Parade All-America Football Team - 2007 Roster

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9 Irish Players invited to NFL Combine

9 ND players were invited to the NFL combine. Not a huge number, but a nice showing for our team. As a reference, OSU has 9 also invited. 2 ND player invites were revoked as you can see below.

Brady Quinn, Victor Abiamiri, Derek Landri, Darius Walker, Jeff Samardzija (invite revoked, signed a baseball contract), Rhema McKnight, Ryan Harris, Dan Santucci, Tom Zbikowski (Invite revoked, has applied for a 5th season at Notre Dame).

Official Combine List

Just a Kick and a Punt

Brandon Walker made a switch from Louisville to ND.

Blue Gray SKY

POACHED part Deaux

Wheel of Paijn-- (The House Rock Built)

Poaching Lesson-- (Her Loyal Sons)

Tom Lemming Discusses ND recruiting

CSTV recruiting analyst and Irish Sports Report columnist Tom Lemming answered reader questions about Notre Dame's 2007 football recruits.

More than 150 questions were submitted to Lemming in less than one hour. Becuase of the heavy number of questions we were not able to answer every question during the allotted time.

Read the transcript of the chat below:

South Bend Tribune

Recruit Video: BlueandGold.com

Why did TY get fired

Roberts claims in her column that "Willingham was forced out of Notre Dame in 2004, not by the president or the athletic director, but by four-leaf boosters and trustees who, deep down, craved one of their own."

Read the rest of this great article on the Observer.

OBSERVER

Charlie in Paris?

Charlie Weis has been travelling quite a bit recently, but this has everyone puzzled. Paris Texas star athlete STephen Good has been offered by ND. The junior is a giant of a kid and will solidify an already good looking OL next season. If he chooses to sign with the Irish, he could be a first year player in the mold of Sam Young.

Stephen Good can’t get enough of tradition. So when Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis called Paris High School yesterday, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle listened. The Texas junior received an offer from Weis, peaking his interest to check out college football outside the Big 12.

Here are some clips of him playing. A lot of the film is obviously of the skilled positions, but you can see him destroying some D Lineman. He is number 72 and always up the field and on his feet. The clips are long, but some good football being played down in Paris Texas:

CLIP 1

CLIP 2

More News on 2008 Recruits

Charlie is hitting the rectuiting trail hard. Not only for this upcoming season, but 2008 looks good right now.

Mike Adams Snags Irish Offer
Offensive tackle prospect Mike Adams of Dublin Coffman High School (Ohio) will be one of the top prospects in the country. This past weekend Adams made his way to South Bend for Notre Dame’s first junior day and walked away with a scholarship offer.

Read it here. You must join Scout.com to read the rest of the story. It is the best $10/month a college football enthusiast can spend.

Back in 1985, Tampa Bay Tech running back Shawn Smith ran for a single-game Florida state record, 501 yards against Gibsonton East Bay. His son Eric Smith, perhaps the best running back the Sunshine State has to offer in the recruiting class of 2008, tells his father that record could be in jeopardy this coming fall.

SCOUT STORY

Justin Thorpe reminds Varina High (Richmond, Va.) assistant coach Blanda Wolfe of former player Michael Robinson, whom everyone knows went on to lead Penn State back to national prominence. With that type of athleticism Thorpe possesses, colleges have fallen in love with him across the country.

SCOUT

Jason Peters update.

Well it's official, after much speculation Jason Peters has made his committment. Irish fans will see him in the fall, but it will be in a Yellow-Jacket uniform. Another DL gone and no more left.

Jason Peters is one of the top defensive ends in the nation. At 6-foot-3 and 255-pound, the standout from Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic Junior HS has garnered the attention of many of the top programs in the nation, including LSU, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Florida. Today, after much speculation, he finally made a decision regarding his future college destination.

Jason Peters is one of the top defensive ends in the nation. At 6-foot-3 and 255-pound, the standout from Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic Junior HS has garnered the attention of many of the top programs in the nation, including LSU, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Florida. Today, after much speculation, he finally made a decision regarding his future college destination.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Peters contacted the Georgia Tech staff and committed to the Yellow Jackets. He becomes the 19th commitment for Chan Gailey's team and further solidifies 2007's class as one of the best in school history.

Stay tuned to GoJackets.com as we bring you more on this developing story.

Pahokee? What the heck is Pahokee?

