Vanderdoes Having Second Thoughts? Let the Speculation Begin

May 21, 2013 | By: NDtex

Well, this is definitely one post that I did not want to write. Not just because the rumors of potentially losing five-star defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, but also watching my neighbors to the north get devastated by a tornado. Forgive the quick aside, but I couldn’t possibly write this in good conscience without mentioning this. If you are able, the Red Cross is a great way to send aid as is donating blood — there are loads of people that will need the help.

Now, with that all being said (and hopefully a bit of perspective given), let’s dig into the latest with Eddie Vanderdoes.

Most of what we have are loads of rumors and nothing concrete. Here’s is a list of everything that flew around most websites today in discussion of said rumors:

  • Major academic issues that would keep Vanderdoes from enrolling
  • Minor academic issue that would be settled
  • ND admissions dropped the ball
  • Vanderdoes had a change of heart
  • Vanderdoes had a strained relationship with the coaching staff
  • There have been issues for months that have yet to be settled
  • Vanderdoes expected to try and go to UCLA

All of the above possibilities came from just about all corners of the internet. Pick your favorite ND message board, recruiting site, or Twitter and you’ll find all of them mentioned there.

The only thing that is for certain is that no one seems to want to make any declarative statement one way or the other right now. Everyone, even those media members that are rather well connected, are waiting for Vanderdoes to break his silence and clear the air.

The only other thing that we know for certain is that, if Vanderdoes doesn’t go to ND, he finds himself in quite the bind. He has already signed his Letter of Intent and that is a binding contract for one year. Notre Dame would have to grant Eddie a release from this contract in order for him to attend another school. Otherwise, he will have to sit out for a year.

Notre Dame now finds themselves in a similar situation as Florida State, who are having some five-star issues of their own right now. Granting a release from a LOI simply because a student athlete changes their mind appears to be a rather dangerous precedent. We are already in an era in which a “commitment” can mean very little and if that extends to LOIs, signing day itself becomes rather meaningless as well.

And, with words I never thought I’d type, I”m definitely of the same mindset of Florida State in this matter. You can’t tear up LOIs based on what amounts to buyer’s remorse.

To add another layer to this story, late last night, Joe Davidson of the SacBee, and the man that emceed Vanderdoes’ signing day ceremony, took to Twitter to give his take as well as statements from the family and Eddie’s coaches.

This was really the first bit of information that came directly from anyone in the Vanderdoes camp, but then Davidson followed up with this tweet taking everything in a completely different direction:

It is quite strange to me that, of all things, Davidson decided to toss that post and ND gaffe back out into the spotlight as all eyes turn to him as a reliable source on this issue. Soon after, Davidson released his post on the matter and yet again, the signing day issue makes a prominent appearance:

Still, there was a snag with Notre Dame seemingly from the start with how the school handled his scholarship commitment. The Vanderdoes family made it clear that they wanted Notre Dame to keep his decision mum to the media so he could enjoy a letter-of-intent signing ceremony later in the afternoon with several classmates who also signed scholarship deals. Most announcements are made early in the morning as colleges prefer to have signed letters as soon as they’re allowed by the NCAA to receive them.

Notre Dame blew that seemingly simple request when Vanderdoes’ name was in fact listed on the morning letter-of-intent announcement released to the media. His name was immediately taken off the sheet, but the secret was already out and hit the national feeds right away.

It seems rather strange that a good portion of Davidson’s post is devoted to what we all thought ended up being a non-issue. Egg on our face for sure, but supposedly a non-issue.

Even stranger, the signing day “issues” followed this rather interesting quote:

As for grades, [Eddie's coach, Joey] Montoya[,] said Vanderdoes is fine academically, “for Placer and the NCAA, he is for sure.”

What about Notre Dame? Was there some misunderstanding of academic expectations by either party somewhere along the line that caused a snag? The omission appears glaring and definitely seems to be something that Montoya would have added in defense of his star player.

There definitely appears to be quite a bit to the story and it also appears that the Vanderdoes family is using Davidson as something of PR in this situation. Earlier in the post, Eddie’s father stated:

He added in the text, “let people speculate, but you will be the first to know, as always, when it’s time to let people know.”

And later on Twitter, Davidson also had this to add in response to an Irish fan:

Throughout the night he also made sure to tweet his article to many different media entities as well. Again, it all looked more like PR than anything else.

