Two Dudes, One Post: Signing Day 2011 Edition

It takes a special day to get Bill to write about anything (Penn State wins over teams not named Coastal Carolina come only ever so often), but it takes a monumental event to get him to write something in the offseason. National Signing Day is just that event. This week we break down the classes that the Irish and Nittany Lions inked and analyze how it will impact things going forward for both teams.

GIDDYUP!

1. Give your team's class a letter grade and a brief analysis of your staff's overall effort in this recruiting cycle.

Mattare: A- for the class, A+ for the staff’s effort.

Brian Kelly has answered a lot of the critics that didn’t believe he could recruit on a national level this off-season by delivering a consensus top ten class. A highly touted group of high schoolers pledging their commitment to ND isn’t something that’s particularly new—Charlie Weis brought in some huge and even higher rated hauls—but what has Irish fans especially excited is the fact that this class is loaded with potential difference makers on the defensive side of the ball.

The three stories that accompany the three commitments of Stephon Tuitt, Aaron Lynch, and Ishaq Williams show exactly why this staff deserves nothing less than an A for this year’s recruiting cycle. All three seemed bound for other schools—in fact, two were well publicized Notre Dame decommitments—but relentless work by Bob Diaco, Chuck Martin, Tony Alford, and the big man BK himself ensured that all three ended up in blue and gold.

With Tuitt, the trio of Diaco, Martin, and Kelly were in his living room within 24 hours of his decommitment from Notre Dame and by the time they left he was back in the fold. Aaron Lynch was ready to enroll in Florida State just days before Tony Alford was able to sway him back to Notre Dame. And perhaps most famously, Bob Diaco paid Ishaq a 4:30am visit the morning he was supposed to visit Penn State and convinced him to head to the Midwest instead of central Pennsylvania.

The class itself is not flawless which is why it’s not an A. There are holes that must be addressed quickly in the next recruiting cycle (CB, RB, NT) and some stinging misses, but this was a serious “mythbusting” class.

The myth that Notre Dame couldn’t recruit top defensive talent was debunked by landing three of the top five defensive ends in the country according to Rivals. The myth that Notre Dame was forever doomed to lose every major defensive line recruit that gave a verbal commitment was busted. And perhaps most importantly (at least in the mind of skeptics among the Irish Faithful), the myth that Brian Kelly was too “small-time” to handle national recruiting was proved completely false thanks to his effort and the staff’s entire body of work.

Things are snowballing in South Bend—and for once the momentum is headed in the right direction.

Bill: C

Too many early missed opportunities. Offers came out slow while the state's top talent took their talents to Oakland, PA and New Brunswick, NJ. The only reason we have a quality speed guy in this class (Bill Belton) is because of the coaching fiasco that took place at Pitt after the season ended.

This was a solid class for offensive and defensive lineman but we whiffed on the elite hogs in Cyrus Kouandjio and Ishaq Williams. Aside from the trenches not much good can be said about the coach's efforts this year. PA had two 4 star defensive backs Terrell Chestnut and Kyshoen Jarrett and we weren't close to getting either. Of the top 10 players in the state Penn State was only able to get commitments from two.

The uncertainty surrounding the coaching staff is coming to a head. Tom Bradley has been pursuing other jobs because it's been made pretty clear the school will go out of house for the next head coaching hire. At this point I hope he gets another job because he's been so loyal and done a great job for us. He's been rumored to be taking as many as 4 assistants with him which will completely decimate the staff. Basically, this has to be Joe's last year. The damage can’t be masked anymore (it's a blog, relax).

A 4:30 am Notre Dame visit to a Brooklyn (Joe's hometown) recruit should not be effective, it should be annoying. The fact that Ishaq was convinced that it's not enough to go to Penn State because of a position coach is unacceptable. The assistants have been holding this ship together with mighty putty for the past few years, and the job they have done is nothing less than astounding, it’s too bad they won't be rewarded for their efforts but it appears they won't.

A change is coming at Penn State, and after seeing what has happened at Michigan I'm afraid that we might have let our program slip to where we end up with the likes of Rick Neuheisel instead of Chris Petersen. This is scary.

2. Who was the most important recruit you got this year?

Mattare: It has to be defensive end Aaron Lynch.

