'08 IL DT Sean Cwynar (3/6/07 Notre Dame LOI)

[Svoboda]

Defensive Tackle
Marian Central Catholic High School ( http://www.marian.com/ ) (Woodstock, IL)

Links of Interest:
Rivals Profile ( http://www.notredame.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=59916 )

Height: 6 foot-4
Weight: 284 lbs.

Combine
Forty:
Bench Reps:
Bench Max: 385 lbs.
Squat Max: 490 lbs.
Shuttle:
Vertical:
GPA: 4.2 ACT:27

Star Ratings
Rivals.com: ****
Scout.com: ****

Rankings & Accolades
Rivals 250 #159/ #12 Defensive Tackle/ IL Top 30 #4
Scout 300 #208/ #14 Defensive Tackle
ESPN #16 Defensive Tackle
CSTV/Lemming Top 100 #89

Statistics
2006- 102 Tackles, 17 Sacks.
2007- 82 Tackles, 11 Sacks, 16 TFL.

Schools of Interest
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Notre Dame (LOI) Official Visit 11/2/07
Purdue
Virginia
Wisconsin

Multimedia
Rivals Video on Sean Cwynar

Sean Cwynar Highlights 1 (http://notredame.rivals.com/video.asp?section=fbrecruit&pkey=59916&vidtype=prospect&vidid=89950)

Sean Cwynar Highlights 1 (http://notredame.rivals.com/video.asp?section=fbrecruit&pkey=59916&vidtype=prospect&vidid=89952)

Sean Cwynar Highlights 1 (http://notredame.rivals.com/video.asp?section=fbrecruit&pkey=59916&vidtype=prospect&vidid=89953)

[Svoboda]

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/40/407664.jpg

[Svoboda]

He's Irish!

[brownkj002]

I just saw this on Scout and Svo, you already had it. This is a huge pick up (according to his offers). I am stoked!

[iloveirish_12]

Good pick up.

[kjones]

An early DT commitment? Am I freaking dreaming? We're coming back with a vengeance this recruiting season so far. Everyone will probably be complaining when we fill up and nothing happens for months afterwards though :).

[BGIF]

JAY FITZPATRICK AND KEN FOWLER The Observer

http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/03/07/Sports/Football.Recruiting.Illinois.Defensive.Lineman.Com mits.For.Class.Of.2012-2761873.shtml

Notre Dame landed its fourth verbal commitment - and third lineman - for the Class of 2012 Tuesday when defensive tackle Sean Cwynar of Woodstock, Ill., said he would play for Irish coach Charlie Weis.

Cwynar, a junior at Marian Central Catholic High School, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 283 pounds. Players cannot sign binding letters of intent until next February.

One of the reasons Cwynar decided to commit early to the Irish was because he wanted to be active in recruiting other players to play for Notre Dame.

"If I commit now maybe I can have some other commits jump in the boat and help make something special," he said.

Cwynar had offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others.

Mike Frank, who covers Notre Dame recruiting for IrishEyes.com, said Cwynar received so many offers this early because of great potential in the college game. Frank also said Cwynar plays a lot like another Irish defensive standout.

"He reminds me a lot of Derek Landri, but a guy who's bigger and stronger than Landri coming out of high school," Frank said. "He shows the same kind of quickness and the same kind of tenacity that you'll see from Derek Landri when he plays on the field."

Cwynar was the defensive player of the year in the Suburban Catholic athletic conference, registering 102 tackles and 17 sacks. Despite playing tackle on Marian's defensive line, Mike Frank mostly sees Cwynar playing at defensive end in defensive coordinator Corwin Brown's 3-4 defensive scheme.

Cwynar agrees.

"[Notre Dame's coaches] like me at the defensive end position in the three front," he said. "I'm pretty versatile. I can move from the big guy, I'm pretty powerful, I can move on my feet pretty well."

He also was named All-State and Academic All-State as a junior.

Academics were an important contributing factor for Cwynar, who listed Notre Dame's combination of strong academics and athletics as a major factor in his decision to commit so early.

"I just made a decision and I knew that there's no really other school, so I didn't want to waste any other school's time or waste my time so there's no reason to wait," he said.

For Frank, Cwynar proved that Brown can be successful in bringing in new talent to run his 3-4 defense. Although recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello was most active in recruiting Cwynar, Brown was also heavily involved.

"He sure had a lot of positive things to say about Coach Brown and I think that's a very good sign," Frank said. "Not only for recruiting purposes, but it seems Coach Brown is doing a really nice job of reaching out to these kids and getting them excited about Notre Dame's defense."

