CB Ronald Darby Decommits from Notre Dame

at least it’s what i’d like to believe

I wouldn’t trade Darby for any other CB on our board, but he’s been wavering for quite some time now. After Lynch, Tuitt, Prestwood, and Carlisle, if it’s humanly possible to bring Darby back into the fold, this staff will do it. Even failing that, we’ll end up with an excellent consolation prize (Wright, Poole, etc.)

The schools Darby is allegedly considering offer vastly inferior academics to ND (especially FSU) and his parents are supposedly still in our corner. I wouldn’t rule out a Tuitt/ Lynch-like return, so think twice before posting anything negative about the kid.

And all of the schools he’s looking at have top 25 track programs. Not sure where ND’s program ranks, though.

Yesterday we add Shumate and get a surprising transfer from Carlisle. Today, we get this news. The only certainty is that there will likely be another couple of wins and losses on the recruiting front prior to NSD.

Apologies for being a broken record on this but like Whisk3yjack said, at times like these it is especially important to think twice before posting. These recruits and their families read this stuff too. Just keep the level of discussion where we normally do here and we shouldn’t run into any issues.

I am sure that the staff is all over this and if there is any way to bring Darby back into the fold prior to NSD they will do it.

One last thing, venting in the comments here or on a message board elsewhere should be avoided. But contacting these recruits directly, either positively or negatively, via social media or any other means should NOT happen. Ever. Don’t be that guy.

Hang in there, hopefully BK will get the staff settled this week and the final pieces of this recruiting puzzle will fall into place. I’m already excited about the Chuck Martin offense. You?

Louis Nix just posted this on his facebook.

“Louis Nasty-Dawg Nix III
I cant go to sleep so i decided to look through my inbox and i found tons of hate messages from my recruiting. lol here is one of them. i find it so funny!!!

Have fun losing and bein all cold n shit at notre dame kiddo…your blind if you think it dont get alot better then ND without a coach a QB and his best offensive weapon. You guys are gonna suck and i hope you enjoy your 6-6 7-6 5-6 seasons maybe you can make it to the league but you would have had a better shot at the U. your just a moron in my opinion at least decommit to a winner like UF or Alabama not s. I hope your crying when you see J12 and the boys in the BCS then next few years when your not even bowling. Seems to me you didnt have the balls to come and compete in the Gables and im glad your gone so we can bring in a real competitor and a kid with heart a true cane. which you are not. no swag at all. have fun losing in the cold indiana weather ahahahahh indiana what a f**kin dumba** you are i cant get over it."

Learn a lesson from Big Lou. Don’t contact a recruit after they decommitt!

I have confidence in this staff to find another corner or two. There’s a reason they stay after so many kids , even when there seems to be only a couple of spots left. They know things change, right up til the end.

I really liked Darby, great speed etc. but Rivals has Wright ranked ahead of Darby so I guess if you lose a Darby and get a Wright its not a big loss.

Some thoughts, starting with the negative:

A) This class was built on the Sheppard/Darby duo, and losing the latter (for now) obviously hurts. Sure, we may still get Wright or another corner, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that Darby was a gem of this class.

B) Speed y’all. Even if we are able to convince ourselves that other players are better, or other players are more highly rated, losing Darby’s insane speed is a big blow to this class. It was his speed that made him such a special part of this class and future at Notre Dame.

C) Having Darby in our corner for so long and then leaving just three weeks before NSD makes it hurt more.

Some positives:

1) He may come back to Notre Dame—-keep those fingers crossed.

2) Wright would be a good addition in Darby’s place, nay, Wright would be a great addition in Darby’s place.

3) Darby has allegedly been wavering for quite some time now. 3 weeks out is short notice, but it’s better than leaving the day off NSD, without the coaches having much of a backup plan.

1. There are just over three weeks until NSD
2. There is an NCAA dead period until the end of the week, so don’t expect any new news on this any time soon. A dead period means just that—zero contact, including setting up OVs.
3. Brian Kelly has not taken his in-home visit with Darby just yet.
4. Running track is very important to this young man, and that should be respected. Chris Brown (WR commit) is planning on running track as well (triple jump), so that could always help.
5. It is unclear whether or not ND remains in the picture, but this staff has faced the same issue last year and handled it very well. Trust that the coaching staff knows what they are doing.
6. He commited early on, but maintained he wanted to take other visits. He might just be getting nervous about making the right decision. Unless you personally were a top flight football recruit, I don’t think you can understand what these young men are going through. It has to be a tough decision.
7. If Darby does end up going elsewhere, he is making the decision on what he feels is best for him. I don’t have a problem with that. I realize all ND fans would love for him to play in South Bend for the next 4 years, but that may not happen. I personally hope he does what is right for him, and I think most (if not all) fans would agree with that.

it’s that we should send more coaches to track meets. Darby, RG3 (okay so maybe not a ton of guys) are great track athletes and football players. How about we send a scout to all the big events and have them go around and ask everyone to hold a football?
/not sure if I’m serious

Looks like Kiffin is cleaning out…more to come on a post this week