On the day that Brian Kelly introduced his coaching staff to Notre Dame nation, Mike Elston was absent, out with the very legitimate excuse that his wife was delivering their new daughter.

Since then, the defensive line coach jumped head first into recruiting, helping to solidify recruits like Prince Shembo, Justin Utupo, Louis Nix, and Bruce Heggie. As the Spring approaches, he'll be in charge of turning around a defensive front that was much maligned last year, as well as a special teams unit that showed a vast need for improvement.

When it came time to talk about his goals for the defensive line, Elston didn't mince any words.

"We're going to be the best defensive line in the country," he said. "That's what my expectations are. A year ago, I coached a defensive line and they had very little playing experience. They were undersized. No one liked them. I moved over from tight end to defensive line. We led the Big East in tackles for loss, we were second in sacks, eighth in the country in sacks, third in tackles for loss. I expect them to be the best in the country. We're striving to win a National Championship. I'm not going to coach them and say, 'Hey guys, we can finish in the top 50 or we're the 50th best defense in the country.' We're going to be the best."

Obviously, everything right now is lip service, but Elston's message is good one. The Charlie Weis era felt too much like a team that was dedicated to playing elite offense and just good enough defense. That's not a way to build a championship team. While its tough to look at the defense Cincinnati played and say that they did things much differently, the stats that Elston cites are important ones, and are key points of emphasis for this defense.

Moving to special teams, I also think the Irish have a chance to do much better. Too often Notre Dame found themselves on the wrong side of field position battles, and even after removing the horrific punting they got for most of the season from Eric Maust and Ben Turk, Notre Dame had far too good of skill position talent to lose on special teams each Saturday. For as much of an asset as Brian Polian was recruiting, he was never thought of as much more than an above-average special teams coach. When asked about his still to be defined role working with the special teams, Elston had this to say.

"I can't say that we've won every game because of special teams, but we haven't lost one because of special teams. With my experience and the help of the staff, I think that we can be very strong... At the end of the day, I'm going to coordinate special teams. I will do the game planning and the organizational practices and communicate to the team what their responsibilities will be. I will coordinate all six unites: the punt return, the kickoff, kickoff return, and the field goal PAT and field goal protection teams."

That's quite a responsibility for a coach that also wore the hat of the recruiting coordinator for the Bearcats, and also spent time as the tight ends coach under Kelly.

While all that might sound great, some Irish fans might be happiest with Elston's goals for his alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines.

"I can't wait to beat them," Elston said.

After last year's game in Ann Arbor, who can?

Most head coaches gave their assistants and support staff some much deserved time off, with Signing Day come and gone and Spring Practice not yet ramped up. Hopefully, Brian Kelly and company take a few days away before getting back after it, with one of the more important springs in recent memory just ahead.

Here are a few thoughts I collected over the weekend:

* If there's a controversy brewing in the early days of the Brian Kelly era, it's the changes in the walk-on policy. Depending on your sources, Kelly has either canceled the walk-on program, or merely changed the tryout dates for those students that would like to earn a place on the roster of the football team.

After sending an email to the football office for clarification, I was told that they have simply been rescheduled, though that would go against what I've heard from a few other sources, all of whom have given me a version similar to this, a student letter to the editor at The Observer:

"A few friends of mine were planning on trying out for next year's team this spring and called the football office to find out when tryouts were. What they eventually found out was that the new head coach Brian Kelly and his staff were not going to have walk-on tryouts this year. Furthermore, they found that some of the current walk-ons were being cut."

I think on the totem pole of issues, the walk-on program should be as close to the bottom as you can find, but it's never a sound PR move to cancel a tradition, especially when it spawned people like Mike Anello and -- gasp! -- Rudy Rudiger. I expect Kelly to invite students to tryout for the team eventually. I just think this fall, where he'll be working on installing an offense without a healthy quarterback and coming off a hectic recruiting season, might not be the best time to find guys that won't contribute to your program for at least a few seasons at best. It's not the worst thing in the world to push this off.

Chin up, aspiring Rudys. Your day will come...

* There was plenty of buzz on message boards about highly touted Michigan recruit Demar Dorsey, an elite safety that comes to Ann Arbor with a lot of baggage. Dorsey was charged with multiple felonies while in high school, stemming from multiple robberies. Here are Rodriguez's comments from his Signing Day press conference.

