Spring Positional Battles - Defensive Skill Positions

The Irish secondary has been much-maligned the last few years, a well deserved criticism in light of the pass-heavy obliterations in big games the Irish have suffered over the last five years. Florida State 2003. Purdue 2004. Pittsburgh 2004. Michigan State 2005. Ohio State 2006. Michigan 2006. LSU 2007. USC every year.

That litany of big losses stings for any Irish fan like myself. And they all have one thing in common - a porous pass defense. The promise of improvement under Rick Minter never materialized, and now the Irish are looking to a bright, young, energetic leader to lead this talented group of players and mould them into a stingy secondary.

I like the potential for this group. While many of the pundits have attacked ND's "team speed," recruiting has already adressed this need in the secondary. Which is why Minter's ouster became necessary - I watched our players chase down receivers from behind far too many times to believe that we weren't fast enough. We were simply out of position.

I also like the combination of youth and experience here. Tommy Z will be back for his 5th year, and his experience and attitude should permeate this unit - straight nasty. He has some experience behind him, and a slew of young talent to mentor. If Corwin Brown is as good a teacher as they say he is, I honestly believe that pass defense will become one of our strengths this year.

Cornerback
Last year's starters: Ambrose Wooden, Mike Richardson
Richardson and Wooden were both very good corners last year, but they were often left alone on an island. Richardson is gone to graduation, but Wooden's experience (he's entering his fifth year) will be back to anchor this unit.
The question for me on Spring and Summer is whether Wooden can hang with the young speedy talent on the team that is pushing for playing time. He was a four-star recruit coming in, but the recruiting services couldn't agree on whether he was a corner or safety.
PROSPECTS:
Terrail Lambert Senior
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Part of the mysterious vanishing class of 2008, Lambert came in almost as highly touted as Wooden, listed as the 8th best corner on Scout. But he was listed as a safety on Rivals. Which meant we still didn't have a true corner. He has developed nicely, though, and last year showed a knack for finding the ball as our nickel back and #1 backup. He should start opposite Wooden, pending development by the youngsters below him.
Darrin Walls Sophomore
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
The first true corner recruited by Notre Dame in recent memory, Walls was one of the best pure speed corners in the country coming in - ranked the third best corner by Rivals, and 7th best by Scout. He runs a 4.4 forty, and has all of the physical tools needed by a shutdown corner. He showed flashes of brillance in coverage this year, but also as a true freshman blew several coverages, sometimes leading to scores. If he continues to develop, and picks up this new system, he is my favorite to supplant on of the starters. More likely, though, he'll move into the nickel back slot, playing the same role that Lambert did last year.
Raeshon McNeil Sophomore
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Raeshon came in with Darrin Walls, and was almost as highly touted - he ranked 7th on Rivals and 9th on Scout among cornerbacks. He is similar in many ways to Darrin Walls - they are both 6' even, around 175 lbs. coming in. During summer practice last year, he appeared to be more physical in his coverage, whereas Darrin Walls relied more on speed and position. McNeil is only half a step behind Walls on the depth chart right now, and it's too early to call this one. I expect that McNeil will fill in at Walls' position last year - dime back and spot duty in coverage.
Gary Gray Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Basically a Walls/McNeil clone (although a little smaller...), Gray's commitment showed that Coach Weis is serious about recruiting cornerback talent, and that last year's duo was no fluke. He'll probably redshirt this season, considering the amount of depth we have right now. If you had told me three years ago that we'd be redshirting a top 10 cornerback recruit, I would never have believed it. This kid will be a great shutdown corner for us in a couple of years, but there's no rush to bring him in right away, unless he shows something in Spring Ball. Or unless we install a quarter defense.
Depth: Leo Ferrine, Senior; Ray Herring, Junior; Kyle McCarthy, Junior
My Prediction:
Wooden and Lambert hold down the starting positions, but are pushed by Walls and McNeil. I wouldn't be surprised for one or both of them to get passed on the depth chart, but I don't think Coach Weis will want to shatter the confidence of any of these kids. There is a nice, comfortable pecking order, and this year sets up nicely for the long-term development of the cornerback crew - recruit one or two great corners every year, and have them move up through the progression - dime back, nickel back, starting corner, shutdown corner. Shuffle as needed.

