Transfer Fever

Just as the weather in South Bend begins to cool down, the heat surrounding Irish transfers and recruiting is suddenly firing up. ND tight end Konrad Reuland followed in the footsteps of former quarterbacks Zach Frazer and Demetrious Jones when he announced that he would transfer earlier this week. Ranked by Rivals as the 3rd best tight end and the 81st best player overall in his class, Reuland has seen playing time vanish in front of his eyes as he was passed by fellow sophomore, two sport athlete, and man child, Will Yeatman. Freshman Mike Ragone has also apparently been pushing for playing time, and with five star recruit Kyle Ruldoph coming in next year, the tight end spot seems pretty full. Its times like this where I wish colleges could trade players; imagine the ESPN ticker: "ND trades Konrad Reuland to Wisconsin for offensive tackle to be named and cash considerations...."


How does Konrad's transfer affect verbal commitments for ND's next freshmen class? The Rock Report says not at all, and I agree. The high school seniors that have committed to Notre Dame are aware of the depleted upperclassmen talent on this year's squad, and if anything else, there is definitely a chance for them to get some playing time next year if they bring their A game.


What's Weis' take on this you ask?

In his presser the other day, a reporter asked how the team's poor start is affecting recruiting. Here's Charlie's response:

"I think it's pretty evident to them. I mean, when they sit there and watch and they see you starting off the year the way we're starting, they're looking at the team and they're saying, "okay, there's opportunities for me." And I'm never going to be disrespectful to our own kids, the kids that are on the team.
They watch the games just the way you do or the way I do. And they make their own evaluations of how they see where they fit. And they're pretty objective when it comes to a lot of times when they're looking at schools, whether it's somebody who has already committed to us or somebody's considering us. A lot of times, every one of these guys wants an opportunity where they can see themselves playing relatively early. "

There you have it. Go Irish. Beat Boilermakers.