Irish Sports Daily

The Western Michigan (WMU) QB showed excellent accuracy and savviness.  He's a solid runner, but his style of play resembles Tommy Rees.

WMU intrior OL lost three starters to graduation, and three reserves to injuries.  The backups still performed solidly against U-M's starters.

When U-M goes to a three-man line and #39 Will Heininger plays nose guard, ND should be able to run the ball effectively along the interior.  He’s just not strong enough.  WMU’s starting center shoved him out of the way without any help during its opening drive.

True sophomore safety Carvin Robinson, #13, provided WMU receivers with huge cushions even on third down.  Look for the Irish to attack him with multiple WR sets to one side so he will be one-on-one.  He’s a solid tackler, but very average in coverage based on the cushion he allowed.  Johnson consistently lined up against WMU’s slot wide receivers.  He’s not nearly quick enough to handle TJ Jones or Theo Riddick.

Speaking of coverage concerns, during one occasion a Michigan defensive back ran to the wrong side of the formation leaving one Michigan defensive back to cover two WMU wide receivers.  WMU lined up in trips to the wide side, and doubles to the top, and the latter represented Michigan’s miscue.  A product of a new scheme?  With Notre Dame running many four and five wide receiver sets, there could be more confusion this next Saturday night.  The Michigan player that was in the wrong spot?  Once again, Carvin Johnson, who ran across the field at the last second in an attempt to cover one of the two wide receivers.  He was too late.  Easy completion down to the one yard line for WMU.

Another Wolverine defensive back, Courtney Avery, did not turn around during a fade pattern.  Look for Notre Dame to take advantage of his inexperience.  He’s a sophomore, just like Johnson.  Overall, Michigan’s secondary just is not very good.  The Wolverine’s will finish in the bottom third of the Big 10 in pass defense yet again based on the WMU game.

Troy Wolfolk injured his ankle, but he’s expected to play against the Irish.  He’s probably the Wolverines’ best cornerback.  He missed much of the second quarter and did not return to action against WMU.

During the last WMU drive of the first half, Michigan blitzed over and over once the Broncos reached the red zone.  It was a much more effective strategy than sitting back and playing zone.

Two plays after WMU reached the one, it was fourth and goal.  They ran a hurry up and Michigan barely got set before WMU snapped the ball…power football behind the right guard, touchdown.  Michigan’s front, sans All-American candidate Mike Martin, is not traditional Michigan quality.  They play hard, but the talent to be great players is lacking and/or it’s a FR or SO playing ahead of his time.  Note: once again this is an interior group of brand new starters for WMU, and they were the backups because the starters – all three of them – were injured according to the ESPN broadcast team.

Michigan’s linebackers can run, but they are nothing special.  Again, beyond Martin, there’s no bona fide star defensive player.  With that said, Martin only finished with one tackle against WMU’s spread attack.  Because Notre Dame spreads the field and passes the football Martin will be less of an impact player than he would against a team like Iowa or Michigan State that both play power football.  Michigan starting linebacker Cam Gordon did not play because his back caused him some problems.  No word on his status for the game against Notre Dame.

Freshman linebacker Brennan Beyer looked like a freshman when WMU pulled the backside guard and ran a counter play right at him.  He was swallowed up.  Michigan is very thin at OLB so Notre Dame might be able to take advantage of his inexperience and lack of ideal OLB size.

JT Floyd, who replaced Wolfolk at cornerback, was beaten deep for a touchdown, but the WMU WR dropped the ball in the end zone.  He’s a player that Notre Dame will likely go after if he’s one-on-one with Floyd or any of the bigger Notre Dame wide receivers, and perhaps Eifert as well.

From WMU’s first three drives, they scored a touchdown, drove deep into U-M territory and missed a field goal after a WR dropped a sure touchdown, and had a ball tipped inside the 10-yard line and returned for a U-M touchdown.  In short, Michigan’s defense is not very good.  It’s a bend but don’t break scheme, and that’s about it.

Perhaps the most interesting note about about U-M’s defense stems from its inability to stifle WMU’s power running game during short yardage.  If the Irish can muster a solid rushing attack, say 4.5 yards per tote, Michigan will struggle to keep Notre Dame out of the end zone because its pass defense continues to be porous. 

Michigan’s secondary did tackle much better than it did last season, so the Irish tight ends, wide receivers, and running backs will be challenged in space when matched against a Wolverines’ defender one-on-one.

Denard Robinson’s footwork improved inside the pocket.  He looks like a more natural passer.  He reads his progressions and keeps his eyes down field.  Robinson is still not very accurate when throwing the deep ball, but few quarterbacks master that skill.  He did display, however, the ability to hit wide receivers within the 5-15 yard range.

As a runner, Robinson still proved to be very dangerous.  He was close to popping a couple of different runs, and finished with 8 attempts for 46 yards.  Because of Robinson’s rushing skills, Irish fans should not expect to see a lot of true freshmen Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch.  Both players will be susceptible to over playing bootlegs, read-option plays, quarterback draws, and quarterback scrambles.  WMU’s defensive linemen did not truly attempt to sack the quarterback as much as they attempted to keep Robinson in front of them.  Now, Notre Dame possesses far better athletes, but inserting true freshmen defensive linemen against Robinson would be very risky outside of obvious third down and long plays.  Further, Notre Dame will likely stay away from blitzing all that much to help contain Robinson in the pocket.  Make Robinson and the Michigan offense earn each yard and do not provide easy yardage.  Michigan will probably shoot itself in the foot quite a bit because it’s year one of the Al Borges’ offense.  That’s a big play book, and it’s inevitable that Michigan will make mental errors.

