Here’s a little tidbit I pulled from the eTruth web site.
Notre Dame’s 0-2 start hasn’t caused second thoughts among the team’s current recruiting class, coach Charlie Weis said during his weekly press conference.
Weis said that when he’s talked to members of the high school class of 2008, he’s asked them jokingly if they’d be able to play this week against Michigan. But Weis said that when a team struggles, recruits see an opportunity to play right away.
“So if there is a silver lining in the recruiting aspect and you’re a young man who is already coming or thinking about coming and you just watched the game, you know, all these guys want to go to a school where they think they have an opportunity to play,” Weis said. “And I think that most of them, based on the evidence they have after the first two games would like their prospects.”
The recruits he’s spoken to since the start of the season have remained upbeat about Notre Dame’s long-term prospects.
“Actually, it’s been pretty positive,” Weis said of those conversations.
Playing sounds good to these guys.
Some folks are probably getting worried about recruits sticking to their verbals with Charlie and the Irish. I am cautiously optimistic on this front, though, for several reasons.
1 – Charlie’s strategy of going after “Notre Dame guys”. Many, if not all of our current class, have been guys that grew up loving the Irish, or have a strong love for the school/team/nation now. While not a guarantee, this will go a long way in keeping a player with the program.
2 – There are no soft verbals anymore, and I am sure Charlie is sticking to that. That means these guys gave C-dub their word, and it’s a strong verbal. Of course, nothing’s official until February, but I’m sure this plays a factor (at least mentally for the kid) in some way.
3 – Charlie most likely let these kids know that this program is on the rise, regardless of the results they may or may not see this Fall. While C-dub may be striketh deadeth if he uses the word rebuilding, I can guarantee that he read the writing on the wall a bit before this season began, and he likely intimated to these kids that things may not be as rosy in terms of results this year. Given experience/depth issues, and the tough schedule. And, just like the article says, that actually bodes well for a recruit. The message is ‘hey, we’re close, but we need you to come in and really turn the corner for us’. It means these guys will have a chance to play, play impactful roles, and play early.
Do I think we’ll hold onto every single committed recruit? Probably not. A lot of schools lose 1-2 guys late in the game because of this that or the other thing. (read: Urban Meyer poaching or a fear of leaving home) But last year’s mass defection is less likely in my eyes, despite the very, very rough start we’ve had this year. They’ll probably get ribbed a bit by their friends with any ND loss, but in the end these kids are buying into a program, not a season. They’re in it for the team, the coach, the academics, the school and above all…the future. Not the present.
Of course it will be a tough recruiting challenge if we can’t turn things around on the field, at least to a degree. But I have faith in Charlie to continue his success on the trail. And I have faith that these kids are the kind of kids that we want at ND, and that Charlie went after intentionally.
The kind that stick.
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Like peanut butter to the roof of the mouth.
Don't take me, yourself, or life so seriously. This is supposed to be fun.
Biscuit co-founded HerLoyalSons in partnership with his ND roommate (Dillon Hall baby!), MQ, in 2006 and has been ranting about ND Football and everything Notre Dame since. He strongly believes in the mission of ND and its football program. Biscuit expects logic and data in arguments and will absolutely crush you if you come to a debate missing one or the other. He despises everything Michigan, and his favorite pastime is mocking Purdue.
- (Re)Introducing: DANCING LEPRECHAUNS - August 29, 2019
- Ticket Auction: ND vs USC - August 22, 2019
- No Respect! - December 14, 2018
