I mentioned to Chris a few weeks back when we were talking about recruiting that our following of recruiting has began to get into the creepy stages.  Think about it - we won't even be in school when these kids are freshman in college.  While it is sad and makes me want to do a victory lap of a 5th year, I don't think it will impact my interest in recruiting.  As we've seen in the past, talent isn't everything, but it sure does help to have some great players playing on your team - as opposed to against you.  We've done a crap job of talking about 2008's recruiting, so here's a recap of the commitments we've received in the past month or two.

David Posluszny - It seems as though this year's recruiting class will have some familiar names in it.  Our first commitment was Mike Golic Jr., son of former Irish star and ESPN personality Mike Golic.  Our most recent commitment is David Polsluszny, brother of former Penn State linebacker Paul Polsluszny.  David is a 6-2, 215 lbs. linebacker from Hopewell High School in Aliquippa, PA.  His commitment is only the second for Notre Dame's defense this year and he is the first linebacker to commit in the 2008 class.  David figures to play inside linebacker in the new 3-4 defense and his commitment is a huge need for a defense still trying to find 4 starting linebackers this spring.  He was offered by Pitt, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.

Posluszny is an interesting prospect.  He's got terrific bloodlines, although he wasn't as heavily recruited by some other teams as you would think.  He was not offered by Penn State, where his brother was voted the nation's top defender two years in a row.  David was hurt for the majority of the season last year and he's somewhat of a tweener.  He's got great speed and good potential, but he needs to add some weight and muscle.  He previously played safety and running back for Hopewell.  The good news is that his brother wasn't as highly recruited coming out of high school either (we also have to remember that it is still incredibly early for this recruiting campaign).  David comes from a tough and athletic family and had some great potential to be a terrific linebacker.  I love his speed and he reminds me of a slower but bigger Harrison Smith.  Smith will remain at safety but I believe David will grow into a true linebacker.  Notre Dame will likely take 4-5 linebackers this season and David is a great start to what is widely considered one of the deepest linebacking classes in recent history.

Kyle Rudolph - As long as Charlie Weis is the head coach at Notre Dame, Irish fans won't have to worry about landing elite tight ends.  Weis has shown the ability to develop and play multiple tight ends in his short tenure in South Bend.  So it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that Notre Dame has already landed a top tight end in Kyle Rudolpha 6-7, 220 lb. prospect out of Elder High School in Cincinnati, OH.  Rudolph is probably one of the top 5 tight ends in the country and has a shot to be a 5-star player when rankings come out in the summer.  This will be the third year in the row in which Charlie Weis has landed a top-5 tight end (Konrad Reuland in 2006, Mike Ragone in 2007).  Rudolph's other offers include Ohio State, Miami (Fl.), Michigan and Tennessee, among others.

When watching Kyle Rudolph on film and looking at his profile, it is easy to see what college coaches like in him.  He's comparable to current Irish TE John Carlson, who like Rudolph came in a little light in his freshman year.  Rudolph, like John Carlson, is a standout basketball player on his high school team and could probably walk-on to Mike Brey's squad, although it appears he will focus on football.  Rudolph is a big prospect, but like I mentioned, needs to get a little bit bigger to be able to take on defensive ends and linebackers in college.  He has good form blocking, which is a good sign for his future ability.  His size makes him a terrific threat in the endzone and he shows the aggressiveness to go over the middle as well.  Rudolph is a fantastic prospect and with an early commitment he'll be one of the more overlooked players in this class.  Weis can afford to be picky with the remaining tight end prospects on board.

Sean Cwynar - Weis and Corwin Brown have said that they want bigger than usual defensive ends in the new 3-4 scheme Brown has brought to Notre Dame.  So when Sean Cwynar committed to Notre Dame in March, most fans just assumed he'd be a defensive tackle prospect with his big size and strength (6-4, 280 lbs.).  But Corwin Brown had different plans for the defensive-end to be.  Cwynar hails from Woodstock, IL (Marian Catholic) and was heavily recruited in the Midwest with offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa, and Michigan State.  He's a versatile prospect and could end up playing offensive line or defensive tackle, but he insists defensive end is his best position.  "Once Coach (Corwin) Brown and I broke down film together this weekend it really helped me become completely comfortable, and frankly excited, about what I can do in that scheme," said Cwynar.  "I like it because there are a lot of things I can do with my size and speed in terms of dropping into coverage, playing contain, crashing against the run and rushing the passer from my position."  Cwynar was an early target for the coaching staff and is fits a huge need for the Irish on the defensive side of the ball.

