Brey receives commitment from Big Man

By Michael Rubin, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Men's Basketball
Recruiting


Coach Mike Brey and the Irish received a commitment today from Thomas Knight. Knight, a 6'8 245lb power forward/center from Dixfield, Maine, chose Notre Dame over Rutgers, Northeastern, Maine and Davidson.

Knight is a very good scorer down on the blocks and also brings a lot of strength to his game. Last year, Knight averaged 17 points and eight rebounds as he led his high school team to the state semifinals.

He took his official visit to South Bend October 31st and came away very impressed. Once he arrived on campus for his visit, he connected immediately with the Irish players and Coach Brey.

Knight adds an added dimension to his game that not many men his size bring and that is his ability to hit the three.

Welcome to the Irish family Thomas, you will look good in a Notre Dame uni. Knight joins Joey Brooks (guard), Jack Cooley (power-forward/center) and Mike Broghammer (power forward) in Notre Dame's 2009 recruiting class.

And the Winner is....

By Michael Rubin, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
2009 Recruiting

Wide receiving prospect Shaquelle Evans plans to announce the winner for his college services November 7th. Evans, a 6'1 203lb receiver from Inglewood, California says that he has decided on the university that he will attend next year, but plans to wait until the 7th to declare his allegiance during a ceremony that will include his official invitation to participate in the U.S Army All-American Bowl in January.

Evans has said that the decisive factor in choosing the school he would attend would be finding the place where he feels the most comfortable. After his recent visit to South Bend on September 27th to watch the Irish defeat Purdue, Evans said how comfortable he felt on the Notre Dame campus and how special of a place it was.

Irish assistant coach Brian Polian made one last pitch for Evans services when he was in attendance last week to watch Inglewood play. Evans, however, was sidelined due to a suspension the previous week for excessively celebrating a touchdown.

Shaquelle holds offers from USC, Michigan, Colorado, California and UCLA but rumors have it that USC and Notre Dame are the finalists. Keep counting down the days until November 7th and keep your fingers crossed that Evans will be donning an Irish cap at his ceremony.

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2009 Recruiting Update: Part Four- Tight Ends

By Michael Rubin, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
2009 Recruiting


The Irish have two verbal commitments at tight end already and have their eye on a third. The Irish, who already have good depth at the tight end position have their eye a few guys that could come in and play multiple positions.

Tight Ends

Tyler Eifert, a 6'6 220lb tight end from Fort Wayne, Indiana committed to Notre Dame in early July. Eifert is better described as an athlete than a tight end. Charlie Weis has said he has the possibility of playing multiple positions during his time in South Bend.

Eifert also held offers from Purdue, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Indiana, Minnesota, and Northwestern. He caught a huge 27-yard touchdown pass this past weekend on a 3rd and 19 with only 19 seconds left to give his Bishop Dwenger team a 21-17 win in their sectional opener. Eifert said that the tradition at Notre Dame played a huge role in his decision.

Notre Dame also received a commitment from 6'4 202lb Jake Golic. Golic, the son of Irish grad Mike Golic Sr., will join his brother, Mike Golic Jr. who currently plays center for Notre Dame.

Golic, who attends Northwest Catholic in West Hartford, Connecticut, also held an offer from the University of Connecticut. Golic, who was the first member of the Irish's 2009 recruiting class to commit, did so in early April. Here is his evaluation from espn.com:

"Like his brother (Mike Golic, Jr.) before him, Jake Golic is an undersized but talented player. He has the frame to add bulk and the tools to be a productive college player. Hes a tall, rangy frame, but lacks the burst and separation speed to stay at wide receiver. Has the frame, ball skills and physical nature to develop into a well rounded college tight end. Has good hands and very good ball skills. Can be a bit of a body catcher, but has shown the ability to snatch away from his body. Can locate the ball and make over-the-shoulder grabs. Displays very good concentration in traffic and will take the hit to make the grab. He's competitive and will elevate to go get the ball at its highest point. Has the height, leaping ability and attitude to be a solid red-zone option. Has adequate speed and runs solid routes. Needs to build speed and will be most dangerous in short and intermediate zones. He isn't especially elusive, but he's savvy enough to make a defender or two miss when he catches in stride. Has eye-opening blocking potential. Plays a physical game despite being light in the pants. Has some experience as an in-line blocker, and shows promising toughness and technique. Makes good initial contact and quickly establishes good hand placement. Golic needs to hit a college weight program to add alot of bulk, but he could be a difference-making college player if he adds enough size without losing any speed."

