Notre Dame Football: Latest Summer News and Recruiting Updates

Head coach Brian Kelly has a lot of pressure on him to succeed heading into his third season. He has the talent on the team to build off of last season's 8-5 finish, but the schedule is absolutely brutal.

While it may seem like the season is far away, the truth is that we are less than three months away from kickoff.

Irish fans can't wait for the season to finally begin, but while we continue to wait for the good stuff to begin, there are still other things going on in the college football world.

Here are some of the latest updates for your 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Michael O’Connor Interested in Notre Dame

Right now, Notre Dame is probably the deepest at the quarterback position than any other school in the country.

But that has not stopped a 2014 prospect in Michael O'Connor from expressing his great interest in the Irish. Via Scout.com:

"

"My dad’s favorite team is Notre Dame," said O’Connor.

"I’m definitely interested in Notre Dame and have talked with (assistant) coach Mike Denbrock. He invited me to their one-day camp which would have been yesterday (Saturday), but I spoke with my family and we decided it would have been too much driving, as it would have been a 13-hour drive for us.

"We’re still in touch, and I hope to attend university camp next summer."

"

O'Connor does not have an offer from the Irish quite yet, but it's really only a matter of time before he does.

The quarterback has incredible size at 6'5", 205 pounds, can move around well in the pocket and has a tremendous arm. In 2014, he will likely be the top quarterback prospect, as this kid has the goods to succeed wherever he ends up.

Carlo Calabrese Pleads Not Guilty

Quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese were arrested earlier last month.

Calabrese has been charged with one count of misdemeanor intimidation for allegedly threatening a South Bend police officer.

The linebacker did not appear for his initial hearing, and was instead represented by a lawyer who pleaded not guilty on his behalf.

He is scheduled to appear in court on August 20, which is less than two weeks away from the Notre Dame season opener against Navy.

Calabrese finished last season 10th on the team in tackles with 37. He also added a sack and three broken-up passes.

Alex Anzalone Considering Irish

You may remember linebacker Alex Anzalone—he committed to Ohio State earlier in the year, but later decommitted after a sex offender posted a picture of him on the Internet.

He has since opened up the recruiting process and is seriously considering making Notre Dame his school of choice. Via ESPN, Midwest recruiting coordinator Jared Shanker said:

"ESPN 150 linebacker Alex Anzalone was on campus earlier this week. It was the second time he's been to Notre Dame."

"Everything went really well, real positive reviews for Notre Dame coming out of that. And Anzalone actually decided to put Notre Dame in his top two along with Florida. "

Anzalone is a big guy at 6'3", 230 pounds and is considered by many top recruiting sites to be one of the best outside linebackers in this year's class.

He has solid coverage skills, is terrific in run support and has the speed to cover a ton of ground across the field. He would be a huge addition to this Irish defense if he decides to make South Bend his home.

Notre Dame to Schedule More Big 12 Teams?

It has been made clear time and time again that Notre Dame will do everything in its power to remain independent as far as football is concerned.

There are now reports claiming that the Irish are extremely close to joining the Big 12 in everything but football.

This means that there will likely be a scheduling agreement that would have Notre Dame scheduling more Big 12 schools on the football schedule, similar to the way it currently is with the Big East.

Although it is fun to toss around the possibilities, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says that these reports are simply not true. Via The Chicago Tribune:

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"I saw that and I thought (Bob) Bowlsby and I should hold hands up there," Swarbrick said. "I have no idea what prompted that. It is not based on any discussion, any meeting we have done."

"

And the rumors continue.

Khalfani Muhammad Receives an Offer

You can never have enough playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and that is exactly what running back Khalfani Muhammad is.

He is in no way the biggest back in the world at 5'7", 160 pounds, but the kid is one of the fastest players you will find in this year's class, and he can play running back and even in the slot at wide receiver.

He has offers from schools such as Arkansas, California, Washington and UCLA, and recently picked one up from Notre Dame. Via Scout.com:

"

"I’ve been offered by Notre Dame," Muhammad said.

"They’re on my list. They’re a top school overall, and I know I’m real excited about it. They wanted me to give them a call. We (Muhammad and Notre Dame assistant coach Mike Denbrock) had a conversation and then told me they wanted to offer me a scholarship. "

"

Muhammad plans to take a visit at some point and will later make his announcement after he completes all of his officials. The 3-star recruit is a speedster who could really help this Notre Dame offense. He averaged more than six yards a carry his junior year and scored 12 touchdowns.