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Irishmark
The Unimpeachable Source
USA
20382 Posts |
 Posted - 07/28/2010 : 21:53:59
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http://notredame.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1107035
You remember the names. They were the must-have recruits of their day, the Aaron Lynch of the Bob Davie era and the Wayne Lyons of Tyrone Willingham's tenure. So what happened to all those must-have recruits after signing day? Irish Illustrated takes a look back at the last decade of must-get prospects, presenting our All-Miss Team.
Take a click down bad memory lane.
We formed our team based on talent, but that's not the only factor. Notre Dame's needs at their positions also played a part, as did the buzz these prospects created and how close the Irish appeared to signing them, at least in the virtual opinion of the fan base.
Quarterback
Brian Brohm
Notre Dame missed on bigger names in the last decade (Mark Sanchez, Mitch Mustain and Anthony Morelli), but Brohm had the most hype. There was the Sports Illustrated cover, the Paul Hornung endorsement, the Catholic school background and the family tree. Brohm could have played the Dayne Crist role at Notre Dame, red-shirting behind Brady Quinn, preventing the quarterback circus of '07 and settling the program. Brohm took an official visit when USC hammered Notre Dame 45-14 as Willingham's downward spiral picked up pace. He wouldn't have saved that Irish coach, but Brohm could have helped the next guy. Last seen as a backup for the Buffalo Bills.
Running Back
Lorenzo Booker
New to recruiting? Because this was an all-time signing day gut punch for Notre Dame. Booker was set to ink with the Irish alongside teammate James Bonelli (a career back-up offensive lineman), then switched to Florida State at the podium. The tailback would have been the highest ranked recruit Notre Dame landed this decade other than Jimmy Clausen at No. 3 in the nation behind Vince Young and Haloti Ngata. Booker never caught on with the Seminoles, barely breaking the 500-yard mark in his junior and season seasons. The third-round pick lasted two years in the pros. Notre Dame "settled" for Julius Jones and Ryan Grant, both multi-year NFL starters.
Marc Tyler
Swept up in the moment outside the College Football Hall of Fame while his teammate and roommate Jimmy Clausen committed to the Irish, the five-star Tyler admitted he was leaning toward joining the quarterback in South Bend. Instead, he committed to USC two months later. A broken leg as a senior at Oaks Christian set Tyler back in the ultra-competitive Trojans depth chart. Tyler red-shirted as a freshman and played mop-up minutes as a sophomore (that included 58 yards against Notre Dame). A sprained toe ended Tyler's junior season after one game, five carries and 72 yards. He figures to be the Trojans' third tailback option this fall.
Although in Irishmark's opinion, Reggie Bush belongs here instead of Tyler. Booker was a bust and Tyler hasn't seen valuable time yet at USC. Bush on the other hand was a game changer. Although knowing what we know now, maybe it's good he went to USC.
Wide Receiver
Arrelious Benn
Notre Dame landed a silent commit from Benn during the '07 cycle, giving the Irish a star receiver to go with Clausen. Benn was in South Bend for the quarterback's commitment spectacular. Then things went haywire, with Illinois landing Benn and the Irish accused of negative recruiting. Stuck playing with Juice Williams, Benn posted just seven career receiving touchdowns. He bolted Champaign a year early, went in the second round to Tampa Bay and signed a four-year deal with a $2.1 million bonus this week. Meanwhile, Benn's 25-year old brother, Trulon Henry, who served nearly five years in prison for armed robbery, transferred to Illinois from the College of DuPage this winter.
Kyle Prater
We're tempted to go with David Nelson, whose public spat with Charlie Weis made good copy. Or maybe Calvin Johnson considering he's a future NFL Hall of Famer. But Nelson probably wouldn't have factored into the Irish depth chart and Johnson was never that close to ending up here. That leaves the five-star Prater, whose recruitment turned into a soap opera when Pete Carroll left USC. Irish fans couldn't go a day without creating a new theory for how the nation's No. 1 receiver would end up in South Bend. Early enrollment was a stumbling block, but it wasn't Notre Dame's only hurdle here. Prater stuck with the Trojans and could start this fall.
Tight End
Greg Olsen
Yeah, technically Olsen signed with Notre Dame in '03. But the five-star tight end never played a down here, transferring to Miami and following his brother Christian out of town after he'd been beaten out by Brady Quinn. Olsen lived up to his five-star status with the Hurricanes, eventually going in the first round to the Chicago Bears. It's hard to believe, but for a month the Irish had a future first round pick and two second round picks on the tight end depth chart in Olsen, Anthony Fasano and John Carlson. Of course Willingham started The Bachelor brother Billy Palmer at the position. Olsen's transfer + Weis' hiring = NFL careers for Carlson and Fasano.
