Catching up on the Recruiting Trail

Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Recruiting

It's still very early in the world of college football recruiting. Early in the sense that most players are still taking their time in making a final decision as to where they will spend their time after high school, but late in a sense that if you (as a school) are not on somebody's watch list then you better get kicking.

For those who are unaware, the Fighting Irish currently have five commitments for the incoming class of 2010 . Is it loaded with talent or is it on its way to being an elite class? That part is tough to say exactly; the groundwork is there with one five star defensive player in place, but there is plenty of work to still be done.

A quick rundown of the class so far:

Bennett Jackson: 6'1'', 165 lbs. - WR, Hazlet (Raritan), NJ
Seen as a three star recruit by most, Jackson has spent time both catching and running the football in high school. He will have to get bigger to be much of an impact but from everything I have read he seems to be along the path of a George West.

Christian Lombard: 6'5'', 290 lbs. - OL, Palatine (Fremd), IL
Was the first Irish commit back in January and chose Notre Dame over such rivals as Michigan, Purdue, and Stanford as well as plenty of others. Lombard committed to Notre Dame at the Army All American Game this past January, a game he will participate in next year.


Chris Martin: 6'4'', 240 lbs. - DE, Princeton (Hun School), NJ
If Manti T'eo was the first major defensive recruit that Charlie Weis was able to bring to South Bend then consider Martin to be the second. Martin was said to be the "most physically impressive defensive player" by one scout in attendance at a recent Nike summer camp on the campus of Stanford University. From the way people talk it seems that Martin has the potential do things at defensive end that haven't been seen at Notre Dame since Justin Tuck was on campus.

Daniel Smith: 6'4'', 205 lbs. - WR, South Bend (Clay), IN
The hometown choice to fill one of the available scholarships has the size to compete at the division one level but could use to get a step or two quicker with his fastest 40 time coming in at 4.6 seconds. The Irish landed Smith who had several offers from Big Ten teams.

Alex Welch: 6'5'', 225 lbs. - TE, Cincinnati (Elder), OH
Consider to be one of the top tight ends in this years class, Welch was offered by nearly every school under the sun. Its too early to tell if he will be able to step in immediately and play a role in the fall of 2010. If he is, think back to 2005 when Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, and Marcus Freeman all earned valuable time for a Notre Dame offense that was lights out good. I'm not saying to expect Welch to be able to perform at that level right away but if he can show the ability to block when he has to and be able to catch the occassional pass or two, this may end up being the biggest offensive commitment in the 2010 class.

Hopefully, that catches you up on where the Irish sit in the recruiting world at this point of the summer. Lots of camps are coming up soon where players make unofficial visits and, in turn, many commitments come about as well. Hopefully, only more good news comes in during the next few weeks for the Irish.

Written By:
Nick Shepkowski
Bleacher Report
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Summer Visits Equal Success

By Radio Man

Common sense tells a Notre Dame fan that multiple visits to the University of Notre Dame means the likelihood that a recruit will sign with the good guys increases. This is not a trick scenario. It's just plain as day common sense. With that said, certain types of prospects will likely come to Notre Dame regardless of the extra visits they take beyond their official visit to Notre Dame. Notre Dame will be hosting several recruits for its annual Summer Football Camp in conjunction with several unofficial visitors over the course of the next three weeks. A few names to keep in mind:

Anthony LaLota, DE, New Jersey – attends The Hun School, which is an excellent academic institution. Notre Dame looks to be in good shape here. Boston College could be the competition, but LaLota has national offers from the likes of Louisiana State and Ohio State to consider as well.

Chris Watt, OG, from just outside of Chicago – does not attend a private school, but Notre Dame appears to be in a dog fight for his services with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are running out of scholarships, allegedly, and while it's likely that coach OSU head coach Jim Tressell would save a scholarship for Watt, the Buckeyes only have so much room left with a plethora of good recruits still eyeing Columbus, Ohio.

Zach Martin, OT, from Indianapolis – attends one of the better high schools in the Indy area, Bishop Chatard, and it's also one of the top football programs in the state of Indiana. Michigan will be the main competition.

Uzoma Nwachukwu (photo above), WR, Allen, Texas – speed and toughness separate the Texas wideout from most recruits. Without Texas offering, the Aggies now represent the biggest hurdle. It would not be a shock if Nwachukwu became the next Notre Dame verbal commitment. If memory serves correctly, he will be visiting South Bend next week? "Mom" is reportedly in Notre Dame's corner.

There are several other recruits that will be visiting between now and the beginning of July. The aforementioned list was just a brief overview. As always, Irish Eyes and Irish Illustrated should be a Notre Dame fan's main source for specific football recruiting information.

With that said, keep your eyes and ears out for any information that might come as a surprise on the unofficial visit recruiting trail. Surprise visitors happen each and every year. A few could be headed to South Bend in the near future…

Additionally, here's my post on The Ara Parseghian Message Board about recruiting single-parent recruits. It adds perspective to what the Notre Dame coaching staff has to do to land top-notch recruits.