(This article appeared in the 1-8-03 issue of Irish Today.)

Offensive lineman John Sullivan is back from the All-American game and ready to resume his recruiting tour.

The Greenwich, Connecticut product is considered to be perhaps the best pure center in the country. While Sullivan has not yet made his final decision, things look good for the Irish.

First things first, though, how was the US Army All-American Bowl for him?

"It was very good," Sullivan said. "Just hanging out with all the guys was great. The game was one of the best experiences I've ever had in football."

Sullivan's play was outstanding as he helped Chris Leak and Brady Quinn lead the East to a 47-3 rout of the West. I found it particularly satisfying to see that at one point, Sullivan was snapping the ball to Quinn who handed off to Travis Thomas and two plays later threw to TE Greg Olsen. All could end up Irish by Signing Day.

Sullivan was scheduled to be in South Bend on December 12th, but tonsillitis forced him to reschedule. The trip will now happen on January 17th.

"I'm going next weekend," Sullivan said. "It's my last official trip. I'll probably make my announcement around Signing Day."

Is it fair to say that Notre Dame is the leader?

"Yeah, Notre Dame is the leader," Sullivan said.

What are his three favorite things about Notre Dame?

"The tradition, the academic reputation and I really liked the guys that have already committed," Sullivan said.

While down in San Antonio for the US Army game, he got to know many of the players.

"I had a connection flight in Minneapolis, so I flew down to Texas with Ryan Harris," Sullivan said. "He's a great guy. I hung out with Travis (Thomas), Brady (Quinn), and guys in the same boat as I am (who haven't committed yet) like Victor (Abiamiri), Ambrose (Wooden), Greg Olsen and Tom Zbikowski. We talked about the possibility of all of us playing together."

I think every Irish fan would be very excited about the prospect of this group all playing together. For Sullivan, he could find himself competing for a spot right away. With Jeff Faine heading to the NFL, there will be an opening at the center spot on the offensive line.

As we've learned on a couple of occasions this year, a lot can happen over a few weeks. But if Sullivan's visit to South Bend is as helpful as his trip to San Antonio was for the Irish, then the short recruiting drought Notre Dame has been in could soon come to an end.