Bleacher Report - Independents Football

Golden Tate to Enter 2010 NFL Draft Alongside Classmate Jimmy Clausen

Dan Scofield — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:10:26 -0500

Jimmy Clausen wasn't the only big name to announce he won't be returning to South Bend next year as Golden Tate made it known that he will also enter his name into the 2010 NFL Draft.

Tate, a 5'11" junior out of Hendersonville, Tennessee, leaves Notre Dame as one of the most prolific receivers in the program's long history.

Catching 93 balls for almost 1,500 yards through the air (both single-season school records), Tate hauled in 15 touchdowns from Clausen.

Serving as a threat out of the backfield in the wildcat formation, he also rushed 25 times for 184 yards along with a touchdown. Tate's versatility may serve him well in the upcoming draft as he has the mind and skill-set of both a receiver and a halfback.

In addition to his offensive talent, Tate is an exceptional return specialist when giving opportunities as he displayed in his punt return for a touchdown vs. Pittsburgh, keeping the Irish in the game single handily.

According to draft experts, Tate is projected to be taken somewhere in the 25 to 40 pick range. The only question mark for teams will be Tate's undersized frame.

"With the year I had this year, it was kind of hard to stay," Tate said at a press conference today. "To be honest, I don't think I can do much better next year or any year in college. The time was right."

The next head coach at Notre Dame will now be left with some major question marks with the absence of two of most important pieces to the 2009 team leaving South Bend. Dayne Crist, the successor to Clausen, went down with an ACL injury and will most likely not be fully healthy for spring practice, a critical time period for a to-be new starter.

Although the Irish will still have sophomore-sensation Michael Floyd next season, their wide receiver depth chart consists of elite, yet youthful and unexperienced, talent.

Interviews?

According to ESPN, Brian Kelly will be interviewed by Notre Dame on Tuesday in New York City. Expect the Irish to make a full push to get Kelly if Bob Stoops and others have already turned in their responses with solid "no's".

Jim Harbaugh will also meet with or already has met with Jack Swarbrick.

Kelly's latest tweet from 4:00 PM ET reads: "Just informed our team that Notre Dame has contacted me and I will listen to what they have to say."

Many Irish fans are already speculating why the current Cincinnati coach would even leak such information while rumors are already circulating that an agreement has been made between Kelly and the University.

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Brian Kelly Will Listen to Notre Dame If They Come Calling Next Week

Dan Scofield — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:29:09 -0500

According to Irish Sports Daily , Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly will agree to talk to Jack Swarbrick next week if approached about the vacant coaching position in South Bend.

Even though he has ignored and put off the Notre Dame questions from the media this past week, Kelly never indicated that he had no interest in the position. Instead he called it a distraction and focused on the Bearcats' game against Pittsburgh this afternoon.

Jack Swarbrick reiterated again this week that money would not be a factor in getting a new coach to South Bend, so expect him to approach Kelly and other candidates, including Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer, with a blank check.

However, Stoops told The Sun Times today that he "will not be the next coach at Notre Dame." With that being said, expect the Irish to make a full push to make Kelly Charlie Weis' successor.

Being an Irish Catholic from the depths of Boston and with South Bend having a familiar backyard on the recruiting trail, the Notre Dame offer will look very appealing to Kelly, along with a large pay raise.

Kelly led his team to a come from behind win against the Panthers just hours ago, winning the game 45-44 after a last minute touchdown pass and a failed extra-point attempt by Pittsburgh.

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Charlie Weis, Notre Dame Staff Still Doing Their Recruiting Jobs

Dan Scofield — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:56:21 -0500

South Bend is a special place.

After being fired Monday from Notre Dame, Charlie Weis had a decision to make. And with that decision, he proved the above statement to be true.

Would he drop all responsibilities of keeping together a top-ten class after being laid off, or would he continue what he started, encouraging all 18 commitments to stick with the Irish?

After Weis chose the latter, some Notre Dame fans might want to rethink their opinions recently shared on Charlie.

With his latest choice, he has shown respect and commitment to his alma mater, even after being let go following three consecutive disappointing football seasons.

Even with the names of Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, and Brian Kelly being echoed throughout the streets of downtown South Bend, Weis picked up the phone and began calling 18 verbal commitments, along with numerous others still left on Notre Dame's big board, including Anthony Barr, Seantrel Henderson, Kyle Prater, and Dietrich Riley.

It was a fantastic choice to hand Rob Ianello to run the football operations until a new coach is named. Ianello has been responsible for pulling in numerous five- and four-star recruits single-handedly and will find a way to keep Notre Dame listed as favorites on a few elite recruits' short lists.

In the mean time, Weis is still at work, too.

His first call went to wideout Daniel Smith, a hometown product.