And honestly, I don’t really know if I can blame anyone for adopting that strategy at this point. Smoke appeared this morning and turned into a raging fire. That fire had to be put out and certain rumors needed to be put to rest. After all, if I’m Eddie’s father, and I know he’s a good kid and see nothing wrong with his grades, you bet your ass I’m texting the reporter I trust the most to get my side of the story out there. After all, Eddie has a future at stake here.

Despite that, I am still a bit soured by the repeated mention of Eddie’s name being leaked early by ND. It’s almost like the genesis of a narrative is forming: Eddie already had trust broken by ND with the leak, ND failed to repair it, and then the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back fell in place. I’m hoping that it this is simply a preemptive step in case things go sour; however, considering how I’m used to the other shoe dropping, I’m definitely ready to find out this is the groundwork for a nasty breakup.

Either way, no matter how the dominoes fall, I definitely hope all ND fans can do four things:

  1. Leave Eddie alone on Twitter.
  2. Seriously, leave Eddie alone on Twitter.
  3. Remember that very little of what we hear, until it is direct from Eddie, his family, or ND, will be actual facts (yes, that includes most of what I wrote in here as well).
  4. Losing Eddie would sting, but remember, we still have a badass class (and more five-stars) in this recruiting class.

I still remain hopeful that whatever has happened between Vanderdoes and Notre Dame can be reconciled, but I would be lying if I said I was completely optimistic about the situation. Signs thus far all seem to be pointing to bad news for Irish fans.

Here’s hoping I’m dead wrong.

Can We Take a Moment to Appreciate the BIG BOYS Coming to ND?

May 20, 2013 | By: The Biscuit

Seriously folks. Just think about this a moment. Reflect back on the linemen, on both sides of the ball that have been coming to Notre Dame recently, and who are committing every day. This is a WILD swing, in a wildly positive direction for the Irish. AND HALLE-FREAKING-LUJAH!

There was a time, not too long ago, that Notre Dame couldn’t recruit the big guys anymore, most especially on the defensive side of the ball. This happened during Ty and was reinforced during Chaz. Yeah, the OL was decently talented but under-developed, and there wasn’t a coordinated focus on the trenches, and more often than not ND was whiffing on the top guys.

But B to the K came in with a plan to build the team from the inside out, and it is FREAKING WORKING. To wit, let’s take a look at the last O-line and D-line to take the field for Chaz, and compare that to what ND is projecting for next season:

CHAZ’S OLINE
Matt Romine 4-Star, #12 OG
Eric Olsen 4-Star, #49 OL
Dan Wenger 4-Star, #20 OL
Trevor Robinson 4-Star, #6 OG
Sam Young 5-Star, #2 OL

BK’S OLINE
Zack Martin 3-Star, #24 OT
Christian Lombard 4-Star, #2 OG
Nick Martin 3-Star, #39 OT
Chris Watt 5-Star, #1 OG
Connor Hanratty 3-Star, #31 OT

And the D…

CHAZ’S D-LINE
Morrice Richardson 3-Star, #64 DE
Ian Williams 3-Star, #36 DT
Ethan Johnson 5-Star, #4 DE

BK’S D-LINE
Sheldon Day 5-Star, #6 DT
Louis Nix 4-Star, #9 DT
Stephon Tuitt 5-Star, #10 DE

Without a doubt, there’s been a talent upgrade along the Defensive Line. And this isn’t even getting into the much improved depth at virtually every position. Add on top of this some amazing player development under The Diaco and this is really something to appreciate in the BK era. Big guys that can play. It’s a thing of beauty! The LB recruiting is equally impressive, which is icing on this big guy cake.

Along the OL, the strides taken in talent are harder to see, as the recruiting fruits haven’t quite come to bear (yet). While position rankings are similar, it’s a slightly lower-rated crew based on stars. But coaching and player development is there, and if you take the incoming frosh + the current class being assembled, ND is adding EIGHT 4-Stars + One 3-Star, with all fitting the profile that BK and crew look for in the big guys up front. So this is more of a work in progress, but it’s getting there.

ND is back on track to being a perennial powerhouse, and it’s starting in the trenches. And it is WORKING!

Go Irish, KILL EVERYBODY!

ps – Sorry for being MIA for a while. Hoping to be back more regularly!

