It’s happened. I’ve been bitten by the recruitnik bug. Every year around this time it happens, but the sweepstakes for Aaron Lynch and Ishaq Williams make the Manti Te’o watch feel like a lazy Sunday of napping and watching golf.
Let’s review for all those of you out there trying to stay out of full-fledged recruit-mode.
As the calendar turns over, the Irish are in an almost unprecedented spot where they’re the school on the rise and other programs are worried that the ND coaching staff is being too aggressive. After a performance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that put the recruiting world on notice, Jason Sapp of BlueandGold.com has the definitive comment from Lynch’s mother:
“FSU is totally out,” she reported via text.
As it’s been reported around the interweb, Lynch will be visiting campus this weekend, and has narrowed his schools down to Notre Dame and… well, Notre Dame. The Irish look to be in very good shape and with the Spring semester starting next Monday, and Lynch still slated to enroll early at Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, in the Ishaq Williams derby, there seems to be conflicting reports on what Tom Bradley’s future means to Williams’ decision. Syracuse blog Orange Fizz reports that if Bradley gets a head coaching job (scratch off the Pitt job, as it looks like Tulsa coach Todd Graham is riding his 10-win season into a new job) than Williams will wait to see if Bradley takes defensive line coach Larry Johnson with him. If Bradley and Johnson go to UConn (or another head job) the Irish could be next in line. If they don’t leave, or if Bradley leaves and doesn’t take Johnson with him, internet arrows are pointing to Penn State, which would be another great get for the Nittany Lions, a team that somehow continues to bring kids in to play for a coach that doesn’t actually coach.
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We’re officially in a three-day dead period for recruiting, which gives Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon a little more time to figure out what he’s doing with his job opening. The Irish have already been sniffing around offensive lineman Jack Fisher, a UM commit, but Michigan has just over three weeks to name a coach and salvage a recruiting class that’s already falling apart.
Somehow, in between the chaos of naming a coach, Brandon found time to write a blog entry. Brandon’s painted himself into quite a corner, and if we’re to believe the non-stop flight tracking updates over at MGoBlog, they’ve focused in on LSU coach Les Miles, bringing another known riverboat gambler onto the Irish schedule and a wonderful looking hat.
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Instead of the annual banquet, Brian Kelly has shifted gears and the Irish are now hosting a Notre Dame Football Awards Show. Here are the key details:
A new era of Notre Dame football began in 2010 under head coach Brian Kelly and now the 2010 Notre Dame football team will be honored with a new format at its annual postseason program.
The Notre Dame Football Awards Show: A Celebration of the 2010 Fighting Irish, sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley, will be held Saturday, Jan. 22, at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the Notre Dame campus. A reception and silent auction both begin at 3:45 p.m. EST, and the awards show program begins at 5:00 p.m. in the Leighton Concert Hall.
The reception will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, complimentary soft drinks and water plus a cash bar for alcoholic beverages. Seating begins at 4:30 p.m. and the awards show program is scheduled to end by 6:30 p.m. so fans may attend the Notre Dame men’s basketball game versus Marquette scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at Purcell Pavilion.
The program will include a video tribute to the 2010 Fighting Irish plus a series of awards honoring the Notre Dame football team and comments from head coach Brian Kelly.
Tickets for the Notre Dame Football Awards Show: A Celebration of the 2010 Fighting Irish Team are $40 and go on sale at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket Office (located southwest of Notre Dame Stadium between Notre Dame Avenue and Eddy Street). Tickets may also be purchased by calling the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket Office at 574-631-2800. Ticket office hours at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center are noon to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
Sounds like a nice alternative to the standard banquet that’s been a staple of ND football for a long time.
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Lastly, there are rumors swirling on the Twitterverse that wide receiver Michael Floyd is close to making a decision. Scribe John Walters reports on Twitter that “he’s hearing from a reliable source” that Floyd will announce that he’s declaring for the NFL Draft tomorrow.
It’d be a big loss for the Irish if that’s the case, but expect more news to break now that the initial report has been made…