"He got me fired up to play for the new coach and to know who he is,” said Smith. “Up until now, I was just trying to get used to the first adjustment, the loss of my coach. But after talking to coach Weis, I think I'm more comfortable now with looking ahead.”

Any true Irish fan can remember the days when Tyrone Willingham devoted his last weeks to hitting the links at least once a day, forgetting that recruiting was a part of being a head coach in college football.

Because of that, Weis was left with a major hole in his team with minimal productivity coming out of a class that he had to fill up quickly with no help from Willingham.

Whoever the next coach to take the throne at Notre Dame will be, they will be thankful for the effort Weis and his staff are still giving. Because of these efforts, the Irish still have a chance to haul in another top-ten class to give to Weis' successor.

Assistant coaches have been flying all over the nation, visiting each commit in their homes, making sure they are sticking with the Irish. All but one player (DE Chris Martin) have reaffirmed the staff that they will remain solid.

The staff has already made a few commits cancel visits to other schools (most recently Spencer Boyd), and even gained a commitment on the same day as Martin's decommitment in DT Louis Nix.

This verbal may be an ever bigger one than that of Manti Te'o, given the timing and necessity of his commitment.

In this single commit, the Irish get an impact player from Florida, give the recruiting class momentum going forward, and get a run-stopping tackle to stick in the front of their defense.

But what exactly do the words of Weis and his staff mean to these high schoolers if they aren't even going to be around next year?

More than one would think.

“Coach Weis calling, though, just made my day. It's just like him to do something like that. I felt privileged to get to know him. He's such a great guy. I wish I would have had the chance to play for him.

"You know, I was recruited for a long time. You build up close relationships with all the coaches. But he made me realize I could have that with the new coach, too.” says Smith.

Charlie Weis may be in need of an apology come Feb. 3, 2010.

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To Irish Fans from a Trojan Honk: Nine Reasons Why You Should Hire Brian Kelly

Rick McMahan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:05:21 -0500

As a new caring, albeit "passive" fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (at least when they aren't playing my Trojans), I am taking it upon myself to offer my opinion of who should be the next coach at Notre Dame. This new concern for Notre Dame is borne of my affection for the fans of the Irish, many of whom I have come to know and like through my sometimes, not so complimentary articles about their beloved team. Understand, I am risking my standing (whatever that may be) in Trojan nation by making this recommendation because I truly believe Brian Kelly is an almost perfect fit at Notre Dame. So, if Kelly is as good as I think he is, I may be excommunicated from my Trojan community should Kelly experience success against my Trojans. I hope you appreciate this Domers. Without further adieu, here are reasons why Notre Dame should make Brian Kelly their next head coach.

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Why Kirk Ferentz Does Not Fit at Notre Dame

Tim Weideman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:10:31 -0500

Kirk Ferentz is no stranger to rumors—he seems to have his name thrown into more possible coaching replacement discussions than can be counted on one hand any given year.

The Big Ten Coach of the Year was originally penned into the Notre Dame coaching job discussion by a story run in the Chicago Sun-Times way back on Nov. 15.

Now that the Irish have officially dumped Charlie Weis, it seems every media outlet has planted Ferentz on what they believe should be Notre Dame's short list—though it's extremely short-sighted.

Ferentz and Weis share a common acquaintance in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and their salaries are similar. That's about all that could be tying the Iowa head coach into this messy equation.

Though it's all very clear-cut in Ferentz's case.

Notre Dame would need to change too much for Ferentz to be the proper fit.

Ferentz is Catholic (for what it's worth), and it's true that Notre Dame would benefit from a coach with a style similar to that of Ferentz—a focused running attack and strong defense—but let's face it: Kirk Ferentz is not flashy enough for the Notre Dame fans or the program's tradition.

How would Ferentz adapt to Notre Dame's storied pep rally tradition? Even though Ferentz isn't given much slack when the Hawkeyes struggle, he is still deeply loved by his players and the Iowa faithful. However, it's hard to see him waving his arms around in Lou Holtz fashion.

Ferentz is not one to get people fired up. He always maintains a calm, collected demeanor—with the rare exception of getting in a referee's ear, but even that takes a downright outrageous call.

It's safe to say "Ferentz" wasn't the name that came to many Notre Dame fans' minds when rumors started swirling that Weis was soon to be ousted. I can't claim to know the pulse of the Irish on the subject, but I imagine I'm close to being correct.

Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer make a lot more sense, but they have something very important in common with Ferentz—they're sitting pretty in their respective programs, too.

Notre Dame's helmets are the only thing golden about the state of Fighting Irish football. It would take a lot of persuasion—or a mighty large paycheck—to get any of these coaches to move location.

Getting Ferentz to up and move could take even more persuasion. Ferentz's son is a freshman for the Hawkeyes, and he has two other children attending the University. That's a lot of relocation that would be a major pain to deal with.

