2008 Woodie Awards
Football Recruiting: Like Weis now, Willingham once signed blue-chippers
Mike Gilloon
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: Sports
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It's official - Charlie Weis is no longer the head football coach on this campus.
Instead, after inking a much-hyped recruiting class Wednesday, students and alumni will now refer to him as King Charlie. Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But looking at this week's ratings from nationwide recruiting services, there is a lot of truth to claims that Weis has given the Dome another regilding.
He hauled in the nation's No. 1 tight end, No. 1 offensive lineman, one of the top running backs, a pair of smothering cornerbacks and a quarterback tandem every coach would love to have on his sideline.
ESPN has it as the fifth-best class in America, Scout.com says it's No. 3 -- and everyone thinks it's one of the better Irish crops since the Tyrone Willingham era.
Wait.
Tyrone Willingham? Mr. 21-and-15? The fired coach who left South Bend after only three seasons amidst controversy and confusion?
The current head coach of the 2-9 Washington Huskies?
That's right. Weis' class - both in makeup and circumstance - is incredibly similar to Willingham's class of 2007.
Both came after the coaches' first full seasons in South Bend - seasons in which they turned losing teams into successes - and both sold players on the promise that everything would stay sunny in the shadow of the Dome.
Willingham's group of 21 players - highlighted by quarterback Brady Quinn, defensive back Tom Zbikowski and defensive end Victor Abiamiri - was ranked No. 5 in the country by Scout.com on Signing Day 2003.
One theory commonly tossed around after Willingham's firing was that he couldn't recruit. But wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, center John Sullivan, defensive tackle Trevor Laws, tackle Ryan Harris and free safety Chinedum Ndukwe - all members of Willingham's class of 2007 - turned out pretty well, as anyone who watched the Irish on Saturdays this past autumn could see.
The point is not that Weis attracted these blue chippers with a flimsy, used-car salesman's pitch. There's no doubt he's a prepared, meticulous and charismatic recruiter.
Instead, after inking a much-hyped recruiting class Wednesday, students and alumni will now refer to him as King Charlie. Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But looking at this week's ratings from nationwide recruiting services, there is a lot of truth to claims that Weis has given the Dome another regilding.
He hauled in the nation's No. 1 tight end, No. 1 offensive lineman, one of the top running backs, a pair of smothering cornerbacks and a quarterback tandem every coach would love to have on his sideline.
ESPN has it as the fifth-best class in America, Scout.com says it's No. 3 -- and everyone thinks it's one of the better Irish crops since the Tyrone Willingham era.
Wait.
Tyrone Willingham? Mr. 21-and-15? The fired coach who left South Bend after only three seasons amidst controversy and confusion?
The current head coach of the 2-9 Washington Huskies?
That's right. Weis' class - both in makeup and circumstance - is incredibly similar to Willingham's class of 2007.
Both came after the coaches' first full seasons in South Bend - seasons in which they turned losing teams into successes - and both sold players on the promise that everything would stay sunny in the shadow of the Dome.
Willingham's group of 21 players - highlighted by quarterback Brady Quinn, defensive back Tom Zbikowski and defensive end Victor Abiamiri - was ranked No. 5 in the country by Scout.com on Signing Day 2003.
One theory commonly tossed around after Willingham's firing was that he couldn't recruit. But wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, center John Sullivan, defensive tackle Trevor Laws, tackle Ryan Harris and free safety Chinedum Ndukwe - all members of Willingham's class of 2007 - turned out pretty well, as anyone who watched the Irish on Saturdays this past autumn could see.
The point is not that Weis attracted these blue chippers with a flimsy, used-car salesman's pitch. There's no doubt he's a prepared, meticulous and charismatic recruiter.