IT'S ON!

Updates in the comments.

We're just about a week until fall practice starts and 5 weeks until kickoff against Purdue, but the Irish Football program is buzzing this weekend with verbal commitments from FOUR new recruits for the 2011 class.  The additions of RB Justice Hayes, DE/OLB Anthony Rabasa, CB Jalen Brown and DE Aaron Lynch bring the current class of ND recruits to a whopping 16 before Brian Kelly's inaugural season even begins.  Here's a breakdown of each player:

Justice Hayes, RB (Grand Blanc, MI) - Hayes (5'10", 180)  is a shifty back who reminds me of Darius Walker, but also did this as a sophomore.  Notre Dame beat out home-state Michigan and MSU, and picked up a player who fits Brian Kelly's offense and has a great name.

Scout: 4-star/#16 RB, Rivals: 4-star/#5 All-Purpose Back/#75 Overall, ESPN: 4-star/#22 RB.

Anthony Rabasa, OLB/DE (Miami, FL) - When Rabasa (6'3", 230) announced that his final four consisted of Florida, Florida State, Miami and the Irish, not many Notre Dame fans were holding their breath.  However, lead recruiters Tony Alford (WR Coach) and Mike Elston (DL Coach) must had some magic in that old silk hat they found because Rabasa popped for the Irish Friday afternoon before he had even spoken with Brian Kelly.  Rabasa will likely find himself in the OLB position currently occupied by Darius Fleming and Steven Filer.  Extensive video here.

Scout: 3-star/#51 DE, Rivals: 3-star/#14 Weakside DE, ESPN: 4-star/#10 DE/#98 Overall

Jalen Brown, CB (Irving, TX) - By the time Brown (6'0", 180) enrolls at Notre Dame, he'll likely be one of only three (four if ND picks up TX S Quincy Aldridge in this class) players from the state of Texas.  New OLB Coach Kerry Cooks was allegedly brought on in part because of his ties to the Lone Star State, and it appears to have paid off.  Brown is tall for a CB and fits the profile of what Kelly looks for in a defensive back.  Limited film has him rated lowly by Scout and Rivals.

Scout: 3-star/#75 CB, Rivals: NR/NR, ESPN: 3-star/#23 CB

Aaron Lynch, DE (Cape Coral, FL) - Lynch (6'6", 245) is a monster (Monstar?) DE with great quickness, motor and room to grow.  After receiving reassurances from Coach Alford that Notre Dame would provide the highest standard in academic support, Lynch chose the Irish over Florida, FSU and about 40 other offers.  Lynch also plans to enroll early in January, which should give some piece of mind to Irish faithful worried about Urban Meyer convincing another Florida DL prospect to switch to the Gators on signing day.

Scout: 4-star/#9 DE, Rivals: 4-star/#6 Strong Side DE/#90 Overall, ESPN: 4-star/#9 DE/#46 Overall

Quick recruiting wrap-up - With 16 players already verbally committed and a good amount of 5th-year eligibility for the 2011 season, look for Notre Dame to take no more than 3-6 more players depending on what Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph decide with their NFL futures.  The Irish are still looking to add another OT, WR, DE/OLB and a couple more for the defensive backfield/ATH.  Most of the remaining prospects are looking to take official visits before committing, but the Irish are in great shape right now with Kelly's first true class.

Pat Forde puffed up a nice piece on ND's Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Longo yesterday.  It's a nice swig of Kool-Aid now that summer has officially started.  Link is here.

Better than that piece?  Your own Camp Kelly at Longo Beach t-shirt.

With just four practices left in Brian Kelly's first Notre Dame spring, some positions are set, but others are distinctly open.  Below is a position by position look at the Irish after 11 spring practice:

OFFENSE

Quarterback - No surprises here: Crist is king.  Montana is a distant second and Rees is probably still shaking off all the shrink-wrap.  Kelly said recently that Crist gets 60% of the snaps and Montana gets 40% with any scraps falling to the early enrollee from Lake Forest.  Rees or Hendrix will get a few more reps because Kelly likes to have a deep stable of passers, but clearly this is Crist's job.

Tailback - Loads or talent, but Allen has risen to the top.  Hughes is gonna be a role player, but he'll be a great short-yardage back and is fantastic on the screens.  Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood seem to be basically neck-and-neck for touches behind Allen, but you've gotta think that we'll see plenty of Cierre in the fall given that Kelly moved Riddick to receiver in order to get Wood more playing time.

Receivers - I'm lumping them all together (X, Y, Z, Slot or whatever you want to call them) because this position is a bit of mess right now.  Floyd is a mortal lock to start, but things get a bit hazy after that.  Reports have Duval Kamara looking thin and fit, but he's typically absent from Kelly's post-practice comments.  Beyond him it gets even fuzzier.  Early enrollee Tai-ler Jones, Riddick and Toma would seem to be fits for the slot, but they've been split wide in quite a few practice videos.  Goodman, Evans and Walker have all drawn praise this spring too.  If I had to guess, I'd say the starting 3 would be Floyd, Kamara and Jones, backed up by Goodman, Evans and Riddick respectively.  Regardless, we'd like to see a lot of more this:

Tight end, O-Line, defense, special teams and a recap after the jump...

