WR- A tough and very quick little WR, Odoms continues to show interest in ND as the Irish were one of the first major programs to offer him. Even today, he mentions ND as the only offer he is certain of. All that being said, it will be very difficult to get Odoms out of Florida, and ND is focusing more on Floyd & Butler anyway.
21) Matt Patchan- OL- Received a visit from CW last week, Patchan is the quickest and possibly the best OL in the 2008 recruiting class. Matt has consistently had nothing but good things to say about ND. He tried to make it for the ND Junior Day in March, but had flight problems. Another potential early enrollee, the Irish need to have Patchan visit campus this summer to have any chance at all. Miami & Florida are way out in front on Patchan, but the Irish are still trying.
22) Terrelle Pryor- ATH- Pryor is generally considered to be one of the Top 10 recruits in the class of 2008, but he wants to play QB in college. NEXT!!
23) Darrell Scott- RB- ND did not make Scott’s Top 10 cut, so there will be no “Great Scott” in ND’s immediate future. NEXT!!
24) Andrew Sweat- LB- Sweat is now planning on making his decision after the end of this month. By all recent accounts his favorites are ND, OSU, & PSU. Interestingly enough both OSU & PSU message board fanatics consider Sweat to be a lock for their respective schools, while virtually no one on the ND message boards take Sweat seriously as a possible ND recruit. Given the roller coaster recruiting trip that Andrew has taken, maybe he will pull a June surprise and pick the Irish. Uh, no I don’t think so. My guess is PSU ends up as the choice.
25) Ryan Williams- RB- Last but not least, Ryan Williams is probably the best pure Running Back with an ND offer who has not already eliminated the Irish as a possibility. However, there is so little information available on Ryan that it is also hard to tell whether he even has any interest in ND. On the positive side, Tennessee is the only other truly elite program outside of ND and VT to offer Ryan, so ND should definitely have an opportunity here, especially if they can get him to make a campus visit.
So, in summary 40 uncommitted offers for maybe 10 slots, and by my count 27 of the 40 are all still possibilities in varying degrees of being potential ND commits. The 13 that I have excluded are Alexander, Ayles, Brewer, Bryant, Hale, Holmes, Jenkins, Jones, Long, McGuffie, Moore, Pryor, and Scott.
Please add to this thread your thoughts, comments, disagreements, and any additional information you may have.
Tell the truth, did anybody actually read the whole thing?