[BGIF]

"[Notre Dame's coaches] like me at the defensive end position in the three front," ...

Or a DT in a 4 man front.

[BGIF]

Marian Central's Cwynar commits to Irish
By JOE STEVENSON - jstevenson@nwherald.com
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/03/07/sports/other_sports/doc45ede3b3b0ace410257764.prt
Sean Cwynar never considered himself a big Notre Dame football fan ... until he walked across the university’s campus.
Once in South Bend, Ind., the Marian Central junior lineman was ready to wake up some echoes and shake down some thunder.
Cwynar visited Notre Dame on Sunday, his second junior day on campus, then called Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis on his way home, telling Weis he would see him again soon.
Cwynar drove back to South Bend on Tuesday morning to shake Weis’ hand in person and commit to the school on a football scholarship. Cwynar (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) will not sign for another 11 months but saw no need to wait any longer.
“I knew I’d come here, eventually,” said Cwynar, an offensive tackle and defensive end on Marian’s IHSA Class 5A state runner-up team. “There was no reason to lead other schools on. I called about 50 coaches and told them, ‘Thank you for recruiting me, but I’m going to Notre Dame.’ ”
Cwynar was a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team selection at offensive lineman, but also had 15 sacks on defense, which is where he will play for the Irish. Cwynar said the coaches project him as an end in their 3-4 front.
Marian’s other big lineman, senior Bryan Bulaga, went through the recruitment process last year and committed to Iowa in May. Cwynar, who has been workout partners with Bulaga, committed two months earlier.
While many Catholic boys grow up as Irish fans, that wasn’t the case with Cwynar.
“I really wasn’t a follower that much,” he said. “But when you come here, you feel something special. It’s really unexplainable. The history and fan following is just amazing. I’m their first defensive recruit, so I’ll have an early opportunity to start, I’ll get an Ivy League-like education and be on TV every week. It’s really the whole package.”
Cwynar ended up with 13 offers and is sure more will come. Until players actually sign – which for football will be the first week of February – they are not locked into schools. At least some of the 40 or so text messages Cwynar receives every day will stop.
Cwynar hung around campus Tuesday, soaking everything in, eating lunch at a dining hall and speaking with strength and conditioning coach Ruben Mendoza. He watched some of the players go through their lifting regimens.

[BGIF]

Or a DT in a 4 man front.


I hope that doesn't Prister him away!

[BGIF]

There's a FREE video on Cwynar on Rivals

On the Recruiting Front Page, upper rigth

Cwynar Hugh for Irish

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=650360

[rontdtarchala]

can you say beeeeeuuuuutttttttttiiiiiiifffulllllllll

[stonebreakerwasgod]

JAY FITZPATRICK AND KEN FOWLER The Observer

http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/03/07/Sports/Football.Recruiting.Illinois.Defensive.Lineman.Com mits.For.Class.Of.2012-2761873.shtml

Notre Dame landed its fourth verbal commitment - and third lineman - for the Class of 2012 Tuesday when defensive tackle Sean Cwynar of Woodstock, Ill., said he would play for Irish coach Charlie Weis.

Cwynar, a junior at Marian Central Catholic High School, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 283 pounds. Players cannot sign binding letters of intent until next February.

One of the reasons Cwynar decided to commit early to the Irish was because he wanted to be active in recruiting other players to play for Notre Dame.

"If I commit now maybe I can have some other commits jump in the boat and help make something special," he said.

Cwynar had offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others.

Mike Frank, who covers Notre Dame recruiting for IrishEyes.com, said Cwynar received so many offers this early because of great potential in the college game. Frank also said Cwynar plays a lot like another Irish defensive standout.

"He reminds me a lot of Derek Landri, but a guy who's bigger and stronger than Landri coming out of high school," Frank said. "He shows the same kind of quickness and the same kind of tenacity that you'll see from Derek Landri when he plays on the field."

Cwynar was the defensive player of the year in the Suburban Catholic athletic conference, registering 102 tackles and 17 sacks. Despite playing tackle on Marian's defensive line, Mike Frank mostly sees Cwynar playing at defensive end in defensive coordinator Corwin Brown's 3-4 defensive scheme.

Cwynar agrees.

"[Notre Dame's coaches] like me at the defensive end position in the three front," he said. "I'm pretty versatile. I can move from the big guy, I'm pretty powerful, I can move on my feet pretty well."

He also was named All-State and Academic All-State as a junior.

Academics were an important contributing factor for Cwynar, who listed Notre Dame's combination of strong academics and athletics as a major factor in his decision to commit so early.

