Notre Dame made some noise this offseason, and it didn't have anything to do with recruiting. Bill Lewis, the long time assistant head coach and defensive backs coach retired and Jon Tenuta, the former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator, was hired in his place. The difference of jobs between Tenuta and Lewis will be Tenuta will most likely take over at linebackers and Corwin Brown will coach the defensive backs, the job he held for the Jets, along with being the defensive coordinator.
All I can say is great job, White, Brown, & Weis. This guy is going to be a linebackers coach when he could be a head coach or defensive coordinator at big time programs. When you can get coaches like that as assistants and position coaches, it's always a good move. However, I would like to put him at defensive backs instead of linebackers. At Ohio State, he developed multiple stars who are now starters in the NFL. It's not like Brown did a bad job with the linebackers last year either. Kerry Neal and Brian Smith were fantastic. Joe Brockington was pretty good and he is now being projected to be drafted. Maurice Crum had some great games (UCLA comes to mind). With all of the youth at linebacker, I would rather have them keep a coach they are familiar with and give the defensive backs, who are mostly going to be seniors and juniors, the new coach.
When players are developing, the least amount of changes can be the best. We've seen what has happened with Alex Smith, QB for the San Francisco 49ers, when he loses his offensive coordinator every year. You don't want the young players having to spend more time on adjusting and less time on fine-tuning their skills.
If Corwin Brown moves to defensive backs coach, I won't be complaining either. He was the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets, and he played as a safety in the 3-4. If he moves, he will be prepared.
To sum it up, I'm not worried. Tenuta has been a great coordinator and assistant head coach throughout his entire career, and he does not have many blemishes on his record. When a coach could have been the head coach at a BCS Conference school (Michigan State) and a defensive coordinator for many schools, it's very good when you can get him as a defensive coach. If Notre Dame can continue to get these great position coaches, the players will continue to blossom. The decisions Charlie has made with his staff have been phenominal. Let's see if they produce on the field.
Showing posts with label Georgia Tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georgia Tech. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Notre Dame Signs Another, Looks For More
Today was a big day for all of the elite programs in the nation. Because of the All-American games, most of the great undecided players commit to a school today. Pittsburgh got linebacker Shayne Hale. Star running back Ryan Williams picked Virginia Tech. Even the Minnesota Golden Gophers got some good news, signing QB MarQueis Gray. Notre Dame also got some news, but it wasn't necessarily good.
Athlete Gerrell Robinson picked Arizona State over Notre Dame and Oregon. Gerrell Robinson has played quarterback and defensive back in high school but will most likely play wide receiver for the Sun Devils. Arizona State got a big signing today. Robinson is the best recruit that they have signed all year, and it gives them another wide receiver in this class, the third to commit. Arizona State has just got a great player, and I'm sure all Notre Dame fans wish him luck. However, he was the only wide receiver to pass on Notre Dame today.
Deion Walker committed to Notre Dame after the ESPN Under Armour All-American Game. Walker is a four star wide receiver coming out of Christchurch High School in Virginia. He is 6-4 and runs a 4.43 forty yard dash. Penn State and Notre Dame were his final two schools, but most Notre Dame fans were confident in him coming to South Bend. He is the third wide receiver to commit to Notre Dame for this class, giving them one of the best receiving corps in the nation. They did not lose one scholarship receiver from last year's squad, and there is only one scholarship player who will be a senior next year. With the addition of John Goodman, Michael Floyd, and Walker, Notre Dame has given Jimmy Clausen some great targets for next year.
With Deion Walker committed, it's time to look at the other recruits that Notre Dame is going after. Here are the three prospects that Notre Dame could get.
Cyrus Gray, RB-Another Gray. Yes, it would get confusing with two Grays in the backfield, but his addition would give Notre Dame another great running back. Cyrus Gray is the fifth ranked running back by Rivals this year, and he compiled 1975 rushing yards in his senior year. He is also considering California, Florida, Kansas, and Louisville. Notre Dame has a chance to get him, but I would put my money on California. California has had a recent history of a good running game, and he would play almost immediately. Florida rarely uses a running back. Kansas is a little bit surprising since they play in a pass-oriented offense. Louisville has some young running backs, much like Notre Dame. With Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, James Aldridge, and Jonas Gray, Cyrus may rather play at a school where could get more early playing time.
Kenneth Page, OG-Notre Dame has four offensive linemen in this class. Page is the most likely target out of the four. He is a four star offensive guard from South Carolina. His speed is amazing for a guard. He runs a 5.08 forty! He is just under 300 pounds, so his size is fairly good for a guard. The other teams in contention for Kenneth are Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina. Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and North Carolina are long shots, so Notre Dame, Clemson, and South Carolina are the most probable targets. Clemson and South Carolina have become the most talked-about schools, but I think the academics at Notre Dame may swing him towards ND. He has a 3.8 GPA and has said multiple times that academics are very important to him. He also knows that he could play immediately at guard or at tackle. I feel good about Kenneth Page, although most Notre Dame fans do not share the same feeling.
