Photo Illustration by Blair Chemidlin and Pat Coveney

The helmets will still be gold.The weather will still be awful.The field will probably still be100 yards. That’s about all that will be

familiarSaturday asfans get theirfirst glimpseof the newNotre Dameteam, with adifferentcoach onthe sidelinesand a dif-ferent quar-terbackleading thehuddle.Supporters will head to the

Blue-Gold Game looking forproof that change is not alwaysa bad thing. But at this point, the Irish

have nothing to prove. It would be a stretch to say

that Irish coach Brian Kelly hasinstalled a new offense anddefense for the scrimmage. Amore accurate statement is thatKelly has begun to install hisnew scheme and the playershave begun to learn it. Theentire breadth of the new sys-tems certainly won’t be seenSaturday. The coaches seemhopeful that a majority of thenew offense will be installed intime for Purdue in September.Most of the spring practices

were spent getting players usedto the speed of practice andteaching them about expecta-tions. “Progress” meant beingable to go all-out for 75 activeminutes of a two-hour practice.On Saturday, it will be thesame; the team will be expectedto go full-speed through the

first half, but may need to toneit down for the second. The defense won’t be given

full rein during the game,either. That’s for good reason,as it would be irresponsible toallow an important offensiveplayer to get hurt in a gamethat doesn’t matter. But itmeans that sophomore line-backer Manti Te’o, one of themore entertaining players onthe defense, probably won’t bemaking any massive hits, norwill any others. Junior quarterback Dayne

Crist, recovering from off-sea-son knee surgery, will play buthas admitted that he is not at100 percent. Junior tight endKyle Rudolph, recovering fromoff-season shoulder injury, willbe used sparingly.The same goes for junior line-

backer Darius Fleming andsophomore wide receiver TheoRiddick, both of whom will beimportant figures in the fall. In short, the spring game will

be absent much of the excite-ment a real game would bring,in terms of interesting gameplans, big tackles and star play-ers.Through 13 practices, the

same words have sprung upover and over. “Evaluation,” thecoaches said. “Competition,”the players translated. And that won’t change by

Saturday. The glorified practicewill certainly showcase some ofNotre Dame’s excellent talent,but it will really be nothingmore than a couple extra hoursof film for the coaches to dis-sect leading into the summersession. It might allow them to make a

decision on whether senior

Taylor Dever and junior TrevorRobinson should play rightguard or right tackle. Orwhether freshman receiver Tai-ler Jones is ready to line upopposite Michael Floyd. It mightallow them to answer 1,000other little questions.Or it could answer nothing at

all. In his last scheduled inter-

view before the Blue-GoldGame, Kelly had little to sayabout a depth chart.“We need more time,” he

said. “We need all summer, we

need preseason camp. We’regoing to need all our time.”Kelly was speaking specifical-

ly about the wide receiver situ-ation, but his message appliesto every aspect of Notre Dame’steam as it stands. The Irish need all the time

they can get, and it seems clearfrom the spring that Kelly willuse that time wisely. After asummer of hard conditioningand a grueling camp in August,when the new recruits havebeen added and more of anoffense installed, the team will

have something to prove. Butnot yet. The Blue-Gold Game will cer-

tainly be exciting for anyonelooking to see Brian Kelly inaction. But it won’t hold anyindication of what this team iscapable of. And it shouldn’t.

The views expressed in thiscolumn are those of the author,and not necessarily those ofThe Observer.

Contact Laura Myers atlmyers2@nd.edu

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 2 Friday, April 23, 2010

Laura Myers

Sports Writer

COMMENTARY

MEE

TS

parachutewith the carter twins

legends 4/24 10 PM

no cover charge. ND/SMC/HC ID required

SARAH O’CONNOR/The Observer

Wide receiver Tai-ler Jones, an early enrollee, is one of many Irish looking to use Saturday’s Blue-GoldGame to impress Brian Kelly and the new coaching staff one more time before spring practice ends.