Safety
Last year's starters: Tom Zbikowski, Chinedum Ndukwe
Tom Zbikowski (Zibby) is a returning two-time All-American selection. So I don't want to hear the "Hold Me I'm Irish" crowd moan about his breakdowns in pass coverage or the naysayers that say he has "deceptive" speed.
This kid is a beast. He WILL be a consensus All-American this year (barring injury) and probably the winner of the Chuck Bednarik and Bronco Nagurski awards. His punt return and interception return skills will be on display, giving him an outside shot at a Heisman (see: Charles Woodson).
I'm sure many of you are scoffing and telling me I'm crazy (which you should totally post in the comments - I don't get nearly enough comments...), but I think this kid is the best college safety in recent memory.
I'm not saying that he is going to be the best pro prospect at the safety position (although he will go in the first round and be a consistent starter) - but he is one of the best players to do what he does in a long, long time.
His attitude and toughness is infused into his style of play, and he loves to hit people. He'll bring that attitude to practice everyday, and will be the anchor of Brown's aggressive defense - the kind of tool that Corwin can wield to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
PROSPECTS:
Harrison Smith Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Sergio Brown Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 4 star
Leonard Gordon Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 4 star
Jashaad Gaines Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
David Bruton Junior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
Ray Herring Junior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
Kyle McCarthy Junior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 2 star
I grouped these kids together for two reasons. First, it shows that we are sick deep in the defensive secondary. Second, it shows how the talent level at Notre Dame is steadily increasing. With each successive class, the highly touted recruits take notice of Notre Dame more and more. Recruiting is a long-term process where each class builds upon the one before it, and recruits want to go where they can play and win. Thus, a school full of three star recruits is attractive to 3/4 stars, which makes the school more attractive to 4 stars, and on up. I fully expect to land the top overall corner/safety in the next two years, as the momentum in recruiting builds.
As far as who will start opposite Tommy Z, though, there is an interesting conundrum. Harrison Smith is the highest rated safety we've landed since Tommy Z, and could push for playing time right away, but lacks experience. As a matter of fact, as you move up in experience, you move down in talent. So this coaching staff has to choose between an experienced but not as athletic player (Bruton, Herring) or a young athlete without experience (Smith, Brown, Gordon). With the experience at corner and at the strong safety, my money is on the athletes - I like Smith and Brown to duke it out for the starting spot. However, for safeties physical tools aren't as important as work ethic and lack of a self-preservation instinct. (whereas corners require more athleticism over experience) So, this position is hard to predict.
Not wanting to be accused of being too wishy-washy I pick: Sergio Brown

My Prediction:
With a two-time All-American returning, I think that now is the time to get some playing time for a young safety to learn from Zibby's experience. Harrison Smith is highly touted and athletic, but starting may be too much to ask from a true freshman. I think Sergio Brown and Leonard Gordon will be the favorites to start the beginning of the season. However, I expect that under Corwin Brown's attacking scheme, we'll substitute freely to keep our guys fresh throughout the game. Much like the quarterback position, if one of the 3-star junior safeties starts, it doesn't bode well for our season (barring some ridiculous improvement during practice).

What I really like about our defensive secondary positions is the fact that I don't have space to talk up all of the depth we have on this team. Not long ago, guys like Leo Ferrine would be our hope for the future, but now they are duking it out for PT on special teams and the scout team - or changing positions. Any one of these depth guys, however, could play themselves into the mix above. Much of our depth is three star talent, and therefore capable of developing into starter material. What this means for the team is that injuries will hurt, but the dropoff will not be significant. In fact, if in a worst case scenario we lost our four top starters, we'd be as talented as our starters were just two years ago. That's what I call progress.