When Fitzgerald Toussaint lines up like a fullback in a one-back formation, it’s going to be a dive.  Michigan ran this play in short yardage and goal line.  He’s a good back with solid but not great power.  He carried 11 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Both scores were from inside the five yard line.

Michigan’s offensive line appeared to be athletic and fairly strong.  It’s a talented group and will certainly challenge Notre Dame’s front seven.  That will be a very good match up. 

Michigan’s wide receivers are an undervalued group.  They are quick and catch the football.  Notre Dame’s secondary will need to be ready during each snap.

Michigan’s kickoff coverage unit left a huge hole for the WMU return man.  I would expect this to change, but it’s something to think about. 

As a Notre Dame fan, it’s rare that I really care which player scores the winning touchdown.  It rarely matters to me which defensive back seals the victory with a last-minute interception.  With the case of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly making a decision about his starting quarterback, however, I’m all in for Tommy Rees.

As I stated in my blog yesterday, it’s hard to place a finger on exactly what ails Dayne Crist when adversity strikes.  The psychology of sport expands back roughly a hundred years, and  any sport psychologist from that time frame would be hard pressed to analyze Crist’s decision making and figure out how to fix him, if that’s even possible.  Crist’s physical attributes scream NFL quarterback.  Yet, Crist continues to make the same mistakes over and over, and he’s in his fourth year at Notre Dame.  Then there’s Rees, a guy that until Saturday I was never high on Notre Dame even recruiting, let alone being the starting quarterback.

Rees possessed a mediocre arm in high school.  He did not display anything more than average mobility.  He was a very skinny “kid.”  I simply did not see how Rees would ever be the starting signal caller for the Irish to be a highly successful football team.  The only attribute that I liked about him, as it relates to coach Kelly’s offense, is that he did play in a spread offense similar to the one Notre Dame utilizes under coach Kelly and his offensive assistants.  I expected Rees to be ahead of his two quarterback classmates, and that he was.  Fast forward to last season.

Rees played solid football during the 2010 season ending four-game win streak for the Irish, but he was not asked to do all that much because he was a freshman.  He completed 100 of 164 attempts for 1,106 yards, 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.  Still, most freshmen would most likely perform far worse than Rees when confronted with the same situation.  So my expectations for Rees expanded.  I believed he could at least be a solid backup to Crist, i.e. the guy out of the bullpen to rescue Notre Dame in a pinch. 

Well, it’s time for Rees to come into the game out of the pen, and he’s going to earn a starting pitcher’s innings pitched workload.  At least that’s how I see it.  Perhaps I am wrong, but if coach Kelly names Crist the starter I will be shocked.  Rees displays a level of moxie that’s not common with a sophomore quarterback.  I like that.  He was fired up before he entered the game in the third quarter.  He aggressively engaged coach Kelly on the sidelines.  Rees complimented his teammates and also gets on them.  He showed a leader’s mentality.  Those are traits that nobody can project based on high school film.  Still, Rees is far from a perfect quarterback.

He’s still not the most mobile quarterback, and his arm strength, while definitely improved, will still not likely reach the Crist-level of arm strength.  So he’s not perfect.  So be it.  Rees does, however, appear to be the best quarterback for Notre Dame to win football games.  I also realize that Rees is only at the beginning of his sophomore season.  He’s only going to improve.  As his on-field decision making improves, the Irish offense will improve.  That does not mean he’s the next Joe Montana or Tony Rice, but it does mean that the Irish will continue to improve as a team while Rees continues to improve as a quarterback.  All Irish fans should agree to like that concept.

I want a young man behind center that attempts to will the Irish to victory even when it will be an uphill battle.  I believe Rees to be that man. 

Go Irish!  Beat Michigan!

It’s unusual for a team to overcome a two or even one turnover deficit.  A five turnover deficit?  Forget it.  Adding to the dismay would be eight penalties and a missed field goal.  So what to do with Michigan looming this next Saturday night? A look at the negatives and positives from yesterday’s game.

First things first, hats off to the University of South Florida for accepting what Notre Dame provided it: a plethora of horrendous mental errors, i.e. the five turnovers, eight penalties, several dropped passes, a missed field goal, and a few shanked punts for good measure.  On behalf of the Bulls and their faithful, they say thank you!  Now with the sarcasm set aside, time to discuss the finite details of the good and bad from this game and how it impacts the rest of the 2011 football season.

Turnovers:  If a person simply checked the stat sheet and missed the turnover section, he/she would be perplexed with the winning team.  Based on the flow of the game and how easily the Irish moved the football into Bulls’ territory time and again, it’s safe to say that this game will likely prove to be more of an outlier than a trend for the rest of the season.  Still, with Jonas Gray’s fumble, the tipped pass that led to an interception, the horrible decisions by Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist during each of their poor decision-making moments that led to interceptions, and Theo Riddick’s dropped punt, none of them can be ignored in reality.  They happened.  The turnovers, sans the excellent ‘hold’em up and rip’ play used against Gray, were self-inflicted turnovers.  The penalties displayed a lack of mental focus.  Nothing against the Bulls, but the Irish handed the game to them.  Notre Dame was the much more talented team.  It’s not even close.  The Bulls deserved to win because they were more disciplined than Notre Dame.  Therefore, back to the basics during this week of practice.

