| 03 August 2010
Holy shit! What a weekend for Fighting Irish Football recruiting. Did I say weekend? I meant 24 hours. It was a no holds barred commitment brawl, the likes of which we have not seen. Seriously, ask Tom Lemming. Lemming said he has never seen anything like it... he must not follow Texas recruiting, or maybe he was only speaking about Notre Dame. Anyway you put it, the free-for-all from Friday morning to Saturday morning that netted four verbal commitments for Notre Dame kicked ass.
These weren't just run-of-the-mill type recruits either. All four players (as most are anyways) are key recruits at need positions. Three of the four recruits fall on the defensive side of the ball- which is crucial to the future success of Fighting Irish Football.
So who are these Fearsome Foursome? Don't act like you don't know and I won't act like some asshole who thinks they broke a story days after it happened...mmmkay? Let's take a look at these players, Subway Domer Style...
Justice Hayes is the bastard grandson of Captain America. Both names/figures inspire patriotism as well as a gentle reminder that Nazi Ass-Kicking will never go out of style. Hayes looks like one of those underdog superheroes as his 5'10 175 pound frame leaps over defenders 3 at a time to spark victory. Justice is one of those backs that is just perfect for the spread offense. Quick decisions, quick cuts, quick everything. But if he is so quick... what in the hell took him so long to commit?
Hayes may step into a somewhat sticky situation in 2011. Armando Allen and Robert Hughes will be gone, but Jonas Gray will be a senior and Cierre Wood will still have sophomore eligibility. Add that to Cameron Roberson's presence and you have another 4 player logjam at running back. We have no way of knowing how good Wood and Gray may become, but it could be safe to say that Hayes may be practicing from the bench his first year of serving justice.
Justice had offers from all over Big Integer country including his home state schools of Michigan and Michigan State. Tennessee was also rumored to have been a player in the recruiting process, but in the end it was the Irish kicking the Skunkbears right in the ass.
Welcome To ND, Justice, Server of TD Notices!!!
Anthony Rabasa is the bastard descendant of Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci is often overlooked in annuls of history because of Christopher Columbus, but does Columbus have two continents named after him? Seriously. When you think about the "New World," and its founders (please forget about being PC on this) your first thought goes to Columbus and not Vespucci. The same kind of thinking applies to the 6'3" 230 pound Rabasa. Fans were kind of overlooking the 3 star prospect for some of the bigger names with more stars attached to them. It is typical, considering that Rabasa is listed as a defensive end, but is being recruited by Notre Dame to play outside linebacker.
The 2011 Irish defense will be without Brian Smith after 4 years. Filer and Fleming should fill the rolls on the outside, but will be seniors and be done after the 2011 season. Rabasa could redshirt and wait with a few veteran guys ahead of him, but my money is on a different bet. The more I think about it, I see Kelly using guys like Rabasa, and Councell on special teams in 2011 as they get their beaks wet a bit. Then, they turn them loose in 2012 to compete for a spot.
As overlooked as I think Rabasa has been from the recruiting services, he has been drooled over by a lot of programs- a lot of elite programs. His offer sheet is a mile long, but some of the names that stand out the most are: LSU, Miami, Florida, Purdue, Florida State, Nebraska, and NC State (guess he didn't like Tenuta). This is a kid who has some of the best defensive coaches in the country wanting him to be a part of their units. Solid, motherfucking solid.
Welcome To ND, Anthony, Namesake of Rabasamerica!!!
Jalen Brown is the bastard godson of Bobby Brown (the pop sensation- not the former WR). He gonna do what he gonna do. It's his prerogative. Nobody saw this one coming- at least not right now. The 6'0" 175 pound cornerback from Texas hasn't even been to Notre Dame's campus. The Irish have been recruiting this prospect hard for quite some time, and their hard work paid off with Brown's late night public proclamation. We are really getting serious when we talk about Kelly not caring about "stars" in recruiting. Currently, Brown is unranked by Rivals and is a 3 star on Scout. The Rivals situation is a lack of video thing.
Brown steps into a similar situation as Rabasa. 2011 sees the departure of Darrin Walls, and it will be the last year of eligibility for both Gary Gray and Robert Blanton. With only Lo Wood and EJ Banks on the depth chart, the transfer of Spencer Boyd, and the probable lack of another defensive back commitment, Jalen will have a chance to play right away as a freshman, most likely on special teams.2012 will be a year for competition for Brown to crack the 2 deep.
Browns offer sheet is nice, but it lacks the sexiness of having Texas and Oklahoma on the list. He did have some very nice offers from Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Arizona- schools known for producing quality defensive backs and with good defensive staffs in place. While Brown is confident that Notre Dame will blow him away once he does take a visit during the season, the need to keep pressing on Brown by the Irish staff is uber importante (German & Spainish- holla!)
Welcom To ND Jalen, Another New Edition!!!
Aaron Lynch is the bastard heir of Merrill Lynch.That's how god damn important this kid is. Lynch is a 6'6" 245 pound nightmare of a bull rush. He is rated as the 6th best defensive end in the country, but some "experts" think that his stock may still rise with a solid senior year. I'm not sure if he will become a 5 star, but the potential is there. Aaron's commitment to the Irish had a laundry list of factors, but it all boiled down to two things, academics and a chance to play early for the Fighting Irish. This was a stressful commitment for Irish fans as rumors of Lynch possibly leaning towards Florida or Florida State were everywhere. What should help Notre Dame hold onto Lynch come signing day is the fact that he [Lynch] plans on enrolling early at Notre Dame this January. Only 6 more months...
Because of the fact that Lynch will be participating in spring practice, he has a legitimate shot at garnering a good amount of playing time. A good shot... but I still think that he will have a tall mountain to climb come fall of 2011. Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore, should be back in 2011 after starting in 2010. Emeka Nwankwo should be back for a 5th year and help seal the 3 man rotation with KLM and EJ. 2012 is another story altogether. Lynch is now a part of a big defensive end class for the Irish, because of a huge need in 2012 and beyond. Lynch is the piece of that puzzle.
Lynch's list of schools that he turned down to become Irish is long and littered with some of the best defensive schools in the country. Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Florida, and Florida State all offered Lynch a spot and all were turned down. This is usually one of those recruits that heads elsewhere, so get your thanksgiving on and give props to Brian Kelly and the staff for this commitment.
Welcome To ND, Aaron The Bull!!!
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- These commitments put ND in a precarious place, recruiting wise. There may only be 3-4 more spots available in this class. Done by September maybe? What the hell is this Texas?
- Notre Dame has roughly 116 scholarship offers out there.
- This class still needs at least one if not 2 WR's.
- The eligibility chart links on Subway Domer are shit. 2010 is good to go, but who needs it for 2010. I should have 2011 and 2012 done this week and I will post them when finished.
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