SCOUT.COM

Charlie Weis has been making very nice inroads in the South Florida High School scene. He picked up Armando Allen this year from Hialeah Miami-Lakes and Major Wright out of St.Thomas Aquinas made a visit to South Bend last week. Just last year, Sam Young came out of Aquinas along with Dan Wenger. Young was a standout Right Tackle as a freshman and probably will move over to the left side in 2007. One place Weis has not had much luck with is in the North Palm Beach and Central Florida area. That is until now.

Pahokee Teammates Have Caught ND's Eye. Pahokee High in Florida has certainly had its fair share of talent on the football field over the years. Head coach Leroy Foster said that NFL standout Anquan Boldin was the first player in program history to play in the school’s spring game as an eighth grader. Three years ago, Foster made receiver Martavious Odoms the second.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Odoms will head into his senior year as one of the top recruits in the class of 2008.

Janoris Jenkins might have been able to join Martavious Odoms as a second eighth grader in the spring game, but he was playing baseball at the time. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back eventually won the free safety job in the fall, and Odoms started at receiver.

Both players helped lead Pahokee to the 2-A state championship their freshman and junior seasons. Both have been getting plenty of mail from Notre Dame and every other major college. Odoms already has scholarship offers from Miami, South Carolina and Tennessee. Jenkins has offers from those three schools as well as Clemson and Florida State.

Odoms isn’t very big now, and he definitely wasn’t very big as an eighth grader during the spring game. However he was given the opportunity to play junior varsity on the high school team the previous fall and dominated. Foster decided to throw Odoms into the fire of spring ball, and see if the youngster could hack it with the varsity.

“He was killing some of our seniors, so we decided to put him on varsity,” he said.

Odoms went on to gain 608 yards through the air and score eight touchdowns that first season. The next year, Odom’s had 1,150 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns. This past year, with a little less playing time because Foster called off the dogs during blowouts, Odoms had 923 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns.

“Probably one of the most electrifying receivers in south Florida,” Foster said. “Speed and explosion off the ball, he runs crisp solid routes. The biggest asset he holds that many people don’t see, because all they see is his speed, is that he is a tenacious blocker. He loves blocking down the field springing backs. He is an outstanding team player anyone would love to have.”

Foster reported that Odoms has a 2.67 GPA and is taking the ACT in February. Notre Dame could also have a chance of landing him.

“The distance may play a part because of his mother coming to see him play, but other than that, I think its wide open,” Foster said.

Jenkins didn’t get to play spring ball, but Foster noticed he was a player right away.

“His ability to play anywhere on the field,” Foster said of what makes Jenkins a big-time recruit. As a freshman he led the area in picks as a free safety. We moved him to strong safety the next year and he had a number of picks and tackles, and he shared the load at running back.”

At running back this season, Jenkins ran for over 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also had four punt returns for touchdowns and four interceptions.

“He has great hips, great flexibility, breaks on the ball better than a lot of people,” Foster said. “He went down to the Nike camp at Miami and shut down everybody. South Carolina loves him, Ohio State loves him, Clemson, that’s his number one choice.”

Foster said that Jenkins has around a 2.5 GPA.

Foster talked about some of the academic struggles his school and the area has. He has sent many players off to Division I programs in hopes that the environment helps an intelligent kid really flourish in the classroom. He is real proud that two of his former players Antonio Wilson and Alphonso Smith went on to play and further their education at Wake Forest, a school with strict academic guidelines regarding recruiting.

“They were in the same boat and they wanted it,” Foster said. “I would love to say I have a player at Notre Dame. I have some at Florida State and Miami, but to have a kid at Wake Forest, Stanford or Notre Dame, that says volumes about your program.”
Maybe it will be Odoms or Jenkins that give Foster that opportunity.

Revenge is such sweet.....something

SCOUT.COMThe stakes will be high on Saturday afternoon. No. 21 Notre Dame hosts Villanova (14-5, 3-3) at 4 PM and ESPN will have the television coverage. The Irish are 4-3 in the Big East, tied for sixth, with league play almost half over. Another loss, coupled with three straight road contests after Saturday, would make it difficult to get back to the top. Notre Dame is well aware of the importance.

Back on January 17th, the Irish went to Philadelphia to face a Wildcats team in desperate need of a win. Villanova was 1-3 in the league going into the game while Notre Dame was 3-1. The Wildcats played with a sense of urgency in pounding the Irish 102-87. Villanova shot 56 percent in the contest and the 102 points scored were the most allowed ever under Brey in a regulation game. Since then, the Wildcats have rolled off two more wins and they’re playing with a lot of confidence heading into the Joyce Center on Saturday

Notre Dame will have the advantage of playing at home. The Irish are 14-0 at the Joyce Center this season and riding a 16-game winning streak in South Bend. The top scoring offense in the Big East, they’re even better at home. Notre Dame has scored 79 points or more in 13 of 14 contests. They’re led by Russell Carter, who is second in the conference in scoring at 18.7 PPG. Brey hopes the crowd will be pumped up and ready to make Villanova’s experience at the Joyce Center a loud one.