To say that Notre Dame will be focusing upon mental drills this week, as well as basic fundamentals of catching the football, would be a grand understatement.  Football long ago proved to be a game of wild momentum-swinging plays, and yesterday’s outcome served as further proof.  The Irish players better be in tuned with what the coaches are saying during the most basic of drills this week.  Yes, mundane in nature, but drills focusing upon ball security cannot be ignored, nor can recognition drills as it relates to knowing which routes need to be run based on the defenses’ alignment. 

A reminder to the players: five turnovers!  One can be assured that those words shall be repeated, ad nauseam, by the Irish coaching staff all week.

Special Teams: No way around it, Ben Turk failed to complete even an average afternoon of punting.  The Irish net punting average: 27.4 yards.  That’s horrid!  Perhaps placing Kyle Brindza into the punting position will take place sooner than expected.

As for Riddick’s dropped punt, just do not do it again.  Nothing more to be said. 

Another surprise came about with the missed field goal.  It’s one thing to miss from beyond forty yards, it’s quite another to miss from about thirty yards, and do so badly.  Hopefully that missed field goal will be the only short miss of the season for David Ruffer.  He did an excellent job last season and the Irish need him to immediately return to his 2010 form.

Penalties: The back-to-back facemask penalties can only be described as a combination of poor luck and horrible tackling efforts.  Harrison Smith did not break down to tackle the ball carrier on the second play, or even come close to breaking down.  Thus, he grabbed, and grabbed high.  Both unacceptable for a team captain and fifth-year senior.  Chalk that poor effort up to the mental error department that overflowed for the Irish yesterday.  The holding penalty against Michael Floyd during Cierre Wood’s touchdown run was blatant, and an easy call for the official.  The penalty was compounded by the ensuing interception, of course.  Sometimes when it rains it pours (no pun intended).

Quarterback Play: Perhaps Crist needs something different.  Hard to say.  It just seems that he does not generally do well in the face of adversity.  He seemed like a totally different player post-fumble return for a touchdown.  A few of his passes did not end up as completions that should have been completions, but he still looked frustrated towards the end of the first half and it impacted his performance.  I do not expect to witness Crist as the starting quarterback at Notre Dame again, barring injury to Rees.  Something is just missing with Crist at quarterback.  I certainly do not know what ails him, but he’s not a guy I feel comfortable with in a tight situation.  Apparently coach Kelly agrees.  It’s too bad because he’s a great guy from everything that’s been written about him, and he possesses the physical tools to be a NFL quarterback. 

Rees showed a better arm than last season, and he’s noticeably bigger.  He may not possess Crist’s arm strength, but he throws on time and he falls into the often used “gym rat” category as the player that just enjoys the game and plays with passion.  Hopefully he can improve upon his efforts from yesterday, as he played well in spurts but still made the horrible attempted pass to Michael Floyd that resulted in an interception.  The one downside to Rees derives from his pedestrian mobility.  For the spread to truly be effective against elite teams, it’s best for the quarterback to be capable of efficiently running quarterback draws and various option plays.  That’s not what Rees will be about to do when he walks up to the line of scrimmage.  For this reason, it will be very important that Notre Dame plays with a lead or at least in very tight games because other teams will pin their ears back and rush the passer against with Rees in the lineup.  He’s quite capable of keeping plays alive, but he’s not going to make much yardage with his legs.  A bigger question remains beyond Rees’s foot running ability.

Will the team respond to Rees as the starting quarterback?  Which specific wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs will be truly satisfied (forget what they say publicly) with Rees in the starting lineup?  The offensive linemen, many of which enrolled with Crist during the same year or the year after, be satisfied with a sophomore signal caller for the rest of the season?  While some might scoff at such notions, the aforementioned list includes young men, some not even twenty-years old.  Making informed decisions often escapes people of such a young age.  Also keep in mind that quarterback disputes cause issues at all levels of football, let alone the media pressure cooker that is Notre Dame Football.  This “potential” issue may or may not come about.  It’s still something to consider moving forward.

Note: I have no idea if Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will further consider inserting either of the two young quarterbacks into the lineup.  It’s not like he’s going to tip his hand with Michigan on the horizon either.

Inside Linebacker Opposite Te’o: No denying Manti Te’o’s greatness.  He ran fast, fought through blockers, and tackled hard (9 tackles & 1 sack).  Te’o’s running mates, however, seemed out of sorts at times.  Dan Fox lost contain and/or overran a few plays.  He did not play as much in the second half.  In comes the reserve.  Carlo Calabrese played well against the run and even blew up a screen pass, but he’s still a liability during one-on-one coverage based on Calabrese not even attempting to turn around and look for the football during South Florida’s lone offensive touchdown.  Calabrese had a fairly easy interception if he simply turned around and looked for the football.  Instead, touchdown Bulls.  That play really hurt Notre Dame (yes, there’s a long list of those plays so I am not placing sole blame on the New Jersey native).