Corwin effect

Another commitment to the Irish early in the recruiting cycle has strengthened our hold on the Chicago area, and adds to the foundation of kids I talked about in my previous post.

Sean Cwynar, a defensive tackle out of Marian Central High School in Woodstock, IL (just north of Chicago), committed to the Irish.

This pickup is big for two reasons. (1) It shows that the Irish are serious about reestablishing themselves as the school of choice for Chicago kids (2) defensive tackle was a HUGE need for the Irish, and they missed on some big time recruits here last year.

This class already has some big bodies to fill in the trenches, and a tall wide receiver to keep up the talent level at offensive skill positions.

What I'd like to see next from Weis & Company is a big time linebacker commitment. Such a commitment could really provide some momentum for this class, and allow this class to become a defensive-oriented top 10 class, which would be a great balance with the past two years' offensive classes.

The rest of the positional battles are coming soon - I had midterms this week, and I'll devote some time to finishing them over Spring Break next week.

Lockdown

Coach Weis knows that Notre Dame has a national recruiting base, and that any given Irish player is as likely to be from Texas and California as Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

However, Coach Weis understands that he must lock down his "natural" recruiting area - Indiana and Chicago.

Purdue and Indiana can't compete with the Irish in football recruiting, and Illinois (when they aren't engaging in questionable recruiting practices) and Northwestern can't either. But Michigan just to the north and Ohio State just to the east are certainly able to challenge the Irish for local recruits.

Therefore, Coach Weis understands that he needs to build relationships with schools in the local recruiting area, and get to the Division I prospects early in the recruiting process.

Although the recruiting season is barely getting started, Coach Weis has already sent a message to other Division I schools: KEEP OUT.

He locked down commitments from two Indiana boys this week. Penn High School center Braxton Cave, a Mishawaka resident who grew up in the shadow of the Dome, received an offer from Coach Weis and immediately committed to the Irish. He's listed at 6'4" 295 lbs. He had interest from Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Purdue, and Indiana, but Coach Weis locked him down before any of the other big schools got around to seriously pursuing him.

The other commit is John Goodman, a 6'5" 190 lbs. wide receiver from Fort Wayne. One of my good friends was from Bishop Dwenger, and he was influential in getting this kid onto Notre Dame's radar. I talked with him for a while, and he told me about his conversations with Ron Powlus, the transition from Minter to Brown (Brown was reportedly far more impressed with Goodman than Minter was), and the impact of camps, visits, and other things on the recruitment of a kid like this. According to my buddy, Goodman was set to commit to Michigan, but held off in hopes of getting an offer from Coach Weis. This kid bleeds blue and gold, and even his reported visit to Florida is nothing to worry about.

While Indiana isn't a strong recruiting base to build a program on, getting the 2 or 3 top Indiana recruits every year gives Notre Dame a huge advantage for those times few and far between when a five-star prospect (ala James Aldridge) comes out of Indiana.

Chicago has traditionally produced a lot more talent than Indiana, and the addition of former Chicago Public League player Corwin Brown will help rebuild that pipeline - and I'm sure Coach Weis has made it a priority to review (and probably attend) CPL games, looking for that diamond in the rough and plucking them out before other schools even notice.

The foundation for every recruiting class should be a combination of kids from Indiana and Chicago - if the Irish can get 5 kids from that area, especially in areas of need, it permits the Irish to be more aggressive in recruiting kids out of other schools' backyards.

Spring Positional Battles - Offensive Skill Positions

Now that all of the hubbub and broohaha of the 2007 recruiting season is behind us, it is time to change gears and charge full speed ahead into Spring ball. There are numerous battles that will be fought throughout the spring, and I wouldn't be surprised to see several battles wage well into the summer, and possibly even into the season.

Here are the positional battles going on this spring, starting with the offensive skill positions.