"I just made a decision and I knew that there's no really other school, so I didn't want to waste any other school's time or waste my time so there's no reason to wait," he said.

For Frank, Cwynar proved that Brown can be successful in bringing in new talent to run his 3-4 defense. Although recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello was most active in recruiting Cwynar, Brown was also heavily involved.

"He sure had a lot of positive things to say about Coach Brown and I think that's a very good sign," Frank said. "Not only for recruiting purposes, but it seems Coach Brown is doing a really nice job of reaching out to these kids and getting them excited about Notre Dame's defense."

I think we all need to remember the other coaches aside from CB. They are all doing a pretty darn good job of selling the program, not just the new defense.

[rontdtarchala]

I'm to intoxicated to acknowledge any thing....

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I think you just did....

[IrishKnight1023]

"If I commit now maybe I can have some other commits jump in the boat and help make something special," he said.

---Well sir, you have done your job.

[IrishKnight1023]

http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2007/08/12/fall_sports/football/doc46beac9a79bed479392448.txt

Interview with Sean by the ULTIMATE Notre Dame hating loser....



9. How was the stadium itself? Did you get a chance to step on the field, touch the famous “Play like a champion today” sign?

It’s real cool. When you go for a visit they bring you through everything, they take you to the Grotto, let you see Touchdown Jesus from the field, they take you to the locker room. And the locker room is awesome. I got to go down and touch the “Play like a champion today” sign, I got to walk down that stairway, see all the national championships on the boards, walk through the tunnel … it’s awesome.

You can feel that mystique in the air. I got to go to the Blue and Gold game, and the fans are crazy. Even as a recruit! The fans know who you are, they’re coming up asking for autographs and everything.

[IrishCalves]

When I read the interview, I have to notice that either this guy is really trying to be sarcastic/comical in how he asks all these questions, or he's really being a d*** about it, with the repeated UM references. Comes off as a little bit of both, but regardless of the journalism's quality the responses are encouraging. Sounds like Cwynar picked ND for a multitude of good reasons, which in a lot of ways bodes better than one emotionally charged one that can change with the wind (i.e. playing time, coaching staff, etc).

[daytonirish]

I kind of thought the guy was trying to be funny. The other guys from their high school chose schools other than scUM. And at the beggining of the article he even states that he is a big time scUM fan. But anyway you have to like the way Sean answers all the questions. Gotta feel that N.D. got them one heck of a person and a player with this one.

[marv81s]

Sean Cwynar had 8 tackles, including a sack and kicked 3 PATs and also did some kickoffs in Marian Central's win vs Milton (Wisconsin)

Marian Central 28, Milton (Wis.) 13

[tchris555]

why didn't he kick all 4? i say we take his offer off the table

[irishunclebill]

Marian Central was #20 on the Sun-Times pre-season Super 25. They moved up to #17 with the win that Marv noted above.

Here is a link to a Sun-Times pre-season profile of Cwynar.

http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/mariancentral/522937,082407cwynar.article

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I can't wait to see him play as a soph and older.

[stew654]

What the hell? cwynar kickn pt's and rudolph kickn punts is this bizzaro world

[NDGirlzRock]

What the hell? cwynar kickn pt's and rudolph kickn punts is this bizzaro world

No it's not....I was surprised by it, but if you look at their athletic abilities it should be a good thing for ND. If I were a coach and I had a kid with Rudi's abilities punting in high school, I would sure like to put him in a fake punt situation in college. Fun stuff!

[irishunclebill]

Marian Central Catholic moved to 2-0 with a 41-19 win. Cwynar had at least 6 tackles in the game.

[irishunclebill]

Marian Central Catholic moved to 3-0 and up to #13 in the Sun-Times poll with a 14-0 shutout. Cwyanr and his Defensive teammates made four 4th down stops in the first half which were critical as Marian Central Catholic's star QB, Junior Jon Budmayr pulled his hamstring late in the second quarter and was unable to return.

Link to Sun-Times article on the MCC victory.

Budmayr injured but Marian beats Immaculate Conception (http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/football/548417,090807mariancent.article)

[irishunclebill]

Two pieces of news on Sean.

1) He was named the IHSA High School player of the year in the state of Illinois, beating out Steve Filer and Garrett Goebel.

2) He will graduate from HS on 12/20 and will enroll at ND as an EE in January.

We have our first confirmed EE for the Class of 2008, hopefully we will shortly have our second in TRob.

