If Signing Day ended on a dour note, that lull between Signing Day and spring football might be filled with one final pleasant surprise. The Irish haven’t given up on chasing the final recruit on their board, Arizona’s Davonte Neal. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Neal, who led Chaparral High to back-to-back state championships is still considering Notre Dame, and has eliminated two very big fish from the running.
According to Jason Sapp of BlueandGold.com, Neal is no longer considering Ohio State or Oklahoma. “Oklahoma came in too late and Ohio State isn’t a good fit,” Luke Neal told Sapp.
The breakup with the Buckeyes is something that’s been rumored since Signing Day, when various reports said Ohio State wasn’t willing to take Neal’s commitment because their recruiting class had filled up. The elder Neal refuted that statement, but regardless of the truth, it sounds like Urban Meyer won’t be getting his hands on the two-way star.
According to Sapp’s report, Neal is going to commit on February 21st, ending a recruitment that’s long been planned to go well past Signing Day, as Davonte didn’t want to start the recruiting process until his season was over. Notre Dame has been among the leaders for Neal since day one, when Kerry Cooks was the first recruiter in the Neal’s house, and Notre Dame also received Neal’s first official visit, when both father and son headed to South Bend on December 9th.
In many ways, signing Neal could be the perfect band-aid for the Irish recruiting class. If Neal plays as a wide receiver, he could fill the rather large hole that was left when Deontay Greenberry left Notre Dame standing by the fax machine. If Neal plays cornerback in college, he could fill the hole left by Ronald Darby, who chose Florida State, and Yuri Wright, whose social networking exploits are a lesson for high schoolers everywhere.
The Neal family met for a reported three-hours on Sunday to get down to a final list of schools. Here’s what Luke Neal told Sapp about the Irish:
“You can’t go wrong with a school like Notre Dame academically. They graduate 98-percent of the players and it’s an opportunity to play on national television every week. The alumni base is strong and there’s coaching stability there. He’d have the opportunity to play right away and he loved the visit.”
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The senior class of 2012 graduated this weekend from Notre Dame, all but closing the book on a recruiting class that came in like a lion and left like a lamb. Yes, Braxston Cave, Mike Golic, Kapron Lewis-Moore, Jamoris Slaughter and Dan McCarthy will all return for a fifth season. Yes, Michael Floyd broke a…
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He’s no longer a part of the Irish football program, but Dayne Crist can proudly say he’s a Notre Dame graduate. After participating in spring practice with Charlie Weis’ Kansas football team, Crist is returning to South Bend for this weekend’s graduation, reuniting with friends and former teammates for Senior Week and the graduation festivities.…
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Both Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese had their days in court yesterday, stemming from arrests after South Bend police officers broke up an off-campus party on May 3rd, the final day of classes. Rees pleaded not guilty to the four misdemeanor charges he’s facing. His next hearing is set for July 17. Calabrese faces one…
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Darius Fleming inked a four-year contract worth $2.2 million with the San Francisco 49ers, after being chosen in the 5th round of the NFL Draft. The next day, at his first official workout with the team, Fleming tore his ACL, a knee injury that’ll likely keep him on the sidelines for the season. Fleming’s agent,…
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Former Irish TE Dave Casper named to College Football Hall of Fame
May 15, 2012, 6:03 PM EDT
Long before Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph, and Tyler Eifert were making Notre Dame a tight end factory, former Irish great Dave Casper earned All-American status on his way to a 1973 National Championship. From there, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound former Irish star joined the Oakland Raiders on his way to a professional career that…
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One of the first big running back dominoes came off the recruiting board today, with Illinois running back Ty Isaac committing to USC this morning. Isaac had a final three schools of Notre Dame, Michigan and the Trojans before announcing his commitment via Twitter. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Joliet Catholic is a top 20…
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If having two quarterbacks really means you have none, Irish fans must be wondering what having four quarterbacks does to a team. With the offseason headlines dominated by a four-headed quarterback race featuring Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson and Gunner Kiel, the search for the Irish’s offensive leader overshadowed the commitment of Ohio quarterback…
