Fighting the glare of a Golden Dome
Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter December 18, 2005
A 6-5, 225-pound junior defensive end at a Catholic high school in Ohio, Ben Martin is a player made to sack the quarterback and inflame recruiting battles.
At the top of his list of potential colleges are Ohio State and Notre Dame, and the Cincinnati LaSalle star already has scholarship offers in hand from both schools.
That Martin hasn't already given his heart to the Buckeyes illustrates the far-reaching consequences of Notre Dame's revival this season. First-year coach Charlie Weis, Super Bowl ring on his hand, has pushed the Irish's aggression and aspirations on the recruiting trail to heights not seen since Lou Holtz left after the 1996 season.
Especially for players at Catholic schools in the Midwest, 9-2 Notre Dame has added cache to its mystique.
"I think it's one more feather in an already pretty good-looking hat when you have a guy like Charlie," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
The consequences for Ohio State go beyond the Jan. 2 matchup in the Fiesta Bowl. Tressel said Ohio State and Notre Dame didn't go head-to-head on many recruits this season. But down the road, Ohio State's efforts to lock down the state's best players just got more difficult.
"If you're Michigan or Ohio State, there's lot of kids that are on the Notre Dame commitment list from the Midwest that traditionally would have ended up at your school," said Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for rivals.com. "No doubt in my mind it has caused a ripple effect. A lot of kids are giving Notre Dame a much stronger look now that Notre Dame is back on track. If you're a good player, Charlie Weis is going to be knocking on your door."
Notre Dame has received 24 commitments so far this season, and rivals.com ranks its class third in the nation at this point, behind Texas and Florida. Ohio State, with nine commitments so far, is ranked 18th.
"Recruiting has gone well for a lot of reasons," Weis said. "Number one, our aggressive approach right from the start. Number two, us getting out here and representing Notre Dame. I don't believe we are salesmen; we represent Notre Dame. Lastly, for the top players at least, the jury was out on whether we were going to back up what we said. To finish up 9-2 kind of erased some of the indecision."
St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle saw the new Notre Dame up close. He has four former players on Ohio State's roster, including receiver Anthony Gonzalez, and none with the Irish. But two of his current seniors, receiver Robby Parris and defensive end John Ryan, are headed to South Bend next season, the direct result of the new Weis approach.
"They got out earlier than Notre Dame used to," Kyle said. "I'm not knocking Notre Dame in years past, but they would delay and wait. When Charlie Weis got the job, they went right out there."
Neither Ryan nor Parris were offered scholarships by Ohio State. Ryan went first to the Irish, with Parris joining him after pondering a late offer from Michigan. Kyle thinks Notre Dame is going to concentrate on dominating the Midwest in years to come, and expects Ohio State, Michigan and the Irish to be battling for the Midwest's best, a fight from which the Irish had faded.
"They have not been a monster on the recruiting trail, and that's one of the most underrated reasons why Tyrone Willingham is not here anymore," Lou Somogyi, associate editor of the Notre Dame magazine Blue & Gold Illustrated, said of Weis' predecessor, who was fired. "The recruiting had really been going downhill the last couple years."
Yet even Willingham saw how much on-field success adds to the attractiveness of any team, even Notre Dame. The current junior class, including quarterback Brady Quinn from Dublin Coffman, receiver Jeff Samardzija and safety Tom Zbikowski, was a top-10 group, wooed by Willingham's inaugural 10-3 year.
But when things aren't going well, even the Golden Dome loses its shine. Many current Buckeyes were recruited by Notre Dame, including safeties Nate Salley and Donte Whitner and center Nick Mangold. From a Catholic high school in Florida, Salley played four years in a gold helmet, but was put off by the coaching uncertainty that occurred before Willingham was hired.
"It reminded me of my school, but it just didn't work out," Salley said. "With them winning now, and their coaches, they've got things rolling."
Not that Ohio State will be left with an empty cupboard. The Buckeyes have more recruits still in play, and have secured top in-state players in Akron Garfield running back Chris Wells, Cincinnati Colerain linebacker Tyler Moeller and lineman Connor Smith, and Coldwater linebacker Ross Homan.
"Jim is a wonderful friend," Kyle said of Tressel. "This isn't some feeling that Ohio State has lost something with Ignatius. If Notre Dame and Ohio State recruit a kid, he has two great choices."
That's what LaSalle's Ben Martin will face. His head coach, Tom Grippa, is an Ohio State fan who sent many players to the Buckeyes while coaching at Cincinnati Elder. LaSalle's team doctor, Bob Burger, and offensive line coach Tom Burger are former Notre Dame players, from a day when southwest Ohio was a Notre Dame breeding ground.
Martin had a great seat for the Notre Dame-USC game during a visit, and another great view for the Ohio State-Texas game. Whether he ends up in Columbus or South Bend, Grippa thinks Martin will play for a national title during his career.
With Notre Dame back in that national title mix, Ohio State will have to work just that much harder to stay there. Even for high school kids not wearing gold helmets, the shine is back on the Irish.
"Notre Dame is going to cut into Ohio State in this part of the state," Grippa said. "When Notre Dame jumps into recruiting kids, sometimes they go from the bottom of the list to the top of the list because of tradition. And now Charlie Weis adds a totally new level."
Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter December 18, 2005
A 6-5, 225-pound junior defensive end at a Catholic high school in Ohio, Ben Martin is a player made to sack the quarterback and inflame recruiting battles.
At the top of his list of potential colleges are Ohio State and Notre Dame, and the Cincinnati LaSalle star already has scholarship offers in hand from both schools.
That Martin hasn't already given his heart to the Buckeyes illustrates the far-reaching consequences of Notre Dame's revival this season. First-year coach Charlie Weis, Super Bowl ring on his hand, has pushed the Irish's aggression and aspirations on the recruiting trail to heights not seen since Lou Holtz left after the 1996 season.
Especially for players at Catholic schools in the Midwest, 9-2 Notre Dame has added cache to its mystique.
"I think it's one more feather in an already pretty good-looking hat when you have a guy like Charlie," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
The consequences for Ohio State go beyond the Jan. 2 matchup in the Fiesta Bowl. Tressel said Ohio State and Notre Dame didn't go head-to-head on many recruits this season. But down the road, Ohio State's efforts to lock down the state's best players just got more difficult.
"If you're Michigan or Ohio State, there's lot of kids that are on the Notre Dame commitment list from the Midwest that traditionally would have ended up at your school," said Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for rivals.com. "No doubt in my mind it has caused a ripple effect. A lot of kids are giving Notre Dame a much stronger look now that Notre Dame is back on track. If you're a good player, Charlie Weis is going to be knocking on your door."
Notre Dame has received 24 commitments so far this season, and rivals.com ranks its class third in the nation at this point, behind Texas and Florida. Ohio State, with nine commitments so far, is ranked 18th.
"Recruiting has gone well for a lot of reasons," Weis said. "Number one, our aggressive approach right from the start. Number two, us getting out here and representing Notre Dame. I don't believe we are salesmen; we represent Notre Dame. Lastly, for the top players at least, the jury was out on whether we were going to back up what we said. To finish up 9-2 kind of erased some of the indecision."
St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle saw the new Notre Dame up close. He has four former players on Ohio State's roster, including receiver Anthony Gonzalez, and none with the Irish. But two of his current seniors, receiver Robby Parris and defensive end John Ryan, are headed to South Bend next season, the direct result of the new Weis approach.
"They got out earlier than Notre Dame used to," Kyle said. "I'm not knocking Notre Dame in years past, but they would delay and wait. When Charlie Weis got the job, they went right out there."
Neither Ryan nor Parris were offered scholarships by Ohio State. Ryan went first to the Irish, with Parris joining him after pondering a late offer from Michigan. Kyle thinks Notre Dame is going to concentrate on dominating the Midwest in years to come, and expects Ohio State, Michigan and the Irish to be battling for the Midwest's best, a fight from which the Irish had faded.
"They have not been a monster on the recruiting trail, and that's one of the most underrated reasons why Tyrone Willingham is not here anymore," Lou Somogyi, associate editor of the Notre Dame magazine Blue & Gold Illustrated, said of Weis' predecessor, who was fired. "The recruiting had really been going downhill the last couple years."
Yet even Willingham saw how much on-field success adds to the attractiveness of any team, even Notre Dame. The current junior class, including quarterback Brady Quinn from Dublin Coffman, receiver Jeff Samardzija and safety Tom Zbikowski, was a top-10 group, wooed by Willingham's inaugural 10-3 year.
But when things aren't going well, even the Golden Dome loses its shine. Many current Buckeyes were recruited by Notre Dame, including safeties Nate Salley and Donte Whitner and center Nick Mangold. From a Catholic high school in Florida, Salley played four years in a gold helmet, but was put off by the coaching uncertainty that occurred before Willingham was hired.
"It reminded me of my school, but it just didn't work out," Salley said. "With them winning now, and their coaches, they've got things rolling."
Not that Ohio State will be left with an empty cupboard. The Buckeyes have more recruits still in play, and have secured top in-state players in Akron Garfield running back Chris Wells, Cincinnati Colerain linebacker Tyler Moeller and lineman Connor Smith, and Coldwater linebacker Ross Homan.
"Jim is a wonderful friend," Kyle said of Tressel. "This isn't some feeling that Ohio State has lost something with Ignatius. If Notre Dame and Ohio State recruit a kid, he has two great choices."
That's what LaSalle's Ben Martin will face. His head coach, Tom Grippa, is an Ohio State fan who sent many players to the Buckeyes while coaching at Cincinnati Elder. LaSalle's team doctor, Bob Burger, and offensive line coach Tom Burger are former Notre Dame players, from a day when southwest Ohio was a Notre Dame breeding ground.
Martin had a great seat for the Notre Dame-USC game during a visit, and another great view for the Ohio State-Texas game. Whether he ends up in Columbus or South Bend, Grippa thinks Martin will play for a national title during his career.
With Notre Dame back in that national title mix, Ohio State will have to work just that much harder to stay there. Even for high school kids not wearing gold helmets, the shine is back on the Irish.
"Notre Dame is going to cut into Ohio State in this part of the state," Grippa said. "When Notre Dame jumps into recruiting kids, sometimes they go from the bottom of the list to the top of the list because of tradition. And now Charlie Weis adds a totally new level."