It will be interesting to see where Cwynar ultimately ends up in Corwin Brown's new scheme.  He plays defensive end in high school and on film he plays it very effectively.  The only question I have is with regards to his quickness.  He's got the size of someone like Trevor Laws (actually reminds me of a bigger Paddy Mullen), but I'm not sure he's as quick as Trevor is.  Not many guys of that size are, though.  The thing I like about Cwynar is that he comes from an established program and will come to Notre Dame with the ability to play early.  We've had issues with recruiting players who come in to the program about 30 pounds shy of where they should be, so it's a blessing that Cwynar is already at the size that Corwin would prefer.  There will surely be a learning curve, but Cwynar is a smart kid and is eager to play in the 34 defense.

John Goodman - With the graduation of Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight, the wide receiver position is open for competition.  Charlie Weis has attracted a lot of receivers over the past few seasons and this year he plans on taking 2-3 more.  His first wide receiver of 2008 is John Goodman, a wideout from Fort Wayne, IN (Bishop Dwenger H.S.).  John is a big target at 6-4, 185 lbs. and was an early prospect for Charlie Weis and his coaching staff.  He has been to Notre Dame several times throughout the past few years and even camped at the football camp last summer, so the Irish coaching staff has seen him up close.  John selected Notre Dame over Michigan in early March at Notre Dame's junior day.

White wide receivers typically get compared to each other - it's the nature of the game.  But in all honesty, the player that most resembles John Goodman is former Irish great Jeff Samardzija.  I think Samardzija is a bit bigger and a better all-around athlete, but John and Jeff are similar in the fact that they are just complete, fluid receivers.  They're both very good in the open field and they use their size to break free from defenders.  One highlight of Goodman even had him do a screen pass (Weis runs this at least 5 times every game) and it was uncanny to see the resemblance in the way they caught it and then burst out to earn more yards.  Its clear Goodman is one of the better receivers in the country.  He had offers from ND and Michigan and shortly narrowed it down to those two, despite calls from Urban Meyer at Florida.  I think he'll be one of the more overlooked players in this class.

Braxston Cave - Even though Charlie Weis has made a significant effort to recruit offensive linemen in his first two classes, the Irish still have a lack of depth at the offensive line.  When you consider the transfers and injuries that can occur each season, the need to bring in 4-5 OL every year is an important one.  Weis was fortunate enough to add his second offensive line commit of the year in Braxston Cave, a 6-4, 290 lb. center/guard from nearby Mishawaka, IN (Penn High School).  Cave has grown up only about 10 minutes away from campus and was actually named after former Irish great Braxston Banks, so the decision was an easy one for him once he was offered.  Like Goodman, Cave chose Notre Dame over Michigan.  He joins Mike Golic, Jr. as the two offensive line recruits this year.  Many expect Notre Dame to sign 2-3 more this year.

Charlie Weis and offensive line coach John Latina know what they're getting in Cave.  They've had the opportunity to see him up close a number of times and obviously they liked what they saw.  On film it's easy to see where Braxston is on the field: he's the one knocking over the defensive linemen.  Cave plays center for Penn High School, which is one of the better football programs in Indiana.  He uses his size and strength very well, but probably needs to work on getting under people and using his feet better.  I'm going to venture to say Braxston was one of the more important players in this class.  Obviously, he's a talented guy that grew up just down the road from ND and was a recruitment that would have to be greatly botched in order for him not to come here.  He's also a valuable guy to have around when recruits are in town for visits.  Just a few weeks ago, he hosted soon-to-be freshman Robert Hughes and 2008 recruit Darius Fleming overnight when they visited the Notre Dame campus.  He might become the ambassador for the 2008 class that we really need.