A Reesonable Commitment

Just the other day, Notre Dame received its 11th verbal commitment for the incoming class of 2010. Illinois quarterback, Tommy Rees, impressed the Irish staff enough at a camp that he earned an offer- and he repayed that offer with a commitment.

Here is an evaluation from ESPN:

The first thing that jumps out about Rees is his release. In fact, we are surprised he has not received more attention due to his delivery alone at this stage. He is a prospect that coaches may look at and see an intriguing prospect three years down the road with upside and late bloomer potential. He has adequate-to-good size and the frame to continue to add bulk and strength. Plays in a version of the shotgun spread, but strictly as a passer with limited run snaps. He has quick feet and set up balance in the pocket. Stands tall and does an excellent job of keeping his eyes downfield and working through progressions. Feels the rush, will side step and buy himself a second chance to get the ball off and shows very good toughness in the face of pressure. Release mechanics are smooth and compact. Ball pops out and there is little wasted motion. He can beat the rush with his delivery and while he does not have an elite arm, his release can compensate somewhat. Arm strength is efficient and allows for him to make most, if not all the necessary throws when his feet are set. Rees’ overall accuracy is also an impressive trait. Throws a soft, catchable pass that rarely strays to far from the strike zone. Does a nice job of leading receivers to the open spot and shows the touch to drop the ball in over the top of coverage on downfield corner and fade routes. He is an adequate athlete for the position. Rees is extremely efficient in his methods and while he may not be in the elite category in terms of overall physical tools, he has a high ceiling for development and productivity and is the type of player we could see being a different player down the road than he is now. Good, under the radar prospect.

Fair enough. Notre Dame got its desired “2nd” quarterback for this class and it was the one that they wanted by proof of him being the only QB they offered after Hendrix committed. He wants competition to prove himself, and so does Hendrix. This could be a good fit for the both of them.

The last time Notre Dame took 2 QB’s was in the infamous 2006 class when they signed both Demetrius Jones and Zack Frazer. Neither prospect worked out, as Frazer gracefully transferred to UConn after sliding to 4th on the depth chart during the Spring of 2007- and Jones acted like a bitch and ended up at Cincinnati where he now finds himself as an outside linebacker.

Only time will tell if Rees and Hendrix will be able to coincide in 2010 and beyond with Clausen in his last year of eligibility, and Jimmy’s heir apparent, Dayne Crist having 3 years left. I have a gut feeling that the Irish staff and Coach Weis learned from the aforementioned mistake, and are doing their best to help both young recruits their future role as competitors.

Welcome to ND Tommy!!!

This commitment also sparked some big discussion across the message boards- What’s up with the 3 star players? Yes, Notre Dame is taking quite a bit of their share of 3 star prospects early in this class. The breakdown of “stars” is as follows:

Rivals-

• 7– 3 stars
• 3– 4 stars
• 1– 5 star

Scout-

• 5– 3 stars
• 5– 4 stars
• 1– 5 star

There is a two player difference as far as the tally is concerned in the numbers of stars. Lombard, Smith, and Jackson are all rated as 4 star players on Scout as opposed to their 3 star ranking on Rivals. Hendrix is listed as a 4 star prospect on Rivals as opposed to the 3 star ranking he received on Scout. There could be another difference on Saturday as North Carolina linebacker, Kendall Moore, is expected to commit to Notre Dame. Moore is a Rivals 4 star and a Scout 3 star. So the tally could be 1-4-7 for Rivals and 1-5-6 for Scout.

Get all that?

Look, forget the star rankings for a moment and look at who has been offered and by whom else- as well as the future depth chart and what role these players will play not just in their freshman seasons, but throughout their career. A 3 star player can develop , just as a 5 star player can become a bust. These are guys that Weis has offered and offered before their senior year, so I think that should be a good omen for all to relate to. Also, some of these 3 stars could very well earn an extra star by having outstanding senior seasons.

And while I’m feeling optimistic, there are a large number of prospects that ND is still recruiting that are rated very highly, and the Irish are in very good shape with those players as well. Throw names like; Anthony Barr, Justin McCay, Cameron Roberson, Sean Parker, and a few others into the commitment list and you have a top 10 class. Signing top 10 classes on a consistent basis, allows you to compete for championships. There is a long time between now and signing day- so just relax there Bianca Bitchalot.

View The State of Recruiting 2009 in a larger map