Bennett Jackson commits, Nevada cashes in, and Luuuke works out for Da Bulls (LOTD 6/8)

Big news of the day is obviously the commitment of New Jersey WR Bennett Jackson. I went over this yesterday, so you can read all about it (Extra! Extra!), but it raises an interesting question: How many receivers will we take in this class?

Jackson joins Daniel Smith as the second receiver to commit to the Irish's class of 2010. There's still some big targets out there (not to dismiss the two already on board), so which would the Irish still take? The big name out there is obviously Kyle Prater, the top rated receiver according to most recruiting services. Prater seems like the total package - he's 6'5", 205 pounds, and runs a 4.5 40. The Irish are competing against all the big boys for Prater, including USC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama, and Illinois. Charlie Weis wouldn't turn Prater down - nobody would.

The interesting thing in this situation is that Jackson could easily transition to the runningback position if he can put on a bit of weight (which he probably could with a proper strength and conditioning program). Jackson saw some time at runningback for Raritan HS, getting 35 carries for 257 yards (7.3 ypc) and 4 touchdowns in his junior season. He has the speed and shifty-ness to play the runningback position at the next level. That being the case, I could see the Irish taking another receiver if a big name were to want to commit. However, I would imagine that would only be the case a big name who is rated much higher than the two on board (again, no knock on them... we're talking super-recruits here).

Moving on, yesterday I posted a preview of the 2009 opening oppenent, the Nevada Wolfpack. Today we find out just what it cost to get Nevada on the schedule: a guarantee of $650,000. Dan Hinxman, the reporter who broke the story, notes that it isn't that large of a sum (when taken in context), but there's a reason for that:

You might recall that the reason Notre Dame scheduled Nevada in the first place was because the Wolf Pack juggled its schedule five years ago to help the Irish. The Pack adjusted its 2004 schedule which set off a series of events that allowed Notre Dame to play BYU. The Cougars won the team's season-opener, 20-17, in Provo, Utah.
According to an Associated Press story in 2004, Notre Dame athletic director John Heisler said the Fighting Irish would host Nevada and San Diego State, which also altered its schedule to allow for the Notre Dame-BYU match-up, in the future in return for their cooperation. Notre Dame defeated SDSU, 21-13, to open the 2008 season.

So it seems to be a symbiotic relationship here. You scratch my back, we'll lose to BYU (the beginning of Tyrone's downfall), then I'll scratch yours.

InTheBleachers.net had Phil Steele as their guest, and the Man of Steele had a few comments on the Irish. Steele has been very complementary of the Irish this pre-season (as I noted here), and held a similar sentiment on the podcast. He points out that Clausen's improvement in the bowl game, plus the talent of the receiving corps, is a big reason why he thinks the Irish could be in the top 10 in the upcoming season. Steele also likes Tenuta as the defensive play-caller. The schedule is also a big factor, leading to a prediction of double digit wins. It all goes down around the 24th minute.

Brian Hamilton of the Tribune's Around the Bend blog has a story on Luke Harangody's tryout for the Chicago Bulls coming up on Wednesday. Luke has five more days to make a decision, and he thinks it could go down to the wire. Harangody will work out with Pitt's Dujuan Blair, UConn's Jeff Adrien, Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt, LSU's Chris Johnson, and Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal. Harangody worked out for New Orleans and Minnesota last week, and may still schedule a workout with the New Jersey Nets before decision day.

Finally, Lane Kiffin is at it again. Kiffin may have committed his sixth secondary violation when ESPN's Outside the Lines came to Tennessee for a story on... committing secondary violations. Kiffin was seen talking to two recruits in his office, a no-no according to the NCAA. The video can be seen here:

Lane allegedly passed a coaches test on recruiting rules and regulations, though you wouldn't know it by his apparent apathy for the rules. Then again, I'm sure he could send wife Layla in to woo Miles Brand into forgiving a few mishaps here or there.

That's all for today. I should have a preview of the scUM sucking Wolverines either today or tomorrow.