The Irish also have an offer out on Gabe Ikard. Ikard is 6'4 246lb tight end from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He currently holds offers from Tulsa, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Kansas.

It appears that hometown University of Oklahoma is currently the school of choice for Ikard. Gabe was in Dallas to watch the Sooners take on the Texas Longhorns several weeks ago and comes from a long line of Sooner graduates in his family. Both of Ikard's brothers are graduates of OU and he plans on becoming a doctor.

Due to the depth that Notre Dame has at the tight end position along with the fact that they already have two tight end commitments for the '09 class, it is said that Ikard could come in and play defensive end. He came on an official visit to South Bend to watch the Irish dismantle the Michigan Wolverines and left impressed with the turn around from last years team. Time will tell on where Ikard will attend college and we will be sure to keep you posted.

2009 Recruiting Update: Part Two- Fullbacks

By Michael Rubin, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
2009 Recruiting


In part two of our series, we will take a look at who the Irish are looking to bring in next year to play the fullback position. Notre Dame currently has offers out to two of the nations top ranked fullbacks.

Fullbacks

• Toben Opurum is a 6'2 230lb fullback from Plano, Texas. Currently, Opurum holds offers from Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, LSU, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas and Notre Dame. He is considered a tweener by many recruiters. Florida, Kansas, Purdue, Texas Tech and Arkansas all view Opurum as a running back and Notre Dame and LSU view him as a fullback. Toben, a running back for Plano East, prefers to play running back in college, but is still considering the possibility of playing fullback. The Irish offered him a scholarship over the summer when he came to South Bend for a visit. Opurum wants to make a decision on his position and where he will attend school after his Plano East season is over. Recruiting Coordinator Rob Ianello and Charlie Weis have been in contact with Opurum and Ianello actually went to Plano East HS to visit him this past weekend. If Opurum decides that he wants to play fullback in college he would probably schedule another visit to Notre Dame in the winter but if he prefers running back, it appears he will not be visiting South Bend. Here is espn.com's scouting report on Opurum:

"Opurum is physically impressive as a running back prospect with his great size and above average straight-line speed. He is tall, well-built and still lean enough to add another 10-15 pounds of added bulk while retaining his current speed and quickness. Hands are soft and overall receiving skills are good making full or H-back a strong possibility. Has a knack for finding the soft spots in zone defenses, snags most balls with his hands, transitions quickly upfield and can make the first defender miss. As a runner, he shows some shiftiness through the hole and possesses adequate lateral quickness for his size to sidestep the initial traffic and bounce outside. Lacks good urgency out of his stance through the hole but can be a load at the high school level to bring down once he builds speed. Runs through arm tackles with his long, strong stride and thicker thighs. However, he displays very little burst through the hole and runs without good body-tilt. Will struggle retaining current yards after contact production at the next level and could expose his body to big hits. He is a big target out of the backfield as a pass catcher, but his long body often hinders his suddenness as an in-line runner. Marginal extra gear when he gets outside or finds a north-south seam. Overall, Opurum looks good on paper as a running back prospect but lacks good explosiveness as a downhill, in-line runner and the perimeter speed and quickness to hurt you outside. Tools to develop into an effective tailback but upside may be better as a tight end, full or H-back at a BCS level program."

• The other fullback the Irish are targeting is 6'1 215lb Tyler Gaffney from San Diego, California. Gaffney has scholarship offers from San Diego State, USC, Stanford, UCLA, Utah and the Irish. A 4-star fullback according to Rivals.com, Gaffney recently narrowed his choices down to three schools. Stanford, USC, and Notre Dame all made the cut. USC likes him as a running back or fullback. Stanford sees him strictly as a tailback and the Irish want to use him purely at fullback. Gaffney will take an official visit to South Bend November 21 to watch the Irish take on Syracuse. It is said that Tyler grew up rooting for the Irish and loves the tradition. Through four games this season he has rushed for more than 600 yards and 14 touchdowns. Here is his evaluation from espn.com:

