The fact that they gave Weis a ridiculous extension to his contract so early in his career was because he was getting alternative job offers from the NFL early in his ND tenure. ND, thinking they had a hot commodity, decided to lock that up. Turns out everyone was wrong.
After seven games?
So what? USC was in the tank for decades, so was Oklahoma. Florida was a nothing program until Spurrier got there. I think you guys are totally downplaying what reviving a moribound, yet standard bearing program, into National Title contention would mean.
No, because they were very afraid he would.
Belichick has kept his assistants under such close control that they never learn what it takes to be the top man. Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Charlie Weis, even Josh McDaniel doesn’t look like a miracle worker anymore.
Right - they’re great coaches. That doesn’t address my point. The fact is, we don’t know what a proven college coach would do at ND now, because they haven’t hired one since Holtz. Here’s what we do know:
ND is a proven commodity when it comes to getting bowl bids. For good or for bad, ND gets the call once they hit eligibility. Part of their disastrous showings in bowl games is because they get overrated by the bowl selectors, and get creamed on Jan. 1. ND fans travel well to fill the stadium and jack up ratings. ND haters keep tuning in each Saturday and Jan. 1 as well for some reason, despite constantly crowing about their irrelevance.
**You can still recruit at ND. ** Weis showed that the Irish can still compete with the other top recruiters in the country and get highly respected recruits. Despite academic standards that people think are prohibitive, a Siberian winter climate and a crappy little town in which there’s nothing to do but get cold-cocked outside of a burger joint, there remains a sizeable talent pool from which to pluck players out from under Pete Carroll’s grasp.
Here’s what we don’t know:
**Whether or not ND is an attractive place to coach. ** Yes, Weis was highly regarded when he was signed, and was heavily courted after his initial success. But Urban Meyer passed them down before they signed Weis. Back when they hired Willingham, they had asked a handful of other candidates, who all turned them down (not to mention the George O’Leary fiasco). But both Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer are still on record saying it’s the top job in college sports (which doesn’t mean much right now, as Stoops declined the position, and Urban probably will as well).
And that’s the crux of the matter.
True story. Weis wasn’t in it for the long haul to begin with.
Edit: I’m trying to find some sources, but searching on Charlie Weis right now is like drinking from the firehose. Sorry for any doubtable claims that I can’t backup - I’m trying to present as honestly as possible.
When was that? Between the John Robinson and Pete Carroll eras? That wasn’t decades.
Again, when? Between Switzer and Stoops?
Tell Charley Pell and Galen Hall that.
I certainly don’t downplay what it would mean, just that it’s a reasonable expectation for a small-town college, not in a prime recruiting area unlike the ones you mentioned, where the girls have to dress up warm much of the school year, and where introducing recruits to its glory and tradition requires showing them black-and-white movies. Really, what young man dreams of playing there anymore? No recruit was even alive the last time ND won a title, and not many remember their even playing in a top bowl. Why would any top prospect want to go there instead of USC?
Like was told you earlier in this thread when you asked that exact question: Ask Manti Te’o or Jimmy Clausen. Both were heavily recruited by USC.
Charley Pell went 33-25-1 and was fired after being charged with about a bajillion recruiting violations. Now, Hall did pretty well and sort of even won a national championship, but of course none of it counted because the team was on NCAA probation.
I don’ t know who Charlie’s agent is, but I’ll bet the rumor about the NFL being interested in Weis came from the agent and the agent alone. That agent panicked the idiots in the ND administration (I’m looking at you A.D. Kevin White (now at Duke, I think) and you, Fr. Malloy, now retired ND president) into opening the vault for Charlie.
Between the first John Robinson and Peter Carrol ers the program was hardly a National powerhouse the way they are now. It was 25 years between National Championships and I don’t think they competed for one in that time. During the mid 80s to mid 90s, USC lost 13 straight to Notre Dame and in the 90s they lost 8 straight to UCLA. From 1996-2000 they were 2 games over .500. They had a few breif stretcheds of respectability then, but basically they were a traditional power that had lost all its mojo until Pete Carroll got there.
Check the papers. Look around the intarwebs. Hell, even on the SDMB Notre Dame gets its own thread when they can their coach. ND gets a shitload of attention still. When a top recruit signs on to play at Notre Dame they get headlines and are assured of being hyped beyond all reason. The media still loves ND. ND still has tons of rabid fans and boosters. ND still has it’s own TV contract and doesn’t share it’s spotlight with fellow big name conference mates like an SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-10 team. ND gets to play a schedule of premiere opponents that no one else gets in every part of the country, their players get to go to the Big House, LA Coliseum, whatever NFL stadium the Navy game is in in the East Coast (and even Ireland) and they generally aren’t going to be slogging into NCAA backwaters like the other big conferences schools do. The breadth of their exposure geographically means that their recruits get known from shore to shore. Savvy recruits understand the value of this, the Irish have more opportunity for national recognition than even Florida and USC.
I get this line from an LA-born office-mate of mine about twice a year, regarding Alabama. “Who the HELL would want to go to Tuscaloosa instead of sunny, wonderful Southern California?!”
I just smile.
Well, in fairness, the only reason I can think of is that being a five-star recruit at SC only guarantees that you’ll be third on the depth chart.
ETA: I hate Notre Dame, by the way.
Take a look at the Bama recruits for the last couple of years. 4 and 5 star recruits all over the place.
What does this have to do with anything?
Sounds like Bobby Bowden will be available.
Side conversation. You’re not involved. Relax.
I said I’d rather go to Alabama so I would have a better chance to play - but he’s right, Alabama have recruited better than USC lately.
Florida won no SEC or National title until Spurrier got there in 1990.