Zeke Motta: Weis said Motta reminds him a lot of Harrison Smith in terms of his athleticism and tackling. When watching Motta's tapes, the thing I like most is his aggressive downhill pursuit to the ball carrier; this guy doesn't mess around. He should be perfect for a Notre Dame safety that has (perhaps unfortunately) been asked to help a lot in run support.
E.J. Banks: While Banks will be playing DB for the Irish, he did run and throw for over 1,000 yards playing quarterback his senior year. I was a little surprised with how Weis addressed the possibility of Banks playing QB in his press conference because he didn't rule out the possibility. With Clausen and Christ preventing a QB from really being recruited this year, Charlie alluded to the fact that some players like Banks might work their way under center in special packages. After watching Banks' highlight reels, I say it's worth a shot to put him in 'Wild Leprechaun' a few times a year.Theo Riddick: With a premier back the caliber of Cierre Wood in this signing class, Riddick has been overlooked by some. Weis even said that this class didn't need two RBs, but when you get the opportunity to pick up someone of Riddick's talent, you can't say no. As such, be sure of the fact that Riddick should see some touches in the next few years despite the immense depth at the position. Possible roles mentioned during the presser include being used as a speed back or working from the slot.
Special Teams: It seems odd to some for ND to offer 3 special teams scholarships in one class, but Weis defended his offers very well. He expects Cowert to be competing for a starting spot at long snapper this September. Having snapped over 370 balls in four years of high school without any errors, Cowert could bring stability to a position that, as Weis put it, "could have been the difference between wins and losses" last season. If that weren't enough, Cowert played for the same high school and punter Ben Turk, who in addition to being labeled as one of the country's premier punters, won two state titles in Florida. At the very least, these two shouldn't crack under pressure.Kicker Nick Tausch will be a welcomed addition to this team as well - half of his kickoffs in high school went for touchbacks (an area where ND has greatly struggled). As a funny bonus story, Tausch's dad won a ring in the NFL as an offensive linemen, and Nick's brother (280 lbs) signed to play line for TCU yesterday. How one family produces two excellent linemen and a kicker, I have no idea.
Manti Te'o: I was floored that Te'o picked ND. In addition to the fact that he attended an awful Syracuse game (where it was snowing) for his official visit, I heard that teammates took the devote Mormon out to some crazy parties later that night, and on top of it all, I heard he told someone "There is no way I will play here." Just goes to show you what rumors are worth I guess. Weis apparently spent a lot of time introducing Te'o to all of the Mormon faculty and students, and in the end, Charlie said that the values of the Notre Dame family closely aligned with the values he had been brought up with, and that was a major factor in his decision.The hype of his commitment hasn't only been limited to fans though, as Weis said that the majority of the team sent him congratulatory text messages on signing day.
That's it for now. Go Irish!
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