krambman;407674 wrote:Sleeper actually makes an interesting point here, and one that I think a lot of ND fans need to hear. ND fans love to talk about history, the great history and legacy of the program (fans of any major program with a great history like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, etc. do this, not just ND). Because of the history and tradition of the school most fans think that every top prospect in the country should want to come to Notre Dame simply because they are ND, and because of what they have been and what they have meant for college football. The truth of the matter is that outside of the Midwest, most high school football players don't know this great history and tradition, all they know of Notre Dame is what they have seen in their lifetime. The history doesn't matter to them, only what they have seen does. As far as they are concerned, when it comes to picking where they are going to play college football, is their own experience. To them, college football didn't exist before they started watching. As fans we know about all of the wins, national titles, and Heisman Trophies, but a 17 or 18 year old kid in California or Texas who is being recruited only knows losing seasons, bowl losses, blowouts at the hands of USC, and a seemingly endless coaching carousel. To them, it's only the recent history that matters.
Yeah, ND isn't recruting nation wide any more.......all their players come from the mid-west.:rolleyes:
That mentality was flushed down the toilet when Willingham was fired, he tought that way and didn't work hard on recruiting, thus setting the program back. For all of Charlie Weis' flaws, the one thing he did very well was recruit, he dispelled the myth that ND couldn't land the blue chipper anymore, Kelly seems to be doing well in recruting too.
..................AND before some numb nut like ccrunner posts that ND's recruiting rankings are inflated, A LOT of these recruits had multiple offers from big time programs like Florida and USC. Hard to be overrated if schools like that are also offering you a scholarship.
The million dollar question is, can Brian Kelly do what Weis could not and develop these players in to a consistent, winning football "team"? I'm optimistic but I have to see it first hand on the field.
