I've begun to get a little annoyed with football recruiting.  Partially because it has become a lot of work to follow all the guys, especially since it seems National LOI day was just yesterday.  It's also become a little sobering to remember that I'll be close to 25 years old before these guys ever step foot on the playing field.  That's just weird.  Good news is that my annoyance sure hasn't stopped Charlie Weis and the rest of the coaching staff from gaining some commits this off-season.  I was a bit scared at the recruiting for this year, mostly because of our success last year.  The last memory kids have of Notre Dame is a 3-9 football season.  That didn't effect last year's class since most of the players were already on board, but this year might prove differently.  Fortunately, Notre Dame has received commitments from 4 players.  Here's some thoughts on them:

Jake Golic, TE, Conn. - A name you might be familiar with, Jake is the brother of last year's commit Mike Jr. and is the son of former Irish star Mike Golic.  He was, like his brother, Notre Dame's first commit of the 2009 class and stars at tight end.  While he's a bit lanky (6-4, 225), he's got a great frame to build on.  He's got very good speed and that is probably what attracted Coach Weis.  Connecticut is not a football powerhouse, but he put up good numbers and had a number of other teams interested in him as well.  His commitment was expected if he was offered and when Coach Weis called him to offer a scholarship, Golic jumped on board immediately.  Notre Dame might still go after remaining TE's.

Cierre Wood, RB, Calif. - Get excited.  The nations #3 player and #1 running back is coming to South Bend.  We just have to wait a few years.  Only a week after narrowing it down to ND and UCLA, Wood visited South Bend for the Blue and Gold game and committed to the staff over the weekend.  At 6-0, 190 lbs., Wood is a shifty, smooth, and quick running back.  He's not in the mold of a Robert Hughes, but he has more size and frame than a guy like Armando Allen.  Some say that his competition is a bit suspect, but he's ranked so high mostly because of his efforts in the summer camps.  One thing that he should help with right away is the return game.  On film, he looks phenomenal.  This is a great, and even a bit surprising, pick-up for the Irish so early in the game.  As we've seen with a couple of guys over the past few years, the Irish will need to continue to recruit him just as hard as if he wasn't committed.  But don't let you get you down, Wood may be one of the best athletes we've had in a long time.

Tyler Stockton, DT, NJ - An early offer, Stockton is an important player at an important position.  He might not be the best at his position, but he had a solid offer sheet and has good size (6-1, 295) and strength (just check one of his photos).  He fits in perfectly as a nose guard in the 3-4 since his high school ran the same defense last year.  An All-State Prep player in his junior year, Tyler is a great pickup early in the game.  As an added bonus, his high school teammate, Anthony LaLota, was offered this past weekend and has Notre Dame high on his list.  

Theo Riddick, RB, NJ - Only 3 days after Cierre Wood joined the fold, New Jersey running back Theo Riddick made it official when he announced for Notre Dame on Wednesday.  He, along with Wood, is one of the two running backs to commit to Notre Dame this recruiting season.  An offer sheet that included Penn State, Virginia and BC, Riddick is a good athlete at the running back position and is rated as a 4-star player on Rivals.com.  He reminds me a bit of former Irish running back Munir Prince but with better running back skills.  He's extremely quick and shifty and is just a workhorse at running back.  This is a guy that can do a lot for Notre Dame in the next few years.  The Irish are likely done at the RB position until next year.

Overall, a very nice start for the Irish.  May evaluation period is coming up and you should expect a few more offers over the next month or so.  The summer is filled with unofficial visits and is a frequent time for players to commit.  I think the start of the season is huge for Notre Dame.  If we struggle, you can kiss some of the big-time players we are after goodbye.  If we surprise some people, watch out: it could be another top 10 class.