"Gaffney is a load of a back at the high school level with a good blend of size, speed and determination as an in-line runner. He is tall, thickly-built but does a job of running with proper shoulder lean and body-tilt. Shows deceptive lateral quickness and burst bouncing it outside and turning the corner but most production stems off tough, explosive, between the tackles runs. Hits the hole with good urgency and is quick to square up his shoulders out of his initial cut and head north south. Generates good speed and power quickly allowing him to run through arm tackles and bounce out of traffic; this kid finishes runs. Possesses a thick and powerful upper- and lower- body and runs low to the ground with great leg drive; difficult to wrap him up solidly. However, he currently lacks the vision, suddenness and feel for the cutback lane to project well as zone runner at the next level. Struggles picking and sliding through traffic, slipping through the small creases and making something out of nothing. A true north-south back that could continue to develop the size and strength necessary to wear down a defense as a college runner and occasionally break off a long run with his good top-end speed. Overall, Gaffney could be productive in the right downhill, power running system or potentially make a slide down to fullback or over to defense as an outside linebacker with his great size to speed measurables. Great athlete for his size and should be an asset on special teams as well."

2009 Recruiting Update: Part One- Running Backs

By Michael Rubin, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
2009 Recruiting



At 4-2 we know Notre Dame is having a good season on the field, but how are Charlie Weis and the Irish doing on the recruiting trail? As of right now, the Irish have 16 verbal commits with many more offers on the table. Here is a breakdown, by numbers, of the list of commits:

2 RB's (Wood, Riddick)
1 WR (Oliver)
2 TE's (Golic, Eifert)
3 OL (Bullard, Martin, Watt)
1 DL (Stockton)
2 LB's (Calabrese, Fox)
2 CB's (Banks, Pollard)
1 S (Motta)
1 K (Tausch)
1 P (Turk)

We are well into the thick of things on the recruiting trail with many offers on the table and recruits narrowing their choices and many making verbal commitments. Over the next week I will be breaking down each position and updating what recruits have verbally committed as well as where we stand with recruits in which we have offers on. I also plan to give updates on how the recruits are performing so far this season.

Running Backs

Dalton Hilliard, a 5'11 182 LB running back from Honolulu, Hawaii, recently returned from a visit to UCLA where he picked up an official offer. Hilliard, a 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com now has offers on the table from UCLA, Notre Dame, Washington, Colorado, UNLV, Nebraska, Arizona, Baylor, Stanford, Utah, Army, and his home town team Hawaii.

Hilliard said that UCLA has been recruiting him from the beginning of the process and that he was very happy when they finally offered him a scholarship on his visit last weekend to UCLA's homecoming game. Hilliard said he loved the coaching staff at UCLA and sees the program headed in the right direction with the addition of Norm Chow as offensive coordinator this year.

Hilliard, who has yet to officially visit Notre Dame, said that he "has always been a fan," of the Irish and grew up rooting for them. We will keep an eye on Dalton as he says he "wants to make a decision in the near future."

Here is ESPN.com's scouting report on Hilliard:

"Hilliard is a well-rounded, elusive back, and a kid we feel is going to start gaining big momentum on the recruiting trail. He is tall, high-cut and well-defined; should blow up to 200-pounds once he attacks a college weight-training program. Hits the hole at full speed and is very shift through traffic while losing very little in transition when cutting. Shows great balance, loose hips and body control sliding through the small creases and eluding the initial trash with great stop-start quickness. Runs with good pad level and his initial burst through the hole allows him to occasional run through arm tackles. While he shows the perimeter speed needed to turn the corner he lacks a great second gear and is not overly explosive when he gets a seam. Top-end speed is good but he is not a burner in the openfield or a true homerun threat for a non-power back. Runs with square shoulder pads and will occasionally flash a strong stiff arm but he lacks the bulk and lower-body leg strength at this time to consistently break tackles and earn good yards after contact as an in-line college runner. With that said, Hilliard possesses excellent receiving skills and can line up and hurt a defense in a number of ways as an offensive skill player. Great upside to become a productive featured back with his room for physical development."

Cierre Wood, a 6'0 192lb running back from Santa Clara, California gave the Irish a verbal commitment back in early April. Wood, who attends Oxnard High School, was on campus October 4th as the Irish beat the Stanford Cardinal. A 5-star recruit according to Rivals.com, Wood led his Oxnard team to a 21-16 victory last weekend as he scored on a 58-yard catch and run with just over a minute to go in the 4th quarter.

