68 days left until the start of the season.  Summer workouts have begun, freshmen have reported and even for the off-season, there's a good deal of news out there.  Here's a look at some of the items of interest:

A few years behind schedule, but it looks like the Joyce Center renovation is coming together.  Just $1 million away from their funding goal (CW and I will discuss donating some of our vast profits to the cause), ND Athletic Director Dr. Kevin White said that the project has a tentative start date of September of 2008.  I'm not entirely sure why they wouldn't start immediately after the basketball season, although I'm glad they're starting in September as to not interfere with my graduation ceremony.  The $26 million dollar project should take a number of years and will include renovation to the arena, a new entrance to the JACC and a new university club section, retail space, and ticket operation offices.  Here's a preliminary rendering of the arena, which looks very spiffy.

There was some good news for a number of current and future members of the Notre Dame hockey team last Friday and Saturday when five Irish players were selected over the course of the NHL draft this past weekend.  Soon-to-be freshman Ian Cole was selected in the first round of the draft, going to #18 to the St. Louis Blues.  The young defenseman is the highest hockey draft pick for Notre Dame ever.  He has announced that he has chosen to stay in school, guaranteeing at least two years out of the talented player.  According to Notre Dame, a number of other players were selected as well:

What has been even more impressive than Charlie Weis' recruiting has been Hockey coach Jeff Jackson who has turned Notre Dame into a national power in just a few short years.  A national championship is not far off in the future.

This just in:  Blue-Gray Sky is really good at writing stories and doing the whole blog thing.  They recently put together a study of the high school recruiting class of 2004 and what they are up to now.  In it they found some interesting stuff: namely that recruiting rankings aren't perfect, but they aren't terrible either.  30% of the Top 50 players in the nation left early for the NFL and a lot more will be high draft picks next season.  There are, of course, the usual busts, resulting anywhere from injuries to being locked up in jail.  The top teams are usually the teams with the best recruiting classes and thankfully Notre Dame has become a fixture in the top 10 under Weis.  As for our 2004 recruiting class (Willingham's final class)?  Let's take a look at what we've got:

Abdel Banda - No longer with the program. Left because of injuries, but still in school.
Darrin Bragg - No longer with the program. Quit the team, but still in school. Justin Brown – Still with the program. Looking to start in 2007.
Maurice Crum – Still with the program. Consistent starter for last 3 years.
Tregg Duerson - No longer with the program. Quit the team, but still in school.
Leo Ferrine – Still with the program. Likely career backup who has seen some limited action.
Justin Hoskins - No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.
Chauncey Incarnato - No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.
Junior Jabbie – Still with the program. Will battle for playing time in 2007.
John Kadous - No longer with the program. Quit the team, but still in school.
Terrail Lambert – Still with the program. Will start in 2007.
Brandon Nicolas - No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.
Ronald Talley - No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.
Christopher Vaughn - No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.
Anthony Vernaglia – Still with the program. Will battle for the starting OLB position in 2007.
Darius Walker No longer with the program. Left early to the NFL.
David Wolke No longer with the program. Transferred from Notre Dame.

All in all, definitively the worst recruiting class in Notre Dame history.

And last but not least, here's our most recent 5-star QB commit, Dayne Crist.  He's pretty damn good.