Don’t expect to see whole new system just yet

When Brian Kelly was firstintroduced as Notre Dame’sfootball coach on Dec. 11, hesaid he wanted “tough gentle-men” who would represent theUniversity on and off the field.Irish players in need of anexample should look no furtherthan their head coach.In his first four months on

campus, Kelly has made anoticeable effort to increase hisprogram’s visibility within theNotre Dame and South Bendcommunities. To do so, he’s spo-ken at a variety of campusevents, ranging from home bas-ketball games to the JuniorParents Weekend ClosingBrunch to a student governmentmeeting earlier this week.Kelly said his program will be

“a part of what makes NotreDame special,” something hesaid may not have entirely beenthe case before he arrived. Sohe’s made an effort to be“approachable” and has empha-sized that his players will betrue student-athletes and mem-bers of the University communi-ty.That’s the gentleman: Always

in a suit, looking and soundingmore like a polished, personablepolitician than a hard-nosedcoaching veteran charged withresurrecting the country’s moststoried football program.Walk toward the LaBar

Practice Complex, though, andby the time you reach theJordan Hall of Science, you’llstart to hear that gentlemanbarking orders as he demandsthe furious tempo and attentionto detail he knows are vital tosuccess after 20 years as a headcoach. For those who haveworked with Kelly, there’s nodoubt he’s got the “tough” partdown, too.“If you were going to a street

fight, you’d ask Coach to comewith you, because he’s a ruggedguy. That’s who he is,” Irishdefensive coordinator Bob Diacosaid. “Put the ball down, ‘manoy mano,’ let’s go. Separate themen from the boys, so to speak,and let’s just see who’s tougherand who’s ready to knock a guyoff the ball. That’s really who he

is, in his core.”And on the field, that’s what

Kelly demands from his players— and it permeates throughevery aspect of his program,beginning with recruiting andending with the finished producton Saturdays in the fall.“There are tenants that must

be followed for you to win, andthe easiest way to describe whatthose are would be mental andphysical toughness,” Kelly toldThe Observer in an exclusiveinterview April 15. “If you don’thave mental and physical tough-ness, then you probably won’t bea guy I can count on.”

Finding the ‘RKG’There were once questions

about whether the University’stough academic standards inhib-ited Notre Dame’s ability toattract top-flight talent, but for-mer coach Charlie Weis dis-missed those by consistentlyreigning in highly touted playersfrom around the nation.Still, Kelly said he hears other

schools “negative-recruit” hisprogram by telling high schoolplayers they’ll have to work toohard to stay academically eligi-ble at Notre Dame.“If we’re going to lose kids

that way, I’m glad we’re losingthem,” Kelly said. “I want guysthat understand if you comehere, you’re going to get a pow-erful brand in Notre Dame onyour degree. But on the flip side,you’ve got to work for it. That’sthe kind of guy I want: some-body who recognizes the valueof what makes this unique, andthat’s academics and athletics.”While those academic

demands do trim the list of play-ers the Irish can target, Kellyand his staff have cast a muchwider net than the previousregime, in terms of offeringscholarships to high schoolprospects. With a limited num-ber of available scholarships —roughly 20 per year — itremains to be seen whether thisstrategy will prove successful,but it’s clear the new staff is put-ting in the work necessary torecruit effectively.Kelly said that effort, coupled

with Notre Dame’s nationalrecognition, will enable the staffto recruit coast to coast to findplayers with “the right kind of

intrinsic values we need.” “Notre Dame is not meant for

everybody, and when they ratehigh school students, they don’tgive you four or five starsbecause you fit the model ofNotre Dame,” Kelly said.“Somebody’s got to have morethan four or five stars to impressus because we want more thanthat.”To assess those attributes,

Kelly said his staff must developa relationship with not only therecruit himself, but also with hisfamily and coaches, throughcampus visits and consistentcorrespondence. Kelly’s assis-tants get to know a playerbefore assessing him within astandardized ranking system(detailed in the graphic at bot-tom left), andbefore Kelly willsign an officialscholarship offerto a player, theposition coach,the coordinatorand the leadrecruiter for theplayer’s geo-graphical loca-tion must allapprove.So, for a run-

ning back fromChicago, run-ning backscoach TimHinton, offen-sive coordinator Charley Molnarand lead Chicago recruiterChuck Martin would all have toapprove based on “a detailedprofile players must pass to evenget to my desk,” Kelly said.“It’d be easy to just look at

film, but that doesn’t tell thewhole story,” he said.“Character, academics — thosethings are part of it. All thethings that I believe, in my 20years of being a head coach, isthe right kind of guy. And that’sa guy I know I can coach, I knowI can develop, and I know I canget to play championship foot-ball.”