Friday Roundup: The “Horribly Delayed” Edition

May 17, 2013 | By: NDtex

Better late than never…or something…right?

Anyways, this week has been rather brutal. Thankfully I got some time to unwind at last night’s Rangers game, but once I returned I too damn sleepy to think of anything to write. I made an executive decision to punt the Roundup to this evening, likely making Biscuit’s head explode that I put baseball as a higher priority than football writings.

Either way, the delay actually gave me something to write in this intro which is the delay itself. Writer’s block solved, I guess.

Oh well, you’re here for the links and beer anyways right? Let’s get to it.

The Roundup

This might be the most Southern Cal thing ever. Dr. Dre has made a donation to Southern Cal. For Academics. Seriously. Making this even more hilarious is the juxtaposition of this news release the very next day.

Johnny Baseball? So here’s one advantage to delaying the Roundup. I am able to include Johnny Manziel’s antics from the Padres game last night, including his recreation of his Alabama game-winning pass.

It’s nice when stats work out in your favor. Check out this preview from one of the minds at Football Outsiders. Spoiler Alert: Notre Dame is still damn good.

USF is apparently excited about Aaron Lynch. However, I’d be slightly concerned with his weight loss not working out during his year off if I were them. But, hey, hopefully the attitude change his coach sees is true because the kid has loads of talent that shouldn’t be wasted.

A look into the college football future. I don’t know about y’all, but all I read in this piece was that ND makes a lot of title games.

And now, your moment of STOP USING PHOTOSHOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. This week’s entry, Preston Pehrson of Georgia Tech.

The Beer

Before we start, I’d like to make a quick note about this section. Mostly because Slate wrote something mind-numbingly dumb on the topic.

You see, I’m not trying to “beer snob” it up in this section. Nor am I picking beers because OMG HOPS Y’ALL. I’m more in line with several of the opinions noted here.

Those that have read a fair share of Roundups know that I have suggested some “mainstream” beers either tongue-in-cheek or simply because I was in the mood to that week. My whole goal here is to either:

  • Be funny (rare)
  • Share a good beer I’ve discovered/liked/consumed liberally
  • Ask readers for beer suggestions

Because quite frankly beer is good and expanding horizons on said beverage is equally awesome. It’s really hard to go wrong here.

With all that being said, this week I am making good on my promise to go back into the craft beers. Hilariously enough, I had planned on “easing” back into it with a rather simple local lager before I even read the Slate insanity.

That brew would be Rahr’s Blonde Lager from Ft. Worth, Texas.

Admittedly, the distribution is quite limited (but I’m sure you can find similar in the same style), but if you are ever in DFW or at a Rangers game you’ll be able to find this rather easily.

Yes, my baseball team actually serves legit local craft beer (looking at you, Yankees).

Good Fridays w/Padre: Loose Change

May 17, 2013 | By: Father Sorin

This weekend, Notre Dame Seniors will enter the Stadium where they never saw their team lose this season.  But they won’t be cheering for just another football victory.  They’ll be cheering for a far more important victory – their own graduation.  Keep in mind: football is a nice touch, but our whole purpose here is the education that culminates in graduation.  And that’s why more of our football players graduate here than anywhere else (and by “more” I mean very nearly every single one of them).  So it is fitting that victory be laid on top of victory by conferring degrees in the 360 degree arena of triumph known as Notre Dame Stadium…until they change it…again.

I know change doesn’t go down well here.  It never has.  But somewhere there seems to be written a list of things that can never change because of that equally elusive value called tradition.  I will now shatter a few ill-conceived, though perhaps cherished, notions about change and tradition with respect to things on this campus.  Shall we start at the beginning – yes, we shall.

HLS EFS CSC Original Main

My Log Cabin.  These days, that ramshackle old hovel where I sheltered from the blinding (literally) winter of 1842, is reverently called the Log Chapel.  Sure, we made it a chapel, after we built a suitable, modern building.  Believe me, there’s nothing that can’t be turned into a chapel, and no building is complete without one.  But the cabin was not my creation; it came with the property…and there was a reason Steve Badin was only too happy to be rid of all of it.  So every time you genuflect going by the cabin-chapel, remember that it’s an outbuilding I moved out of as soon as I could.  Oh, and it’s not real.  The original Log Cabin burned down, just like so many things here.  What you’re looking at is a replica.