"I don't think it's fair to the young man and his family to pass judgments on something before you know the whole story," Rodriguez said. "As a coach we got a chance to visit these kids at the school, at their home and have them come up here and spend a weekend. You get to know them, certainly you get enough time to research and learn the whole story, not just what somebody's written out there. Sometimes people are too quick to judge on something they read on the internet. I think that's dangerous to do."

I'm pretty disappointed with Rodriguez, but not for giving Dorsey a chance at going to college. The Free Press has the whole story. They've done the research and what they're writing isn't just something you read on the internet message boards. For Rodriguez to simply attempt to brush Dorsey's past under the table is inexplicable.

I don't make a habit out of supporting people that have committed felonies, but I think Dorsey deserves the chance to turn his life around. If Rodriguez simply said that Dorsey, who comes from an extremely at-risk background, made some mistakes and was dedicated to turning his life around, I think he'd gather some support and turn Dorsey's story into one of redemption.

But Rodriguez dismissing some pretty serious criminal exploits as internet rumors is unacceptable, especially coming on the heels of the Justin Feagin incident, another questionable Rodriguez recruit that was eventually dismissed from school for his role in a botched cocaine deal.

While we've got the next six months to continue analyzing recruiting, defensive alignments, and 2011 targets, let's clean out the links for the week and follow up on some items missed.

* Some of the biggest news out of yesterday's Signing Day press conference was the health update on Dayne Crist.

"I think he's well ahead (of schedule)," Kelly said. "My goal right now, and I don't think I'm putting Jim Russ in jeopardy at all, I think he's going to be able to partake in virtually everything but contact. Nobody will get in his ZIP code, but you're going to see a lot of him in the spring."

This is obviously good news for everybody, and the Irish pushed Spring Practice back as late as they could to get Crist as many reps as possible. With Nate Montana back from his stint at Juco football, and Tommy Rees spending his first semester at Notre Dame, it'll be good to get Crist as close to live reps as possible, as spring installation will be a crucial part of the Irish's transformation.

* On the subject of injuries, only Kyle Rudolph, Theo Riddick and Brandon Walker are limited in offseason training. Rudolph was obviously setback with the shoulder injury that ruined the tail end of his season, but Riddick also had shoulder surgery, which went a little bit under the radar. Meanwhile, kicker Brandon Walker, an afterthought with the emergence of freshman kicker Nick Tausch, is battling a very serious back injury, which could put an end to his football career.

* Moving on to off the field issues, Kelly was quite succinct on the subject of Michael Floyd and his underage drinking ticket.

"It's been adjudicated, I can tell you that for sure," Kelly said.

When asked about any disciplinary actions the school took, Kelly stayed mum.

"He informed me as to what it is. It's been adjudicated, he's working out with our team today. We're moving forward."

For those of you that reached for the dictionary, adjudicated means that Res Life has meet, a punishment has been doled out, and Michael Floyd remains on the football team, which is the proper punishment for a 20-year-old kid who had booze on his breath after a house party dust-up.

* A couple quick notes on some recruits the Irish missed on:

Ego Ferguson, the Hargrave Military Academy defensive end who had the Irish in his finalists would be a member of the Irish if he listened to his father.

"We were up until two in the morning last night debating this," Ego Ferguson Sr. told Fanhouse's John Walters. "I wanted him to go to Notre Dame, but he said, 'Dad it's too cold.'"

Ferguson ended up signing with LSU, and the Irish just missed on an elite defensive end target.

* Seantrel Henderson's recruiting saga hasn't ended, but don't expect the Irish to claw back into this one. Henderson's final decision didn't come down to Ohio State and USC like many reported, but Miami and the Trojans. Henderson was absolutely smitten with the Hurricanes after a weekend in South Beach hanging with his idol Bryant McKinnie, and other Miami alums like Willis McGahee and Ed Reed. The decision was so close that when Henderson texted his high school basketball coach just minutes before he made his decision on-air with Tom Lemming on CBS College Sports TV, he sent back only one word: "MIAMI."

