Black Ball Sports

It’s all over.  We have hoped and prayed and done everything we could.  I just don’t think there is anything that anyone can do for us now.  Let me be the first one to admit it.  NOTRE DAME IS DONE AS A BIGTIME PROGRAM.

I know it even hurts to say it out loud.  But the truth has to be told.  I know
Notre Dame has more national championships and more all-americans than everyone else.  But that is the past.  The last time Notre Dame was really relevant was all the way back in the Lou Holtz era.  The last time they were really in contention for the National Championship was 1993.  That’s not even this century.  The program is living too much in the past and in all honesty it may never ever get back to that.

Looking around the college landscape at the top teams:  USC, Texas, Florida, Alabama etc. one thing pops into my mind.  ATHLETES.  Those teams have players at skill positions that are going to be first round picks.  The only 1st round skill position player from Notre Dame in the last few years is Brady Quinn.  Obviously the good players aren’t going to Notre Dame anymore and the question has to be why?

There are a couple reasons.  Programs like Texas, Florida and Alabama get the bulk of their rosters from their state.  And these states each and every year produce the top talent in the country.  If you’re a top player in these states what is better than going to the State University.  Notre Dame is in Indiana.  I don’t get to scout many high school games, but I don’t think Indiana is one of the top football producing states.

So if the majority of your players aren’t coming from your home state what do you do?  Well, you can be like USC and have your recent reputation and location to recruit to.  USC has multiple recent Heisman trophy winners.  And every first round since Pete Carroll has been there is full of USC players.  So if you want to go to the NFL why would you go to Notre Dame over USC?  There are programs that produce NFL players on a regular basis and right Notre Dame isn’t one of them.

And honestly without the NFL pedigree and recent success what does Notre Dame have to offer.  South Bend, Indiana doesn’t seem to be a great place to recruit the star athletes.  It’s not like other schools that are rebuilding like Miami.  Miami can always say hey I know we are down, but at least you can party in Miami.  That can’t be said about South Bend.

Notre Dame’s history is long and great, but right now the future doesn’t look so
bright.  I don’t think it can all be blamed on the coaches, (even though Weis sucks) it is about the talent.  And right now Notre Dame is not getting the top players.  There are so many other top programs in better locations, with better recent history that I don’t know if Notre Dame can ever get back.

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