My Old College.  That’s what it’s called now.  When I built it is was just The College, whole, entire, and complete.  It was basic, utilitarian, and constructed with absolutely no eye toward architectural beauty.  And it shows.  It probably should have been torn down at some point for the sake of reusing the bricks in something better.  But it’s built like a brick sh outhouse, so there was no sense in getting rid of a perfectly serviceable building.  Still, I’m sure the lads who live in it now would agree with the outhouse analogy on more levels than one.  Its floors slope at various angles in every direction; the doorways are low and trapezoidal; and it creaks and groans like a tramp steamer hung up on a rocky shoal.  Yes, our little carbuncle called Old College is what Notre Dame originally looked like.  How do you feel about change now?

My Sacred Heart.  Well, it’s Jesus’ Sacred Heart, but my church.  Again, not the original.  Check the cornerstone – it says 1871.  Did you think I had no church between 1842 and 1871?  And the Lady Chapel is an addition.  When The BVM says She wants a place of Her own, you build it, even if you have to add it onto the back.

HLS EFS CSC Original Sorin

My Main Building.  Everyone knows it’s not the original.  It’s actually the third.  Like it?  Most people do.  But it didn’t come with a Dome.  That wasn’t added until three years later.  And it wasn’t Golden until three years after that.  Again, when The BVM says She wants a giant gold footstool, you do it.  Remember, too, that the Main Building was offices, classrooms, dining hall, and dormitories all in one.  Change is a blessed thing when you can move a horde of raucous and pungent college lads out of your office.  Which brings me to…

My Hall.  The luxuries I gave my lads!  A standalone dormitory with private rooms!  I had already given them electric lights – first college in the country using that exciting modern science (really, I’d do anything to get away from open flames).  But My Hall, which now thinks it’s a college…fine…does not appear in its original form.  The wings are later additions so we could pack more bodies in there.  And the porch came even later than that.  The porch was built onto the front to prevent the lads from dumping buckets of water out the upper windows and onto unsuspecting victims entering through the main doors.  No joke.

The list could go on; but let’s focus on the thing at hand – the Stadium.  Built in a rush (as so many of our building have been) it was elegant in its own way.  But just ask my esteemed successor Ted Hesburgh and he’ll tell you the Stadium was unpopular just 30 years after its opening, by which time it was considered antiquated, undersized, and crude.  Ted considered demolition and reconstruction (a fire is much cheaper), but he had priorities: First a Library, and then Ned Joyce’s sports big-top.  So the Stadium survived until it was encased in a concrete shell that can never be called elegant in any way.

Onto the Stadium we now want to add offices, classrooms, dining facilities, and something called “luxury boxes” which is precisely what I called the private sleeping rooms in Sorin Hall when we built that.  So it will be just like the Main Building was originally.  We are returning to tradition!  But traditionalists aren’t happy because at Notre Dame there is a pervasive confusion between “custom” and “tradition.”HLS EFS CSC old stadium

Custom is the way things are generally done, and have been done for a while.  Tradition is a collection of customs that have been handed on from generation to generation and age to age, so that they have become freighted with deep, symbolic meaning.  Customs change; traditions endure.  Anything that changes over time is, therefore, a custom.  Something that has never changed is a tradition.  And there are no such things as new or recent traditions – unless you’re talking about oxymorons.

Furthermore, we’re talking about THINGS here.  Buildings are things, and things cannot be traditions.  They can be old or beautiful or relatively unchanged for many years.  But they’re still just things, and we do not place inordinate value in things.  I was upset when my second Main Building burned – but I built a better one.  And then I installed electricity.  And recently, they entirely rebuilt the interior.  That sort of change is called progress.  This place started with someone else’s log cabin – but look at it now!  Since it’s summer, we’re going to build even more buildings that I never thought of.  So I suppose you could say it’s a custom at Notre Dame to preserve its older buildings; but one of our most cherished traditions is progress.

HLS EFS CSC Old Graduation

Do what you want to the Stadium.  It was already changed once.  And it’s just a thing.  Victory is a tradition.  We have preserved that tradition on Cartier Field and in Rockne’s original and into the current Stadium-within-a-stadium.  But the greater victory, the tradition of graduation, we have preserved even longer…on the Main Quadrangle, in Washington Hall, in the Fieldhouse now gone, in the Stadium, on the South Quadrangle, in the Joyce Center, and back in the Stadium again.  The location is just a custom; the graduation is a tradition – and a glorious achievement.  Congratulations, Seniors!  And be prepared: Notre Dame will have changed by the time you come back.  It always does.