He’s rated the lowest of Notre Dame’s triumvirate of defensive line mega-studs, but in my eyes he’s far and away the most important player to land on-campus this spring. Lynch is equipped with explosiveness and quickness that Irish fans have not seen since Justin Tuck left town. He’s poised to make an immediate impact on pass rushing downs as a true freshman and I fully expect him to make a run at the all-time sack record during his time in blue and gold.

He’s a one-man wrecking crew that Notre Dame has been completely lacking over the past decade. The fact that he is flanked by two other potential superstars only increases the chance he’ll blossom into fulfilling his staggering potential.

Bill: Donovan Smith, OT

Big, big dude. I can see him anchoring our line at left tackle his junior and senior years. He doesn't want to redshirt, he wants to push for playing time right away. That's what I want from our guys…and from what we've seen from the O-line these last two years why not?

3. Which player that you couldn't reel in stings the most?

Mattare: I'm going to go with running back Savon Huggins.

My approach as signing day nears is that I shouldn’t be too greedy because ND has landed three huge studs on the defensive line against unbelievably stacked odds. I’m tempted to go with safety Wayne Lyons, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was more chapped by losing out on a potential four-year starting running back to the State University of Rutgers.

I know he’s from Jersey, but really? What is the appeal other than being able to have family and friends see your games in person (which they’ll need to do unless they have ESPN’s Premium Package where they can catch Scarlet Knight games on ESPN17 in non-HD)?

Rutgers fell flat on its face last season last, stumbling to a 4-8 record in the weakest major conference in college football. After getting their head above water after years of ineptitude and futility, it appears they’ve hit a plateau on the plane of mediocrity. Greg Schiano has gone from the hottest young coach in the business to the guy who seemingly overplayed his hand.

Add on top of that the fact their fan base is without a doubt the one with the biggest gap between their perceived worth (they insist they’re on the verge of being a national power/brand) and their real value (they’re a half step above Temple…if that…and the ceiling isn’t much higher). I just don’t see a single reason an elite prospect would want to sign up to play there.

Huggins wasn’t a “must get” and missing on him doesn’t belittle just how good this class is, but it still stings to lose a major recruit to gnat in the college football world like Rutgers.

Bill: Ben Koyack, TE

Started as the #1 player in PA and finished at #2. And we never even had a chance! He committed to Notre Dame early while we signed two star TE Kyle Carter with offers from Delaware and Bucknell. Tight end is such an underrated position on offense and Penn State utilizes it quite a bit. Koyack could have filled the role Brett Brackett filled this year that netted him 39 receptions.

4. Who do you see making an immediate impact this fall?

Mattare: We’ll go right back to Mr. Aaron Lynch on this one. Many Irish fans will remember the impact that Justin Tuck had during his redshirt freshman season (the 2002 campaign). He only played on clear passing downs, but he was a terror that delivered sacks, quarterback pressures, and offensive holding calls almost every time he stepped on the field. Expect that sort of impact from Lynch this fall.

His fellow five-star recruits Ishaq Williams and Stephon Tuitt will also get some playing time albeit not as impactful as Lynch’s. Ishaq could emerge in a similar way to Lynch but I have a hard time seeing him beat out Darius Fleming for a starting nod. Tuitt is going to require a little more seasoning, is stuck behind a senior on the depth chart, and doesn’t have the pass rushing prowess that makes him completely necessary to have on the field in passing downs (Lynch does).

Bill: No one, but if pressed to make a choice Shyquawn Pullium, DB.

Why? Because he spent the year in JUCO and we seemed more willing to switch up the personnel in the secondary towards the end of last year—Malcom Willis and Andrew Dailey got reps in the Outback Bowl. For some reason we never put athletes at safety, we'd rather be three deep at the cornerback position and convert a second string linebacker to safety.

5. Give us a sleeper or two that may emerge from this class.

Mattare: He’s not necessarily a deep sleeper per se because he’s a 4-star, but I love defensive back Eliar Hardy. He’s a versatile, aggressive athlete that could end up at cornerback, but his early projection is at safety. Hardy is a ferocious hitter and a sound tackler that could be a rock in the secondary for 2-3 years—especially with the lack of depth currently on the roster past 2011.

