Steele, Perkins, WVU, Hawaii, and the Rest of the News

A knowledgeable source on twitter posted “Verbal coming tomorrow! #RB”

This guy has yet to be wrong, so that makes me feel better about the Perkins commit.

Perkins as a running back? I’ll take that.

would the hawaii home and home be for 2012,13 or what? 13 Irish football saturdays + a bowl game= awesomeness

Mac,

Much later than that. Our schedules are pretty much full for the next few years.

This series is expected to be in “2017, 2018, or beyond.”

i figured it would have to be much later but i thought maybe since it would be adding a game to the schedule there wouldn’t be as much difficulty fitting it in. I’d be a fan of adding them as often as possible for the extra practices you would get. not to metion it would give me a great excuse to travel to hawaii.

Phil’s got us ranked number 6 as well with a date with Boise State in the Fiesta bowl. Three of his models have us going 12-0

A few thoughts:

1. Sounds like the WVU situation is messy and it will only get worse. Typical for things in Morgantown. I don’t like the “head coach in waiting” designation unless you are talking about a defined exit strategy for a legend (that means you, Penn State).

2. All signs point to Perkins announcing for the Irish today. Let’s hope the rumors become reality. He is listed as an athlete some places, an OLB others. I think he is a good fit in either backfield, but would really love to see the kid grow into a safety. He is a rare combination of size and speed and already has the frame for the position.

3. A home-and-home with Hawaii? This makes sense if the game is timed appropriately, but it is a long trip from South Bend. I am not sure what would be more painful to watch, Miami in a cold El Paso on New Years Eve or a Warrior squad in South Bend in November. Either way it plays into the hands of the Irish, but just ask Te’o, Toma or Schwenke about shorts and sandles in the snow…

4. The Big 10 championship game in Indy makes a lot of sense (especially since I live in Indy and will hopefully go to one of them at some point). Soldier Field wasn’t a realistic option until they do something about the turf, as there is no way it could hold up for another game (which makes me wonder if it has anything to do with the soccer being played there in the spring/summer). I think this really helps the Big 10 long term, and will basically replace the Big 12 championship game in the line-up. For anyone who hasn’t been there, Lucas Oil can get loud when all closed up, so it will be interesting to see based on the teams playing and the fan bases present.

5. Thanks to Athlon and Phil Steele for helping us fly under the radar a bit for 2011. Sixth? I am as optimisitic as the next guy, but I would feel a lot better about this team starting the polls in the upper teens and working their way into the top 10. There is an interesting mix of youth and talent, so how they handle this will speak volumes about BK.

6. Michael Floyd has been given the okay to participate in voluntary workouts over the summer but remains suspended. I am guessing the suspension stays in place until the legal issues are over and done with. It can only help that he will be working out with the other players and pushing/teaching the incoming freshman.

7. USC got stripped of its 2004 BCS National Championship yesterday, while the AP has no intention of doing the same. Many are saying that Auburn deserves to be awarded the vacated championship. I say no one should get it, and that it should remain vacated. Based on the way the rules are set up now, the school is the one left standing with the punishment. Will the NCAA change the rules to be able to go after players that violate rules and fine them? It would certainly be more of a deterrant than exists right now.

A little update:

1. Perkins is indeed the newest member of the 2012 recruiting class for ND. An official welcome is in order

2. Taylor McNamara (TE from CA) has committed to Arizona. While several TEs have already committed elsewhere and I don’t consider the TE position a must this cycle, there are a few top targets left at the position, namely Kent Taylor (from FL).

3. OG Michael Flint (from AL) decommitted from Auburn today and is no longer considering the Tigers. ND has offered and while he is definitely an interior lineman that could fill a need at OC.

Jim, you live in Indianapolis? I’m sorry.

Just joking of course!

Just picked up Steele’s magazine last night. No under the radar for us. He has us all high up in the position rankings too…something he hasn’t always done even when he thinks we will do well. I guess that’s a way of saying we really are talented this year.

Wow a kid from Alabama is walking away from Auburn?

What happened there!?!?

McNamara would have been a good fit for ND, but my source close to him said he wanted to play early and not redshirt.

I didn’t think the Irish were in the picture after that comment. Arizona is a good place for him though.

88 days until thunderdome!

Prior is now skipping his senior season at Ohio State. When the going gets tough, Buckeyes pack up for greener pastures. One has to assume he will take part in the supplimental draft and become nothing more than an afterthought and/or trivia question answer in a few years after he disappears into obscurity…

Here’s a question; has there ever been a more disastrous recruit than Terrelle Pryor? Most recruits who flop do so by merely sitting on the bench and graduating quietly, but Pryor brought down Jim Tressel, probably the best coach in school history, left the school facing NCAA sanctions, and now won’t even participate in his senior season.

This should be a lesson to all college football coaches; if a recruit won’t commit by national signing day, he’s probably full of himself and not worth the trouble. How’s Bryce Brown doing for Tennessee these days?

It will be tough to top what Pryor has achieved.