According to the New York Times story, of Henderson's six finalists, only Florida and Notre Dame didn't send him a Letter-of-Intent to fax back with his signature. Florida never sent theirs because Henderson and the Gator coaching staff never truly hit it off. Notre Dame likely pulled out of the sweepstakes in the final week, when it was clear that he wasn't interested in pursuing a Notre Dame. Expect Henderson to spend two-and-a-half years in college, before preparing for the next level of play. Not exactly the kind of athlete Notre Dame usually recruits.

* While 2009 was a tough year on the gridiron, it was also a tough year on the Notre Dame endowment. While they didn't take the beating that Harvard did, the Irish endowment shrunk 20.8 percent in 2009, cutting the figure to $5.5 billion. Institutionally, that isn't actually all that bad compared to the market and other universities, so consider it the equivalent of going 6-6 and skipping a bowl game.     

If you're looking for a comprehensive breakdown on the 23 recruits that officially joined the Notre Dame football program, you can head here for UND.com's official release. I thought I'd take a second to break down every recruit and try to give you a bullet-point briefing.

Here are the 2010 recruits... in one line or less.

QUARTERBACKS

Andrew Hendrix: Highly-rated, strong arm. Gave Florida a late Heisman and stayed w/ND.
Luke Massa: Former Bearcat recruit. Good build, good athlete. State champ and leader.
Tommy Rees: Early enrollee. Good athlete, strong, quick arm. Will take lots of Spring snaps.

RUNNING BACK

Cameron Roberson: Big, strong back who can run, block, and catch. SoCal native.

TIGHT ENDS & RECEIVERS

Austin Collinsworth: Son of Cris. Can run, catch, return, and cover. Army All-American.
Bennett Jackson: Lean, quick receiver that excels with the ball in his hands.
Tai-ler Jones: UA All-American. Lanky, fast receiver that could be next great one.
Daniel Smith: South Bend's finest. Big and physical, could turn into a match-up problem.
Alex Welch: Another Elder tight end. Needs to add some bulk still.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Tate Nichols: Monster of a guy that played wide-out and tight-end. Snatched from Stanford.
Christian Lombard: Road-grader type that could play tackle or guard. Army All-American.
Matt Jones: Monster left-tackle. Elite prospect that chose the Irish over the Buckeyes.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Chris Badger: Early enrollee. Physical safety, hits like a truck. Football player, not just athlete.
Spencer Boyd: Early entrant, too. Florida DB with cover skills and tackling ability.
Lo Wood: Corner with ball-skills. Needs to bulk up, but early entrance should help.

LINEBACKERS

Kendall Moore: Potential edge player, who fits new system and needs well.
Prince Shembo: Another potential edge player with skills to rush passer.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Louis Nix: Run-stuffer that's going to anchor a 3-4 front sooner than later. Big time recruit.
Bruce Heggie: Sleep prospect w/great frame and size. Unknown prospect until Irish offered.
Kona Schwenke: Hawaiian with great length and room to grow. Best player in Hawaii.
Justin Utupo: Lineman of the year in Los Angeles. Could become outside backer at ND.

ATHLETES

Derek Roback: Elite athlete that played QB. Jack of all trades should become H-Back.
Danny Spond: A top Colorado recruit. Another QB that could play just about anywhere.  
 

 

There will be plenty of time to breakdown the recruiting class. (My two word analysis: Good Start.) But first let's start with some interesting tidbits from Brian Kelly's press conference yesterday.

Most of you that have read this blog since it got started before last season, know that I've been incredibly underwhelmed by our defensive ends. Notre Dame hasn't had a great edge rusher since Justin Tuck left Notre Dame with a year of eligibility left on the table. And while the Irish are switching to a 3-4 alignment, which many would think minimizes the necessity for great rush end play, Kelly's made it clear he'll be targeting and intent on upgrading the defensive end position.

"Our scholarship allotment is really going to have to look towards the defensive end position. We feel like we're set inside," Kelly said. "There's a number of players that are going to be able to help us on the inside. We've got to get bigger and stronger on the edge of our defense, more athletic on the edge of our defense. I think those are two absolutely crucial needs for us moving forward after this class."

It's interesting to hear that Kelly thinks the inside guys are set. I'm going to toss out Ethan Johnson from the inside conversation, as its been clear that he's not physically ready to play in the interior. So that leaves Ian Williams as the presumptive starter, with Sean Cwynar, Brandon Newman, Tyler Stockton, and Louis Nix to fill the rotation. That's a lot of depth for one true tackle position. But it's interesting to break down the defensive players and realize how physically undermanned the Irish are, especially after listening to Kelly's qualifications.