Here is ESPN.com's evaluation of Wood:

"Wood is a terrific athlete with the physical tools to excel on either side of the ball at the next level. He has a tall, high-cut frame that has room for plenty of additional bulk. Has the speed, elusiveness and quickness to excel on offense, especially on the perimeter. Shows the great vision to set up his downfield cuts and has the loose hips to make defenders miss in space. Flashes good balance, body lean and leg drive. Has deceptive lower-body strength and can break through initial arm tackles. Displays good receiving skills out of the backfield and in the slot. Can find the soft spots in zone defenses. Has soft hands and good concentration. Knows how to high-point the ball. Has questionable skills as an in-line runner. Doesn't attack the line of scrimmage downhill, pick his way through traffic or pick up quality yards after contact. Has an elongated lower body that makes sharp cuts difficult. Sometimes lose something in transition. High-cut frame could expose his body to big hits between the tackles at the next level. Speed is good but not elite. Tends to build up to speed and lacks elite burst and acceleration. Wood has potential on offense, but his excellent range, leaping ability, ball skills and athleticism may be better suited to safety than running back. He figures to be one of the smoother, more versatile athletes in the class of 2009."

The Irish also received a verbal commitment from RB Theo Riddick (4-star recruit from Rivals.com) from Immaculata HS in Somerville, NJ. Riddick verbally committed to the Irish in the middle of April and was in South Bend for his official visit to see the Irish demolish the Michigan Wolverines back in September.

Rivals.com was able to see Riddick this past weekend as his team defeated Voorhees HS (NJ) 42-20 as Riddick ran for 46 yards and a td. Rivals scout Mike Farrell, who was at the game said that Riddick has "quick feet and is excellent in space. He's also physical and an active blocker, and has good hands out of the backfield." As far as weeknesses Farrell says that, "Riddick isn't that big and doesn't have the look of an every-down back at the next level. he runs a bit high and sometimes tries to do too much by reversing field." Riddick, who also had offers Penn State, Pittsburg, Rutgers, Virginia, West Virginia, Boston College and Maryland, said that he chose Notre Dame, because of the tradition as well as the high academic standards.

Former USC commit decides he doesn't want to ride the Trojan Horse and instead favors South Bend

                    (photo taken by Rivals.com)

Shaquelle Evans (#3 ranked WR in the nation), has decided that he no longer wants to be known as a soft commitment to USC.   The fact of the matter is he has decided USC is not even his top choice.   Evans told ESPNU's Greg Biggins:

    

"Right now, I'm really feeling Notre Dame," Evans said. "I had a great trip back there and that's where I feel most comfortable.  It's hard to explain but I just felt so at home at Notre Dame and I've never felt that way around any other school."

That's right Irish fans, the 6'1 203 lb WR who runs a 4.43 40 yard dash, has decided that Notre Dame is on the top of his wish list of colleges to attend next year.   Shaquelle, who is from Inglewood HS (CA), took an official visit to South Bend and watched as they took on, and defeated, the Purdue Boilermakers two weeks ago.   Evans came away from his trip LOVING the atmosphere and loved just being at Notre Dame stadium.   The biggest thing for him however, was, "just the comfort level," and that he has always believed that you should go where you feel most comfortable and, "right now for me, that's Notre Dame."

Evans was in California to watch the Trojans dominate the Buckeyes last month and gave the coaches there a "soft commitment" meaning that he wanted to keep his eyes open.  Fortunately for Irish fans, that means putting Notre Dame at the top of his list.   Shaquelle has not said when he will decide on his college choice but insists that "I am going to pick the best school for me no matter where it is, and right now, I think that's Notre Dame."

Versatile Oliver Is Irish!

By Nick Shepkowski of Domer Sports Report

An already solid start to Notre Dame's class of 2013 got a little bit stronger on Wednesday as Nyshier Oliver became the fifteenth commitment to the Irish who rank 14th in the nation according to both Scout and Rivals in the recruiting front. What will Nyshier do for the Fighting Irish when he breaks out the gold and blue next fall?

Oliver, a likely safety, is rated as a 4-Star safety on Scout while Rivals grades him slightly lower as he comes in at three stars as an athlete. Oliver has played on both sides of the ball in high school and will be able to add depth at whichever position Charlie Weis and company decide to have him play at Notre Dame.

Oliver originally committed to the University of Tennessee before withdrawing his commitment in mid-August. A day after those events occurred Charlie Weis offered a scholarship in which Oliver accepted Tuesday night.

Notre Dame now has 15 commitments for this years recruiting class and are ranked 14th in the nation in both the Rivals and Scout rankings. From all of us at Domer Sports Report, welcome to Notre Dame Nyshier!

Tale of the Tape:

Position: Athlete/Safety
Height: 5' 10''
Weight: 170 Lbs. (room to grow)
40 Yd Dash: 4.4 Seconds