For The Relinquished Irish Fan: Young Talent Offers Hope

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have been a disappointment this year. For that matter, the last 17 years have been a disappointment in South Bend as the Irish have failed to win a bowl game since 1991.

However while the losses accumulate, so do the commitments from top ranked prospects.

Somehow Coach Weis is bringing in the best players in the country to a one of the most boring, mundane cities in the country: South Bend, Ind.

While Irish fans fear a continuation of the past 17 years, hope is on the horizon.

Here are some numbers to illustrate this point:

- In 2005, Notre Dame's recruiting class was ranked 40th.

- In 2006, Notre Dame's recruiting class was ranked eighth with a class of 28.

- In 2007, Notre Dame's recruiting class was ranked eighth.

- In 2008, Notre Dame's recruting class was ranked second.

(all rankings are from rivals.com)

Charlie Weis has had four seasons at Notre Dame, but only three recruiting classes. Each class has been in the top 10. Weis' oldest recruits are juniors. Many of his last two classes redshirted, leaving the Irish with an abundance of very young talent. Below is a list of the Freshman and Sophomores making an impact.

Sophomores (10)

Armando Allen

Jimmy Clausen

Brandon Walker

Duval Kamara

Harrison Smith

Golden Tate

Robert Hughes

Kerry Neal

Brian Smith

Ian Williams

Freshman (4)

Trevor Robinson

Kyle Rudolph

Michael Floyd

Ethan Johnson

In total there are 14 freshman and sophomores making an impact on the team right now. Below is a list of the highly recruited Freshman and Sophomores that haven't played much, or at all, but will be big players for the Irish in the years to come:

Sophomores (5)

Matt Romine- 3rd best Offensive lineman in his class

Gary Gray- 9th  best Defensive back in his class

Steve Paskorz- four star recruit (fullback)

Andrew Nuss- four star recruit (offensive lineman)

Mike Ragone- 3rd best Tight End in his class

Freshman (10)

Dayne Crist- 2nd best QB in his class

Jonas Gray- 4th best RB in his class

Sean Cwynar- 12th best DT in his class

Steven Filer- 8th best LB in his class

Darius Felming- 9th best LB in his class

Braxton Cave- 4th best OL in his class

Lane Clelland- 19th best OL in his class

Kapron Lewis-Moore- 13th best DE in his class

Dan McCarthy- 14th best DB in his class

Anthony McDonald- 11th best LB in his class (4.5 40')

In total, there are 15 top caliber recruits that no one has seen yet. Before people talk about Charlie Weis' job security, I think we should wait to see these players in action.

We can't expect the Irish to be the No. 1 team in the country with a team stocked full of freshman and sophomores.

The team is clearly lacking leadership and while some can legitimately argue that the coach is responsible, anyone who has played college sports knows that ultimately, leadership comes from the upper classmen who play with a desperation and urgency knowing that this is their last year.

The Irish's talent rests in there freshman and sophomores (18- and 19-year-olds). We are putting far too much pressure on these teen-agers to carry a team from 3-9 to 10-2.

Give the team at least two more years under Coach Weis and results will take care of themselves. Let's not get carried away with expectations before we look at the facts. And the facts are, Notre Dame is a young team with a ton of potential!