‘Notre Dame, first and foremost’The future success of the Irish

program will largely depend onthe new staff’s ability recruit,but Kelly and his assistants arealso hard at work developingtheir current players in prepa-ration for the 2010 season.While the physical element ofthe equation is certainly impor-tant, Kelly said there was anattitude adjustment that neededto be made as well.

“We need to care about OurLady. We need to care aboutNotre Dame,” Kelly said. “WhenI got here, our guys thoughtabout themselves first, thentheir family, then their team-mates, then Notre Dame. I wantthem to flip that. They’re herefor Notre Dame, first and fore-most, and that’s really the para-digm shift for our players.They’ve got to care about eachother and understand whythey’re here.”That means both on and off

the field. Kelly said that begin-ning next fall, the entire teamwill attend every pep rally and“be involved with them.” Whenhis players have free time, Kellysaid they will participate incampus programs and commu-

nity serviceevents whilealso becoming“more involvedin church andchapel.”That same

concept ofd e m a n d i n gmore hasextended to thepractice fieldthis spring.Though Kellyhas at timesbeen publiclytough on histeam, he saidthe players

have begun to grasp not onlythe new offensive and defensiveschemes, but also the attitudethey are expected to take withthem every day.“I’d call it conscious compe-

tence where we are now. Theyknow what we’re asking, they’retrying to do it every day, but it’sreally hard,” Kelly said. “Wewant to get to unconscious com-petence, where it’s habit andthey don’t have to think about it.They know what to expect whenthey go on the field, they knowhow I want them to practice andhow I want them to compete.”That learning process hasn’t

always been comfortable for theplayers. Kelly said junior centerBraxston Cave, for example,struggled with his shotgunsnaps during the first week ofpractice.“Every time he had a bad

snap, I made sure he heard me.It got to the point where we justpulled him out,” Kelly said. “Wewere hard on him, but wehaven’t had a bad snap since.”Kelly said he made it clear

during his first several team

meetings that he’d be tough onall his players, but he alsoknows there’s a line — he eveninvoked the old “beating a deadhorse” cliché.“You’ve got to be careful about

what you’re getting on a guy for,and you’ve got to know thatwhat you’re demanding is goingto help them be a better footballplayer,” Kelly said. “I don’t needto hear, ‘well, he doesn’t handlecriticism.’ I’m not talking aboutcriticism, I’m talking aboutdoing it the right way.“We’re talking about attention

to detail and skill development.It cuts across all. If you’re thin-skinned, you’re either going toget tougher skin or you’re prob-ably not going to make it.”

‘Enthusiastic, collegiate’Hope springs eternal, and

that’s seemingly never been asaccurate as it’s been over thepast few weeks near theGuglielmino Athletics Complex,where excitement for the 2010season has already begun tobuild. “Enthusiastic, collegiate. Play

their tails off for four quartersand at the end of the day, we’llfigure out what the scoreboardsays,” Kelly said of what fanswill see out of the Irish next fall.“You won’t come to a game andsee our guys play flat or unin-spired. They’ll be passionateabout what they’re doing orthey won’t be out on the field.“At the end of the day, if the

person that sits in those standscan see their team, their col-league, their buddy, their dormmate go out and play his heartout for Notre Dame, I’ve donemy job.”Those in attendance Saturday

won’t necessarily see a sophisti-cated game plan, a bevy ofbone-crunching collisions or anarray of over-the-top emotion.But, in a way, there might be nobetter venue to see the kind of“tough gentlemen” Kelly hasbegun to mold in his first fourmonths at Notre Dame.“I’m a real believer that

there’s some things you won’t doagainst your own teammatesthat you may do in a gameagainst Purdue,” Kelly said witha smile. “That means we wouldpull back a little bit of that emo-tion because we don’t want tobe showing up one of our ownteammates. But guys will becompeting. It’ll be fun.”

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, April 23, 2010 page 3

‘They’re here for Notre Dame’

Contact Matt Gamber at mgamber@nd.edu

Kelly emphasizes physical, mental toughness as he prepares players for roles on field, in community

By MATT GAMBERSports Writer

VANESSA GEMPIS/The Observer

Irish coach Brian Kelly has begun to instill into his team a sense of pride in the University ofNotre Dame and in each other during the past month of spring practices.