“It should be a great atmosphere,’ Brey said. “I think it’s close to being sold out or already sold out. I think it’s two good Big East teams. We need that Alabama atmosphere back in here on Saturday afternoon. I hope we can capture some of that.”

A day in the Life

From the Robot Charlie Blog

Being Corwin Brown

My boys have Skillz with a Z!

Video from Irish Illustrated. Prior to Hughes and Tate commits, but a very nice piece on the skill positions the Irish are recruiting.

CHECK IT OUT

Trattou has reasons for departure

Not good ones in my estimation, but they are reasons.

"In a 3-4, they'd want me to play rush end or outside linebacker, and while that's tempting, that's not really where I see myself," Trattou said. "I've always been a down lineman and that's what I prefer. At the end of the day, that makes a big difference."

STORY

A little lame for an excuse in my opinion, but that is his story and he will stick to it.

Could this be the open door Jason Peters was looking for? He is a perfect fit in the new scheme.

Defensive Line Help?

With the defection of Justin Trattou, the DL is in dire straits. And not the Mark Knopfler kind.

Coach Weis has gotten a couple of commits to think about the switch from offense to defensive line.

IAN WILLIAMS--Recruited as a defensive lineman. Will do very well, but without help, may be in trouble.

ANDREW NUSS--Was asked and delivered. Charlie spoke with the young man and he decided that for the betterment of the team, he would move to the DL. He is big, fast and athletic, but he is a freshman coming in.

Notre Dame has needs on both side of the ball, but their need along the defensive front may be greater than their need at offensive guard. Emeka Nwankwo (6-foot-5, 270 pounds) will be happy no matter what position he plays, but he would like a chance to play defense.

The team will be fine in two years, but what about 2007? The athletes that Weis has coming in are different than in the past. Different in a couple of respects:

1: They all have the confidence needed to come in and play

2: They are all cocky enough to think they can come in and make an immediate impact.

I like both of these qualities. Very important will be the role of the New Defensive coordinator. What defense will the Irish run? The 3-4 D will be my guess. We shall see.

Say it aint so, say it aint so

The Woes Of Recruiting
by JASON SAPP
RECRUITING ANALYST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just two days after landing another key verbal, the Irish absorbed a tough blow Thursday when Justin Trattou decided to commit to Florida.

Big East Contenders. ND Hoops

From Scout.Com Insider. Great information at a reasonable price. Normally I would exerpt the info., but this is very good for all hoops fans.

The Big East Conference basketball season is almost half over. Pittsburgh is the leader in the clubhouse at 6-1 while Marquette is hot on their heels a game back at 5-2. With most teams having nine or ten contests remaining, a lot can happen in the topsy turvy league. Here’s a look at the top seven contenders in the Big East.

*Pittsburgh (18-3, 6-1): A 67-51 win at Cincinnati on Wednesday kept them at the top of the standings. The ninth ranked Panthers were led by Levance Field’s six three-pointers as they bounced back from a 77-74 home overtime loss to Marquette this past Sunday. The long distance shot is a big weapon for Pittsburgh. They were second in the conference in three point percentage heading into Wednesday’s game, right behind leader Notre Dame. The schedule down the stretch is not a cakewalk. Pittsburgh has to still go on the road to Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown and Marquette. They will need a consistent effort from big man Aaron Gray (15 PPG, 10 RPG) while continuing to play unselfish basketball. The Panthers are first in the league in assists per contest.

*Marquette (18-4, 5-2): No one is playing better in the Big East than the Golden Eagles. In addition to winning five consecutive games in conference play after a 0-2 start, they added another victory on Wednesday over Seton Hall 89-76 in Milwaukee. Despite getting just 11 points from superstar guard Dominic James, fellow sophomores Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews scored 22 against the Pirates. No. 20 Marquette has got the job done at home and on the road. They’ve won at Connecticut, at Louisville and at Pittsburgh. It starts with James and his 16.9 PPG average heading into Wednesday but don’t sleep on McNeal. The 6-3 sophomore averages 14 PPG and four assists and rebounds each a contest. The final two games of the year will determine the Golden Eagles’ own fate. They’re on the road to No. 21 Notre Dame and end the season at home against Pittsburgh.