Both Fox and Calabrese showed promise at times, and both players will be contributors this season.  Neither player showed the ability to be a complete inside linebacker.  That’s the issue.  Fox seemed anxious and probably attempted to do too much.  His mental errors still need to cease.  Fortunately, his errors should be correctable, and hopefully soon.  No question that South Florida desired to take advantage of Calabrese’s poor pass coverage skills, the same weakness he displayed during the 2010 season.  Unfortunately, his lack of coverage awareness is not new.  While potentially correctable, it’s not a good sign that he’s still making the same mistakes two seasons in a row.  Notre Dame might end up rotating the two players based on down and distance. 

Now it’s time to move on to the good news.  There’s quite a bit, honestly.

Offensive Line: Even when the Bulls knew the Irish would pass, the offensive line did a commendable job of protecting Rees in the pocket.  The Bulls did not possess a truly dominant pass rusher, but overall, the Bulls front seven possessed the speed and quickness to rush the passer.  Good job of pass protection.  The run game looked better as well.

The offensive line helped Wood average five yards per tote while scoring a touchdown.  Many of those yards came between the tackles during downhill runs.  If Notre Dame continues to rush the football in this manner, it will be in position to move the football by keeping opposing defenses off balance.

Michael Floyd: He’s still Floyd.  Big plays.  Savvy plays.  Incredible catches.  He’s special.  Enjoy his exploits while he’s still in South Bend.  He will play in the NFL for a long, long time.

Tyler Eifert: He’s not a national name.  He will be.  Eifert provides matchup problems because of his quickness.  He’s not an elite player quite yet, but he’s close.  Eifert collected 6 receptions for 93 yards, a 15.5 average.  Few tight ends make more yards after the catch than Eifert.  He’s an offensive weapon that every other Football Bowl Subdivision school would enjoy on its roster.

The Good News From Special Teams: Brindza did a really good job of kicking the ball deep, but not too deep that the Bulls’ return men would simply down the ball in the end zone.  Notre Dame’s kickoff coverage unit did an excellent job of staying in their lanes and tackling Bulls’ return men short of the twenty yard line.  That’s fantastic special teams play.

The Irish Defensive Effort: Despite being on the field after momentum-changing plays, the defense held its own.  The Bulls managed just 3.0 yards per carry and only one play over fifteen yards the entire game, a 17 yard run.  The twenty, thirty, and forty yard plays that hindered the Irish defense last season did not rear their ugly heads yesterday.

Defensive By Category: For the game, the Irish held the Bulls to 254 yards of offense and allowed a paltry 3.5 yards per play average.  That’s an excellent effort.  Similar efforts will definitively place the Irish defense inside the nation’s top 20 in important categories such as total yards allowed, pass efficiency defense, scoring defense, and third down defense.  The Notre Dame defense can play with any team in the country.

Stout In the Middle: The rotation between Nix and Sean Cwynar worked well.  Both players stayed fresh and played well.  Nix, in particular, shoved South Florida offensive linemen into the backfield.  His strength just cannot be taught.  He’s a force in the middle that teams will be dealing with all season long.  Because of the nose guards helping to control the line of scrimmage, Te’o will be freed to run to the football.  That’s good news for the Irish.

Notre Dame currently resides at thirteen commitments for the class of 2012.  While Notre Dame works towards finalizing the class of 2012, the foundation for 2013 and 2014 began to develop long ago.

The recruiting process becomes more accelerated each year.  Recruits that did not yet take their driver’s test accept scholarships to major institutions such as Florida, Texas A&M and Georgia.  Recruiting simply changed within the past fifteen years.  Notre Dame, finally, made the change as well.  Now, the previous Irish coaching staffs did make inroads with juniors, but the current Irish regime took junior and even sophomore and freshmen recruiting to another level. 

The process begins and ends the same way: film and personal evaluation.  While college coaches need contacts from the various contacts within the media and high school coaching ranks, each staff still must make their own evaluations.  The current Irish staff offered a handful of players that entered their sophomore year, already!  Crazy?  Perhaps.  Reality?  Indeed. 

Some recruits just emerge earlier than others.  With that notion in mind, here are a few recruits to keep in mind for the future, beginning with the players Notre Dame appears to be ardently pursuing for the class of 2013.

Notre Dame offers: 2013

This list does not intend to be complete, but rather provide an overview of some of the talented 2013 recruits that Notre Dame offered to date.

Adam Breneman, TE, 6-5, 220, Camp Hill, PA.  This young man might be the best tight end in the country for 2013.  The early leader appears to be Notre Dame, but do not discount Penn State.  The Nittany Lions will be a factor.  Due to Breneman’s talent level, he will likely receive offers from across the country. 

Matt Alvitti, QB, 6-0, 180, Park Ridge, IL (Maine South). After this young man’s film makes the rounds, look for his stock to rise.  Alvitti’s athleticism allows him to move well within and outside the pocket.  He throws well on the run and he’s capable of making big runs once he breaks contain.  The rumors are that Alvitti is a possible early commitment to Notre Dame.  Who knows.  He’s  a bright kid and Northwestern, of all programs, could end up being Notre Dame’s biggest competition (the Northwestern degree value being intriguing to Alvitti). 

