Charlie Weis’s tenure with the Irish started with a bang. He posted 9-3 and 10-3 records in 2005 and 2006, guiding his team to two straight BCS bowl games. He took Brady Quinn, who at that point was a pedestrian QB, and made him a sought after name for the NFL. Then, the wheels came off as Tyrone Willingham’s players graduated and Weis struggled to find quality replacements. The 2007 3-9 record was shocking to many Irish faithful and the 7-6 record (including Notre Dame’s first bowl win in what seems like forever) last season did little to stem the tide of speculation about Weis’s future in South Bend.
Weis posted three top ten recruiting classes before dropping into the 20s this year. This includes a #2 ranked class in 2008. Notre Dame is not an easy school to recruit to. It’s in a place that’s cold. There’s a ton of tradition to live up to. It’s one of the most academically rigorous schools in the country. Combine those elements with the rise of teams nearer where the bulk of college football talent is generated, Weis has done a very good job of bringing talent to the slash mark end zones. However, that talent has yet to mature and for the Irish, rebuilding is simply not a term easily accepted. Weis has not forgotten what got him where he is today. His more active role in the offense greatly improved an anemic Irish attack last year.
I can understand the 2007 season (though the loss to Navy still baffles me) because of the talent drop off from the previous regime and the youth Notre Dame put on the field. The third year in a coaching stint can be very difficult if the coach experiences great success early (i.e., has good players that needed better coaching) because, at some point, the talent gets really young and inexperienced. The 2008 season was about like I expected, though I think the excitement the bowl win generated is very suspect as Hawai’i is not the usual football juggernaut Notre Dame plays in bowl games. However, I will agree that the momentum of an end of the season win is much better than the usual loss.
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