[jonesman]

This kid has the size we need on DL. I expect him to contribute this coming season. If we get Ian like production from him and one other DL prospect, we will be in great shape. It is aweful hard to survive only one deep on DL an entire season. We are really thin on DL. The starting line-up appears to be DE-Kuntz, NT-Williams, DE-Brown. The second team is totally up in the air. Hand looked soft and slow in the game he started, Paddy has not been able to crack the two deep, Wade is up in the air.

[IrishCalves]

If there were any one position from this recruiting class that I wanted an EE from, its defensive line. This news is even more significant in light of Ethan Johnson's knee injury, which may or may not become a lingering issue.

From one of the interviews I read on Cwynar, back in March - when he committed to the Irish, for those who've lost track on what feels like ancient history - he had a countdown going on his cell phone to September 6th, 2008 - home opener vs. San Diego State, a game he said he hopes to start in. You have to admire someone who not only sets high goals for himself, but is taking an obvious step here to make that goal happen.

While I don't know if he'll produce Ian Williams-esque results - a true freshman NT who has more tackles than the guy starting ahead of him is simply crazy, let alone a backup nose tackle being seventh on the team in tackles - if he can crack the two deep at any point I'd be thrilled. Just getting in the mix and pushing other guys is all I'd expect. Anything beyond that would be gravy. I'm officially a card carrying member of the Sean Cwynar fan-bus.

[jonesman]

Let's all pray that Ethan recovers totally from his knee issue. He is a special athlete and loves ND. I really want to see him contribute.

[NDGirlzRock]

I'm officially a card carrying member of the Sean Cwynar fan-bus.

I gotta agree with Calves on this one!!!! This kid could be monsterous!!! We all know what the last NT that we had from Illinois could do!!!! Welcome to ND Sean.....we need ya buddy!!! By the way for those of you that don't know....Ian is from Altamonte Springs, Fl which is a suburb of Orlando....he was awesome in high school and I watched a game that he played in against Tim Tebow's Neece squad....Ian totally leveled Tebow!!!! Man I loved that!!!!

[ND Fanatic]

Sean Cwynar takes home first ever Illinois Mr. Football honor

Notre Dame defensive tackle commit Sean Cwynar was named the IHSA-FOXHILITESChicago.com Mr. Football winner Saturday night over the other finalists, fellow Notre Dame verbal inside linebacker Steve Filer (Dolton, Ill./Mount Carmel) and Ohio State defensive tackle recruit Garrett Goebel (Villa Park, Ill./Montini), the Northwest Herald reports.
He was ecstatic about the accolade, "I wasn't expecting to win it. It was cool. It's a big trophy. Those guys were two real good players. Just to be nominated as one of the top three players, when you look at all the all-state players around the state, 20 in each class, was an honor. To be Player of the Year is just awesome."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/briefingroom

[irishunclebill]

Profile Updated (including Rivals Highlights) to reflect Final Star Ratings & Rankings on the recruiting boards.

[grantland]

Predictions on when he will first get in a game? start?

[IRISH52]

What game will he start in? I'm betting it will be the first game..this kid is awesome.

[grantland]

That's the answer I was looking for (sort of). I wish we had two of him in each class, but in due time.

[Svoboda]

You really don't want freshman to start as it really says something about your upperclassmen. I really hope if he is playing, it's because he has picked up the schemes and earned the time, not because the guys in front of him are that bad.

[scooper]

I bet his first start is the first game of the season. In 2009. He'll play this year. He won't start.

[IrishR#1]

He'll get good playing time behind Kuntz if he comes back. If Kuntz doesn't come back, I think he'll start.

[grantland]

You really don't want freshman to start as it really says something about your upperclassmen. I really hope if he is playing, it's because he has picked up the schemes and earned the time, not because the guys in front of him are that bad.

No I agree totally. But I am ready to see some studs on that D-Line.

[NDgrandson]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/press-and-news-football/NotreDame/Cwynar-were-a-brand-new-team-696016

It's good to dig up Cwynar's thread. It was the 2nd to last thread among player profiles. Looks like he'll be getting significant PT at NG and DE.

[irishunclebill]

Cwynar, who has a year of eligibility remaining, graduated with a degree in management-consulting with a 3.777 GPA and is currently enrolled in Notre Dame's accelerated MBA program.

From the Journal-Gazette article about Floyd making the Biletnikoff semi-final list.

[Purebred Irishman]

http://notredame.scout.com/2/1128930.html


University of Notre Dame graduate student Sean Cwynar and junior Manti Te’o were named to the Capital One Academic All-District V team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) recently announced.

Cwynar and Te’o were selected through voting conducted by CoSIDA members in their district. Notre Dame’s district includes colleges and universities in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. To be nominated, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, have received sophomore academic and athletic standing, be a varsity starter or key reserve and be nominated by the sports information director.