Ty Isaac, RB, 6-3, 205, Joliet, IL (Catholic).  Isaac plays for the traditional Notre Dame-feeder school just outside of Chicago.  He’s a big back, but Isaac utilizes quickness and an excellent jump step to elude defenders in space.  A big play threat, Isaac continues to be mentioned prominently with the Irish.

Steve Elmer, OT, 6-6, 290, Midland, MI.  Elmer holds strong ties to the Irish program, but he’s also from the state of Michigan and very familiar with the University of Michigan.  He’s made multiple treks to both institutions.  Elmer is more of a power player that’s likely to end up at RT or possibly RG once he reaches the collegiate level.

Ethan Pocic, OT, 6-6, 280, Lemont, IL.  It appears that the greater Chicago area will be really good in 2013, at least with the top prospects, and Pocic will be one of the best from that group.  Illinois will be a school to watch, as Graham Pocic plays for the Illini and he’s the older brother of Ethan. 

Jalen Marshall, QB/ATH, 6-0, 180, Middletown, Ohio.  With the off the field issues at Ohio State, Notre Dame and other programs hold a greater chance of signing talented Ohio prep targets.  Marshall is an electric player with the ball in his hands.  He would be dynamic as a slot wide receiver within Brian Kelly’s offense, but Marshall will probably want an opportunity at playing quarterback in college.  Marshall’s recruitment could be interesting.  Which school(s) offer him a guaranteed chance to be a signal caller?  Notre Dame and Ohio State earn the most mention with Marshall as of today.

Eli Woodward, CB, 5-11, 165, Voorhees, NJ (Eastern).  One of the better cornerbacks back East, Woodward already earned offers from Purdue and Ohio State in addition to the Irish.  Despite his sub-170-pound frame, Woodward plays physical.  He fits the mold of the cornerbacks that the Irish defensive staff covet.

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The state of Indiana became football crazy with the help of Peyton Manning and the Colts.  More and more Indiana high school players now play football than ever before.  Here are two recruits that possess and excellent chance to end up with offers from Notre Dame and a host of other programs.

Jaylon Smith, OLB, 6-2, 205, Fort Wayne, IN (Bishop Luers).  His brother is a running back at Ohio State.  Despite the family ties to Columbus, Smith holds Notre Dame in high regard.  He’s one of the better athletes in Indiana regardless of class.

Elijah Daniel, DE, 6-3, 250, Avon, IN. Although living in the west Indianapolis suburb of Avon, Daniel and his family hold strong ties to Dixie.  It will be interesting to see if he takes a mix of official visits to schools down South and up North, or just concentrates on one particular region of the country.

There will be a handful of other Indiana prospects that Notre Dame recruits, but it’s a bit too early to definitively state which ones will earn that distinction.

2013: Dixie, The Lone Star State & The Golden State

Notre Dame offered several class of 2013 recruits from down South, Florida in particular.  With Tony Alford and the excellent group of Irish assistant coaches that recruit Dixie for the Irish, Notre Dame will continue to sign some talented players from SEC states.  The bigger question derives from Texas and California, will the Irish continue to make inroads into both of those vastly talented states?  With Southern California suffering scholarship restrictions, Notre Dame’s chances of signing top California talent should continue to be better than normal.  Texas will be difficult, as always, but signing even two Texans per year will benefit the Irish roster.

Recruiting Strategy: Class of 2014 and Beyond

Arguably the best running back in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) in 2009 was an eighth grader.  Yes, an eighth grader.  That notion may seem ludicrous, but he was definitely in the conversation as one of the top running backs.  Sony Michel, RB, 5-11, 180, Plantation, FL (American Heritage) earned an offer from Notre Dame while he completed his freshman season of high school.  He’s legit.  Kickoff returns, off tackle, sweeps, and any other possible way he can score, Michel reaches the end zone.  Every school in the country will inevitably extend a scholarship offer, and Michel will be selecting from several great opportunities.  He’s just an example, however, of how recruiting accelerated in recent years.

2014: More Names to Remember

Andrew Brown, DE, 6-4, 280, Chesapeake, VA (Indiana River).  Brown’s physique appears to be of the twenty-five year old variety.  He’s vastly advanced for his age.  A humble and soft spoken young man, Brown will be one of the nation’s top recruits for the class of 2014.

Kevin Crosby, LB, 6-2, 225, Bamberg, SC (Bamberg-Ehrhardt).  Like Brown, Crosby’s frame does not appear to be that of a mere sophomore in high school.  Look for Crosby’s recruitment to be intense, if it’s not already.

Leonard Fournette, RB, 6-0, 210, New Orleans, LA (St. Augustine).  With an offer from Louisiana State University in September of 2010, Fournette became a household name around Louisiana and beyond.  Georgia Tech, Florida, and Florida State offered.  Notre Dame and many other programs continue to evaluate Fournette.  Why?  He tallied four games over 200 yards rushing last season despite being the focal point for opposing defenses.

While the names do not truly matter at this point, just know that Notre Dame already began ardently pursuing several players that are now sophomores.  That’s the way of recruiting.  Notre Dame earns the attention of recruits with early offers just like any other school, and that’s why it will continue to be important for the Irish to make verbal offers to players before their junior season.