*Syracuse (15-5, 4-2): It’s tough to get a read on the Orange. After winning four in a row in league action, they lost to St. John’s last Sunday. Yes, it’s difficult on the road but the Red Storm had lost six of seven prior games. Demetris Nichols is tied with the Irish’s Russell Carter in scoring at 18.7 PPG while the Orange are second in the Big East in field goal percentage defense. Eric Devendorf leads the offense at the point guard position and averages 13 PPG while big man Terrence Roberts is fifth in the league in rebounding at eight a contest. After a week off, a lot will be found out about this team when they travel to Louisville this weekend. The Cardinals have the friendly confines of Freedom Hall and the winner will have a leg up. They have no road games left against ranked teams and the biggie should be at the Carrier Dome on January 30th against No. 21 Notre Dame.

*Georgetown (14-5, 4-2): The Hoyas moved into a tie for third place with a 66-52 victory over DePaul on Wednesday. After an even first half, Georgetown outscored the Demon Deacons 36-22 in the second half. Jeff Green scored 19 points to lead the Hoyas. Georgetown knows their identity. They slow it down, are patient on offense and play outstanding defense. This explains them being first in the Big East in scoring defense and first in field goal percentage. 7-2 Roy Hibbert and his 11 PPG average is a big presence down low while Green provides a little bit of everything. A team effort and balance explains six players averaging seven PPG or more on the season. The Hoyas have both Pittsburgh and Marquette coming to Washington, D.C. later in the year while the toughest road test will be at Syracuse on February 26th.

*Louisville (14-6, 4-2): After a 16-point loss at Notre Dame to start conference play, the Cardinals have won four of five to push into a tie for third place. On Monday, they downed a struggling Connecticut team 68-54 to set up a weekend showdown at home with Syracuse, also at 4-2 in the league. Louisville doesn’t do anything special. They’re 10th in scoring offense and eighth in scoring defense. But wins keep coming. Terrence Williams, a 6-6 sophomore, leads the team in scoring at 13 PPG and rebounding at 7.8 boards a contest. Also watch out for junior forward Juan Palacios, who is averaging 18.5 PPG in the last two outings. The schedule does them no favors. Louisville still has road games against Villanova, Pittsburgh and Marquette. A late road date with a young Connecticut team on February 26th could trip them up as well.

*Notre Dame (16-4, 4-3): The 21st ranked Irish are unbeatable at home. They’re 14-0 at the Joyce Center this season. But Notre Dame cannot find its way on the road. The Irish have lost all three true road games this year, including a heartbreaking 71-68 defeat at St. John’s on Tuesday. The Red Storm’s Larry Wright nailed the game-winning three-point shot with just under 10 seconds remaining to continue the Notre Dame road weariness. They’re led by Russell Carter, who is now tied for the league lead in scoring at 18.7 PPG. The senior guard has broken his career-high in points three times this season. The best was against St. John’s, where he went off for 32 points. Junior forward Rob Kurz is the main man down low, pulling down eight rebounds a contest to go along with 14 PPG. The Irish are first in the Big East in scoring but fourth to last in scoring defense. The news that sophomore point guard Kyle McAlarney won’t be with the team for the rest of the year makes Saturday’s home contest with surging Villanova a biggie. Notre Dame has five road games left, including one at Syracuse. A February 24th home date with Marquette also remains.

*West Virginia (15-4, 4-3): The Mountaineers won an in-state bragging rights game on Wednesday, besting Marshall 77-63. West Virginia has been an up-and-down team lately. The past four contests have gone like this: loss, win, loss and win. After starting out 3-0 in the league, they’ve lost three of the past four games. The one that hurts was a 96-83 overtime defeat at Cincinnati last Saturday. The Bearcats had lost four in a row, all by double digits, but earned their only Big East win of the season against the Mountaineers. West Virginia does bring the defense, ranking second in scoring defense in the Big East. Senior forward Frank Young leads the team in scoring at 14 PPG and is first in the conference in three-pointers made. Schedule wise, the Mountaineers have a home-and-home left with Pittsburgh and a game in Morgantown against No. 2 UCLA.

*The rest of the Big East:

Villanova 14-5, 3-3


Providence 13-6, 3-3


St. John’s 12-8, 3-4


Seton Hall 11-8, 3-4


DePaul 12-9, 3-4


Connecticut 13-6, 2-4


South Florida 2-5, 11-10


Cincinnati 10-9, 1-4


Rutgers 8-12, 1-6

Weis Malpractice Case to begin

The OBSERVER ONLINE

Notre Dame Today Audio 1/25/07

LISTEN