Quarterback
Last year's starter: Brady Quinn
The void left by Brady Quinn is as big a hole as has ever been left by a Notre Dame quarterback; his shadow loms as large as the Heisman and Championship winning quarterbacks such as Hornung amd Montana. To fill this void, we have as little experience as I can ever recall waiting in the wings.
PROSPECTS:
Evan Sharpley Junior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 4 star
Sharpley served as the backup to Quinn this year, and s the only returning player with a pass in an actual game (he's actually thrown two). He was a decent recruit coming out of high school, but he doesn't have the arm of Frazer, the feet of Jones, or the delivery of Clausen. But, he is an accurate short-to-medium passer, he has the most experience in the system, and is the safest guy to hand the ball to gong into the spring. If he gets the starting nod, it will be an upset, as all three guys pushing from behind have better physical talents.
Zach Frazer Sophomore
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Zach is a traditional drop-back style of quarterback, without great mobility but a cannon of an arm. In Spring Ball last year, Frazer wasn't afraid to use his cannon and chuck the balll all over the field. He needs some work on his accuracy down the field, but he has confidence, poise and vision. His biggest downside, mobility, could cost him the job this year, as a re-tooled offensive line might not let the QB sit back and pick the defense apart. He also doesn't have the quickest release, which is a problem.
Demetrius Jones Sophomore
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
DJ has the most upside of any of the quarterbacks vying for the position. Everyone has heard about his mobility, and Coach Weis has never had the chance to build an offense around a QB with some wheels. Demetrius Jones has excellent touch on his short passes, and con drill it in when needed. However, the biggest knock on him from what I've seen is a lack of confidence in his arm. During the days that I watched spring practice last year, I never saw him throw the ball downfield more than 10-15 yards. His mobility is the best fit behind the young O-line we have coming back, and between the three mentioned thus far, would be my pick for the starter this year. But these aren't the only three...
Jimmy Clausen Freshman
Rivals - 5 star #1 overall recruit, Scout - 5 star #4 overall recruit
Anyone that hasn't heard of Jimmy Clausen has made a concerted effort to block out anything to do with football recruiting. Clausen is the LeBron James of football, the best quarterback prospect since John Elway. He is the second coming of Joe Montana, and many have already christened him the opening day starter.
However, I'm not ready to place this program in his young hands just yet. I would be willing to wager any amount of money that he will be the starter next year, in 2008. His delivery and mechanics are pristine, by a huge margin the cleanest most consistent mechanics I have ever seen in a high school QB. He has the size, and the arm, to be a great quarterback. What he doesn't have: time and experience in the system.
We all watched Brady Quinn grow up seemingly overnight uder Weis' tutelage in his first year, and if Coach Weis can do the same with Clausen, he will be the starter. He is like a synthetic oil compared to the crude oil of the other prospects.
There are two other things to watch in spring ball. Clausen has bone spurs in his throwing elbow, and that could nag during spring practice. Also, Clausen's mobility could hamstring him in the same way that Frazer's does.
My Prediction:
Best case scenario: Demetrius Jones has the nod coming out of Spring, with Clausen running a close second.
Worst case scenario: None of the younger QBs step up, and Evan Sharpley is the #1 guy. If this happens, I'd toss out any shot at a BCS game this next season.

