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.