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Coach Kelly said he wasn't big on depth charts so here's one pieced together from practice reports and scuttlebutt. Click here for a full-sized picture.  Players with names in black have injuries affecting their current standing.  Transcription after the jump.

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It's finally here - new coach, new atmosphere, new hope.

Rakes will have all the latest as the Irish get to kick the tires on the Brian Kelly era for the first real time.  For now, celebrate with a commemorative Camp Kelly t-shirt.

...don't do it.

Don't friend them; don't poke them; don't tag them in notes; don't send them private messages; don't write on their walls.

You may think it would be cool to have a connection to someone who could lead your favorite team to sports glory, and it would be - if you had any real-world connection to them.  The vast majority of you have never met any recruits, but, thanks to the recruit-aratzi at Scout, Rivals, Scouts Inc. or (my personal favorite) Irish Sports Daily, you feel like you already know them.  So here's a test you should run before you click "Add as Friend."

Does the recruit know who you are?

If the answer is "No," stop your finger!

"Aren't you a little bit old to post "JK LOLZ" on a recruit's Facebook wall?"

What makes grown men act like this?  I steeled my nerve and took a cursory glance at the Walls of some Irish commits.

It shouldn't be loneliness or want of personal contact - most of the random posters had profile pictures that included them, their wife and their kid(s).

Maybe they think they're helping their team's cause.  Fighting the good fight on the frontlines of a recruiting war that gets more and more ruthless every day.  After all, creepy old fans from rival schools are posting on these kids' walls.

Here's a fact: I've never heard a recruit tell Steve Wiltfong that the deluge of friend requests he received from 30-year old men swung his commitment to the Irish.  In fact, I've only heard of Facebook hurting in recruiting battles.

(I'm not even going to address the kind of people who post nasty messages on the wall of a wavering verbal commitment.  There's not enough electro-shock therapy in the world.)

Look, generally I think Facebook is a good thing.  I'm all for anything that lets people catch up with once-forgotten friends.  Or maybe it isn't.  Recent studies have shown that anywhere between 5-20% of divorces filed today cite Facebook as a contributory cause.  I just wonder how many of those petitions were filed when a jilted wife found in the browser history that her husband was whispering sweet nothings about 40-year decisions and rich tradition in a private message to 17-year-old boy.

Probably not enough.

Brian Kelly went before the media for the first time today as the Head Coach of Notre Dame.  Check the comments for updates.

I'm listening to Bill Cunningham on Cincinnati's WLW AM 700, and, between Montgomery Inn ribs commercials, I've heard the following:

• Cunningham has called for the crucifixion of Brian Kelly.  Literally.
• He's compared Kelly to Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton.
• He's renounced Notre Dame's standing as a Catholic university.
• He compared Kelly's actions to those of the Japanese during Pearl Harbor.
  
• He has, in part, "lost his faith in Christ".
• He's taken a call from a lawyer named "Bulldog" who is currently racing around a Cincinnati courthouse trying to find a judge to sign an injunction that would (1) prevent the presser from happening, and (2) prevent Kelly from coaching at Notre Dame by claiming breach of contract.
• Izzie's Deli in Cincinnati has reversed course and will no longer be naming a sandwich after Brian Kelly.
• A litany of hits: Abortion clinics will proliferate in South Bend because Kelly is pro-choice; Brian Kelly supports gay rights (I think this was meant as a negative?); Brian Kelly believes in global warming; Brian Kelly knew John Kerry and Ted Kennedy; Brian Kelly voted for Dukakis.

Good luck, Coach Kelly.  You've left one giant pot of crazy for an even bigger one.

Now that Weis is gone, we'll keep you updated on the latest rumors, innuendo and hearsay in the comments section.

Official Press Release:

Weis will not be retained as Notre Dame football coach
                                    
University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis will not be retained, University director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced today (Nov. 30).
 
"We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations," Swarbrick said. "As an alumnus, Charlie understands those goals and expectations better than most, and he’s as disappointed as anyone that we have not achieved the desired results."
 
Swarbrick recommended the dismissal Sunday night to Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
 
"We have established an evaluation process for all of our athletic programs that, in the end, results in a recommendation from Jack to me," Father Jenkins said. "I accepted Jack’s decision and look forward to working with him on selecting a new head football coach who is the very best choice possible for the University and especially for our student-athletes.
 
"I am most appreciative to Coach Weis for his service to Notre Dame and our community. He and his family have my prayers and best wishes."
 
Weis spent five seasons as Irish head coach from 2005-09, with his teams achieving consecutive records of 9-3 (Fiesta Bowl appearance) in ’05, 10-3 (Sugar Bowl appearance), 3-9, 7-6 (Hawai’i Bowl victory) and 6-6 in ’09 – for an overall 35-27 mark.
 
