Notre Dame Football: Verbal Commitment Proves Irish Still Have Luck

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish haven't had much luck as of late, but that may be changing.

This is a program that can claim 11 national championships, 96 All-Americans and seven Heisman Trophy Winners.

It's the program that boasts the legend of Rudy, and some of the greatest coaches and players of all-time.

What happened to Notre Dame?

There's no denying that it's been a tough stretch of football. Gone are the days of the Irish being a perennial power in the college football landscape.

Gone are the days of Notre Dame being the one and only option for kids dreaming of being a college football player.

Putting  on the golden helmet and running onto that field used to be an American dream, but as of late, it's more like a nightmare.

Things may be starting to look up though, and the latest news of a verbal commitment to the program certainly points to a change in luck. Bob Wieneke of the South Bend Tribune reports on the latest recruiting news:

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Throughout his recruitment, Austintown, Ohio, running back William Mahone has been a regular user of Twitter to share with the world all sorts of thoughts.

His message late Friday night was short and to the point, but it was one that was easy to decipher.

"#ND," he tweeted Friday night.

That was Mahone's way of offering his verbal commitment to the Irish football program, one in sore need of running backs.

The 5-foot-11, 206-pound Mahone, who plays at Fitch High, picked ND over Michigan State and Pitt.

"(He's) sort of a thumper between the tackles," CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "A strong, solid back who keeps his legs moving at all times."

Running back is considered one of Notre Dame's top areas of need in the current recruiting cycle, and the Irish will likely take two in this class. Lemming ranks Mahone as a four-star player.

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Perhaps things are starting to look up for the Irish, as this would certainly be a huge boost to the program.

Running back has been a sore spot, so if head coach Brian Kelly can eventually bring this guy in, it would be a huge win for a program desperately in need of them.

This may not be the same dominant program that you knew as a child. Notre Dame is certainly not a national power anymore, and they certainly have had their issues.

This verbal commitment points to something though.

Brian Kelly's squad may have had some issues this season, but he preseason polls ranked them high and a lot was expected out of them.

Sure, they lost the first two games of the season in horrible fashion, but they seem to be turning things around, and Kelly finally seems to be getting their attention.

Notre Dame isn't back yet, but you can tell that things are slowly but surely starting to change.

It's going to be a long process, but perhaps the luck of the Irish is finally turning around.