Clausen, Tate, and Weis Head for Higher Ground in the NFL

On November 30th, Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame's athletic director, went public that Charlie Weis was being fired from his position as the head coach of the Notre Dame football team.

It came as no surprise, as the Irish finished 6-6 for the second year in a row despite having BCS aspirations. Today at noon, star quarterback Jimmy Clausen and All-American wide receiver Golden Tate opted to go into the 2010 NFL Draft. Both players had close relationships with Weis and spent the last few days talking with there former coach, as well as there families, to determine the best options for their futures.

It appears the Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, and John Gruden chants have all but faded, as most of Notre Dame's unrealistic expectations have for the past 20 years.

The race now seems to be between Brian Kelly of Cincinnati and Randy Edsall of UConn. Although the most common reaction would be to compare the two coaches in terms of wins and losses, both have had great success in completely different situations.

At the end of the day, whether or not you are a Notre Dame fan, and whether or not your are a Charlie Weis fan, Notre Dame just released the best offensive coordinator in football, one of the best quarterbacks in the country this year, and one of the best wide receivers in the country. Farewell to Charlie, and farewell to one of the most exciting offenses in the country.

Many will add that Clausen and Tate would have left regardless of Weis, but that is speculation and there is no evidence to support that. Both players have said on several occasions that they came to Notre Dame because of Weis and that the decision to fire him would impact there decisions.

Why would two of the best players in the country spend there senior year learning a new offense under a new coach when they could be making millions playing football in the NFL?

While throwing around names such as Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, John Gruden, and Tony Dungy has been thrilling, none of these men is going to be the next head coach of Notre Dame.  And now today, Irish fans are left with the reality that they just paid $18 million to get rid of their offense, the only thing that was working for them the entire season, just so that they could bring in a coach from the Big East.

Would Clausen and/or Tate have stayed if Weis was still the coach? Who knows? But there was a much higher chance than with him gone.

However, when it is all said and done, only time will tell if this is another blunder in an already failing administration at Notre Dame or if the short term deficit will pay dividends in the future. Judging by the Michigan experiment with Rich Rodriguez three years ago, the outlook does not look bright for South Bend. Prepare for more frustrating Saturday's in the spring,  while they watch their former trio (Weis, Tate, and Clausen) find success in the NFL, the higher ground.