Yet at first glance, Ferentz's name admittedly sounds good when thrown into the mix. Take a close look, though.

During Weis' tenure, he accumulated a record of 35-27 (.565) with the Fighting Irish. Ferentz is 80-55 (.593) in his time spent coaching the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz is recognized for turning the Hawkeyes around after his team limped through its first seasons under his lead. A similar struggle is likely for Notre Dame's new coach, which makes one wonder: Is there enough patience in South Bend for Ferentz?

Ferentz is also known for picking up the recruits that fly under other teams' radars and turning them into surprise NFL-caliber athletes.

Weis, on the other hand, has ruined Notre Dame's recruiting program, but would Ferentz bringing in his usual under the radar recruits appease the Notre Dame faithful who still want blue chippers?

No way that would fly in South Bend.

Though Ferentz will likely keep his cards close throughout the entire discussion, this shouldn't be confused as proving he's actually considering the job. Hawkeye fans and others used to Ferentz know he keeps a tight lip about everything personal—it's simply how he operates.

In an article run by the (Cedar Rapids) Gazette before Iowa's final game against Minnesota, Ferentz discussed the Notre Dame job rumors and was quoted as saying, "That's the last thing I've thought about. I've been here 20 years and I kind of like my job. I like where I'm at."

The Iowa Hawkeyes like where he's at, too.

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Thank You, Charlie Weis: A Notre Dame Fan Shows His Appreciation

Erin McLaughlin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:42:21 -0500

I want to take this time to personally thank Charlie Weis for all he did at Notre Dame.

There has been a lot of talk about Weis’ failures at Notre Dame. In this article, I want to talk about his accomplishments.

Although it is time to move on, Weis did a lot for the University that fans should appreciate.

I think the first thing Weis did that was impressive was take a previously mediocre quarterback in Brady Quinn and help him become the best quarterback in South Bend since Joe Montana.

Under Weis’ guidance, Quinn became an absolute leader and the face of Notre Dame. He also won the Maxwell Award and was a Heisman finalist. Not to mention, he went on to set 36 passing records in Weis’ system.

At the same time, Weis took a seldom-used receiver in Jeff Samardzija and turned him into one of the premier receivers in college football. Prior to Weis’ arrival, Samardzija was primarily a baseball star.

Weis was able to lead this group to back-to-back BCS appearances in the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Since the BCS began, Notre Dame has only been in it three times, and two of those appearances came under Weis. That Sugar Bowl appearance was also the first since 1992. In fact, since 1996 Notre Dame has only been in one other major bowl game.

Then when Quinn, Samardzija, and company left, fans were wondering how would they be replaced. Then came Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, and Armando Allen. There is no doubt that this unit became one of the most dynamic in school history. Although the wins didn’t come with them, the memories of all the great plays will never be forgotten.

My biggest memory of this group will always be the Hawaii Bowl. It was great to see Notre Dame come out here and play in Aloha Stadium. I never thought I would be able to see it when I first moved to Hawaii a decade ago. It truly was special to be able to be there when Notre Dame was able to break the bowl losing streak.

While haters may discredit the win because it wasn’t a major bowl, it was a victory in a bowl game that hadn’t happened in 15 years. Also let me ask, are the Gator, Independence, or Insight.com bowls considered major? Yet Notre Dame lost those games as well. It was under Weis where the streak stopped.

Weis has also started some new traditions at Notre Dame that I hope the new coach keeps. I love the idea of playing one game a year on a neutral field to give exposure to the program outside of South Bend.

I also hope the tradition of gathering after a home game with the band and singing the Alma Mater continues.

Weis also did a really good job of recruiting. The new coach will be blessed with that even with the likely departures of Clausen and Tate.

If there is one thing I would like to say to Weis, it is this.

“Please don’t take this personally, and don’t think we don’t appreciate all you did at Notre Dame. The reality is what it is. That reality is that it is time for Notre Dame to go in a different direction. This will be good for you to as you can now return to the NFL, and we know you will have options. I know there is talk that you could end up back in New England and work once again with Tom Brady.

“Personally though, I hope you take a less desirable path and go to Cleveland. The reason of course is that our Brady needs you more. Tom Brady has already had a Hall of Fame career, and you were a big part of it. Going back proves nothing.

“Brady Quinn, on the other hand, really needs you. His current offensive coordinator Brian Daboll looks clueless. I know you can turn his career around.

“At the end of the day, though, I know you owe nothing to Quinn. You took his college career to new heights, and he will always be grateful. You do have to make the best decision for you.

“Thank you, Charlie Weis, for all you did at Notre Dame. Good luck with your future endeavors, and you will be missed.”

This article is also posted on http://fightingirishgameday.com/

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