He grew up a Notre Dame fan his entire life. Naturally, he was committed to Michigan. This quarterback didn't even get a phone call from the Irish. Worse, his teammate and favorite receiver was getting the attention and the offer that he desired. Thankfully, that teammate's father figured Notre Dame was missing out on something and suggested to the head coach that Notre Dame should take a look at this quarterback. When all was said and done, Brady Quinn decommitted from Michigan and signed ...
Recruiting
The Blue Chip Ratio Revisited: Conference Data versus Schedule Data
Last week in this space we examined how a hypothetical “conference” containing Notre Dame compared to the five major football conferences on the strength of their recruiting. Now this conference was nothing more than Notre Dame’s opponents the past four years (minus the schools from non-AQ conferences + plus ND). A number of you gracious readers pointed out that the power conferences playing in divisions with a championship game don’t play the same conference schedule, e.g. Florida and Georgia ...
UPDATE: “Conference Notre Dame” is Popular Destination for Nation’s Top Recruits
(This post has been updated to include important data. See below.) Notre Dame is swimming in blue chips. How well do our opponents recruit? With National Signing Day now in the rear view mirror, we can see Coach Kelly and company have put together another strong class. This group not only passes the eyeball test but its reflected in the rankings of the various national recruiting sites. The ever helpful folks at 247 Sports assembled composite ratings from all the major recruiting sites and ND ...
Snap Judgment: Signing Day 2014
National Signing Day 2014 is in the books for the Irish, the Golden Army, and it its twenty-three commitments. For those of you who read my stuff (hi dad!), you know that my take on recruiting and signing day is a touch jaundiced. I'm not going to get really excited, one way or the other, until these kids show up on campus and put on the pads. And if you watched Coach Kelly's press conference this afternoon, you know that he recruited this class with August, graduation and the NFL in mind. In ...
Peep this Relevance: USC Recruit Punches Opponent, Notre Dame Implicated
As Notre Dame continues to recruit and haul the best from the "isn't that so-and-so's kid?" end of the pool, things like this are bound to happen, but today's news out of California provides an interesting example of what happens when blatant bias against the Irish intersects with celebutante news. Cordell Broadus, son of Snoop Lion a/k/a Snoop Dogg, and four-star wide receiver recruit, is among several players suspended for a fight that occurred during a game between Diamond Ranch and ...
Vanderdoes Having Second Thoughts? Let the Speculation Begin
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 ...
Can We Take a Moment to Appreciate the BIG BOYS Coming to ND?
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 ...
Recruiting: Where do we stand?
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. ...
Now 6 in 2014 Recruiting Class
On Monday Sam Mustipher made himself the 6th member of the 2014 recruiting class. One of the better additions to the class, he's ranked #2 as a Guard in more than one service. With a couple of good looking prospects on both sides of the line of scrimmage, as well as a wide receiver and an inside linebacker; the class is off to a great start. Below is a list of the class members and their positions, with a link to their bios. The bios include ranking in each major ranking services, a little of ...
Friday Roundup: The “Attrition” Edition
Well, it's been a bit of a rough ride for the 2012 recruiting class. Last year, Tee Shepard was only on the roster for a few hours. Aaron Lynch departed after the 2011 campaign. Gunner Kiel decided to head elsewhere. And this week, Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson decided to depart as well. Attrition has definitely set in. These days, it's an annual expectation. Thankfully, the Notre Dame Football program is healthy enough to handle it. ...