Swarbrick announced that Rob Ianello, the Irish assistant head coach/offense, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, will assume responsibility for football operations until a new coach is hired. Ianello has spent the past five seasons on the Notre Dame staff and previously was part of football staffs at Wisconsin (1990-93, 2003-04), Arizona (1994-2002) and Alabama (1987-89).

AP Story

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A person familiar with the decision says Notre Dame has fired coach Charlie Weis.

The move comes after a string of disappointing seasons that was capped by four agonizing losses, including the regular-season finale on Saturday night at Stanford.

The person confirmed the firing to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the official announcement had yet to be made.

The New York Daily News first reported the firing.

A brash offensive coordinator with the NFL champion New England Patriots when he was hired five years ago, Weis raised Irish expectations with back-to-back appearances in BCS bowl games in his first two seasons.
Since then, one of the nation's most storied football programs has gone 16-21.

Here's the follow-up question.  Harbaugh has been added to the list because a lot of you folks voted for him in "Other" last time.  Same as before, though: If you choose "Other", please explain in the comments.

This is the first question.  The second will later in the week.  Enjoy.

Another Coach Weis question for the people:

Let's find out the mental state of the fanbase, shall we?

Here's one last quick look at some telling stats on the Nevada Pass Defense:

Pass Attempts Against Per Game- 38.9 (5th most in the nation)

Pass Completions Against Per Game- 20.8 (18th most in the nation)

Completion % Against- 53.56 (24th BEST in the nation)

Yards Per Completion- 14.95 (Worst in the nation)

Yards Per Attempt- 8.01 (12th worst in the nation)

Passing TDs Against- 31 (7th worst in the nation)

Passing Yards Per Game Against- 311.62 (Worst in the nation)

Plays defended per game- 67.9 (68th most in the nation)

% of plays defended that are rushing- 42.7% (2nd lowest in the nation)

% of plays defended that are passing- 57.3% (2nd highest in the nation)

Pass Eff. Defense- 134.74 (85th in the nation)

% of Attempts Picked Off- 3.16% (59th in the nation)

% of Opponents Dropbacks that ended in a sack- 6.81% (42nd in the nation)

Analysis:
They were bad.  WAC QB's weren't super accurate, but still found ways to burn the Wolfpack when they connected.  Nevada was average at getting to the QB and average at picking off the ball.

Definitively, Nevada was bad at pass defense. If ND's pass offense has improved in the off-season as much or more than their pass defense has, we should dominate through the air.

***This is the first of what will hopefully become a recurring piece that tracks poll positions and points for all of ND's opponents in 2009.***

With the release of the first Coaches Poll of the season coinciding nicely with the start of fall practice for the Irish as well the anticipation of the upcoming season turning my Restless Leg Syndrome in full-blown Parkinsons, let's take a look at how some of those wacky coaches voted (click "USA TODAY" to reveal):

Couple of quick notes:

• Great to see ND in a top 25 for the first time since 2006.
• FLORIDA!!!!1!!!1!!
• LSU making an impressive jump from the end of last season.
• As far as Irish opponents go, only Southern Cal is in the top 25, but 6 appear in the "Also receiving votes" category.

Between the poll and the old guard harumph-ing about this year's schedule, our slate looks pretty pathetic this year, yeah?  After the jump, take a stroll inside the numbers and let's get a closer look.

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ESPN put out their top 150 today and left Irish fans feeling more than a little jilted.

Despite above average reviews from the other sites, the only player verbally committed to ND in the top 150 is DE Chris Martin.  But he's our golden calf so I'm sure he's safe.  Let's review:

• Rivals- #1 ranked Weakside DE, #13 overall, 5 stars
• Scout- #1 ranked DE, #6 overall, 5 stars
• Everyone and their momma- #1 ranked DE, top-20 nationally, 5 stars

It follows that ESPN would rank Mr. Martin similarlEEEOHMYGAWD!  Number sixteen ranked DE?  144th overall?  Only four giant balls of gas?  What's that I hear?  Oh lord, it's Tom Luginbill's music!

A lot of feedback on Martin. We do feel he will be a defensive end in college and that's a big adjustment in our eyes. We do not see the speed, hips or flexibility to play OLB.

He is still in our 150 so we think he's a good player and like his physical measureables but felt he lacked the reactive burst, bend and potential pass rushing skills that the defensive ends ahead of him currently have.

Tom Luginbill

The former XFL coach's logic baffles.  He'll be a DE, but he doesn't have the speed, hips or flexibility to play OLB.  Okay?  Your point is?  Luginbill also ranked Al Pacino as the 144th best actor of all time because he doesn't make a very good duck l'orange.

I suppose ESPN could have been thinking of this guy:

Now there's a prospect with tenacity and a good motor.

A complete list of ND's verbal commit rankings is here.  Try not to let your tears of anger and despair get into your CPU.  Must've gone through 17 laptops that way in 2007.

Catch the game on ESPN Classic and cheer on your Irish skaters.  We're gonna need it down 2-0 with 7 minutes left in the first.  Two flukey goals, but two goals down nonetheless.

GO IRISH!