Welcome to another edition of Wu Am I? for the 2009 season. Once again- I am trying to identify the 36 players of impact for the 2009 squad. So without any further bullshit, I open chambers 21 & 22…
Mike Anello #37
Gunner
5’10” 170 lbs.
Senior
Orland Park, Illinois
Wu Name: Tha 3rd World Dictator
There was no recruitment of Mike Anello- at least not at the hands of the Notre Dame football staff. No. Not Mike Anello. Not the greatest gunner in all of college football. No the little engine that could, did not have coaches from around the country drooling at the prospect of having Mike on their team. It’s funny- I’d bet that just about every program wishes that they had him now. As a former walk-on, Mike has to earn his scholarship every day. And , for the past few years he has done that.
Anello now enters his 5th year at Notre dame. He was invited to play his final year of eligibility, and was able to tell his parents that they don’t need to pay tuition- again. His name has been turned into Irish legend as every Saturday we all get to watch Mike streak down the sideline and make the plays and tackles that no one else gets out of the gunner position on both the kickoff and punt teams. If the Irish are going to continue to improve in 2009 and make a BCS bowl, the special teams play will need to continue to improve. The Notre Dame kickoff unit was perhaps the best kickoff unit in the country (stats that I know exist will back this up). Who do we owe a lot of this success to? The motherfucking dictator- that’s who.
Jordan Cowart #60
Long Snapper
6’2″ 225 lbs.
Freshman
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Wu Name: Tha Womanly Panther
Jordan is the first freshman to appear in the Wu Am I series- and for good reason. He has the best chance of ALL of the incoming freshman, to start and play in every game in 2009. That’s an impact player. Here’s a few blurbs from “The Subway Domer Recruiting Spectacular” published earlier this year by yours truly with some help from The Brawling Hibernian:
Subway Domer: People were generally confused when Cowart committed to the Irish. Why? Weis is taking drastic measures to improve the special teams play at Notre Dame, and this is a key element to solid play. Remember some of the snaps and holds that Walker had to deal with this year? JJ Jansen was Notre Dame’s LS for a few years and we rarely had an issue. This is a solid pick-up at a position of need, and in all likelihood, Cowart should start this year. If Notre Dame had a guy like Cowart last year, Braxton Cave would not have burned a year of eligibility. That’s important.
Brawling Hibernian: I can already hear the wailing over this one. “Why give someone who’s just a long-snapper a scholarship?” Just a long-snapper? JUST a long-snapper?! Do you people know how hard it is to be a long-snapper? First of all, you spend more time bent over than Liberace’s pool boy on Quaaludes. Then, should you screw up, your team ends up more fucked than, well, Liberace’s pool boy on Quaaludes. In other words, unless you like getting the business end of a creepy, dead pianist, you better entrust long-snapping to a professional. Welcome aboard, Jordan!
The Fighting Irish HAVE to play better on ALL special teams, and I think Jordan will make a huge impact on the team- and he may do it without his name ever being called.
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