Following Notre Dame recruiting is a rather interesting exercise for me. I can’t really report on it or even comment on any specific recruit publicly until they sign thanks to some wonderful NCAA regulations. So, more often than not, really don’t invest too much time into it. Well, a more accurate description is that finding the time to keep track of all the recruiting drama isn’t high on my list of priorities.
Still though, regardless of how much or how little time I devote into keeping abreast of Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts, Signing Day is still one of my favorite days to take in.
It’s a day of unparalleled optimism, especially these days. Regardless of hits or misses or eventual “how in the hell did he get out of his NLI” moments, you really have to try pretty hard to be upset these days when classes are ranking in or around the top ten.
Plus, now that FIDM has WatchND running in full swing (and even their own app), we get treated to wonderful footage of the newest members of the Fighting Irish being men among boys and dominating their high school opponents. It’s near impossible to not get caught up in the hype and start to imagine the great futures that they could have wearing the blue and gold.
In short, it’s the one day in which anything is possible. Notre Dame and the recruits that they just signed will never be better. Optimism through the blue & gold glasses runs wild.
It’s a wonderful change of pace from our usual practice of deconstructing just about every aspect of ND football that we can. And I welcome it every year.
The Roundup
Kudos for the Michigan student paper for breaking the Gibbons story. Your reward? Being banned from a press conference.
Hoke wants you to know that he’s in charge. You know, in the same way that Jason Garrett runs the Cowboys.
With all the over-signing in the SEC, it’s good to see this for a change. Texas A&M took a kid’s commitment, kid can never play football again, kid still gets his full ride. Now, here’s hoping it remains that way for four years, Aggies.
So, I guess ND pays their assistant coaches pretty well. Chuck Martin took a paycut to land his head coaching gig.
Wonder why I can’t ever tweet about recruiting? I’m held to the same NCAA rules that this SB Trib piece discusses.
Wrestling and football are colliding again. Daniel Bryan is taking over the world. I welcome my bearded overlord.
And now your moment of zen…
Cherish the moment, boys. Still have my letter when I signed. #Classofdidntsign pic.twitter.com/elRaETrI5b
— Notre Dame Walk Ons (@WOPUnation) February 5, 2014
The Booze
So this weekend, tomorrow specifically, is my birthday. On my birthday, I enjoy drinking. A lot.
I love my whiskey, but as I have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate a good bourbon or scotch and not rail swill. However, killing most of a bottle of that isn’t a wise financial decision nor really a wise one for actually enjoying said fine liquor.
So therefore, I go with a middle ground of Crown Royal. Delicious, easy to mix, and something that you can realistically get someone to buy you as a birthday drink.
Oh, and just in case he happens to read this, my best man will likely try to convince you my favorite birthday drink is a liquid cocaine shot. Do not listen to this man. He is lying to you.
Texan by birth, Irish by choice.
First-generation Domer and a former student manager, HLS podcast host, HLS Sim creator, Extra Life streamer, and technical problem haver. You can find more non-Notre Dame related writing on his Patreon.
- Epilogue - January 3, 2022
- HLS Podcast Finale - January 2, 2022
- The Final Fiesta: Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State NCAA ’14 Sim - December 31, 2021
Does anyone know how TN was able to sign 32 players? Did that many enroll early or what?
Yep. A lot of early enrollees.