Cwynar graduated in three and a half years from Mendoza College of Business – the No. 1 undergraduate business school in the nation – with a degree in management-consulting. Cwynar earned a cumulative GPA of 3.377 and enrolled in Notre Dame’s accelerated MBA program in June 2011. To date, Cwynar owns a 3.6 GPA in his MBA courses.

An anchor of the Notre Dame defensive line, Cwynar has played in nine games in2011 and started two contests. He has totaled 16 tackles this year and has 52 tackles in his career, including three tackles for loss.

[IrishFan123]

Drunken Mark Cuban & Notre Dame Nose Tackle In Miami On New Year’s [PHOTOS] | Busted Coverage (http://bustedcoverage.com/2012/01/04/drunken-mark-cuban-notre-dame-nose-tackle-in-miami-on-new-years-photos/)

[NDgrandson]

Drunken Mark Cuban & Notre Dame Nose Tackle In Miami On New Year’s [PHOTOS] | Busted Coverage (http://bustedcoverage.com/2012/01/04/drunken-mark-cuban-notre-dame-nose-tackle-in-miami-on-new-years-photos/)

Awesome. Does the partial face on the top left look lile T. Rob?

http://coedbc.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mark-cuban-2012-miami-intro.jpg

[IrishCrasher]

Thats pretty cool to meet Mark Cuban. Looks like they had a good time. A Little to cheek to cheek in the first picture for my taste, but I bet they had fun.

[Purebred Irishman]

Ready for next challenge, Cwynar calling it a career | Inside the Irish (http://irish.nbcsports.com/2012/01/18/ready-for-next-challenge-cwynar-calling-it-a-career/)

The best of luck to Sean


Rumors swirled yesterday that defensive tackle Sean Cwynar, a key contributor along the defensive line, had been telling classmates in Notre Dame’s MBA program that he wouldn’t be coming back next year to Notre Dame. On Tuesday, Cwynar broke the news to the Chicago Tribune, explaining why he’s walking away from his fifth year of eligibility to begin the next chapter in his life.

“I talked to Coach Kelly last night about it and he reiterated it that he still wanted me, but he knew from previous talks that I was leaning toward other options, being able to utilize two awesome degrees from Notre Dame,” Cwynar told the Chicago Tribune. “I just don’t think staying around and taking one credit in summer and nine in the fall is a good use of my time. I loved my experience here but I just think it’s time for me to move on and pursue other things.”

While he won’t play out his eligibility, Cwynar is a model student-athlete that Notre Dame can be proud of. After spending much of the spring recovering from back and foot surgery, the Chicagoland native battled through a broken hand and the ascension of Louis Nix to be a valuable contributor along the defensive line of the Irish, making 23 tackles in 12 games for Notre Dame. More importantly, he’ll exit Notre Dame with an MBA and a degree, and a plethora of job opportunities that capitalize on his management consulting studies.

When projecting fifth year candidates, I always assumed Cwynar would be back. He’s a valuable veteran contributor along the defensive line, and while he gave way to Nix in the starting lineup, he’s a versatile lineman that can play in both three and four down alignments.

While walking away won’t be easy, Cwynar knows he’s done as much as he can academically at Notre Dame, and simply couldn’t validate a return next fall if there’s nothing more for him to pursue academically.

“It’s been really tough,” Cwynar said. “I’ve been thinking about it really hard for the past three months. It’s a huge decision to stop playing. I love the game and I love playing for Notre Dame. It’s one of best experiences I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’ll love the program forever and I hope they’re very, very successful in the future and I know they will be… I couldn’t imagine myself coming back and not being able to pursue anything academically. I just really think it’s time to move on.”

As the Irish plot out their 85 man roster, it appears John Goodman will be back in an Irish uniform next year, according to reports from several media outlets. Add to that a still growing recruiting class that also could include Armond Armstead, a versatile defensive lineman with one year of eligibility left, and the Irish won’t lack options up front, quite a different scene than you’d have expected even two years ago.

Cwynar’s scholarship gives Notre Dame added flexibility as they approach Signing Day. But it also provides another wonderful example for those keeping an eye on the Irish football program. Cwynar might be leaving his football career behind, but there’s no doubt he’s got a professional career in front of him.

[IrishCrasher]

Great article
Cwynar = Class Act!

[lowayne]

Undergrad + MBA + Scholarship Football = 5 years

Sounds like Sean aced math class.

[DublinIrish]

obv wasnt interested in doing a Matt Leinart and taking one class of ballroom dancing his final year :D