FanHouse MichaelFloyd

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic in South Bend right now. After all, at this time last year the Fighting Irish were 0-5 and well on there way to the worst season in school history. This season they've already surpassed 2007's win total, and are 4-1 while seeming to get better every week. Jimmy Clausen improves with each game, having two consecutive career games, and wide receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate give the Golden Domers the ability to score from anywhere on the field.

If there has been a weakness for this Irish team, though, it's been the kicker. Through five games Irish kicker Brandon Walker has made only one of his seven field goal attempts, and he's seven for twenty dating back to last season. After two more misses on Saturday in Notre Dame's 28-21 win over Stanford, Charlie Weis has seen just about enough of Mr. Walker.

"We definitely have to explore Ryan [Burkhart] kicking field goals,'' Weis said Sunday. ''Because in Brandon's case, it's not obviously a case of being able to kick it high enough or far enough. When you're 1 out of 7 kicking field goals, it just doesn't cut it.

''I've heard worse suggestions than that,'' Weis said when asked if sitting Walker for a game or two was an option. ''I don't know the answer to that at this point. We're going to get after this Monday and Tuesday, and we're going to make a decision on what we're going to do.

Much-hyped Notre Dame was overshadowed for once today, but here's guessing their fans don't mind. As a rule Notre Dame players seem to be a bit overrated by the recruiting services but across the nation there seems to be a vibe that Notre Dame's Signing Day haul was commendable. Rivals currently gives the Irish the #2 signing class, not far behind Alabama despite only 23 commitments to the Tide's 32.

So what gives? Was it luck of the Irish or simply a shrewd recruiting season for beleaguered coach Charlie Weis?

Here's guessing playing time was a major factor. Notre Dame played an army of young players last year. They looked terrible for it, posting the team's worst record in seemingly forever. Somehow that bad record and little hope for next year could be overlooked by many.

Among the best gets for Notre Dame: Ohio tight end Kyle Rudolph (nation's #20 player), California Quarterback Dayne Crist the nation's #25 player, tallish Minnesota receiver Michael Floyd (#27), Oregon defensive end Ethan Johnson (#32), Nebraska offensive lineman Trevor Robinson (#37), Michigan tailback Jonas Gray (#72) and Chicago linebacker Darius Fleming (#89).

Notre Dame also managed to steal defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore at the last minute from Texas A&M. Wednesday's big story was the retention of 6'-4" Virginia receiver Deion Walker who appeared ready to freak out and head to Penn State before sticking with the Irish.

While it's been incredibly painful to watch the Irish play football this season, and not just because of those horrid jerseys they wore against USC, the continual losing hasn't effected Notre Dame's recruiting very much. In fact, it could be helping.

The Irish may be 1-7 right now, with little light on the horizon, but they've picked up quite a recruiting class in the last few months. Including two players they just added to their class since Saturday's loss.

Running back Jonas Gray and wide receiver Michael Floyd have decided to play for Charlie Weis in the last few days. That means the Irish now have 21 commitments from high school players, eleven of which are in the Top 100.

This isn't a new phenomenon. A lot of times losing teams are attractive to recruits because they know there's a better chance they'll get playing time on a bad team. Throw in the fact that it's Notre Dame, and they're on national television every weekend, and Notre Dame becomes an extremely attractive option for high schoolers.

The question is whether or not it will make any difference for the Irish. I don't think there's much question that Charlie Weis knows how to get the talent to South Bend. The problem is, I'm not sure he knows how to turn that talent into a winning football team.

It's easy when you have Tom Brady, or even Brady Quinn, but Weis hasn't shown anybody he can win without those two. With all the talent the Irish have on the team right now, and with the talent they'll be adding next year, if Weis can't get this team back in the national picture he may find himself out of a job sooner rather than later.