EFS CSC

Recruiting: Where do we stand?

May 16, 2013 | By: RiverParkSeer

We’ve had a few recent commitments, with the additions of Quenton Nelson, Elijah Hood, Nic Weishar, and Sam Mustipher in recent weeks.

So let’s see how this class is doing compared to last years class at the same time. Needs for each year are different. Scholarship numbers change; however, by looking at the quantity and quality of the recruits we can get a better idea of how this class is shaping up.

So in May of 2012 where did we stand?

Well we had 12 verbal commitments. Eight 4 star recruits, and four 3 star recruits. We hit the Offensive side of the ball early, in particular the line. Five of twelve were OL, with two more being TEs. Our lone QB, 2 WRs round out the offensive side of these recruits. The only defensive recruits were a pair of defensive backs.

With the offensive line and defensive backfield being the primary concerns in 2012 most of the holes were filled early.

12 commits with a 3.67 star average, 10 Offensive, 2 Defensive.

What does May of 2013 look like?

We’ve got 9 verbal commitments. One is a 5 star recruit, five are 4 stars and three 3 stars. Again, it seems offensive early and often with a target on the line. Three lineman, a TE, RB, and a WR. Only three defensive prospects, a LB as well as two very welcome additions to our burgeoning stock of elite defensive lineman.

This year we had less holes to fill than in 2012, and no real area that is a glaring need. The areas of need include TE, OL, and maybe DL if you had to choose them. The needs again seemed to have been addressed early.

9 commits with a 3.78 star average. 6 Offensive, 3 Defensive.

There are some interesting similarities to these classes. 2012′s class ended up with 24 players, meaning half of the players were already in the fold at this time. Due to scholarship restrictions I believe this next class of 2013 may only have around 18 players, and maybe less depending on who leaves or stays with the program for various reasons. So it seems the target for the staff is to be half way home in May.

Both classes went after the offensive side of the ball early, in particular the lineman. A deep, experienced line that keeps reloading is the hallmark of a great program. This is true on both sides of the ball. It seems that this staff understands that and has addressed lack of depth on the offensive lines the past two recruiting cycles as early as possible. While in 2012 we didn’t have much on the defensive line early, we already have 2 commits for 2013. It looks like the area of emphasis early in cycles for this staff is the line, and I for one wholeheartedly support this, as games are won and lost in the trenches. (see-all of last year)

2012′s IrishMob13 demonstrated what I’d call the most visual impact of the “twitter era” on recruiting I’ve seen. I’m not sure if the coaches had much to do with this (they may have after the Tee Shepard/Deontay Greenberry debacle) but the way the previous class stuck together, as well as recruited each other seemed to be unique. As communication has become easier, it is interesting to see how this impacts recruiting. Maybe this has gone on to this extent before, only it was next to impossible to see unless you were in the all star camps.

This year’s “GoldenArmy14″  is beginning to do the same. As mentioned by Keith Arnold over at Inside the Irish Elijah Hood in particular has begun to recruit. This is a good sign about the strength of his commitment as well as the ability of the staff to sell a recruit. After a few de-commitments and transfers of elite prospects in early years, the coaches seemed to have reined in all of those issues.  When you convince a recruit to not only commit, but to preach his convictions to other elite kids making the same type of decision then you are doing something very well.

Last year’s recruiting class was one of the best in the country. In recent recruiting history we’ve had trouble, or been perceived to have trouble landing big defensive difference making recruits. That idea has been slowly laid to rest after we’ve consistently grabbed top tier defensive recruits, with last years class of Jaylon Smith, Max Redfield, and Eddie Vanderdoes perhaps being the most star studded defensively in a very long time.

So where do we stand? I’d say with respect to last year we stand in about exactly the same place, with slightly better talent. However, this year we’ve got less holes to fill. As we move forward in this cycle it will be interesting to see not only how many recruits we get, but the overall quality. I believe if we do well we will see an equally or more impressive class than last year. We may also strike out going after elite talent and not fill up the class. The way things have been going leads me to believe the former is more likely.

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