For a little deeper sleeper I’ll go with our lowest rated offensive lineman Nick Martin. His brother has already shown to be an overachiever and by all accounts Nick is of the same ilk with better athleticism (which will only help him in a spread blocking scheme). His high school coach raved about what a dominant, physical presence he had become over the course of his high school career and he’s got a nasty streak that perfectly fits the attitude Notre Dame is trying to develop in the trenches.

Bill: Matt Zanellato, WR

He was only rated a two-star by Rivals, but he recorded over 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns receiving his senior year. That's impressive by anyone's standards. Those numbers lead me to believe he didn't have an off game—there are only so many games in a high school season. He's 6'3" and has good hands. He'll find his way on the field.

Pennsylvania is loaded with talent next year; we can't afford this inaction on the recruiting trail that plagued us this year and the never-ending questions with the staff. We need to capitalize and start building for a title run immediately.

ON TO THE RAPID FIRE FINISH!

Bill: So let's not beat around the bush. I finally beat you in season three of our NCAA Football Dynasty in spectacular comeback fashion. How are you coping?

Mattare: Not going to lie, I'm devastated. Not because you beat me, but because you were dead in the water before the game cut out and we had to replay the final quarter. The Deacs will exact serious revenge in 2013.

Mattare: Savon Huggins chose Rutgers over ND and UNC. Give me a good reason that any elite football player would want to go to Rutgers that doesn't involve Macedonians.

Bill: They had Ray Rice, they've got a good coach, and it's close to the best city in the country.

Bill: Why would anyone go to Notre Dame?!?

Mattare: The weather, the opportunity to live in O'Neill Hall, the chance to have Carl Ackermann for finance, and four years of pasta stir-fry in the dining halls. Oh, and because they could be a part of the resurrection of college football's greatest program.

Mattare: I have a two-day work conference in of all places Ocean City, MD. This is a place I swore I'd never set foot in again when we left there 3+ years ago. What are the odds I end up at Seacrets: Jamaica, USA with co-workers and what are the odds I end up back in the bay bar?

Bill: 10-1 for Seacrets, 100:1 for the bay bar. It's only Maryland, that water is freezing and you'd be there alone. Head to the Purple Moose or The Bearded Clam.

Bill: How would you announce your college decision if you were committing to Notre Dame?

Mattare: I'd have a press conference at Yocco's, have Pat Lyons dressed as a leprechaun, and ceremoniously burn a Nittany Lion doll as I did the jig. My father would then murder me.

Mattare: Manny Pacquiao vs John "Literally Death From Above" Yackabonis in trampoline boxing. Who wins?

Bill: Whose trampoline? This matters. Yack would psyche him out during the match by trying to have a conversation.

Bill: Describe your ideal halftime show scenario in the Super Bowl this year. Careful, Fergie is polarizing.

Mattare: Multiple wardrobe malfunctions. And as a sidenote, Fergie looks TERRIBLE in that Dr. Pepper commercial.

Mattare: Some A-Towners are planning another trip to Orlando, but our buddy Tim is on the fence. Here's you chance to publicly state why he should come. GO!

Bill: I think mention in WNG is enough--he's in. But I still don't mind selling him on wearing shorts and paying $3 per beer.

Bill: Drank bourbon with pickle juice last night. You ready for that?

Mattare: I mean...if I need to be.

Mattare: We're headed down to Houston for the Final Four with Austin and Mr. Balls this April. Can you even fathom how insufferable it will be for you if ND finds a way to make it that far?

Bill: For me??? You don't want me around in that scenario. Remember, we all have to get along at your wedding.

SHOTS FIRED

Ladies and Gents, it’s Penn State-Iowa Week! This means a couple things. First of all, Penn State’s grueling non-conference schedule has finally come to a close. Wait nevermind, there’s still one left in October. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois from I-AA will roll into town the weekend of the 10^th, can’t forget them when talking about the cupcake sampler du jour. Bill, your Nittany Lions have digested so many of them that they now share a disease with Wilford Brimley. Don’t forget your insulin shots when you travel up north to the erector set gone wrong known as Beaver Stadium.

The second thing and more important thing is it means is that it’s time to talk about the events of last November 8^th. That’s the day Penn State laid a big fat egg at Kinnick Field and watched their national championship hopes disappear when Iowa kicker Daniel Murphy split the uprights as time expired. Out of respect for what had to have been one of the most devastating days in Billy’s years at college I didn’t text him that day. It’s been ten months now, time to tear open those wounds! Let’s look at that kick from behind the goal posts.

