Wu Am I? 100 Watt Warlock & Tha Flailing Fanatical Killah

wu am i

Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I? series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. Apologies are due to all of you patiently waiting for this series to unfold and the chamber doors opened. College Football has had an already EPIC offseason, and we at Subway Domer just couldn’t pull away from that soap opera.

So, let us continue (hopefully at a faster pace) and open Chambers 5 & 6…

brian smithBrian Smith #58
Outside Linebacker
6’3″ 234 lbs.
Senior
Overland Park, Kansas
Wu Name: 100 Watt Warlock

Brian Smith was not supposed to be here. The 2007 recruiting class was supposed to look a little different, and Brian Smith wasn’t invited- at first. The Fighting Irish had a long list of offers out to outside linebackers such as Chris Donald and Lorenzo Edwards to name a few. Notre Dame was confident that they were going to land some- if not all of these prospects. Then… the Sugar Bowl beatdown happened at the hands of LSU. That one game sealed the fate for a handful of recruits, as it had them heading somewhere else other than South Bend. It also brought Corwin Brown and his 3-4 defense in the mix, and with that… Brian Smith finally had a scholarship offer from Notre Dame, the school his father once played football for in the 80’s. Brian was already a Hawkeye commit, but quickly decided to check ND out, bypassing the threat of having his scholarship pulled by Iowa if he did so. Brian decommitted from Iowa and after a trip to the Bend- he was all Irish. His career got off to a bittersweet start as he saw a lot of playing time as a freshman, but also was a part of one of the worst teams in ND history in 2007. Never-the-less, Brian showed a lot of potential and has become a 3 year starter for the Irish as he begins his Senior year.

Brian has took a ton of criticism in these past two years. Some of it was justified, and some of it was just finger-pointing. Brian is brash, cocky, and one of those guys that walks with a lot of swagger. The problem was that he wasn’t able to back it up a lot of times. The bigger problem was that it just wasn’t his fault most of the times he couldn’t back it up. He has played out of position the past 2 years as a middle linebacker in a 4-3 as opposed to playing his more natural fit as an OLB in a 3-4. In 2010, Brian returns to the outside due to a certain Hawaiian named, Manti, and the emergence of Anthony McDonald in the middle. It puts Brian back outside, but with a lot of competition to keep his edge razor sharp. Smith has proved himself to be a big playmaker at times when the game is on the line, and now he should shine even brighter during his final campaign in the Blue and Gold.

trevor robinsonTrevor Robinson #78
Offensive Guard
6’5″ 300 lbs.
Junior
Elkhorn, Nebraska
Wu Name: Tha Flailing Fanatical Killah

Trevor Robinson probably wasn’t supposed to be here either. This mammoth Nebraskan had offers from just about everywhere- including the Cornhuskers. Athletic Director, Tom Osbourne, hired himself as head coach JUST SO HE COULD RECRUIT TREVOR PERSONALLY. If you don’t understand how big of a deal that is then you don’t understand college football or recruiting or what kind of figure Osbourne is in the home state of Robinson.Despite all of that, Charlie Weis somehow managed to get the commitment of Robinson in 2007 during one of the worst years in Notre Dame history. Robinson played in 11 of 13 games for the Irish and started 3 of those while becoming only the 5th player in Irish history to start on the offensive line as a freshman. Robinson became a fulltime starter in 2009 at RG and has quickly become one of the best, if not THE best offensive lineman on the team.

2010 could be the defining year for Robinson. As the Irish move towards the Kelly Spread and away from the pro system that Weis used, which put a lot of pressure on the RG in particular, Trevor will have to learn to adjust and be quicker on his feet. i really see no way that Robinson doesn’t absolutely excel as his aggressive nature and his mechanics are perfect for any system. Because Robinson is so good, he has been speculated to be moved around by the new staff. He is able to play across the line, but will most likely end up back at RG for good. He is truly an amazing talent that should get more national attention this year. Look out for Robinson- he’s from Nebraska ans he looks like he is ready to gut you with a butter knife.

About The Subway Domer

Warlord and Emperor of the Subway Alumni... also, I do this "dad" thing pretty damn well.

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