The only upsetting trend we've witnessed thus far in this recruiting class is the misses at offensive line. Names like Stephen Good, Michael Adams, Brandon Washington, Trevor Robinson, J.B. Shugarts, and Michael Brewster have all turned down ND offers. Others that have offers don't appear to be very interested in ND, such as Kyle Long, Khaled Holmes, and Josh Jenkins.

 

When put in that perspective, hearing news like THIS from a top OT/OG prospect is very, very welcome.

 

“I wasn’t expecting it to come this soon,†explained Page. “I don’t have a top five yet but if I did, Notre Dame would definitely be in it. It’s just a great school with the combination of academics and athletics, second to none.â€

 

Any thoughts?

hate to get too excited. anyone know of our realistic chances???????

Our haul from 2 years ago will hurt us a little bit. Last year we also did pretty well. This might scare a few recruits off. Honestly, we really only need to find 1-2 potential starters on the OL every year. We've done this each of the last 2 years, I think we'll okay this year too.

Last year's haul was good, but then we had to pluck 1-2 of them (Nuss, maybe Nwankwo) and plug them at DL. So now we've got to make up for those losses. So with Cave and Golic in the fold, we've just about broken even.

 

I just really want to avoid a pattern like Willingham, where we think its okay to bring in low numbers at OL. We honestly need 4 OL in this class, and our top tier targets are getting thinner and thinner.

It sure would be nice to have enough OL so that they don't have to play both ways in the B/G game. I think we need 2-3 OL in every class.

Calves, the OL is hardly disappointing. Yeah, we have missed on a couple of guys but it is still really early. There will be plenty of interest and we will get our guys. We haven't even had guys in for camp, yet. And you were jumping on the WR freakouts...

I probably overstated myself, and I've heard Mike Frank rant about needing numbers at OL more than once, so you're right. I do apologize. I don't want it to sound like the sky is falling, 'cause its not.

 

It is only April.

 

We're still in the mix with plenty of talented prospects.

 

ND already has two lineman in the fold, so the cupboard won't be bare.

 

Its still a lot better than when Tyrone brought in 2 lineman that stuck over a 2 year span (Sullivan and Harris).

 

*Takes deep breathe*

 

Just meant to say that it is a large list of guys who've opted for other schools. 7 of those offered have committed elsewhere, 3 show little or no interest, and the 2 that we seem to be in closest contention with, Forst and Clelland, have Rutgers and Michigan leading respectively (and openly, not "I heard from an insider who tells me..."), despite visits to ND. So it's definitely good to hear solid news from a nationally recruited offer like Page.

 

Again, apologies if it sounds like I'm trying to rain on the figurative recruiting parade.

 

I honestly wanted to know if you guys had opinions on him, more than anything. He hasn't had his offer for more than two weeks, and I hadn't known he was on the Irish radar until he received it. I just wanted to know a little more about him.

Our haul from 2 years ago will hurt us a little bit. Last year we also did pretty well. This might scare a few recruits off. Honestly, we really only need to find 1-2 potential starters on the OL every year. We've done this each of the last 2 years, I think we'll okay this year too.

 

I think what Bluestar was trying to say is that you only need 1-2 guys that are ready to be starters for you... bringing in 3-4 is a good thing but with the depth we are developing we can bring in some guys that are projects.

Part of this is the change in philosophy to go after guys early. I'm actually glad to see that offers went out to these guys and we went hard after them early. Disappointing that the list of 7 chose to go elsewhere, but CW is very focused on keeping a balanced roster and he will continue to send out more offers to the right people if he feels they are needed.

Law,

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This is nail you just hit on the head.

 

3-4 offensive linemen per year is the goal, but not all of those guys need to be starters. 1-2 potential starters per year is the real goal. We shouldn't wet ourselves about depth at this point.

In 05 we got 1 potential starter (Turk, maybe Duncan?).

In 06 we got 4 potential starters (Young, Wenger, Carufel, Olsen, maybe Webb?).

In 07 we got 2 potential starters (Dever, Romine, maybe Nwankwo? maybe Nuss?).

 

That's 7 potential starters in 3 years. At this point it's too early to say anything about Golic or Cave, but if Charlie stays to form (2007 recruiting) we're looking for 1-2 more potential starters. I don't think there's anything to worry about.

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=109&p=2&c=640566

article says he's going to visit the state of Indiana, so i gotta think that visit will be to Notre Dame.

I'm slightly curious why of the three OL recruits remaining that are mentioned most often, Kenneth Page is mentioned the least. His remarks when he got the offer are very encouraging, and guys that are in touch with recruiting moreso than the average joe like Mike Frank have good things to say about our chances.

 

I guess I don't buy the regional argument in this case. If we're in the mix for Robert Blanton (from North Carolina), then I don't see why we wouldn't be for Page (South Carolina). He's got close to 40 offers, and he's definitely touring in regions other than the south, including the states of MI and IN. Is it that he projects as more of an offensive guard? Are we more drawn in by Forst's NJ connection, or our recent recruiting success on offense in Florida? Just wondering is all.

Maybe Page is just being more quiet about his recruitment and not letting much info slip out?

 

I'm not really sure why we don't hear as much about him.. good point