Now from the corner of the endzone!

MORE!

DON’T STOP!

ONE MORE!

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Special thanks to all those “large fore-headed Iowans” who brought their camcorders to the game to capture that moment for us to remember forever.

Now let’s look at this year’s game for a bit. Penn State has looked thoroughly unimpressive. Their offensive line apparently “gelled” in their big win over the Temple Owls last weekend as they ran for a whopping 186 yards (117 yards less than last year when they played Temple for those keeping track). Be afraid: the Iowa defense’s motto this year is "six seconds of hell" which ironically is Billy’s motto in the bedroom. It’s fast, spastic, and bodies are flying everywhere…but it’s so effective that the other team on the field is normally left bruised, flustered, and confused.

The defensive side of JoePa(roleOfficer)’s team has two starting linebackers (Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman) who aren’t going to be playing because their knees hurt. Hawkeye Freshman Adam Robinson ran for over 100 yards last week against Arizona, a defense that held Central Michigan (the same one that shredded Michigan State) to 74 yards rushing. Does this put fear in the hearts of Penn State fans? No, but the combination should allow doubt to creep in.

There are a lot of these “revenge” games that have popped up over the last few years and they never really turn out the way people anticipate. There are a lot of times where the team gets their “revenge,” but it isn’t the bloodbath that’s expected. I think this is one of those games. Penn State hasn’t had a legitimate test yet and they’re banged up. Iowa has looked better and better each week and have won six of the last seven against PSU (including a 6-4 barnburner in 2004 on Homecoming in State College...which Billy skipped out on to watch a NOTRE DAME GAME). I think they cover the 10pt spread in a grind it out game, but the homefield advantage Penn State gets in the Erector Set pushes them over the edge.

For Penn State Haters everywhere it’ll be unfortunate…but we’ll always have November 8, 2008…

One Last Preview

So last night we got our first taste of the 2009 college football season. A little over 24hrs from now both the Irish and the fighting Nittanys will kickoff their respective years. This provides one last chance to offer predictions on what will happen over the next couple months. As I’m sure you’ve seen, Billy offered his well-reasoned picks for both teams—I especially like his gameplan for stopping Tim Tebow in the National Championship. I hear he has a weakness for Macedonian women Bill—wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done the seemingly impossible.

Here’s a legit preview of the Irish from someone who follows them as close as humanly possible.

Returning Starters: 15 (9 offense, 6 defense)

Strength of Schedule: #36 (Phil Steele Magazine)

Key Losses: FS David Bruton (drafted by the Broncos)

Key Returners: Everyone of significance

Freshman Contributors: LB Manti Te’o, KR Theo Riddick, and K Nick Tausch

Notre Dame is coming off a disappointing year of 7-6. In three different games they blew double digit leads (including to Syracuse at home in one of the worst losses in school history), were again completely manhandled by Southern Cal, and were shutout by Boston College. Charlie Weis is one of the most embattled coaches in college football today and may in fact have the hottest seat in the country. With all the negativity that was surrounding the program and cries of the team’s lack of relevance coming from just about any mouth in front of a camera, why then does there seem to be such a sense of hope? Lou Holtz and Beano Cook both picked them to go to the national championship game. Kirk Herbstreit thinks they’ll land in the BCS. Phil Steele (the most accurate preseason magazine of the last ten years) has them as preseason #7. There are a lot of legitimate reasons for those willing to actually look.

The offense should be one of the best in the country. Jimmy Clausen is much farther along at this point in his career than Brady Quinn was. He completed 61.9% of his passes last year (Brady was 54.1% his sophomore year) and there’s no reason to believe he won’t take another step in the right direction this year. Yes, he threw way too many interceptions last year but that’s not abnormal for a young quarterback trying to do too much. He has another year under his belt and the best WR-TE combo in the country at his disposal. Wide receivers Golden Tate (Jr.) and Michael Floyd (So.) could be even better than the record breaking duo of Samardzija and Stovall from 2005. Also one name few people outside of Notre Dame know is tight end Kyle Rudolph (So.). He’s a future first round draft pick and could be the best tight end in school history when all is said and done. The offensive line has a new coach (Frank Verducci from the Cleveland Browns) and over 100 combined career starts, making it one of the most experienced lines in the entire country. They were much improved in pass protection last year (cutting the number of sacks allowed in half); could there be a similar leap in run blocking under Verducci’s tutelage this year? On the defensive side of the ball the Irish are loaded with talent, albeit inexperienced talent. The front seven will be one of the questions that must be answered, but for the first time in years there is a surplus of talent at the coordinator’s disposal. They also have one of the best secondaries in country, spurred by the return of exiled cornerback Darrin Walls and LB Harrison Smith’s shift back to safety. On top of all this, Charlie Weis is taking back play calling duties. Add this with the fact that—like Penn State—Notre Dame has one of the easiest schedules in years and play Southern Cal at home this year…things seem to be lining up for something great.