Running Back
Last year's starter: Darius Walker
Darius leaving for the NFL was a surprise for everyone, including Coach Weis. Darius was the first player under Weis to make this decision without discussing it with him first. Walker was a versatile back who was in many ways better as a receiver coming out of the backfield than as a pure running back. To replace him, we have the most raw talent that we've had since we almost won the 1993 Championship.
PROSPECTS:
Travis Thomas Senior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 4 star
Thomas started as linebacker last year, but also played quite a bit at running back. He is a stellar athlete, and depending upon the battle at linebacker, could be in the mix at both positions. If he gets moved full time back to running back, there is no guarantee he would start, but he does have the most experience (by far) of any returning back.
James Aldridge Sophomore
Rivals - 5 star, Scout - 5 star
Aldridge was recovering from a knee injury going into last season, and his lack of major production as a result has downgraded him in many people's eyes. With a full, healthy (knock on wood) offseason, Aldridge is the best combination of athleticism and experience in this group, with a full year in the system. He isn't the fastest guy, but he is a powerful, bruising back with great lateral moves. Physically, he looks a lot like superstar running back Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma.
Munir Prince Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
Prince impressed Weis with his speed in spring and summer practice last year, and as a result got a handful of carries and special teams opportunities last year. However, his impressive speed never materialized into on-the-field explosiveness. He will have a shot at the job, but probably doesn't have the combination of talents to become a starter.
Robert Hughes Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
Another big bruiser from the blue-collar neighborhoods of Chicago, Robert Hughes is very similar to James Aldridge, if not as highly rated coming out of high school. I'd be willing to wager that he is the toughest of the lot here, and could have a huge impact this year as a short yardage tailback, if not as the starter.
Armando Allen Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
This guy has got me excited. He has Reggie Bush size and speed, something that the Irish have never had at running back. Faster than Prince, Allen also has great balance. If there is anything he needs to work on, it is probably vision. However, his talent is unlike anything seen in a long while, and I would characterize him as the X factor in this battle.
My prediction:
I have to give the nod here to James Aldridge. Thomas' experience is still needed at the linebacking corps, and Prince will probably have to be a special teams standout to develop that toughness before getting another shot at the running back starting position (ala Travis Thomas). Hughes and Allen will not be benched, though. Hughes will probably be the short-distance back. Allen will probably be used as a utility player, much like Bush was used by USC. I would love to see Coach Weis put in some pro-style 2 back sets with Aldridge and Allen, which can really give defenses fits.

Fullback
Last Year's Starters: Ashley McConnell and Asaph Schwapp
Really, this isn't much of a battle this offseason - McConnell, who filled in admirably for Asaph after his injury, has graduated, and this is Schwapp's position to lose.
THE CHALLENGERS:
Luke Schmidt Sophomore
Recruited as a general running back, Schmidt is too big and slow to challenge effectively for a tailback position. However, he is big enough to get into the mix at fullback. I expect him to back up Schwapp going forward.
Robert Hughes Freshman
I listed him as a challenger at tailback above, but I could see Hughes growing into a Bettis-esque fullback/tailback hybrid.

Wide Receiver
Last Year's Starters: Jeff Samardzija, Rhema McKnight, and David Grimes
Jeff is now playing professional baseball, and Rhema is preparing for the NFL combine, leaving only David Grimes as a returning starter at receiver. There aren't many people that believe that Grimes could lose his starting position, and Weis' comments going into last season place Grimes (3 star recruit) head and shoulders above everyone else except...
D.J. Hord 3rd year Sophomore (Medical Redshirt)
Rivals - 4 stars Scout - 4 stars
Many people have forgotten that D.J. Hord and David Grimes were 3 and 3a in the receiver lineup before D.J. injured his achilles. If he is back and 100% going into this year, expect D.J. to grab a secure hold of the 2nd (or even 1st) receiver spot. He was a more sought-after recruit than Grimes was.
Chase Anastacio 5th year Senior
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
Back for a 5th year, the speedy wideout has never turned track speed into success as a receiver or returner. This is his last chance to step up and develop as a threat. If he can make some strides, he may get a chance. However, I expect him to serve mostly as a speedster on the scout team.
Richard Jackson Sophomore
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 3 star
In the fickle world of recruiting, Jackson has been shuffled into the dustbin by many people who are excited about the young freshmen coming in and the playing time that West got. However, Jackson was the best receiver in his class, and my observations of him in practice show that he has great speed and size. He needs some work on route running and adjusting to the ball, but he is coachable, and may surprise a lot of people this spring.
George West Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
West got some playing time last year, and even scored a touchdown in a game last year. As a result, he is penciled in by many as the third receiver in the lineup this year. He has great moves, and I'm hoping he develops more as a return specialist. His hands are a little suspect, and he doesn't have great speed.
Robby Parris Sophomore and Barry Gallup Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
I grouped these two together because I feel like they are both heavy underdogs in this race. They don't have the physical tools of the guys ahead of or behind them, and unless they have really worked their asses off in the offseason, I don't see either one breaking into the starting rotation. That said, many teams would trade their starters for these two guys who will likely be on our scout team. We are scary deep at receiver.
Duval Kamara Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star
The best talent we've recruited at receiver since D.J. Hord, he could get into the playing rotation right away. However, I expect it to take some time for him to learn the playbook and get playing time. He isn't one of those freakish 5-star all-everything recruits that you have to start from day one. But he will be our #1 guy before he leaves the university, and will climb the all-time receiving charts in this offense. It just may take some time to get there.
Golden Tate Freshman
Rivals - 4 star (athlete), Scout - 4 star
This kid is a freakishly good athlete, and I wasn't sure where to put him. He could push for playing time as running back, receiver, safety, cornerback, linebacker and even punter. I have no idea how Coach Weis is going to use him, but he will get playing time THIS YEAR. Somewhere. (everywhere?)
My prediction:
West gets relegated to special teams duty, as Richard Jackson passes him into that third spot behind Hord and Grimes. Also, I think Hord passes Grimes on the depth chart. In a 5-wide set, I'd expect to see Grimes, Hord, Jackson, Anastacio (for the deep threat) and West. Kamara and Tate will also see some spot action.

