IrishCalves
06-30-2007, 01:31 PM
The other big rival of Notre Dame's, that often extends onto the recruiting trail, is USC. In years past, we were getting absolutely smashed by them out on the trail - with the Brian Cushing recruitment being the nail in the coffin.
Since the dark days of Tyrone's recruiting, things have perked up. Guys like Konrad Reuland and Jimmy Clausen would have been mere dreams to mention a few short years ago. Now, we've at least got a foothold on the West Coast, and are starting to make headway with the cream of the crop that everyone wants. Lets break down what we can tangibly see thus far, when the old rivals go head-to-head.
ND offers that went to USC:
OL Tyron Smith
Honestly, not a whole lot right now to go off of. If he weren't the brother of a Trojan 1st round draft pick that also loved the school, I'm sure ND would have taken a flier on Matt Khalil as well, but they knew that was a sealed deal already.
USC offers that went to ND:
QB Dayne Crist
LB Darius Fleming
DE Ethan Johnson
Again, not a whole lot to base things off of, but in reality the Dayne Crist commit was a surprise. Most people had him as a Trojan before the visit to ND, so we may have pulled a rabbit out of our hat. You could also argue that it would have been easier for the Trojans to land Ethan Johnson than the Irish, but the more I hear and see from him, the more it sounds like he was a lot more open than many first thought. While USC's recruits are for the most part more highly rated, ND holds a slight lead in the head to head battles.
Still, the early results don't tell as much as, say, ND vs. Skunkbears. They DO indicate that the days of Notre Dame haplessly flailing to try and grab someone the Trojans like are over. While we won't see landslide results vs. the Trojans, we're getting ours, and are able to siphon guys that a few years ago would have been long gone for other pastures. I won't go so far as to say ND will out-recruit the Trojans this year, but look for them to be in the ballpark of the Trojans when all is said and done.
USC has a better standing with many of the remaining ND/USC recruits. That said, this could easily shape up to be an eye-for-an-eye trade #'s wise when all is said and done. Some of these may never commit to either school, but nevertheless they're worth keeping an eye on:
WR Michael Floyd - discrepancies over whether he got a USC offer
DT Marcus Forston
LB Brendon Beal
WR Brice Butler
WR Jonathan Baldwin
RB Carlton Thomas
OL Khaled Holmes
LB Etienne Sabino
LB Arthur Brown
RB Darrell Scott
QB Terrelle Pryor
TE Blake Ayles
S Will Hill
CB T.J. Bryant
http://www.homestead.com/~media/elements/Clipart/holiday/leprechaun.jpg
VS.
http://www.shelterserra.com/artwork/trojan.jpg
Since the dark days of Tyrone's recruiting, things have perked up. Guys like Konrad Reuland and Jimmy Clausen would have been mere dreams to mention a few short years ago. Now, we've at least got a foothold on the West Coast, and are starting to make headway with the cream of the crop that everyone wants. Lets break down what we can tangibly see thus far, when the old rivals go head-to-head.
ND offers that went to USC:
OL Tyron Smith
Honestly, not a whole lot right now to go off of. If he weren't the brother of a Trojan 1st round draft pick that also loved the school, I'm sure ND would have taken a flier on Matt Khalil as well, but they knew that was a sealed deal already.
USC offers that went to ND:
QB Dayne Crist
LB Darius Fleming
DE Ethan Johnson
Again, not a whole lot to base things off of, but in reality the Dayne Crist commit was a surprise. Most people had him as a Trojan before the visit to ND, so we may have pulled a rabbit out of our hat. You could also argue that it would have been easier for the Trojans to land Ethan Johnson than the Irish, but the more I hear and see from him, the more it sounds like he was a lot more open than many first thought. While USC's recruits are for the most part more highly rated, ND holds a slight lead in the head to head battles.
Still, the early results don't tell as much as, say, ND vs. Skunkbears. They DO indicate that the days of Notre Dame haplessly flailing to try and grab someone the Trojans like are over. While we won't see landslide results vs. the Trojans, we're getting ours, and are able to siphon guys that a few years ago would have been long gone for other pastures. I won't go so far as to say ND will out-recruit the Trojans this year, but look for them to be in the ballpark of the Trojans when all is said and done.
USC has a better standing with many of the remaining ND/USC recruits. That said, this could easily shape up to be an eye-for-an-eye trade #'s wise when all is said and done. Some of these may never commit to either school, but nevertheless they're worth keeping an eye on:
WR Michael Floyd - discrepancies over whether he got a USC offer
DT Marcus Forston
LB Brendon Beal
WR Brice Butler
WR Jonathan Baldwin
RB Carlton Thomas
OL Khaled Holmes
LB Etienne Sabino
LB Arthur Brown
RB Darrell Scott
QB Terrelle Pryor
TE Blake Ayles
S Will Hill
CB T.J. Bryant
http://www.homestead.com/~media/elements/Clipart/holiday/leprechaun.jpg
VS.
http://www.shelterserra.com/artwork/trojan.jpg