Filer Likes It Smart

For the quote of the week today I found a nice article on incoming linebacker Steven Filer. In the recruiting wars, Weis has been adamant that one of his primary goals in developing young players is to get them a quality education. In his recent post Middle East interview, Charlie mentioned that one out of a hundred college football recruits make it to the NFL and once that one person gets there, the average career of an NFL player is only three years, so Weis appreciates the importance of a good degree. And while Irish fans may assume that the recruits always recognize The University of Notre Dame as the best place to play football and get a great education, it is always comforting to hear it from the recruits themselves.

Filer was being recruited heavily by both Notre Dame and Ohio State, and in the end, academics made the difference:

“When you go to Notre Dame, you’re always Irish. That Notre Dame degree goes far in life,” Mr. Filer says. “Not only that, it’s the biggest stage you can play on for football. But the number one thing for me is that piece of paper.” – Filer's dad

“At Ohio State, I liked the family atmosphere, the facilities, the coaches and the players. It was the same with Notre Dame,” he says. “It was a hard decision, but in the end it came down to which degree would hold more weight.” – Filer himself

Go learning! Go Irish!