"On the three-four they've got to be able to take on the guard and the tackle. They have to have leverage and length," Kelly said. "They can't be 6'1", 6'2". They generally have to be in the 6'4" range. They have to be strong enough to take on. You saw the tackles that we have, the Matt James and Tate's, they're 290, 300 pounds. So that guy's got to be long, and he's got to be solid. So that profile, 6'4", or plus, 250 pounds, they're tough to come by. Those guys are ones that you have to spend time recruiting."

A quick breakdown of the Irish defense shows how inadequate the Irish physically match-up to Kelly's ideal, which also might explain the fatal flaw of Charlie Weis' defense. Including this year's recruits, here's a quick look at the size of defensive front-seven players that come close to fitting the ideal mold.

6'3"                               6'4"                                6'5"               6'6"
Dan Fox                       Sean Cwynar*                                     Bruce Heggie                     
Brian Smith                  Steve Filer
Louis Nix*                    Ethan Johnson*
Justin Utupo                Kapron Lewis-Moore
Kendall Moore             Emeka Nwankwo
                                    Kona Schwenke

*Listed as Defensive Tackles

If you take out guys that profile as defensive tackles, you'd have to eliminate Nix, Cwynar, and possibly Ethan Johnson, though I think he's better served playing on an edge. That leaves your ideally sized defensive ends as Kapron Lewis-Moore, possibly Johnson, with Emeka Nwankwo as the only three guys that profile even close to being thick enough to play defensive end. As for edge linebackers in the 3-4, you've got to think Steve Filer profiles perfectly for Kelly and Bob Diaco's system, and possibly Brian Smith, though the Irish will have to transition someone will edge ability, but mediocre size in the 6-foot-1 Darius Fleming either inside or into a hybrid role, not to mention fitting Manti Te'o into the middle of the 3-4.

Just like Charlie Weis, Kelly is also best known for his offensive prowess. Yet it's interesting to note that 19 years of head coaching experience on the collegiate level allows you the confidence and know-how to take recruits like Schwenke and Heggie, two guys that would've never been on the previous coaching staff's board. They are two guys that fit perfectly into the system Kelly is building defensively, and a big reason why a head coach has to have his hands in everything. 

Barring a miracle, the Irish look to have finalized their recruiting class, with 23 recruits joining the 2010 recruiting class.

If you weren't up and following things from 7:00 AM EST on (or 4:00 AM for us unlucky saps that live on the West Coast), here's a quick rundown of how the morning went.

The Early Shift:

The first faxes came in just around the 7:00 o'clock hour. Defensive lineman Bruce Heggie from Florida, QB Luke Massa from Cincinnati, and offensive lineman Tate Nichols from Kentucky were the first batch in, with Kentucky wide receiver Austin Collinsworth, Derek Roback, the athlete from Ohio, as well as Ohio quarterback Andrew Hendrix joining the party.

Before the first hour was over, three more names came rolling in with North Carolina linebacker Prince Shembo, wide receiver and South Bend native Daniel Smith, and Ohio tight end Alex Welch. Shembo's fax was especially nice to hear for Irish fans, as he had wavered a bit when Charlie Weis was fired.

Those nine combined with the already enrolled freshman defensive backs Chris Badger from Utah, Spencer Boyd and Lo Wood of Florida, Illinois quarterback Tommy Rees and Georgia wideout Tai-ler Jones.

Sixteen members down, in just the opening minutes of the morning

The Excellent UND.com Coverage:

For those of us that were watching UND.com, we also got our first look at the early enrollee freshman, who broke into offensive and defensive groups to do interviews with UND's Jack Nolan. It was fun to see players for the first time as sleepy college students, dressed like every other varsity athlete in baggy issue-gear, doing their best to balance school, lifting, and sleep, not to mention the fish-out-of-water experience of moving into a dorm at mid-term and jump starting their college career.

It was also a nice touch adding in interviews with Kapron Lewis-Moore and Manti Te'o, two high-profile players that had pretty memorable Signing Day experiences.

Brian Kelly sat down for an early check-in with Jack, and his background in politics was immediately recognizable.