Tight End
Lasy Year's Starter: John Carlson
As the only offensive All-American returning, this is by far the most solid position going into spring. It is also (in my opinion) the deepest tight end group in terms of talent in the history of football. We have John Carlson, a returning All-American, followed by two straight #1 tight end prospects, in addition to depth that would start at most Big Ten universities. What we've done in tight end recruiting is borderline unfair to everyone else.
DEPTH:
Konrad Reuland Sophomore
Rivals - 5 star, Scout - 4 star
Will Yeatman Sophomore
Rivals - 3 star, Scout - 3 star
Mike Ragone Freshman
Rivals - 4 star, Scout - 4 star

Next up: The Defensive Backfield

And we're off...

On the heels of the close of last year's recruiting season, the new recruiting season is off to a strong start.

Mike Golic, Jr., son of former Notre Dame football player Mike Golic (and nephew of former players Greg and Bob Golic), is unsurprisingly the first to commit to the Irish. In fact, if the latest in the long line of Golics had considered anywhere else, I would have been surprised.

Golic Jr., listed at 6'4" 260 lbs., is slated right now as an offensive lineman. With his family history, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see him move to the other side of the ball and follow in the footsteps of the rest of his family. His father, one half of the ESPN radio and ESPN2 morning show Mike and Mike in the Morning (my personal favorite morning show when I get up that early), said that his son plays with a defensive mentality and a bit of a mean streak - much like his father and uncles before him.

Coach Weis and staff seem to be getting better and better at locking down the players that Notre Dame should get. I also believe that, while Golic Jr. was clearly the caliber of player Notre Dame looks for, Weis would have offered him regardless. He understands how much history and tradition means to this team, and the addition of another Golic keeps the tradition alive.

Golic has another son, Jake, who will be coming out next year. I expect that he will be offered and will likely be Irish as well.

Coming soon: Spring positional battles

Signing Day Betrayal

Going into today, we had an arguably top 5 recruiting class committed to sign with the Irish.

Coming out, we've got a top 10 class.

The drop was due to a couple of last minute defections. Greg Little, WR out of North Carolina, was telling people as recently as yesterday afternoon that he was signing with the Irish. Today he signed a letter of intent with the North Carolina Tarheels. Chris Little, offensive lineman out of Georgia, also had verbally committed to the Irish, but today changed his mind and signed a letter of intent with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Justin Trattou's defection a couple of weeks ago stung, but Coach Weis had time to go out and find another guy to take his spot - Brian Smith.

These kids that flip-flop on signing day don't understand how unethical and far-reaching their actions really are. If they had done this two weeks ago, the Irish could have recovered and signed another receiver and another O-lineman. Believe me, there are plenty chomping at the bit.

