It’s finally one of those beautiful Saturdays in South Bend, and it’ll be nearly 80 degrees when the Irish kickoff against Pitt this afternoon. Last night at the Pep Rally, Golden Tate returned to campus, Kerry Neal and Trevor Robinson were named game captains, and the Irish seemed ready to win a critical game on the schedule.
The Irish are welcoming in a few key recruits this weekend, with committed players Tony Springmann, Ben Councell, and Kyle Brindza joined on campus by Iowa athlete Christian French. French is one of the more intriguing recruits in the country -- he’s a reported 6-foot-6, 230-pounds, and has been timed as a legit 4.4 forty guy. If there’s a more explosive fit for a potential outside linebacker in Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme, I’m not sure if the Irish have one on their recruiting board. With the 2011 recruiting class nearly full, the Irish are welcoming a nice collection of 2012 prospects as well, putting themselves in great position to build on this season’s efficient work.
As always, we’ll have the live-blog up and rolling, and be sure to join us while you either watch on TV, stream live on NBCSports.com, or just feel like some good old fashioned Irish conversation during the big game.