Hit the link to witness a few photos.http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc424/basmith5/

Sheldon Day needs to redefine his body, i.e. he's a definite redshirt.  Quick burst off the ball, as advertised.  Plays very hard.  At the high school level, it's a joke when teams attempt to run at him and block him with one lineman.  Not going to work!  Day plays in a one-gap, get-up-the-field, cause havoc scheme.  It's similar to FSU/Miami circa 1990.  That's another reason to believe Day will need an adjustment year to learn a completely different scheme (at least a different scheme when ND lines up in a traditional 3-4 defense).

Long term, I see Day's best attribute as being the designated 3rd down interior DL pass rush specialist.  He's really good at making interior OL look really bad buy getting off the snap of the ball and using his hands to disengage from the offensive lineman.  The down side is I'm not sure he's going to be a traditional "nose guard" in terms of taking on two OL and just stuffing the run.  At least today, that was not Day's strength.  He' needs work at taking on double teams, but Cathedral's OL is well coached and pretty big.  Day played Defensive End during a handful of plays, and he's capable of causing trouble for the opposition from that position as well.  As long as Day redefines his body (he'll weigh 300-pounds, easily), Day can be a great player at ND, especially during pass rush situations. 

John Turner continues to baffle me.  He runs effortlessly, but he does not always seem interested.  I'm still puzzled as to why he plays cornerback in HS because teams just run away from him.  But what do I know?Turner showed a much higher propensity for contact today than he did last week, but he still only entertained a few chances to make a tackle because Warren Central is an old school down-hill running team.  Further, Cathedral continued to play cover 3 and lax coverage in general.  While Turner can certainly run (extremely fast for a 210-pound athlete), there's no definitive way to measure his pass coverage skills because of Warren's limited passing offense.  Buckley, the Warren RB, broke a long run and possessed the best angle to the end zone.  Turner still ran him down.  Buckley is a future D1 running back (committed to Cincinnati).  He's not chopped liver.  Long term I still believe Turner ends up at safety or possibly linebacker, but he's such a good athlete he could be a hybrid player that the Notre Dame coaching staff moves to different positions depending on the opponent, down and distance, time in the game, etc.  Hard to find athletes that run like Turner.

During each recruiting season a few mysterious recruits cross paths with Notre Dame.  Mysterious, you ask?  How about extremely talented yet not fully physically or mentally developed for the college game?  Meet John Turner, one of Notre Dame’s 2012 commitments.

Indianapolis Cathedral High School produces good football teams almost every year, and of course good football teams come about by way of good football players.  Hands down, the most physically gifted player the Fighting Irish possess this season is John Turner, the 6-2, 210-pound cornerback.  Yes, he plays cornerback for the Irish.  How his physical traits translate to playing for collegiate level’s Irish, however, proves to be quite difficult at this time.  Cathedral took on Indianapolis Ben Davis High School last night, a team loaded with speedy athletes.

Passing the Eyeball Test: Remember playing a game of pickup basketball when you were a kid and there’s that one guy that nobody knew (the new kid in town) but everyone wanted on their respective team because of how imposing he looked?  Yes, that’s Turner.  The Irish commitment possesses a long, lean, muscular build, and his body fat percentage would probably be envied by 99% of the world’s population.  In short, Turner looks like a future NFL player.  Many times recruits are listed with heights and weights that prove to be nothing more than hyperbole.  Turner’s measurements appeared to be accurate, and his frame, especially below the waist, will allow for much more additional weight once he goes through Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning program.

Athleticism: This young man glides across the field.  To use a common sport acronym, “He’s a gazelle.” When witnessing Turner line up at cornerback during the opening series, the question of whether he possessed the hip flexibility to play the position arose.  No concerns post-game evaluation, although he will probably out-grow the cornerback position for the college level.  The Cathedral product back pedals and turns very well.  He accelerates well out of breaks.  Turner is truly an athlete.

Physical Nature: This area holds the primary concern.  During a Ben Davis touchdown run, the Giants’ running back reached the one yard line with Turner pulling up and not hitting the running back as he took his final step into the end zone.  Absolutely unacceptable!  Light that kid up!  Even if he scored, so be it.  No free passes.  During a quarterback run in the second half, the Ben Davis quarterback lowered the boom on Turner when he did not properly set himself up for contact, nor did he truly appear to want any part of contact.  The result was Turner being knocked down along the sideline.  Point blank, if Turner wants to truly play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he will need to desire contact, not shy away from it.  The odd point comes from several other plays where Turner mixed it up with the wide receiver blocking him and he made a concerted effort to reach the ball carrier.  This contradiction in effort could be a common case of a talented but inexperienced player not giving 100% effort on each play.  Regardless, that cannot happen once Turner reaches Notre Dame.

Instinct: The most frustrating facet of evaluating Turner last night derived from Ben Davis passing and running away from Turner’s side of the field for the vast majority of the game.  Ben Davis only tested Turner on a fly pattern once, and one deep crossing route.  Additionally, Cathedral’s scheme to keep everything in front of them became clear very early in the game.  Turner provided plenty of distance to the wide receiver he covered, as did the other Cathedral defensive backs.  Combined with perhaps a grand total of five passes thrown his direction all night (short and deep passes combined), truly evaluating his passing game instincts became difficult.  The one very good sign from Turner was that he did not allow a wide receiver to get behind him all night.  He did allow the deep crossing route to go for big yardage, but the safety provided little to no help (totally out of position – too deep and did not make a play on the ball).  Turner had a shot at an interception during the fly pattern, but the Ben Davis receiver provided Turner with a little “nudge” that was not called offensive interference (and should have been) and it resulted in an incomplete pass.  Turner played the ball perfectly.