But because they waited until today to jump ship, without so much as a peep to the coaching staff that they were wavering, we were forced to sign a class that is far too small for our needs.

However, it isn't Greg Little that I am really pissed at. It is the irresponsible rumor-mongering of writers like Tim Prister at Rivals.com, who wrote an uninformed article just days ago speculating that Greg Little would be moved to linebacker and Chris Little to defensive line. He had no rational basis for these statements, but he published them regardless. The next day, rumors were circulating that both players might be considering their hometown schools. Then, today they both switch their commitments.

I am as big of a fan of recruiting as anyone, but the people who write for these recruiting sites aren't journalists. In fact, they are little more than bloggers with an expense account. For example, only a couple of years ago, Bob Lichtenfels was working at a steel mill. He posted to message boards, and suddenly got noticed by someone at rivals.com. Now he's a full time columnist. He has NO training in journalism or journalistic ethics. He has no formal training in evaluating talent. He has no real football experience to speak of.

But he writes a couple of words on a website, and suddenly these impressionable 18-year-olds get nervous. Add to the mix biased high school head coaches, arguable unethical recruiting practices by coaches (I'm talking to you, Urban), peer pressure from classmates, parents who often have their own agendas, and the anonymous message board poster, and you've got all the ingredients for uncertainty.

Which is why we need, as I've said before, an early signing day. Before the season, let a limited number of kids sign their LOIs for each school (say about 10), and they become off limits. Coaches can get a sense of where kids stand, and re-marshall their resources for the stretch run. If Greg Little had balked at signing a letter in August, then Coach Weis could have spent more time chasing down Aurelious Benn or any number of other interested wide receivers.

As it is, though, the sky is not falling. As I said, we come out of today with a top 10 class, and we'll have that a few more scholarships to hand out next year.

Our athleticism is on the rise, and although we'll have depth problems again next year, we will survive. And we'll win 10 games. Count on it.

Early Signing Date Debate

With the recent rush of last-minute commitment changes led by Urban Meyer, there is some talk going around of puching for an earlier signing date for college football.

Currently, the signing date is Feb. 2nd, and recruits aren't bound to their commitments until then. Verbals prior to that are worth the paper they are written on.

Notre Dame has become a player in this discussion on both sides of the recruit-poaching issue. After losing our top defensive recruit to Florida, we were left with a scholarship opening and a need to fill in our defense. As a result, Notre Dame offered Brian Smith, the son of a former Notre Dame player. Problem is, Brian committed to Iowa several months ago.

Now, lest I be accused of hypocrisy, I'm not a big fan of this move. However, this is a situation where Smith wanted to go to Notre Dame and follow in his father's footsteps, but didn't receive an offer from the Irish. so he committed to Iowa. Now that he has an offer from Notre Dame, he is wavering on his commitment to Iowa (who rumor has it pulled their scholarship offer).

Now, as I said before, I'm generally not a fan of poaching recruits. However, I've listened to Coach Weis long enough to know that Brian probably told Coach Weis to contact him if they changed their mind about offering him a scholarship.

Nobody has even suggested that Trattou contacted Florida. By all accounts, Florida sought him out, wooed him, and convinced him to change his commitment. Notre Dame, on the other hand, simply offered a guy who was seeking an offer all along.

However, I may be splitting hairs here. The fact of the matter is, that this has now become a big part of recruiting.

So, I propose we have a preliminary signing period just before the season, where a kid can sign a letter of intent if they so choose, and therefore be taken out of the recruiting pool. Then, only those kids that are seriously on the fence will still be available come December and January. This early signing period will give coaches a sense of how serious a particular recruit's commitment to the University is, and be able to fromulate alternate plans if it doesn't work out. Under the current system, when a big recruit like Trattou changes at the last minute, a coach is left scrambling at the last minute to fill the hole left by the defection.

I say bring on an early signing period. Put all of this controversy to rest.