For the first time in a long time, Saturday will be spent watching football for enjoyment’s sake. We’ll still have five weeks to break down either Alabama or Georgia, but just because this SEC Championship will be a bit more interesting to Notre Dame fans than usual, we’ll be live-blogging the proceedings tomorrow.
Joined by our buddies over at The Observer, we plan on hopping online and just hanging out. Consider it a three-hour chat session, where I’ll do my best to answer any/all questions on the Irish, the BCS Championship Game, and just about anything else. (Like Wreck-It Ralph, which I’ll be watching tonight.)
For those looking for some easy reading to take you into the weekend, here are a couple stories I thought were worth following.
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After getting a visit from Irish assistant Mike Denbrock, blue-chip defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes has decided to take an official visit to Notre Dame. At 6-foot-3, 305-pounds, Vanderdoes is one of the elite players in this recruiting class, and while he’s committed to the USC, the changes in the Trojans defensive staff — mainly the “retirement” of Monte Kiffin — have him checking his options.
While the Irish haven’t focused their recruiting efforts on a true defensive tackle in this class, Vanderdoes might be a terrific replacement for Louis Nix, who will likely exit Notre Dame after his senior year, forgoing a fifth-year of eligibility as his draft stock has continued to sky-rocket.
For those looking for some highlights of Vanderdoes in action, here’s a nice look at what he did during his junior season.
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaXCTooV6hI&w=480&h=360%5D
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With a nearly full bus in the ’13 recruiting class, many Irish fans are trying to make sense of the math. But if you’ve been keeping tabs on things, two recruits in particular are seeming less and less likely to be heading to South Bend.
Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated dig some digging on linebacker Danny Mattingly‘s recruitment. The lanky 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Spokane has been taking official visits while still committed to the Irish, not usually a good sign for a player. With Pac-12 schools chasing hard, and Mattingly also interested in playing offense at the next level, Sampson caught up with Mattingly’s Mead High school Sean Carty.
“Something is going to happen in the next few days if it hasn’t already,” Carty told Irish Illustrated. “He’s just trying to make the best decision he can. I don’t press him very much on it.”
While Mattingly is an intriguing athlete, there are a few edge players that Notre Dame is still chasing, namely Al-Quadin Muhammad, that have Irish fans feeling a little better about the fall back plan.
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Meanwhile, as Notre Dame chases blue-chip, five-star running back Greg Bryant, you begin to wonder if it’s because Irish commit Jamel James has expressed interest in taking some official visits. While Brian Kelly and company don’t draw the hardline Charlie Weis and company did about visits, they have expressed displeasure in any of their recruits taking a look elsewhere, and reportedly have taken a “If you’re looking, we’re looking” approach to the situation.
That makes things interesting with James, a nice power back prospect from Texas, who would like to look at UCLA and Arizona State. As Christian McCollum of IrishSportsDaily.com reports, James is weighing that decision heavily, while also working on his grades, a point of emphasis for James from the Irish coaching staff.
The Irish have a few running backs at the top of their list so any decision James makes likely puts him in limbo, so this is a situation definitely worth following.
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I just mentioned it on Twitter, but if you are looking for something to do Saturday afternoon while watching the SEC Championship game, head on over here for a live-blog of the proceedings. Without a Notre Dame game to stress about, we might even keep things light and loose, and I’ll be answering any and all questions you might have on the Irish.
As usually, I’ll be joined by the crew at The Observer, and it should be a ton of fun.
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Lastly, Manti Te’o, fresh off his appearance with Dicky V during the Irish basketball upset of Kentucky, was on Dan Patrick this morning. As always, it was a good interview as Te’o talked about the team’s improbable run to the BCS title game, and how all this team’s hard work isn’t over yet.
Both front-runners for the Heisman Trophy visited with Patrick today, as Texas A&M finally let Johnny Manziel out, with his first discussions with the press coming this week after his breakout season.
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