The big recruiting news this week comes from the West Coast, but has implications that reach far into the Midwest.
Nick Montana of Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, announced his commitment to play for the University of Washington Huskies and head coach Steve Sarkisian. Montana was rumored to be interested in Stanford, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.
Nick Montana's commitment to Washington means Notre Dame
will be forced to look elsewhere.
Jose L. Marin
Given that the Huskies were 0-12 a year ago, major credit goes to Sarkisian for landing a player of Montana's ilk. Along with Jesse Scroggins of Lakewood, Pete Thomas of Valhalla, Brett Nottingham of Monte Vista, and Notre Dame’s Ryan Kasdorf, Montana projects as one of California’s top signal callers in 2009.
Montana’s commitment comes a week after Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) quarterback Jake Heaps announced his pledge to BYU. Montana and Heaps will match up in a game between Oaks Christian and Skyline this season.
So while Huskies’ fans are rejoicing, Notre Dame fans are left scratching their collective heads. The Fighting Irish did not take a quarterback in the 2009 recruiting class, and many of the top 2010 prospects are already off the board.
Where will Charlie Weis turn?
First, it’s important to note that Jimmy Clausen will only be a junior this season. If his five touchdown performance against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl is any indication, he could be coming into his own for the Fighting Irish.
Dayne Crist brings high expectations for the post-Clausen era, and walk-on Nate Montana, Nick’s brother, also provides some depth at the position.
Still, Notre Dame is on the hunt to land a quarterback in 2010, and that player could come from the Cincinnati area.
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) quarterback Andrew Hendrix is high on the list of quarterbacks that Weis and staff are considering. The 6-foot-3 Hendrix threw for over 1,600 yards last season. He’s expected to be one of the best QBs in Ohio this year. Ohio State is also courting him.
Like the Irish, the Buckeyes were left standing at the altar for Montana and would love to lure Hendrix to Columbus.
Another option for Notre Dame could be Luke Massa, the quarterback of St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), a Greater Catholic League rival of Moeller. Leading St. Xavier to the Division I state title as a sophomore made many people aware of the 6-4 Massa. He has since battled injuries but looks to bounce back with one of the state's top programs as a senior.
The Irish may also opt to look to the West again and put the full-court press on either Thomas or Kasdorf. Thomas has the frame that college coaches like, but Kasdorf, a MaxPreps All-American, was more productive, and actually took over for Crist. Like Notre Dame’s other targets, both are dropback passers.
While it’s not time for Notre Dame to panic, you can expect that Weis will be looking to lock up a quarterback or two sooner rather than later, before another targeted recruit commits elsewhere.
Robinson Gaining a Following
Another quarterback who is attracting the attention of college recruiters is Sean Robinson from Rochester, Ill.
Colleges around the Midwest are working hard to land Sean Robinson.
Greg Behrens
Leading the Class 4A Rockets to a 7-3 record, Robinson tossed for over 1,500 yards and rushed for over 1,000. Schools around the Midwest are competing for his services.
It appears that there are no clear leaders in Robinson’s recruitment, though because of his dual-threat talents, he might not be a strong fit for Notre Dame. While Michigan has focused on in-state targets at quarterback for the 2010 class, Robinson could be a great fit in the Wolverines' offense.
Rowland on a Roll
Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.) lineman Nick Rowland anchors the offensive line for a Coyotes team that is ranked 20th in MaxPreps.com's Xcellent 25 Early Contenders. A MaxPreps All-American, Rowland has seen a steady stream of offers from many Pac-10 programs.
Arizona, Stanford and Oregon are all high on Rowland’s list. However, it may be the Sun Devils of Arizona State that have the inside track.
Reportedly, Rowland would like a chance to play alongside former Centennial lineman Zach Schlink. Schlink was a freshman at Arizona State this past season and started one game against Washington before requiring season-ending surgery on his knee.
Tampa’s Finest
The utter dominance that Plant (Tampa, Fla.) quarterback Aaron Murray displayed over the last two seasons boosted the Tampa area into national prominence.
This season, though Murray is now at Georgia, there remains a number of budding gridiron stars around Tampa.
Big Country Preps already has a list of Tampa’s top 75 players, led by Tampa Catholic quarterback Christian Green. Check out the whole list here.