During running plays Turner often seemed uninterested as the Giants continually ran to the other side of the field.  Yes, it probably was boring, but Turner still did not go all-out during each play.  He occasionally over ran a play when the running back cut back, but that’s when it became quite clear that Turner possessed the necessary foot speed to play big-time college football.  He quickly changed direction and headed for the ball carrier.  Some basic college coaching will correct the concerns of where Turner should be during running plays. 

Long-Term Position: When I first saw Turner, I said “‘Linebacker!’”  After watching him run around all night, the answer became much more clouded.  Turner appeared to be one of those rare athletes that could play safety at the college level even if he weighed 230 pounds.  His physical prowess should not be even remotely denied.  He can run and his frame will allow for considerably more weight (hello Paul Longo).  Turner could end up at free safety, strong safety, or possibly the weak side inside linebacker position.  Perhaps the DOG outside linebacker?  It’s a good problem for the Notre Dame coaching staff to solve.

Smitty’s Take: I was very concerned about Turner’s non-physical attitude during a few specific plays, but I will see how he performs this next week when Cathedral faces Indianapolis Warren Central, the most talented team in Indiana.  Warren Central is the same school that Irish commitment Sheldon Day lines up as a defensive lineman, so I will get my first glimpse of the future Irish defensive lineman as well. I want to witness Turner hammer players that quite frankly are not as big or fast as him.  That’s the way he must play for Notre Dame or he will not be much of a factor at the college level.  That’s just the way it is.  Turner has all the talent one could want, but he must desire contact, not shy away from it.    If Turner once again shies away from contact, the red flag comes out as it relates to how one should consider his transformation to Notre Dame Football. 

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly often recruits athletes and diagnoses where to play them later.  This premise probably holds true with Turner because he could earn playing time at several positions.  I trust the Notre Dame coaching staff to not only figure out which positions Turner could and should play, but to also motivate him to utilize his God-given physical ability to the fullest during each snap.  Turner’s physical attributes could allow him to be a force in college.  He just has to want it.  When Cathedral faces off with Warren Central, a more definitive answer about Turner’s current skill set will be known.  Long term, I’m still confident that Notre Dame will get a player that can help the team because I trust the Irish coaching staff to motivate Turner regardless of what I see this next Friday night.

With the 2011 Notre Dame Football season closing in, it's time to discuss the most important factor for the 2011 season.  Dayne Crist’s health will possibly be the most important factor in determining Notre Dame's 2011 fortunes.  Many different scenarios could play out.

From signal caller to the holder for point after attempts, each Notre Dame Football player holds value to the team and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly.  With that in mind, one player really needs to be in the lineup each week, and that player would be Dayne Crist.  Here are my projections and thoughts for Crist and how he impacts the 2011 roster and schedule:

Quarterback: It's time.  Now.  Not later.  Crist must take the leadership role on and off the gridiron to help elevate the Irish to a legitimate BCS contender, and to do so he must be taking snaps during every game.  The defense should be top-twenty-five caliber, but will the California native be mentally and physically (i.e. healthy?) ready to play a full season?  Until otherwise proven, Notre Dame fans should not expect Crist to start and finish twelve regular season games.  He did not yet earn that right.  Bad luck?  To a certain extent, for sure.  Bottom line, Crist spends too much time with trainers, or at least he did each of the past several seasons.  Notre Dame's best chance to reach the BCS stems from Crist being the primary signal caller for all twelve games (I am as curious as anyone as to how much other quarterbacks will play to add more of a dual-threat, i.e. the rookies).

So, could Tommy Rees lead Notre Dame to the Promised Land this season?  Perhaps.  Then again, he may not need to do so if the Irish defense continues to improve.  In fairness, it's really hard to project how well and/or how much Rees or any other quarterback would need to be "the man" if he's inserted into the starting quarterback position (the Irish defense, weather conditions, etc. impact each game).  Looking ahead, still, the best option resides with Crist behind center.  His upside just cannot be ignored.  He provides more mobility and arm strength than Rees, and his experience alone gives him the edge over Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson.  As coach Kelly often denoted since his arrival at Notre Dame, it's important that the Irish signal caller keep plays alive with his feet.  Crist provides that skill and more.  Rees is the true "pocket passer" and should not be considered much more than semi-mobile, while the two rookies certainly provide the escape factor into their repertoires while attempting to learn on the job.  Crist is the only quarterback with the arm strength, solid maneuverability, and experience to best provide the Irish with a great 2011 season.  Thus, again, he’s far and away the best option at quarterback.

If Crist does not hold out physically, Rees will likely resume his role as the starting quarterback.  He's a solid quarterback.  He can win games as proven last season, but Notre Dame's chances to legitimately win ten or more games with Rees as the starting signal caller must be considered much lower than if Crist started and finished every game.  Crist simply possesses far superior physical tools, and another year to learn coach Kelly's schemes should allow Crist the ability to make better in-game decisions, and to simply be more relaxed with his mechanics (Stop skipping the ball to wide receivers when moving towards your left Dayne!).  But what if Crist goes down in game number one?