"The early returns are in and we're pulling our base," Kelly said. "The Cincinnati area guys -- Luke Massa, Tate Nichols, Andrew Hendrix, Austin Collinsworth, Alex Welch. Now we're starting to get some of the other guys from other areas, like Prince Shembo. I think we've done well early in the process with guys we think can contribute to what we're going to be doing."

Matt James Lands at Notre Dame:

The biggest news of the day for the Irish was the signing of Matt James. James had come down to Ohio State and Notre Dame, and apparently chose the Irish last night before faxing in his paper work just after 9:00 AM. He gives the Irish a true left tackle, something that's plagued the Irish for the last few years.

But before the James announcement, the Irish received faxes from Illinois lineman Christian Lombard, New Jersey wide receiver Bennett Jackson, and Florida defensive tackle Louis Nix. Lombard has been committed to the Irish for a long time, and is far from an afterthought in offensive line recruiting, even though James' decision stole the show. Jackson also looks like he'll be a player that'll bring quickness and speed to the offense, and could do very well in the slot of Brian Kelly's spread.

And beside James, Louis Nix's signature is one that should make Irish fans the happiest. Any commit that makes a decision to come to Notre Dame without knowing the head coach is truly picking a school for the right reasons, and should be a fan favorite. 

Following up the James announcement, linebacker Kendall Moore's fax arrived at a quarter past nine. He's another big time defensive recruit that has the ability to play both inside and outside linebacker. Another blue-chip athlete, this one recruited only by Brian Kelly and his staff joins the fray, with Danny Spond of Littleton, Colorado officially signing with the Irish. Spond was widely recognized as the best athlete playing high school football in Colorado.

The West Coast Faxes arrive:

Two California commitments sent their letters-of-intent into The Gug. Linebacker Justin Utupo, an All-State defensive lineman as a high schooler that was also named Lineman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times sent his fax in around 7:30 Pacific time. Running back Cameron Roberson sent his fax around an hour later, the powerful ball-carrier now the sole running back prospect with Giovanni Bernard deciding to go to North Carolina instead of the Irish.

Irish running back coach Tim Hinton sat down with Jack Nolan and got visibly excited when talking about Roberson. Also sitting down with Nolan were defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who once again broke down the intricacies of the 3-4 defense, as well as offensive line coach Ed Warinner, outside linebackers coach Kerry Cooks, and defensive backs coach Chuck Martin. Each one of them was a polar opposite from former defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, who certainly wouldn't win a Mr. Sunshine pageant.

Finally, the Irish received a fax from defensive lineman Kona Schwenke of Hawaii, who became the 23rd recruit and 18th signee from today. Schwenke was a first-team All-State selection that already stands 6-foot-5 and 225-pounds, which gives him plenty of frame to grow into.

The Ones That Got Away:

It wasn't all good news for the Irish, as some high profile targets decided to go elsewhere. Elite linebacker Christian Jones chose Florida State over Notre Dame live on ESPN, and after looking at the reaction of his father, it was clear that the elder was rooting for his son to play football for the Seminoles, his alma mater.

Likewise Ego Ferguson chose LSU on television, picking the Tigers over the Irish and a few other finalists, to the delight of his family and friends, a few of them dressed with his name printed across their chest.

Illinois safety Corey Cooper chose Nebraska over the Irish and a few other teams, but there were reports that after Charlie Weis was fired, Cooper cooled on the Irish and the new coaching staff cooled on him.

As it stands, the Irish are waiting on safety Dietrich Riley and lineman Seantrel Henderson, two recruits that still consider the Irish as finalists, but don't realistically have a shot.

All in all, a successful day for Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame football program. There were no defections on Signing Day, and the Irish were able to nab the top recruit on their board, signing Matt James away from the home state Buckeyes. 

 

The Irish have officially received paper work from Kona Schwenke, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound defensive end prospect out of Kahuku, Hawaii. Schwenke was committed to BYU since July, until the Irish offered, and his visit last weekend reportedly sealed the deal.

Schwenke's size and length obviously show a frame that projects nicely, but he'll need to add some weight before coming to his full potential.

