In today’s Pittsburgh Post Gazette Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt talked about his month long recruiting trip and mentioned how kids are receptive to his NFL ties. Wanny, however, conceded that Notre Dame and USC are still the best places for recruits to go if you want to reach the next level.
“Nowadays, it is a different kind of kid, and they all want to know about getting to the next level and they know, outside of maybe USC and Notre Dame, there is nobody out there that can prepare them better for that than me.
Thanks Wanny, it makes it a lot easier to sell kids on getting to the next level when opposing coaches tout your program as one of the top 2 places in the country to go to get there.
I would agree that Weis doesn’t measure up to Holtz as of now as well. But with the recruiting classes Weis has been bringing in, it’s becoming clear that that is the path he is on right now. Between Davie and Willingham, they probably combined to have two total classes that equal the talent of the first two full classes Weis has brought in (and neither brought in back to back classes as talented).
Notre Dame should have another strong draft class this year – Zibby, Carlson, Sullivan, Laws, Wooden, and maybe Lambert and Crum if they come out. Next year’s class, however, will be the last lean year for a while. Weis first 1/2 class was lean on #’s and talent as he finished coaching the Patriots.
Yes, they did very well in the days of Holtz but I don’t think that Charlie measures up to Lou Holtz (figuratively not literally, or is it the other way around?). Just my opinion.
Ozzy, the whole point of this post was that an opposing coach (who Notre Dame has played a lot in its history) publicly stated that Notre Dame is better equipped to send prospects to the NFL than his own school is. You can argue the names that Wanny used, but he had said OSU instead of Notre Dame Ohio State fans would be all over it too.
As for Weis being an “ex-nfl wannabe”… he was coming off winning 3 super bowls in 4 years as the offensive coordinator of the Patriots and a lot of NFL teams were pissed Notre Dame could talk to Weis during the season because they couldn’t.
Also, I think Weis helped Quinn a little. If you consider taking Quinn from being a very average QB into the 2nd QB taken in the draft not “doing very much” for him, then you have some unrealistic expectations.
And as for what teams like LSU, OSU, etc are doing sending players to the NFL, Notre Dame did just as well if not better in the days of Holtz and so far it looks like ND will be returning to that.
Hey Frankie V, up until 6 or 7 years ago ND may have had the most players in the NFL but that would still include players drafted at least 10 years earlier, so let’s not nitpick. My point is that Wannstedt’s endorsement of ND and Charlie in particular as one of the 3 (only 3 it sounds like) programs that can develop players for the NFL is ludicrous because OSU, and others, have had years recently where they have had more first round picks in one year than most schools have in 7 rounds. This whole idea of NFL connections is a joke. Charlie is supposed to be the QB tutor to the stars but did that help Quinn? I don’t think he is as good as ND fans think he is but for arguments sake let’s say that he is and he is coached by the worlds best developer of QB’s (his personna, not my opinion) AND he was the Heisman front runner AND the consensus No. 1 pick before the season started or even into the season. You have to allow me one of 2 conclusions. Either I am right about Quinn or this whole idea that these ex-NFL wannabe’s have an advantage in sending kids to the NFL is wrong and they are just as unethical (I don’t see anything wrong with trying to get an edge in recruiting as long as it is within the rules) as the Zook’s, Meyer’s, etc. who get lambasted simply because the consistently land the top recruits. I would rather be wrong about Quinn because he is a player, a good QB and I hope he does well for the Browns. There are a ton of college coaches who do a great job but as an OSU fan they are my best example of why Wannstedt (and by association Weis and Carroll) is way off base. USC gets 20 5 star recruits every year and they have been successful but they don’t win a NC every year and without knowing the numbers I would bet that OSU sends at least as many players to the NFL when they are lucky, and feel lucky, to recruit 1 or 2 5 star players each year. Where is the development? It’s an insult to a lot of great coaches, Tressel included, who do a better job but are looked down upon by these guys who either couldn’t cut it in the NFL (Carroll and Wannstedt in Miami) or who rode on the coattails of great players (Charlie and Wannstedt in Dallas). So Frankie, I think what OSU, Texas, LSU, etc. have doen in the last 10 years (6 or 7 for sure) is more relevant than what ND did 15 or 20 years ago and that is assuming that your stats are correct and don’t include what happened 50 years prior because that would be way off-base!
Troy Smith. He doesn’t have NFL size and I know I never said he would be drafted higher or make a better NFL QB than Quinn. In fact, in any argument I ever made in defending/promoting Troy Smith I always questioned why ND fans kept bringing up the NFL. I said that Troy Smith was a better college QB … I guess that the Heisman voters agreed!
Hey Ozzy… up until maybe 6 or 7 years ago ND had the most players in the NFL so your statement that OSU has sent “many more” players to NFL in the last 20 years is a little off-base.
By the way… your rationalization about Quinn dropping in the first round to Smith dropping to the last pick in the 5th round is HILARIOUS. All season long OSU fans were talking about how Smith was the better quarterback… I guess every NFL team disagreed.
Paranoid? If you look up paranoid in the dictionary you would see a ND fan. Your football program is in such a bad state that you need to look to Dave Wannstedt for validation? Please. And yes, OSU has sent many more productive players to the NFL recently (recently meaning at least 20 years) so to take yet another shot at the Heisman winner is a joke. He was, after all, drafted where all the ND gurus said he would be. What happened to the Mighty Quinn is the real story. He would have dropped further if one of Charlie’s “NFL connections” didn’t step up. There were a few teams that needed a QB but still he slid. What will happen to the ND players NFL chances once Charlie’s buddies are fired/retired? Maybe recruits will start to look at Pitt, that is if Wannstedt still has buddies in the NFL.
Ah, I love it when paranoid Ohio State fans come over to a Notre Dame blog and make comments on posts that have nothing to do with them. By the way, congrats on Sweat… Notre Dame will be left to “settle” for just a top 100 guy at linebacker like Steve Filer. Oh well….
Also, you are correct about OSU really preparing people for the NFL, that Heisman QB who did so well in the title game this year really benefited. I mean, he was after all the last pick of the 5th round (or 152 spots lower than Brady Quinn for those keeping score at home).
How Sweat it is! Contrary to what Dave Wanstedt says there are more than 3 schools capable of preparing players for the NFL and in fact OSU, Texas, Florida, LSU, etc. … do a better job than Notre Dame and Pitt combined. Maybe he is in fact the Buckeyes best recruiter.
That’s absolutely fantastic. Charlie has had Wanny’s number for years (See Miami D aginst New England’s O when he was there). The top players all want to think they are playing for the best program and to have a coach of major D1 school that we compete against come out say that…if I was CW and CB I would tape that quote to the scholarship offer letters I sent :-)…