“Notre Dame is notmeant for everybody,and when they ratehigh school students,

they don’t give you fouror five stars becauseyou fit the model of

Notre Dame. ”

Brian KellyIrish coach

BLUE-GOLD The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 4 Friday, April 23, 2010

Projected

Editor's Note: The depth charts above are based on spring practice observati BLAIR CHEMIDLIN | Observer Graphic

D GAME 2010The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, April 23, 2010 page 5

depth chart

ons by Observer beat writers Matt Gamber, Laura Myers and Douglas Farmer.

Freshman early enrollee Tai-ler Jones has spent as muchtime taking snaps with the firstteam offense as he has with thesecond, yet Irish coach BrianKelly and his coaching staff don’tmind reminding Jones that he is,in many ways, still a high schoolsenior.“He’s still got the tassel on the

car window from graduation.He’s just a young kid,” Kelly saidafter Saturday’s practice. “He’sgot a chance to be a player forus and can contribute this year,but his work volume reallytapers off.”Jones and the four other early

enrollees — quarterback TommyRees and defensive backs ChrisBadger, Spencer Boyd and LoWood — have all needed toadapt to a change in lifestyle,both on and off the field. Thefact that they can handle thatchange sets them a apart, widereceivers coach Tony Alfordsaid.“I think it takes a special

young guy tocome in ats e m e s t e r .You’ve got tobe a littlemore maturefor your yearsto come in,”Alford saidearlier in thes p r i n g .“These guysright now,their buddiesare gettingready forprom. They’re trying to paysomebody to be their date, andthese guys are stuck here at col-

lege in the middle of spring foot-ball practice.”They’re also on a new campus

taking college classes at one ofAmerica’s toughest academicuniversities.“Coming from high school, it is

different in college life,” Reessaid with a chuckle. “You have tofind out where your classes are,how to get there ... You just haveto make sure your time is divid-ed up equally, find the balancebetween football and school.”That balance can be tough to

find when you also need toabsorb a playbook Kelly hasspent 20 years crafting, but, in away, the early enrollees have anadvantage over the rest of theteam in this regard, offensivecoordinator Charley Molnar said.“I think being a blank slate is a

good thing from the standpointthat the techniques, play callsand all the things that we do areso different from what the previ-ous system was,” Molnar said.“They don’t have to have twosystems in their heads.”But they still do need to adjust

to a BCS-level practice.Throughout his rise up the depth

chart, the coach-ing staff routinelycriticized Jones fora lack ofendurance —something Jonesdoes not dispute.“The biggest

surprise was theintensity at prac-tice, and how theytreat practices likethe games,” Jonessaid. “It reallycomes down topushing myself

more during practice, pushingthrough that wall. In high schoolI never really got fatigued.”

In that regard, enrolling earlymay have been the only solution,Molnar said.“There is no question,

[enrolling early] has helped hima lot,” he said. “Going throughwinter workouts, getting with[strength and conditioning coachPaul Longo], getting with thequarterbacks and the otherreceivers. There is no way hewould be ready to play if hecame in August.”Come August, Molnar said

Rees could also contribute,knowing Kelly’s penchant for

playing many quarterbacks forvarious reasons.“He really is made for a

spread offense,” Molnar said.“He’s got a quick release, hemakes very quick decisions, hasquick feet in the pocket. Fromthat standpoint, I think he’s got areal chance to be a player hereat Notre Dame.”The chance to contribute is

why the early enrollees leftbehind graduation ceremoniesand prom dates, Jones said.“When I hit campus, my plan

was to make the best of every

chance I get, and help the teamin any way to win, whether it ison special teams, or second orthird on the depth chart,” hesaid. “Whatever I could do.”At the least, Jones, Rees and

the three defensive backsimpressed their coaches withtheir decision, Alford said.“It takes a mature guy to do

that,” he said. “They’re all doinga good job, and I’m proud ofthem.”

If recent practices are anyindication, the first three widereceivers fans will see Saturdaywill be junior Michael Floyd,senior Duval Kamara and early-enrollee freshman Tai-lerJones. But many others arecompeting for playing time,playing time that wide receiverscoach TonyAlford said isanything butsecure. “We’ll see.