Mike Martin, DT-Martin is committed to Michigan, but he is making a visit to South Bend. If Michigan pulls his contract like what Notre Dame did to Omar Hunter, he is Irish. Martin seriously started thinking about checking out some other schools when Rich Rodriguez was hired as the next Michigan head coach. Martin is not very big (6-1, 285), but he makes up for it with his amazing strength. He benches 420 lbs and squats 520. He also won the state wrestling championship in his first year of organized wrestling. Martin is only considering Notre Dame for now, so Notre Dame also has a good chance with him. Now that Omar Hunter is in Gainesville, Martin could get playing time right away at nose tackle or defensive end. He could make Notre Dame fans forget about Omar Hunter.
So, to wrap it up, I believe that Kenneth Page and Mike Martin will both be attending Notre Dame in 2008. The Irish did lose Omar Hunter and just missed on Gerrell Robinson, but Kenneth Page and Mike Martin would ease the hurt. Notre Dame's two biggest weaknesses of last year were the defensive line and offensive line, so Page and Martin would be two of the biggest signings for Notre Dame. This class is already great. Adding these two would solidify it as the number one in the nation. Notre Dame would accept Page and Martin with open arms. Let's see if they feel the same way.
Athlete Gerrell Robinson picked Arizona State over Notre Dame and Oregon. Gerrell Robinson has played quarterback and defensive back in high school but will most likely play wide receiver for the Sun Devils. Arizona State got a big signing today. Robinson is the best recruit that they have signed all year, and it gives them another wide receiver in this class, the third to commit. Arizona State has just got a great player, and I'm sure all Notre Dame fans wish him luck. However, he was the only wide receiver to pass on Notre Dame today.
Deion Walker committed to Notre Dame after the ESPN Under Armour All-American Game. Walker is a four star wide receiver coming out of Christchurch High School in Virginia. He is 6-4 and runs a 4.43 forty yard dash. Penn State and Notre Dame were his final two schools, but most Notre Dame fans were confident in him coming to South Bend. He is the third wide receiver to commit to Notre Dame for this class, giving them one of the best receiving corps in the nation. They did not lose one scholarship receiver from last year's squad, and there is only one scholarship player who will be a senior next year. With the addition of John Goodman, Michael Floyd, and Walker, Notre Dame has given Jimmy Clausen some great targets for next year.
With Deion Walker committed, it's time to look at the other recruits that Notre Dame is going after. Here are the three prospects that Notre Dame could get.
Cyrus Gray, RB-Another Gray. Yes, it would get confusing with two Grays in the backfield, but his addition would give Notre Dame another great running back. Cyrus Gray is the fifth ranked running back by Rivals this year, and he compiled 1975 rushing yards in his senior year. He is also considering California, Florida, Kansas, and Louisville. Notre Dame has a chance to get him, but I would put my money on California. California has had a recent history of a good running game, and he would play almost immediately. Florida rarely uses a running back. Kansas is a little bit surprising since they play in a pass-oriented offense. Louisville has some young running backs, much like Notre Dame. With Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, James Aldridge, and Jonas Gray, Cyrus may rather play at a school where could get more early playing time.
Kenneth Page, OG-Notre Dame has four offensive linemen in this class. Page is the most likely target out of the four. He is a four star offensive guard from South Carolina. His speed is amazing for a guard. He runs a 5.08 forty! He is just under 300 pounds, so his size is fairly good for a guard. The other teams in contention for Kenneth are Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina. Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and North Carolina are long shots, so Notre Dame, Clemson, and South Carolina are the most probable targets. Clemson and South Carolina have become the most talked-about schools, but I think the academics at Notre Dame may swing him towards ND. He has a 3.8 GPA and has said multiple times that academics are very important to him. He also knows that he could play immediately at guard or at tackle. I feel good about Kenneth Page, although most Notre Dame fans do not share the same feeling.
Mike Martin, DT-Martin is committed to Michigan, but he is making a visit to South Bend. If Michigan pulls his contract like what Notre Dame did to Omar Hunter, he is Irish. Martin seriously started thinking about checking out some other schools when Rich Rodriguez was hired as the next Michigan head coach. Martin is not very big (6-1, 285), but he makes up for it with his amazing strength. He benches 420 lbs and squats 520. He also won the state wrestling championship in his first year of organized wrestling. Martin is only considering Notre Dame for now, so Notre Dame also has a good chance with him. Now that Omar Hunter is in Gainesville, Martin could get playing time right away at nose tackle or defensive end. He could make Notre Dame fans forget about Omar Hunter.
So, to wrap it up, I believe that Kenneth Page and Mike Martin will both be attending Notre Dame in 2008. The Irish did lose Omar Hunter and just missed on Gerrell Robinson, but Kenneth Page and Mike Martin would ease the hurt. Notre Dame's two biggest weaknesses of last year were the defensive line and offensive line, so Page and Martin would be two of the biggest signings for Notre Dame. This class is already great. Adding these two would solidify it as the number one in the nation. Notre Dame would accept Page and Martin with open arms. Let's see if they feel the same way.
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