The Schedule: The one blessing that could come about if Crist becomes injured again arises from Notre Dame's watered-down 2012 schedule, at least in terms of elite teams.  Sorry Stanford, but without Jim Harbaugh and the excellent defensive players/offensive linemen that left the roster from last season, even with Andrew Luck, your program will take a small step back this season (and huge step back once Luck departs for the NFL).  Stanford will be a much more likely victory than this past season (not easy by any means, but it’s not going to be the same Stanford team as 2010).  Michigan is down, way down!  The Wolverine's defense still stinks (the secondary....ugh).  Denard Robinson running a pro-style offense?  Uh-oh Michigan fans....Is that not like a pro-style quarterback attempting to execute the read option?  Oh wait!  You witnessed that before?  In time, Michigan will be fine.  Short term, Michigan will struggle because of the change in schemes and lack of defensive personnel. 

Before the trip to Ann Arbor, of course, will be an Irish home contest against the University of South Florida.  Good team speed, good athletes, but that program still does not possess the game breakers on offense that should scare any Irish fan.  To be honest, Notre Dame should start 2-0 and win both games by 10 or more points.  Seriously.  USF and U-M are solid teams, but nothing dominant.  Notre Dame's vastly improved defense (see the end of the 2010 season) and influx of defensive talent (front seven recruiting) should allow Notre Dame to be mediocre offensively and still win some close games against solid to good teams like USF and U-M.  The Irish defense will be stingy. 

There will still most likely be a few loses along the way, most likely due to the poor timing of games more than the actual opponents themselves.  It still blows my mind that Notre Dame will not tell Michigan State and/or Purdue to either move their games with the Irish to October/November.  Playing six solid to good teams in a row, to open a season, is just utterly stupid.  That's on the Notre Dame administration (more past than current).  Still, if Notre Dame desires to be national title contenders, it needs to alter the scheduling of games (see Michigan State right after Michigan each year -- dumb).

If Notre Dame could somehow manage to start the season 6-0 heading into the off week before the Trojans come to South Bend, it would be quite the accomplishment.  I’m thinking more like 4-2 or probably 5-1 (I don’t feel good about the Michigan State game due solely to the timing). 

The extra week off to prepare for the Trojans as well as heal wounded Irish players should help come October 22, and the back end of the schedule will be much less formidable than the September to early October slate.  Again, unfortunately, it comes back to Crist’s health.  Will he be the starting quarterback when the Trojans arrive?  What about after the game against the Trojans?

It might seem as if I am deliberately picking on Crist.  Not really.  It’s just that a college team needs a quarterback that stays healthy, especially when attempting to operate coach Kelly’s fast-paced offense.  Even players the caliber of Michael Floyd and with the potential of Theo Riddick need a steady quarterback to pass them the football.  Crist provided glimpses of what he's capable of last season before his injury.  And yes, there’s no denying that coach Kelly long ago proved he can play magical chairs with his signal callers and be successful, but this is Notre Dame, not Cincinnati.  More spotlight, more difficult “runs” in the schedule, and more teams that circle the Irish on the calendar.  Notre Dame needs big plays and many of those big plays will be a result of the quarterback’s performance, and hopefully that will be Crist’s performance.

By the time the Irish trek to Palo Alto to play the Cardinal, Notre Dame’s bowl fate may or may not be set.  That could be a huge game for the Irish.  Perhaps a BCS birth will be on the line.  With a healthy Crist at the helm, the Irish will be much more likely to avenge their loss against the Cardinal from last season and play in a big-time January bowl game.  Who knows, perhaps Crist could help guide the Irish to a shot at the national title.  This is Notre Dame.  The history of Notre Dame Football is littered with seasons where the Irish surpassed expectations and provided a magical season and/or a national championship.

How far will the Irish go in 2011?  It all starts with Crist.  Other options are certainly available, but Crist is the most important ingredient for Notre Dame to reach elite status by the end of the 2011 season. 

Ohio RB Will Mahone (Austintown, Ohio/Fitch) has set his announcement date.  The four-star running back will announce his college decision on August 7th. 

Mahone will choose between Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh. He received offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia.

He was ranked the No. 7 overall running back on Coach D's Big Board and the No. 1 big back.

Here is Coach D's evaluation of Mahone.

"Mahone is the top power back on Notre Dame’s board. He has good size at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds. Mahone also runs with impressive power and is a strong downhill runner. He possesses good balance and runs with good pad level, making him an effective between the tackles runner. His ability to put his head down and ram forward will make him an effective short yardage back as well. Mahone is more than just a power back. He has solid speed, which he combines nicely with his good size and powerful running style. Mahone is a one-cut runner that gets downhill quickly and runs with a good forward lean. He anticipates contact well and is able to dip and rip through defenders in space. He has enough quickness and agility to make defenders miss on the second level as he works for extra yards. His game is best suited for a more traditional offense, but he could be a weapon in the spread offense. The extra creases and room he would get would allow him to bully defenses between the tackles, and if he gets a crease he could make big plays. He reminds me of a faster and a bit more explosive version of Jacob Ramsey, who was a solid running back for Kelly at Cincinnati."