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With finals ending this week at Notre Dame, and graduating approaching next weekend, it’s a slow time for college football news. As we march through the offseason desert with no oasis in sight, let’s dig into some of the more interesting stories I stumbled across this week. *** Michael Floyd is one of those seniors…
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With Lynch leaving Notre Dame, USF pursuing eligibility waiver
May 10, 2012, 3:24 PM EDT
As expected, South Florida is pursuing a waiver to let former Irish defensive end Aaron Lynch played in 2012. Bulls head coach Skip Holtz, while hosting an interactive Google+ Hangout, mentioned the process of getting Lynch integrated into the South Florida football program. (Fast-forward to around minute 17 for the Lynch talk.) “Right now, the…
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Just days after he stepped away from his commitment to Ohio State, Alex Anzalone welcomed Notre Dame into Wyomissing Area High School as he reopened his recruitment. The top prep player in the state of Pennsylvania, Anzalone has seen his fair share of suitors come through the hallways since he’s distanced himself for the Buckeyes…
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With their performances in the 100m over the weekend proof that George and Josh Atkinson are fast, I wanted to dig a little deeper into the question, “How fast are they?” The answer, as it turns out, is really, really fast. From a Notre Dame perspective, the brothers Atkinson are historically fast. Since Irish Track…
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For much of the past decade, the Notre Dame football program has been stuck having to answer questions about being too slow. Over the weekend, George and Josh Atkinson offered two data-points to help make that statement obsolete. The twin brothers, George a 6-foot-1, 215 pound running back, and Josh, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback, put…
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As much as I enjoy reading the 200 odd comments (I’m trying to get figured out the technical bugs) about the arrests of Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese, let’s do our best to get some football discussed on here. First — Let’s put a pin in the Rees discussion (for now), as nothing more —…
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Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese were arrested by South Bend police after an off-campus party was broken up just after midnight. Calabrese, who is 21, faces disorderly conduct charges, and has been bonded out of jail for $150. Rees, who is only 20, faces more serious charges, including public intoxication, resisting law enforcement, minor consumption,…
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Nelly may be a sucker for cornrows and manicured toes. Me? I’m a fan of pie chart and fancy graphs. And thankfully, as we head into a rather slow time for news and football action, Dan Murphy at Blue & Gold has us covered with some interesting insight into the Irish’s offensive woes last season.…
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With the annual Blue-Gold game in the rear-view mirror, Notre Dame’s assistant coaches are spread across the country making in-school visits to some of the best 2013 prospects in the country. With new assistant Scott Booker making his way to Georgia, Bob Elliott working California with Mike Denbrock, and Tony Alford on some of Florida’s…
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A quick call to an ambassador in Russia. Early entry into communist China. Bartering with the President of the United States for the only civilian ride on an SR-71 Blackbird. More medals and honors then the most decorated Olympian. (He’s even got a torch from the Salt Lake games laying around…) To call Father Theodore…
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Robert Blanton and Darius Fleming selected in fifth round of NFL Draft
Apr 28, 2012, 6:04 PM EDT
Two more former Irish players had their names called in the NFL Draft today, with Robert Blanton and Darius Fleming getting selected in the fifth round of the draft. That makes four players selected from the 2011 squad, joining first-round picks Michael Floyd (#13) and Harrison Smith (#29). Blanton went with the 139th overall pick…
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After a first round drought in the NFL Draft, the Irish had two players selected in the first round, with Harrison Smith joining Michael Floyd as first round draft picks. The Irish safety was selected 29th overall by the Minnesota Vikings, who traded up to take Smith. He was the second safety selected in the…
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There won’t be a familiar Notre Dame slide down any draft boards this year. Former Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd was selected 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, the second wide receiver taken in the NFL Draft. After deciding to come back to school for his senior season, Floyd was rewarded by the Cardinals and…