Guys have tokeep makingplays,” Alfordsaid. “It’s anongoing process,and just becauseyou’re theredoesn’t meanyou’ll be therethe next day or if you’re notthere doesn’t mean you won’tbe there the next day.” Junior John Goodman and

sophomores Theo Riddick andShaq Evans look to be the nextthree competing for a spot onthe first team. As a freshman in 2007,

Kamara set receiving recordsfor total receptions and touch-down receptions by a freshmanwith 32 and four, respectively.His role decreased in the fol-lowing years, however, as hehad to compete with Floyd —who broke both records in 2008— and with former Irish receiv-

er Golden Tate. “You’re going to compete,

either way, no matter who’shere,” Kamara said. “We hadGolden Tate last year, guys hadto compete. They have to com-pete now. It’s no different. Wehave a bunch of talented guys.You just have to go out thereand do what you have to doeach day.”While Jones only arrived on

campus in January, he hasalready made aname for him-self, somethingAlford said wasnot surprising. “He’s a com-

petitive guy andthat’s why werecruited him,”Alford said. “Wedidn’t recruithim to comehere and sitdown, we

recruited him to compete andthat’s what he’s doing.”The conversion of the offense

from a pro-style offense to aspread offense should allow formore opportunities for thebackup receivers to make playsand distinguish themselves. “You just have to step up and

take on the challenge of thenew offense, a differentoffense,” Kamara said. “Justretaining all the plays andeverything, you just have to stepup and go along with it likeyou’ve been running the offensefor three years.”Goodman caught six passes

for 104 yards in 2009, seeingaction in nine games. Evanscaught seven passes for 61yards in six games. Riddick, arunning back in 2009, played inall 12 games and caught sixpasses for 43 yards. Goodmanhas played with the first unit attimes during spring practice,but all three have spent most oftheir time with the secondteam. “I think that all those guys

have done a great job of com-peting and really taking thetime off the field to learn every-thing and then apply theirknowledge off the field to whatwe’re doing on the field,” juniorquarterback Dayne Crist said.“They’ve all got very uniqueskill sets and they definitelyoffer something different, but Iknow they share the commonal-ity of wanting to compete andbe on the field.“Seeing the competitiveness of

those guys is really positive andsomething you want to see atthe quarterback spot.” Crist said he has had time to

work with all of the receivers inorder to establish timing andrhythm with each one, which hesaid is critical no matter who ison the field. “It’s good knowing that you’re

going to get the cream of thecrop at the end of the day andyou’re going to get the mostcompetitive guys out there,” hesaid.

Jones, Rees lead early enrollees into collegeBy DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

New staff gives receivers chance to compete

Contact Douglas Farmer at dfarmer1@nd.edu

By LAURA MYERSSports Writer

Contact Laura Myers atlmyers2@nd.edu

SARAH O’CONNOR/The Observer

Senior Duval Kamara leads a pack of receivers vying forplaying time in Notre Dame’s new spread offense.

JULIE HERDER/The Observer

Quarterback Tommy Rees, an early enrollee, has performed well enough throughout spring practice to earnpraise from offensive coordinator Charley Molnar, right. Rees is one of five freshman to enroll early.

“You’re going tocompete, either way,no matter who’s here... We have a bunch of

talented guys.”

Duval KamaraIrish wide receiver

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 6 Friday, April 23, 2010

“[Tai-ler’s] still got thetassel on the

car window fromgraduation. He’s just a

young kid.”

Brian KellyIrish coach

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, April 23, 2010 page 7

Switch should benefitboth Wood and Riddick

In one of his first public per-sonnel decisions in earlyMarch, Irish coach Brian Kellysaid he would move sopho-more Theo Riddick from run-ning back to wide receiver toclear room in the backfieldfor, among others, CierreWood.Riddick was second to only

Golden Tate ina l l - p u r p o s eyards for theIrish last sea-son, as heracked up 160yards rushing,43 receivingand 849r e t u r n i n gkicks as a truef r e s h m a n .Wood, on theother hand,never saw thefield in hisrookie cam-paign — something the newstaff wanted to change toensure the Irish used as manyof their playmakers as possi-ble.“It’s been a good opportuni-

ty, just learning the offenseand everything that comeswith it,” Wood said. “I’m realcomfortable with it. I’m soversatile, they can line me upas a receiver, in the slot —either way, I’m going to do mything, period. I think this

offense fits me perfect.”Running backs coach Tim

Hinton said Wood has madesignificant progress given theincreased workload thisspring.“Cierre’s had a really solid

spring and he’s getting betterevery day,” Hinton said. “He’sthe rawest of the guys wehave, but he got the fewestreps of anybody coming inhere. He has more develop-ment to do than most, but he

wants to begood and heunderstandswhat it’s goingto take forhim to begood.”For Riddick,

while his posi-tion haschanged, hisi n d i v i d u a lcoach hasn’t.W i d er e c e i v e r scoach TonyA l f o r d

coached the running backslast year and was the onlyassistant retained fromCharlie Weis’ staff. He saidRiddick is far from a finishedproject but has shown prom-ise in his first few weeks atreceiver.“He’s still learning some

things,” Alford said. “He’s gotto pay attention to the detailsof the game, nuances of theroutes, getting in and out ofbreaks and things like that.

