Welcome Golden and Harrison to the fold..

One of the biggest hurdles ND has to overcome every year in recruiting is the fact that South Bend is not the hometown-- or in the home-state-- of many of the top recruits in the country. So kids are often faced with the dilemma of staying close to home (and Mom) at the nearby, often state-affiliated school, or travelling way up north to the cold-weather climate of South Bend.

I don't mean to diminish in any way the significance of this decision for these young men. It's not a trivial thing to consider at 17 or 18 (or 19 in Jimmy Clausen's case) years old.

As a kid growing up in the Northeast, it was a big deal for me (NOT a college football recruit in any way) to choose to go to a school as far south as Kentucky. I got a lot of looks from people-- basically asking-- why would you want to go there? Everything you could ask for academically is available here... so why go anywhere else?

But for whatever reason, I felt it in me to go out and try living in another part of the country-- strike out on my own, in a sense, I guess.

So it gives me all the more respect for these guys from places like Florida, California, and (lately) here in Tennessee who have been choosing to attend Notre Dame. The climate, the academics, the football schedule-- none of them are soft. So to leave the comforts of home and move up to a place like ND-- even as amazing a place as it is-- I applaud these kids for striking out on their own and taking the chance on themselves. I don't think they'll regret it, whatever their football careers may hold.

Just watched Harrison Smith's press conference (hat tip: BlueGraySky)-- which comes hot on the heels of another great Tennessee Catholic High school product, Golden Tate, going Irish. Now here's a kid who lives in Knoxville, within sight of Neyland Stadium, says he's been a Volunteer fan his whole life, and is the son of two Tennessee alums (who were flanking him while he made his announcement)... and he chooses Notre Dame. It's just so good to see a kid that age make a bold, independent move like that. And I'm sure the Vol Nation is shocked-- imagine a kid wanting to leave the comforts of home for a Charlie Weis training camp.

Ah but there were those two magic words-- Charlie Weis.

And so the Irish have (verbally anyway-- always remember CJ Leak) two of three of the top Tennessee recruits-- with, as BGS points out, the third getting set to announce his commitment to either ND or Tennessee on January 6.

So does anyone really think Charlie would take the Giants job? The New York tabloids are all over it, practically begging for Charlie to consider it. And being a Giants fan, I would be even slightly conflicted if it were any other Irish coach, at any other time.

But with the way things are coming together in South Bend-- and more significantly, with the way they're falling apart in New York-- it's hard to imagine for me that Charlie would heed the call to come home to Jersey.