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 7 & 8…
Golden Tate #23
Wide Receiver
5’11” 195 lbs.
Junior
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Wu Name: Tha Chosen Assassin
Hailing from Pope John Paul II High School and blessed with the name “Golden,” was there any doubt Tate would end up in South Bend? Yes. The Fighting Irish did not offer Tate for quite some time. While the official reason was that ND was waiting on some test scores, this was also the year that saw ND lose the recruiting battle for Aurelius Benn. Were the Irish waiting on a possible flip from Benn? Does it matter? Tate ended up wearing the Blue and the Gold- Benn didn’t, and some would say that Notre Dame still came out on top. Benn is a tremendous talent, but Golden had a breakout year last year, and all signs point to a better season in 2009.
Tate only had 6 receptions for 131 yards and 1 TD during his sophomore year, but he showed blazing speed and a knack for going up and getting the ball despite his short stature. He quieted most critics of his game in 2008 as he posted 58 receptions for 1080 yards and 10 TD’s. He took his game beyond the fly-route, and became a better overall receiver. The scary part- is that Tate has still not developed fully as a wide receiver. But to think of Golden as an offensive weapon only catching balls, would also be naive. He is a very instinctive runner and I would think that Weis will use him even more in 2009 in the running game. Plus, due to those same skills, Golden can be a very dangerous kick returner. Did I mention how fast he is? 2009 is the time to let the Gold shine.
Brian Smith #58
Linebacker
6’2″ 245 lbs.
Junior
Overland Park, Kansas
Wu Name: 100 Watt Warlock
Now, if Golden’s recruitment was somewhat of a mystery, Brian Smith’s is legendary based on fact. The legacy (father, Chris Smith played fullback for the Irish in the 80’s) wanted to go to Notre Dame his entire life. Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator, Rick Minter, didn’t think he could use Smith in his system, and the Fighting Irish never offered Brian during the normal office hours. Brian thought the offer may never come, and he committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes in August of 2006. Fast forward a few months. Notre Dame loses out on more than a handful of top-ranked linebacker recruits such as Chris Donald, Malcolm Smith, Martez Wilson, and Lorenzo Edwards. They also get a defection from Justin Tratou to Florida, Corwin Brown replaces the now fired Rick Minter, and voila!… Brian Smith is offered. Hawkeye head coach, Kirk Ferentz warned Smith that if he visited the Irish he would pull the scholarship offer. You know what happened next.
As soon as Brian reported to Notre Dame in the summer of 2007, he instantly became one of the sparkplugs for the entire team. 100 Watt Warlock is perhaps the best fitting name of all of the Wu Am I members. He worked his way into the rotation his freshman year and developed into a pretty good pass rusher on the edge and showed he could cover the pass as well. He was noted for playing with a passion in what was a passionless season. In 2008 Smith was moved from his natural outside position to fill in a need at Mike linebacker. He was the emotional leader of the defense and played inspired football all season. Smith will move once again in 2009 (at least for now), and play on the outside. He should show his true potential this year as he will be allowed to do what he does best as a pass rusher and containment on the edge. He won’t win the Butkus award, but he will show the country what kind of football player he really has become. A hard motherfucker that wants to take heads. That’s what Brian Smith is, and that is who the defense will need to follow to have the type of season that optimists are projecting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owdvXuAAsJU&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00
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