A wave of commitments, more redux on Fauria's departure, and BCS possibilities (LOTD 6/26)

So two commitments in two days, and a distinct possibility of getting two more in the next 24 hours. Recruiting seems to have heated up, though I can't give you the cause to this effect. My best guess would be that the coaching staff is capitalizing on the optimism heading into the season. Pre-season mags have been bullish on the Irish, with Phil Steele's #7 ranking leading the pack, and the fan base has managed to rally around Coach Weis and the team despite the finish to the 2008 season.

So, as we've noted, Andrew Hendrix and Blake Lueders are the 6th and 7th commitments to the Class of 2010. Both are big gets, ranking as four-star recruits, and both are at positions of need. We had to get a legitamite quarterback in this class, which Hendrix is, and the defensive line recruiting became a premium when Chris Martin announced that he would take other visits.

So, in honor of the Hendrix-themed week, here's Jimi playing "Like a Rolling Stone" at the Monterey Pop Festival... you know, because it's my blog and I can do these things.


Alright, now that that's out of my system, let's look forward to the next 48 hours while continuing to enjoy the past 48. 3-star cornerback Lo Wood is scheduled to make his announcement later tonight, deciding between the Irish and Michigan. I like our chances with this one, which is as close to a prediction as I'm going to get. Furthermore, it has been rumored that runningback Jerrell Priester will be announcing in the next two days, with his decision coming down to Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. Vandy fans are pretty confident on this one, as Priester can be a featured player for the Commodores.

Moving on to players who are already on the team... or used to be on the team, I should say. Her Loyal Sons has a breakdown of why teh Fauria announcement will really hurt the team. Why was the offense so vanilla last year?

"Despite becoming TE U in terms of recruiting, we had 1.5 (Fauria was the half) last year, and both were true Freshmen. Ragone was out hurt, Yeatman was out drinking, and so that left Rudolph and Fauria. Rudolph, despite being a TRUE frosh, was somewhat ready. Fauria really wasn’t. So what does that leave as options? 1 TE and 2 TE sets, with the 2nd either being an unready Fauria or a fill-in like Trevor Robinson. And that GREATLY limited Weis’ offense."

So what looked like a team with three solid tight ends returning now is back to having two returning tight ends and two incoming recruits who are probably not ready for playing time. Bobby Burger, who has developed a cult-like following despite a lack of scholarship (there's a reason for that), will be the third tight end when we actually use 3 TE sets.

Another issue will be injuries. God help us if Kyle Rudolph gets injured next year. Mike Ragone missed last season with a knee injury, so his ability to stay healthy has to be in question. If either were to go down we would be left with a walk-on and two true freshman as the second tight end. Back to the vanilla play-calling. Cross your fingers and pray for health.

NDNation has a very bullish pre-season prediction that the Irish will return to the BCS this season ("its hard to not see the Irish going to the BCS this season"). The reasons? It breaksdown like this: 1) the talent in the defensive backfield (and there's plenty of it) will allow a focus on the run, which is a specialty of Jon Tenuta's blitzing defenses 2) Charlie Weis takes over playcalling duties, likely resulting in great improvements from Jimmy Clausen 3) the seniors in the class of 2009 averaged 3.9 stars as recruits, while the class of 2010 averaged 4.1 stars. This is up from the 2007 and 2008 classes, which averaged 3.1 and 3.2 stars respectively (thanks Ty).

The momentum heading into the season is certainly exciting, and the bowl win against Hawaii seems to have propelled the Irish faithful into believing in this team (and the coach) once again. We'll see how long it lasts, but it's a nice feeling for now.