Recruiting is a funny business these days. Players get more and more publicity than ever – and it seems that along with that, they’re publicly changing their mind more than ever.
In hindsight, it’s amazing that Charlie Weis lost so few verbal commitments during his tenure.
Notre Dame lost four verbals back in 2005 during the transition from Tyrone Willingham to Weis, and has lost four more so far in the 2010 class since Weis’ firing at the end of November.
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Hunter should would have provided the Irish with some much needed depth at defensive tackle.
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In between, however, the waters were relatively calm, with only six players giving a public pledge to Weis and then backing out. Panic ensued to varying degrees in each case – particularly in 2007, when three prospects jumped ship in the late stages of the recruiting cycle – but how much are the Irish really missing the guys they lost?
Here’s a case-by-case look at the bygone recruits that would still be on Notre Dame’s roster had they signed with Weis:
Nyshier Oliver (2009)
Originally committed to Notre Dame as a receiver, Oliver instead latched on as a defensive back at Tennessee. He appeared in just one game and is slated to redshirt, but still made headlines off the field – Oliver was charged with shoplifting on Nov. 7 after being caught trying to conceal a $110 shirt inside of another bag.
Verdict: Too early to tell, but receiver and cornerback aren’t exactly positions of weakness for Notre Dame. The Irish got as much from Roby Toma in 2009 as they would have from Oliver.
Marlon Pollard (2009)
A prized cornerback recruit, Pollard’s decision to stay close to home and attend UCLA wasn’t entirely surprising, but it did hurt a little more than Oliver’s decommitment, if for no other reason than that Pollard was rated a little more highly. Pollard didn’t see any action in 2009, but unlike Oliver, he was at least able to stay off the police blotter.
Verdict: Too early to tell. If Notre Dame struggles at cornerback in the next three or four years, fans may lament this one – but in the short term, the damage appears minimal.
Omar Hunter (2008)
The blow was softened substantially by the fact that the Irish still pulled what was arguably the nation’s best recruiting class (at least once academic eligibility came into the equation), with sufficient numbers along the defensive line. Still, as Notre Dame remains short on bodies up front, it’s natural to wonder what could have been – especially considering how Hunter’s stock rose as a high school senior. After earning a medical redshirt in 2008, Hunter had a fairly pedestrian season for the Gators in 2009, making 17 total tackles (8 solo, 9 assist) with two stops for total losses of three yards.
Verdict: Hunter would undoubtedly be nice to have from a depth standpoint – if nothing else, he probably would have allowed Weis to keep Ethan Johnson at defensive end in a 4-3 front – but is he a great fit in a 3-4 defense? Overall, not a catastrophic loss, but he’d likely be at least a contributor for Notre Dame.
Chris Little (2007)
Trying to follow Little’s odyssey through high school and college football is tougher than going a full year without a Brett Favre “retirement.” Little committed to Florida State, then switched to Notre Dame, and then signed with Georgia at the last minute – only now, he’s not playing for any of the above. A year ago, Little quietly transferred to Florida A&M.
Verdict: The depth at offensive line is never good enough, but it’s good enough not to have to worry about this particular nomad. Given his track record, there’s no guarantee Little would still be with the Irish even if he had signed.
Greg Little (2007)
This looked like a huge deal at the time, especially since Notre Dame had already seen fellow receiver Arrelious Benn back out of a supposed “silent verbal” (see below). But while Little has been solid at North Carolina, he hasn’t been a superstar. Rotating between running back and receiver his first two seasons, he rushed for 639 yards and caught passes for 245 more. In 2009, he had a bit of a breakout year at wideout, catching a team-best 62 passes for 724 yards and five touchdowns, adding 166 yards and a score on the ground.
Verdict: His production has been solid – but if he were at Notre Dame, there’s no guarantee that a) Golden Tate would have been as prolific after his move to receiver (which would have happened anyway, according to the previous staff); or b) Michael Floyd would have signed a year later. Would you be willing to take a do-over and gamble on either?
Justin Trattou (2007)
Another defensive lineman lost to the Gators, Trattou has been a bit of a sore subject for Irish fans who saw him starting on Florida’s 2008 national championship team. The New Jersey native has posted 64 career tackles, including a career-low 17 in 2009.
Verdict: So far, looking like a bigger loss than Hunter in terms of production – but is his ceiling higher than that of current Irish ends Johnson or Kapron Lewis-Moore? Trattou would likely have contributed at Notre Dame the last three seasons (if he could start for the Gators, that much should be obvious), but it’s unclear whether he would have made a significant difference in the grand scheme of things to keep hanging on to regrets.
The ‘Silent’ Types
Benn, who wound up at Illinois, is one of a small handful of players who were rumored, at one point or another, to have given “silent verbals” to Notre Dame before signing elsewhere. Other unconfirmed “silent commits” purportedly included defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (signed with Oklahoma in 2006), linebacker Chris Donald and defensive end Ben Martin (both signed with Tennessee in 2007). McCoy and Benn both declared for the NFL Draft with a year of eligibility remaining, and each is projected as a first-day pick (with McCoy as high as No. 2 overall). Martin has been a contributor at Tennessee, while Donald floundered academically and voluntarily left the team last year.
On The Other Hand...
Before getting too caught up in what might have been with the players listed above, keep in mind that Notre Dame has done its fair share of preying upon recruits who were previously committed to other schools.
The 2009 roster alone included seven players who previously decommitted from other schools – receiver Shaquelle Evans, running back Jonas Gray, defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, offensive lineman Trevor Robinson, linebacker Brian Smith, receiver Roby Toma and kicker Brandon Walker.
In addition, a pair of 2010 early enrollees, safety Chris Badger and receiver Tai-ler Jones, were previously committed to Stanford, as was offensive line verbal Tate Nichols. Nose tackle commit Louis Nix had previously pledged to Miami.
Those four new additions will cancel out the four commits that the Irish have lost during the current cycle. In terms of raw numbers, the math on supposed infidel recruits over the past five years actually tilts in Notre Dame’s favor.
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