Compare Notre Dame to schools that share geographic overlays for recruiting. Schools from mid majors(or higher) that border the actual map of their respective conferences. These borders overlay other major schools and recruiting turf.

The Vols come to mind specifically.

Suddenly Notre Dame’s middling result isn’t too bad. Unless you look at game outcomes like USC, or Navy. Ouch!

Patterson in particular has built a perenially strong program at a private religious university. He also has competed well in recruiting even though he has to go up against Texas, OU, OSU, and to a somewhat lesser extent LSU and Arkansas.

Kelly is also holding his own and seems to have a knack for having all of his players (starters and backups) ready to play well. He is also very familiar with recruiting in that part of the country.

Either of these guys would probably cost less money than one of the big dudes and would probably stand just as much of a chance to successfully build up the program. Also, it seems that their integrity is more in line with ND standards than the other guys..(at least I have never heard anything bad about them)

When Urban Meyer originally talked to ND a few years back he asked for at least 12 scholarships a year at SEC academic standard levels.

The ND establishment turned him down and he turned them down and went to Florida. Meyer is not going to leave for ND.

Neither is Stoops or they will need to change his name to some other version that sounds a lot like his but ends in ID minus the S of course.

TOP IRISH RECRUITS, DEFENSE (WEIS ERA, 2005-2009); ranked in Top 25 by either Scout.com or Rivals.com:

- Te’o, Manti (HI): #1 SLB (Scout); #2 ILB (Rivals)
- Martin, Chris (CO): #2 SDE (Rivals); #3 DE (Scout)
- Johnson, Ethan (OR): #2 SDE (Rivals); #4 DE (Scout)
- Fleming, Darius (IL): #2 SLB (Scout); #8 OLB (Rivals)
- Walls, Darrin (PA): #3 CB (Rivals); #7 CB (Scout)
- Filer, Steven (IL): #4 MLB (Scout); #8 ILB (Rivals)
- Motta, Zeke (FL): #5 OLB (Rivals); #10 WLB (Scout)
- Gray, Gary (SC): #6 CB (Scout); #9 CB (Rivals)
- Shembo, Prince (NC): #6 ILB (Rivals); #37 OLB (Rivals)
- McNeil, Raeshon (NC): #7 CB (Rivals); #9 CB (Scout)
- McDonald, Anthony (CA): #8 MLB (Scout); #11 ILB (Rivals)
- McCarthy, Dan (OH): #8 S (Scout); #14 S (Rivals)
- Wade, Kellen (OH): #10 WDE (Rivals); #17 DE (Scout)
- Brown, Sergio (IL): #10 S (Scout); #32 S (Rivals)
- Slaughter, Jamoris (GA): #11 S (Scout); #13 S (Rivals)
- Cwynar, Sean (IL): #12 DT (Rivals); #14 DT (Scout)
- Stockton, Tyler (NJ): #13 DT (Scout); #16 DT (Rivals)
- Fox, Dan (OH): #13 OLB (Rivals); #22 WLB (Scout)
- Smith, Brian (KS): #13 ILB (Rivals); #30 MLB (Scout)
- Lewis-Moore, Kapron (TX): #13 SDE (Rivals); #32 DE (Scout)
- Leuders, Blake (IN): #14 SDE (Rivals); #24 DE (Scout)
- Calabrese, Carlo (NJ): #14 MLB (Scout); #25 ILB (Rivals)
- Nagel, Aaron (IL): #14 WLB (Scout); #41 OLB (Rivals)
- Moore, Kendall (NC): #15 MLB (Scout); #19 OLB (Rivals)
- Blanton, Robert (NC): #15 CB (Scout); #22 S (Rivals)
- Smith, Toryan (GA): #15 ILB (Rivals); #52 LB (Scout)
- Newman, Brandon (KY): #16 DT (Scout); #22 DT (Rivals)
- Smith, Scott (IL): #17 ILB (Rivals); #80 LB (Scout)
- Neal, Kerry (NC): #18 WDE (Rivals); #31 DE (Scout)
- Gordon, Leonard (KY): #20 S (Scout), #34 CB (Rivals)
- Bruton, David (OH): #22 S (Scout); #36 S (Rivals)
- Smith, Harrison (TN): #25 S (Scout), #25 ATH (Rivals)

Recruiting was not the problem for Weis.

The idea that this story is being propped up on Smart Football boggles the mind. Nobody in the world is more ready to move on from the Weis era than I am, but I just can’t even see this story as anything but piling onto the “Weeeeee! Get your licks in on Charlie and enjoy the linkage!” bandwagon.

You’re are far better than this. I really thought you’d give us some statistical breakdowns of perceived ability when Charlie signs his guys versus their output on the field in college. But an anonymous annecdote? Isn’t that the stuff of BleacherReport.com?