On the flip side of that, the Irish reportedly missed out on fellow Hawaiian Jeremy Ioane, who decided to sign with Boise State, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. Ioane and Schwenke signed their letters of intent at the same signing ceremony that Manti Te'o declared to Notre Dame last year. You've got to think it was a tough decision, as it was reported that Ioane really enjoyed his trip to South Bend.

I would've liked to see the Irish get both Schwenke and Ioane, but you've got to feel like any of those guys are bonus signatures, with Kelly only having a week or two to convince them to fly over 4,000 miles away from home for college.

That's 23 commitments for the Irish.

Two California commitments, Justin Utupo and Cameron Roberson, officially joined the recruiting class this morning, with faxes being received and cleared through compliance.

Utupo is out of Lakewood, California and while Rivals profiles him as a defensive lineman, Notre Dame views him as a linebacker prospect. Utupo was named to the California D-I All-State squad and also named Lineman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.

Roberson joins the Irish as a running back and immediately comes in as a physically mature, explosive back. Listening to his position coach Tim Hinton, its pretty easy to hear the enthusiasm when he discusses Roberson's future with the Irish.

As of now, the Irish are waiting for the Hawaii prospects as well as a few long-shots. Even if the class stands as it is now, it has been a successful day for Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish.

Danny Spond has officially joined the 2010 recruiting class, making it 20 letters already in for committed players, and the added surprise of Matt James to the recruiting class.

Spond is a highly-touted athlete that played quarterback for his high school in Littleton, Colorado. Brian Kelly did a great job identifying and recruiting the athlete to Notre Dame and beat out a fairly impressive list of schools for the "big skill" athlete.

The Irish now wait on the letter-of-intent from Justin Utupo and Cameron Roberson, two West Coast recruits who probably are just getting out of bed.  

Brian Kelly's biggest recruiting victory just came as it's being reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer and at IrishSportsDaily.com that Matt James has officially sent his letter-of-intent in to the Notre Dame football offices.

"Matt's decision to go to Notre Dame had nothing to do with Luke Massa or anyone else being recruited by Notre Dame," high school head coach Steve Specht told Mike Dyer of the Enquirer. "He really developed a comfort level with Notre Dame."

More to come on this, but for the Irish, they've got to feel both ecstatic and relieved that James committed, especially with Seantrel Henderson most likely heading West to USC. On the other side of the coin, Ohio State has to be devastated that their two top offensive line prospects, two guys that looked for the longest time to be heading to the Buckeyes, are now going to be playing elsewhere.

Just another day in the high-stakes world of college recruiting...

Compliance just cleared the faxes from offensive lineman Christian Lombard, wide receiver Bennett Jackson, and defensive tackle Louis Nix.

Lombard has long been committed to the Irish, and is a highly touted tackle prospect that has been forgotten a bit in the shadow of the Matt James/Seantrel Henderson sweepstakes. But the Illinois native is a key commitment for the Irish, as offensive line is always an area of need for the Irish.

Jackson adds another offensive weapon to the fold, and the wiry receiver should flourish in Brian Kelly's system. The New Jersey native probably needs to gain some weight physically before he's ready to contribute, but a quick look at his film shows a guy that can fly and will do some damage from the slot.

Nix's signature is one of the better stories of the recruiting season. Rarely does a college program pick up a key commitment when there's a head coaching vacancy, but that's what happened when Nix gave his word to assistant coach Tony Alford and joined the Irish. The mountainous defensive tackle prospect is a key get for the new 3-4 defense that Brian Kelly and Bob Diaco plan on implementing.

UPDATE: (9:20 EST) -- The fax of Kendall Moore has cleared through compliance, and the North Carolina outside linebacker is officially in the fold. Moore is a four-star recruit who was chased by plenty of the big schools across the country and projects as an edge-type player in Bob Diaco's 3-4 defense.

Just learned that Prince Shembo's fax cleared through compliance, adding a key defensive player to Bob Diaco's defense. If you're an Irish fan, you should feel a bit of relief that Shembo's fax arrived, only because he was one of the recruits that seemed to be wavering the most when Charlie Weis and his staff were dismissed.

Also joining the official recruiting class is Clay High School's Daniel Smith. The four-year starter and South Bend native adds another weapon to a receiving corp that is looking to add playmakers that'll replace Golden Tate and Robby Parris.