But he’s coming along.”Though Riddick is the only

running back to have made anofficial position switch thisspring, Hinton said the newoffense demands every run-ning back be capable of split-ting out and catching passes.“Those guys are going to

learn how to be widereceivers, and they’re in thedevelopment stage in that,”Hinton said. “Listen, if you’vegot the post route and you’rethe back, run that post routelike you’re the best receiver inAmerica and catch it l ikeyou’re the best receiver inAmerica, because that oneopportunity might win us agame.”Even with Riddick’s move,

the running back position willstill be one of the most com-petitive on the roster, withArmando Allen, RobertHughes and Jonas Gray allreturning after contributinglast season.“Competition makes us all

better, and they all want toplay,” Hinton said. “I told myguys very honestly, if you’reselfish and really worriedabout playing time, or num-bers of runs or catches, or yousee a buddy mess up andyou’re almost happy hemessed up instead of coachinghim better, you’re the wrongguy for us. The bottom line isthis is about us winning.”

By MATT GAMBERSports Writer

Contact Matt Gamber atmgamber@nd.edu

“[Wood] has moredevelopment to do thanmost, but he wants to

be good and heunderstands what it’sgoing to take for him to

be good.”

Tim HintonIrish assistant coach

Recruits visit campusbefore, during weekend

Throughout its first month oncampus, the Irish coaching stafffocused on the recruiting classthat will join Notre Dame in thecoming fall. As soon as NationalSigning Day passed in February,the coaches refocused their effortson making up the ground lost inrecruiting battles for members ofthe high school Class of 2011.“We were way behind after

Signing Day ... It wasn’t just get-ting through last recruiting sea-son, it was starting our next one,”recruiting coordinator ChuckMartin said. “We’ve caught up to alarge extent, and now we’ve justgot to keep plowing away. I reallyfeel like we’ve closed the gap.”With about a dozen recruits vis-

iting campus for the Blue-GoldGame, this weekend could be abig step in closing that gap Irishrecruiting analyst Mike Franksaid.“This is going to be a pretty

exciting weekend for NotreDame,” said Frank, who runs theESPN-affiliated website irish-sportsdaily.com. “There are somebig-time players coming in, andthere is a chance they could getsome commitments this week-end.”Chicago-area wide receiver

DaVaris Daniels could potentiallycommit this weekend. He is one ofthe most-sought after players inthe country, and his offer listincludes the likes of Alabama,Cincinnati and Michigan.“[Daniels] fits perfectly into

Brian Kelly’s system,” Frank said.

“They aren’t going to take a wholelot of wide receivers in this class,maybe two at the most. So gettinghis commitment would be prettybig, and allow them to focus onother positions.”The most likely to commit

before leaving campus this week-end is linebacker Jarrett Grace,from Cincinnati.Linebacker Sean Duggan,

another Cincinnati native, andoffensive lineman Conor Hanrattywere both raised on Irish footballlore by fathers who graduatedfrom Notre Dame. Hanratty’sfather, Terry Hanratty, quarter-backed the Irish to the 1966National Championship.“[Conor is] coming this week-

end, and I think he gets inThursday, so he’ll be here awhile,”Frank said. “Who knows if he’llpull the trigger or not, but I thinkNotre Dame has a real goodchance at landing him.”Quarterback Bubba Starling vis-

ited the Irish early in the week,departing Tuesday, and afterwardlisted Notre Dame as one of thetop five schools he is considering,along with Alabama, Kansas,Nebraska and Oklahoma.“I think Notre Dame would like

to get a quarterback,” Frank said.“I think he’s a guy that they’repretty high on. They really likehim a lot, a tremendous talentthat needs to be fine tuned a littlebit.”Cornerback Matthias Farley

also visited earlier in the weekand committed to Notre DameWednesday.

By DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

Contact Douglas Farmer atdfarmer1@nd.edu

The Observer � PAID ADVERTISEMENTpage 8 Friday, April 23, 2010