As I sit here watching the `other sport', I just wanted to apologize for my absence over the past week or so.  A combination of no-internet access, Bruce Springsteen concerts, and deep depression have limited my ability to blog for the past couple of days.  Anyways, since I'm the so-called recruiting expert, I figured I'd chime in on the recent flury of commits.

Michael Floyd, WR

As most recruitniks know, OL and WR are/were the biggest needs in recruiting going forward.  After getting A's for QB, TE, DL, LB, and DB (DB is the only one you can disagree with), Notre Dame still needs to get some studs at WR and OL, preferably a lineman that will hit somebody.  Luckily for the Irish, Michael Floyd (6-3, 200), a top-10 WR from Cretin-Durham HS in Minnesota, committed to Coach Weis and the Fightin' Irish this past weekend after their game against USC on Saturday.  Floyd is a terrific prospect and chose ND after considering offers from Ohio State, Minnesota, Florida, and a host of others.  He gives Notre Dame their most highly rated receiver since at least Duval Kamara and probably since Rhema McKnight a number of years ago.  He was as close to a must-get as you could have in the recruiting game.

High school football translates terribly on tape, especially with the crappy cameras and terrible competition, so it's always hard for me to talk about individual player's skills.  Obviously the quality of other schools that are recruiting the players are a much better indicator of the type of player a recruit is and judging by how highly thought Floyd was, you have to be impressed.  Looking at his video, though, is a pleasure.  He's a big kid with very, very good football speed.  At his size, he's definitely a burner.  I'd compare him to someone like Anquan Boldin.  One thing that definitely impresses is his ability to run all kinds of routes.  He can really do whatever you need him to do and this is why I think he has a shot to get some serious playing time next year.  I love this kid.

The timing of this commitment is incredible for Notre Dame's chances of keeping this class together and keeping it the #1 class in the country.  Our last commitment was all the way back in the summer, so getting Floyd in October is huge.  I am under the theory that Floyd wanted to be Irish all along and Weis asked him to wait until after the USC game to announce.  After some tough losses, it shows the rest of the guys that we are still building something special (fingers crossed!) in South Bend and that the momentum is still going strong.

Jonas Gray, RB

Rarely do commitments come so far out of left field as Jonas Gray did this weekend.  A few other surprise commits include Kerry Neal, Omar Hunter, and Ethan Johnson this year.  The Irish have a pretty good stable of RB's from some outstanding recruiting seasons, so it's a pleasant surprise that someone like Jonas Gray would want to join ship.  People worry about potential playing time issues when you bring 4 top-10 running backs in 3 years, but depth is needed to build a championship team.  Look at USC: they have a huge number of running backs and they're doing just fine.  Competition helps out the entire team and Jonas Gray will definitely help in that regard.  At 5-10, 213 lbs and hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Jonas Gray is a top-100 player.  Rivals ranks him as their #3 running back and Scout ranks him as their #13 running back.  After originally committing to Nebraska over offers from Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, and a number of others, Gray reconsidered when the Irish showed some interest after Gray decided to look around following some tough losses under Callahan.  The Irish offered this past weekend and the decision was easy for Gray, who had ND as his top team throughout the year despite the lack of offer.

Looking at his tape, Gray reminds me more of James Aldridge than anyone else on campus.  He describes himself as a mix between a power runner and a speed back, and I would say that's an accurate description.  He has better vision inside the tackles than Aldridge does, but might lack the top-end speed at the end of the runs that Aldridge has shown a few times this year.  In any event, Gray is a top prospect and should be able to challenge for some carries next year.  I doubt he starts, but he could be a contributor if there are some injuries.  Great get for ND.