Top 20 Breakdown

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - (IrishEyes.com)

Jimmy Clausen (QB)
Gary Gray (CB)

The big fish that got away:
Justin Trattou (DE)

Notre Dame has one of the top offensive recruiting classes in the nation with quarterback Jimmy Clausen, running backs Armando Allen and Robert Hughes, wide receivers Greg Little, Duval Kamara and Golden Tate, tight end Mike Ragone and offensive linemen Chris Little, Emeka Nwankwo, Taylor Devor, Matt Romine and Andrew Nuss. The other side of the ball is a different story. The Irish lost defensive end Just Trattou to Florida. Cornerback Gary Gray, safety Harrison Smith and defensive end Kerry Neal are the headliners on the Notre Dame defensive side.

Read The Rest Here-- (IE)

National Signing Day

With the signing day only 3 days out, what is Charlie and Company doing. Well Yesterday the ND plane was spotted going to DC. Could a Marvin sighting be in order? I think so. Today the plane is headed out to Westchester County New York. Don't know why or who is up there, but it is on it's way. I don't see Charlie or Corwin being Hillary supporters, so my specuation is that they are visiting someone.

Charlie has mentioned that a surprise when signing day comes will be in order. I know all of us ND fans cannot wait for the surprise.

My speculation is that There have been trips to the Chicago area on numerous occassions in the past couple of weeks. And now the second trip to D.C. in a week.

All this came about after the Poaching of Trattou. I have stated earlier that Charlie took that one personally, and I think that he is still in the mix also.

Changing to a 3-4 D would make sense to get a guy like Marvin Austin. Big, athletic and Mean.

POACHED part Deaux

Wheel of Paijn-- (The House Rock Built)

Poaching Lesson-- (Her Loyal Sons)

Notre Dame #8

With the loss of Justing Trattou yesterday, ND has dropped 3 spots to number 8 in recruiting classes.

The class still looks very strong on offense, but the Defense still needs some pop. Especially on the Defensive Line.

The guys Charlie has committed are top athletes that want to be at ND. They come in with confidence and the ability to make an early impact.

COMMITS

RANKINGS

Prospects that are left are not looking prosperous for ND. The list has been updated, but the chances remain the same.

LIST

Another one bites the dust...

Malcolm Smith has verbally committed to USC. That is two guys lost in two days. Not a streak Charlie will like. Still have a lot of need on the D side of the ball and not much out there to fill the holes.

Goodbye Malcolm, see you for the next 4 years.

Thank you IRT for the laugh

The IRISHROUNDTABLE.COM has a great post about the Gators latest commit and the class of 2007.

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.

All is fair in Love and Recruiting!

Trattou decided to jump ship and become a Gator. It is okay for a young man to change his mind, but did he have his mind changed for him? Recruiting has become a 365 day event and teams like the Gators will not back down. Use to be that a verbal committment was somewhat binding. As we have learned in the past couple of weeks, it definitely is not. Chris Little changed his mind. Justin Trattou, i believe, had his mind changed. Doesn't make much sense. He could have stepped in and been a 4 year starter at ND. I hope he does well, but if you aren't happy, do what you need to do.

READ

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.

Justin Trattou

The Gator Gravy Train continues rumbling as yet another five star defensive line prospect jumped aboard. Justin Trattou of Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep decided Thursday that he would change his commitment from Notre Dame to Florida. The Gators’ mass exodus on the defensive line means Trattou will help fill a huge need for 2007.

LINK

Say it aint so, say it aint so

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