That being said there are still major questions. I will have serious doubts about the offensive line until I see improvement with my own eyes. I’ve seen five straight spring games and the first four were very good indicators of what was to come in the fall. When I left the stadium in April I didn’t think the O-Line was quite there. Paul Duncan starting at left tackle petrifies me. It’s been almost a decade since we had a legitimate running attack that could move the ball on elite level defenses. On defense, Kerry Neal just may not be big enough to stand up against the run. We’re also relying on a lot of inexperience to step up at the linebacker position and the interior defensive line.

Perhaps most importantly, is the real Charlie Weis the one that came in and orchestrated one of the best offenses in school history in 2005 or the one that got out-coached last year by a lame duck Syracuse coach Greg Robinson? You had a clear feeling that Willingham wasn’t the guy mid-way through his tenure. I honestly have no idea whether Weis is the guy or not—we’re at a tipping point in his career. A lot of things seem to be lined up in Notre Dame’s favor. It’s now time to capitalize on them. Notre Dame will be favored in 11 of the 12 games they play in the regular season this year. The patience of the Irish faithful has been pushed to the limit and I think another mediocre year would be Weis’ last.

The objective person in me says that Notre Dame will go 10-2 this year. We’re still not on Southern Cal’s level yet so that would be one loss and I feel this team probably isn’t ready to take care of business every week they should. Where would that second loss come? Maybe at home to Michigan State, maybe at Stanford or Pitt. Anything more than two losses and this season will be a failure.

That being said, for the first time in awhile there’s a chance for something really special to happen in South Bend. There are a lot of if’s that need to happen in order for a BCS championship run to happen…but this is Notre Dame. There is an aura that surrounds the place that is unique from any other school in the country. If Notre Dame gets off to a good start and are undefeated when Southern Cal rolls into town (which isn’t a stretch by any means), then the atmosphere for that game will probably surpass the craziness leading up to their classic 2005 showdown. Is it likely? Probably not. Will I cling to the thought of it happening until the bubble bursts? You better believe it. Dr. Lou’s prediction isn’t that far-fetched.

And now a quick preview of Penn State:

Penn State’s a good team. They play a schedule so easy that it actually makes Notre Dame’s look somewhat difficult (Akron, Temple, Eastern Illinois?). For the first time in years they don’t have anyone on probation or suspended for committing a felony. They play Ohio State at home. All good things. Can Tom Bradley lead this team to a national championship (don’t even pretend that Joe Paterno has coached this team since 2002)? The hunch is that Penn State slips up at least once in addition to losing at home to Ohio State; if JoePa were coherent he would’ve found a way to keep Terrelle Pryor in state. He’ll pay for it this year when Pryor lights up a green secondary.

Penn State has never handled preseason expectations well—the two highest rankings they’ve achieved in the past ten years have come in years where no one picked them to do anything (unranked in 2005, #22 last year). They were routinely a top ten preseason team in the late 90’s and played in more Alamo Bowls than BCS bowls. They had a chance to head to the championship last year and just had to take care of an Iowa team that was headed to the Outback Bowl but they laid an egg. They have to replace their entire secondary and three All-Big Ten Offensive Linemen. Sorry Bill, you won’t get a shot at Tebow. You won’t even be close. The Nittanys go 10-2. Does that put them in the BCS? It could. If Notre Dame is 10-2 they’ll be in the BCS as well. If God doesn’t answer my prayers and put us in the national championship, maybe he’ll give me a consolation prize of playing Penn State in a bowl.

Best part of this weekend? The speculating finally comes to an end. Penn State begins their march to the Outback Bowl, Notre Dame begins their march to the top of the college football world. Giddyup.