Offensive Line
Allen Smith
A year after signing just two offensive linemen (Ryan Harris and John Sullivan), Notre Dame needed a big name. Smith fit that bill. The fact his mother was a college professor at Arizona State made this match seem inevitable. Yet on his official visit Smith was scared off by the attention heaped on Notre Dame players and eventually signed with Stanford. After a red shirt, Smith started 20 games the next two years before injuries wrecked his career. The Irish settled for Chauncey Incarnato and John Kadous in '04. Neither played a down for Notre Dame before transferring, creating a sink hole for Charlie Weis on the line.
David Baas
Baas took his Irish official visit one month before signing day in '00 but ended up signing with Michigan and developing into a consensus All-American. Baas went on to be a second round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in '05 and is still with the team. What would have Baas meant to Notre Dame? A lot, considering the Irish didn't sign a single offensive lineman in his class. It's difficult to get hyped up about an interior guard/center, but Baas was worth it even though recruiting buzz was hard to hear a decade ago. The missed class began feast or famine recruiting on the line.
Joe Thomas
Back on signing day in '03 Notre Dame finished second for Thomas, who then developed into the third overall pick at in-state Wisconsin. There were rumors Thomas planned to commit to Notre Dame but a message board leak convinced him to stay home. Regardless, the prospect of having Thomas, Sullivan and Harris in one class could have had major implications for the career arc of Weis at Notre Dame. Thomas left Wisconsin as a first-team All-American and the Outland Trophy winner. Last season he earned All-Pro honors with the Cleveland Browns, a team he joined with Brady Quinn in '07.
Mike Jones
The brother of Notre Dame guard Jim Jones (1996-2000), who started on Bob Davie's Fiesta Bowl team, most saw Mike Jones as a lock for the Irish. Instead the four-star prospect picked Iowa on signing day, a loss few Irish fans noticed as Victor Abiamiri and Ambrose Wooden fell Notre Dame's way. Willingham could have used the help as the Irish landed just two offensive linemen in Sullivan and Harris. Jones went undrafted, but he was a freshman All-American for the Hawkeyes and a four-year starter there. Family connections usually break Notre Dame's way, but this one fell flat.
Josh Oglesby
The five-star tackle produced one of the most impressive highlight tapes we've ever seen and took multiple visits to Notre Dame. The allure of playing in-state for the Badgers proved too much to overcome, although at least Oglesby came off the board early. He ended up red-shirting in '07 and slowly working his way back from a torn ACL. After starting 10 games last season as a red-shirt sophomore, Oglesby is 6-foot-7, 331 pounds and could be on the verge of tapping his potential. Notre Dame could have used this jumbo athlete to challenge its inconsistent tackles last season and stabilize a volatile depth chart.
Seantrel Henderson
We could pick Dan Doering, Ryan Miller or James Hurst for the final spot on the offensive line, but how can you top the nation's No. 1 prospect? Turns out the Irish never had a real chance with Henderson, who took all of one visit to South Bend despite his Cretin Derham connections. From Notre Dame's perspective, at least he didn't end up at USC. Henderson has since taken his talents to South Beach. A cautionary tale for five-star offensive linemen … Doering flamed out at Iowa and Miller ended up moving to guard. Missing on must-have offensive line prospects hasn't been Notre Dame's problem as much as just missing on the entire position.
Athlete
Anthony Barr
It's tempting to go with Greg Little considering his press conference to announce a non-decision followed by a signing day switch to North Carolina, but Barr will forever own this spot. Barr began picking up hype before his junior year as both an elite athlete and the son of Tony Brooks, never mind the nephew of Reggie Brooks. Barr called breaking family tradition the hardest decision of his life when he committed to UCLA. Few recruits moved the meter more as fans wanted information on every step Barr took. Notre Dame's three-year collapse under Weis didn't help, although Barr seemed intent on going his own way, similar to Manti Te'o coming to Notre Dame. Barr is a lost recruit Notre Dame fans figure to still cheer.
THE DEFENSE BEGINS WITH GERALD MCCOY IMO.
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Drunk Mick
Wastin' Away in Margaritaville
USA
5508 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2010 : 08:30:25
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| The coaching misses at ND over the last 15 years had a much bigger impact than the recruiting misses. If you take away Ty's last couple seasons where I'm not even sure he tried to recruit players, ND had some pretty good classes. They were far better than results on the field. |
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Domer
The Curmudgeon
USA
15822 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2010 : 09:34:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Drunk Mick
The coaching misses at ND over the last 15 years had a much bigger impact than the recruiting misses. If you take away Ty's last couple seasons where I'm not even sure he tried to recruit players, ND had some pretty good classes. They were far better than results on the field.
I agree, Mick. Every school can make a list of top players they didn't get, but ND got some good players during Weis' years. They just were not developed into what they could have been. Who knows if other top prospects would have suffered the same fate if they had come to ND under Weis.
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Recruiting misses at ND: Offense
