Team News

Darius Walker is leaving for the NFL.

I’m a little surprised by this move. Darius is a millionaire already, due to a racial harassment lawsuit he won in high school. Money isn’t an issue.

He would have been returning as the leading offensive weapon from the team. He would have been the odds-on favorite to be voted the offensive captain. He would have had the opportunity to become the all-time leading rusher in Notre Dame history.

On the other hand, he would have been the leading returning starter from an offense that will lose a quarterback, two receivers and at least one lineman to the NFL. He would have to run behind a young, retooled offensive line and catch passes from a young inexperienced QB.

I wish Darius the best, and I hope that he has a long and successful NFL career.

In other news, Chris Little, one of the top offensive line prospects for this year, surprised everyone and committed to the Florida State Seminoles during the U.S. Army High School All-American game. Prior to the commitment, since November, Little had been reported as a Notre Dame lean, and many considered his commitment to be little more than a formality. However, the week of the All-American game Little decided hastily to stay close to home to be near his mother. After discussing the decision with his family, however, Chris Little realized that his first instincts were correct.

Chris Little then decommitted from Florida State, and made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame.

Also, Coach Weis has announced that 9 fifth-year eligible players will be returning to the team. Those players include: All-Americans John Carlson (TE) and Tom Zbikowski (SS), Dwight Stevenson (OL) and Trevor Laws (DL) among others. This announcement helps fill in some of the holes left by next year’s senior class, which is by far Ty’s worst recruiting class. Especially considering the Darius Walker announcement, these returning starters provide next year’s team with some much-needed senior leadership, as young freshman and sophomores will be playing all over the field.

There is still no solid news concerning the future of our defensive coaching staff, which has widely been rumored to be undergoing significant turnover this offseason. The rumor mill pretty much agrees that defensive coordinator Rick Minter is on his way out. Also rumored to be potentially gone is Special Teams coach Brian Polian. I’ll let you know a soon as I get more specific information.

Now, I have to get back to Intensive Trial Ad week.