UPDATE: (8:15 AM) -- Brian Kelly just announced that tight end Alex Welch's letter-of-intent also arrived and officially cleared compliance. The four-star tight end out of Elder High school in Cincinnati adds another offensive weapon to the stable, and helps supplement a position that's been thinned with attrition and an injury to freshman Tyler Eifert.

It's been a busy morning at The Gug already, and the recruiting class is finally becoming official.

The following players have faxed in their Letters-of-Intent, and are officially members of the 2010 recruiting class:

Luke Massa, Quarterback
Tate Nichols, Offensive line
Bruce Heggie, Defensive line
Derek Roback, Athlete
Austin Collinsworth, Wide receiver

They join early already enrolled freshman Chris Badger, Spencer Boyd, Tai-ler Jones, Tommy Rees, and Lo Wood.

More to come this morning as the faxes keep rolling in...

Well, we're finally here... almost.

Tomorrow should be hectic, and the Irish are still in play with more than a few recruits who haven't made up their minds.

I'll be doing my best to update everybody throughout the day as the faxes come rolling into the Notre Dame football office, and will keep updating with plenty of posts tomorrow.

It's an exciting day for college football fans, and I think when the dust settles, Irish fans should be very happy with the work this coaching staff did in a tough situation.

I'm setting the alarm for a disgustingly early hour on the West Coast and look forward to a long morning and afternoon covering college football both here and at CFT.

This should feel a little bit like Christmas, only you don't know how good your presents actually are for anywhere from nine months to four years.

With Notre Dame's fax machine about 24 hours from burning up, the Irish still are awaiting word on a handful of top recruits. There'll be plenty of rumors and smoke today, but it's all likely speculation and rumor, as a dead period is upon us. Here are a few tidbits from the interwebs to hold you over until tomorrow's fireworks.

* The NFL Scouting Combine invited five Notre Dame players to Indianapolis. Seniors Sam Young, Eric Olsen, and Kyle McCarthy will be joined by quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate at the annual cattle call. I don't expect much out of Clausen, but part of me thinks that Golden Tate runs, jumps, catches, and does just about everything else there, as his personality doesn't strike me as the type to worry too much about a slower surface or making the correct strategic move. Young, Olsen, and McCarthy will look to rebound from shaky Senior Bowls, where none of them lit it up down in Mobile.

* Our friends over at Blue-Gray Sky had an excellent write-up on new commit Derek Roback. While many wondered who exactly the Ohio quarterback/athlete was and scoffed at his underwhelming recruiting profile, Roback once projected among the bluest of blue-chips.

From BGS:

Roback is an interesting example of the ups and downs of recruiting coverage. When Roback was in junior high he was a national finalist in the Pepsi Punt, Pass, and Kick competition. He followed that up by being named the Freshman MVP at the National Underclassmen Combine. With these two things to his credit, Rivals then included Roback as one of their Top 10 Sophomores to Watch, along with current 5-star players Seantrel Henderson, Jeff Jeffcoat, and Dillon Baxter (and ND legacy lineman Ian Gray).

Heading into his sophomore season, he moved from quarterback to wide receiver and safety where he had a strong season on the field, being named All-State Honorable Mention. After the season he attended another National Underclassmen Combine, this one in New Jersey, and came away with the overall MVP award. With multiple combine and All-State honors to his name, Roback moved back to quarterback for his junior year with multiple national programs sending him recruiting mail.

The more I read about Roback, the more I really like the offer. While he's nowhere near the recruit, Roback feels a lot like Jake Locker to me, a stout kid with size and speed and raw ability that needs to be harnessed. Obviously Irish fans would be thrilled if he turned out to be even a tenth of the player Locker is, but I'm all for taking chances on elite high school athletes with the size and speed of Roback.

* Pete Sampson of IrishIllustrated.com reports that Michael Floyd had his hearing with the office of Residence Life and likely won't receive any punishment other than community service for an incident in Minneapolis over Christmas break. Floyd was ticketed for minor consumption and questioned about his involvement in a fight that also saw former high school teammate and Minnesota Gopher Shady Solomon get into hot water.

I had been hearing that Floyd was all-clear for a few weeks, and Sampson's report likely means that Floyd won't miss any school or football for the incident, although he is likely to spend a little bit more time at Longo Beach to help him remember the importance of good decision making.