One last point about this Donald thing and I am done with it. I'm not going to bash him or anyone else, but...

 

Where was he. He was a nonfactor: I don't remember seeing him make one play. Was he hurt? Was he taking it easy or afraid of being injured?

 

I am dissappointed that we didn't get him, but I think we should be much more dissappointed in losing Galippo. I know he chose USC early, but at the outset it seemed that we were in the running. From his interview, he seemed to have a great attitude, he played like a young Urlacher and unfortunately, barring injury, we are going to be seeing a lot of this young man for the next four years.

Donald did run Gallipo over i believe on a onside kick... but thats really the only time i saw him do something out there...

2lakes... i agree about donald being a non-factor and as a matter of fact i just posted something similar on another thread

From what I gathered, Donald had been injured during practice for the AA game. Make no mistake about it. Donald is a beast, a definite loss, and we really can't sugarcoat this grave loss at a position that we truly needed very badly. You can argue that Greg Little can fill the empty slot left by Benn. There is no one who can fill the slot left by Donald. I would love to downplay his importance and say his lack of presence at the AA game was because he wasn't as good as Galippo, but that is just not true. This hurt tremendously. My humble opinion . . . the loss of sorely needed LB's (Edwards and Donald) will cost ND a full year on the D side of the ball before it can recover and play with the big boys, and this assumes we get LB studs in 2008. I know the Minter factor has been beat to death, but if I'm a 5-star LB, and pretty sure playing time isn't going to be an issue no matter where I go to school, then I would have serious doubts about wanting to play in a Minter defensive scheme. The Edward and Donald loss was the proverbial shot-in-the-head for our future defense in the immediate future. Donald IS the real deal and ND was played by the Donald camp.

And, no way does Little move to LB. We ought to stop talking about it.

From what I gathered, Donald had been injured during practice for the AA game. ... I would love to downplay his importance and say his lack of presence at the AA game was because he wasn't as good as Galippo, but that is just not true. This hurt tremendously. My humble opinion . . . the loss of sorely needed LB's (Edwards and Donald) will cost ND a full year on the D side of the ball before it can recover ... if I'm a 5-star LB ... then I would have serious doubts about wanting to play in a Minter defensive scheme. The Edward and Donald loss was the proverbial shot-in-the-head for our future defense in the immediate future. Donald IS the real deal and ND was played by the Donald camp.

 

There's a lot there that you said makes sense and a few things that in my opinion could be disputed:

1. From scouting reports and Saturday's game, given the choice, I would still most definitely take Galippo. But since we got neither of them, that is a purely theoretical, yet fun, fantasy.

2. I still think we have the talent, given the last three recruiting classes, to compete at linebacker IF they are developed well and put into a viable scheme: remembr Crum gives us 1 more year, a couple of this year's sophs might still develop (Smith, Washington, Quinn) and then there's the frewhman class of Toryan Smith, Morrice Richardson, Aaron Nagel, Steve Paskorz (thanks, BG).

3. Did Donald really play us or did he just change his mind. To me, "playing us" would be giving a verbal, then switching a week before LOI day -- that would hurt.

i think we got two more years with crum

i think we got two more years with crum

but at OLB, not MLB. Toryan will man the middle and Crum will go back to his natural position.

Crum has two more years left of eligibility? That's huge.

Real huge. Crum plays hard and will improve out of pride alone.

And he'll be back at SAM where he belongs and will step up as a leader over the next two years (hopefully commanding a great unit in 2008).

My source was Chris Walker on Donald who let it slip about Donald to UT, but he said Donald has been going to UT for months, now. Donald actually convinced Walker to go to UT, because if there is anything you know about Memphis folks, they hate UT; so a lot of people were telling Walker not to go. Walker, however, was called by Saban last week, so maybe UT can lose one of the 5 LBs they recruited. Anyway, I called my buddy yesterday and blamed him for Donald AND Walker going to UT...besides USC, UM, and OSU, I really hate the Vols and even moreso after yesterday's debacle. Oh well, though...we make more money than any other school in football, so that makes me smile.

Honestly, I'm not sure what you just said. I'm kinda confused.

booze.....forget what I said...he is gone, so it doesn't really matter.

10-4 good buddy.