Our Honor Defend

When Charlie Weis arrived in Notre Dame, he declared that .500 wasn’t good enough and that the Irish had the wrong guy if they expected more of the same.  Yesterday, his tenure as Irish coach ended after a 6-6 (.500) regular season campaign, pending whatever happens in a bowl game that the Irish may or may not attend.  Further, the Bobby Bowden era will come to a conclusion today.  Earlier reported on ESPN that Bowden’s options given to him were that of a “reduced role”, we know now that the “reduced role” was an ambassadorial/fundraiser role.  In short: he would no longer be coaching in 2010 and he’s now retiring outright.

Charlie Weis’ first bowl game was a loss to Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and Bobby Bowden was a bit of a thorn in Ohio State’s side throughout his time as Seminoles’ head coach (3-0).  Yet, the connection to Ohio State seems to stop there.  While it’s a near impossibility that Ohio State assistants will be considered for either openings (Florida State is already filled with Jimbo Fisher, head coach in waiting), there are at least some potential recruiting consequences to be considered.

Given its proximity to the Great State of Ohio and proclivity to annually conduct border raids into Ohio sovereign territory for recruits, there are more than a few names on Notre Dame’s commit/wishlist that may find Ohio State a more attractive option at the moment.  Don’t expect Andrew Hendrix to be one of them.  Often, a recruit says he commits to Notre Dame, the school, as much as he does the program or coach or what have you.  Hendrix, a QB from the Moeller program, is one of those type of kids.  He was Ohio State’s second option (after Nick Montana looked like he was not coming to Columbus), but found Notre Dame’s QB development more to his liking.  This looks like it will stick provided that Notre Dame doesn’t hire someone who’s committed to a type of option heavy offense and provided that Hendrix doesn’t inexplicably have his scholarship offer rescinded.  In the off-chance that happens, he still won’t go to Ohio State.  Taylor Graham took his spot.

Matt James, a lineman from St. X in Cincinnati, is the interesting name to consider.  He was scheduled to take an official visit to Notre Dame this Saturday, but may call that off, naturally so, because there’ll be no head coach to show him around.  Ohio State is still a factor for James, who is also considering the Gators and the Bearcats.  In fact, James will visit Columbus the next Saturday (December 12).  One has to think the Buckeyes benefit enormously from the void left by James, though the Irish will again be a tough school to beat for James if Brian Kelly takes the job at Notre Dame.

Ohio State and Florida State don’t cross paths nearly as much on the recruiting trail as the Buckeyes and Irish do.  Part of that is distance, and another part of that is Ohio State’s cost-benefit calculus.  Ohio State tries not to spend resources competing with Florida and Florida State, instead focusing on gems that are otherwise looking at other schools in the southeast.  They may appear on each other’s radar more often, but not as much this season with Ohio State’s limited scholarship availability and a class that’s just about full.

There is, however, one name common to both schools: super-recruit Lamarcus Joyner.  If you haven’t heard about Joyner, imagine the secondary presence of Buckeye legend Antoine Winfield, but remove the disarming smile and replace it with a scowl that can make you shrink and that’s essentially Lamarcus Joyner.  Florida is also an important player for Joyner¹, but so much of Joyner’s long recruiting saga has essentially been this: he’s a lifelong Seminoles fan who has a deep appreciation for Jim Tressel and the program at Ohio State.  Here, it seems that the transitions have changed the recruiting picture.  Bowden isn’t the only one leaving the program; longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews announced his retirement last month as well.  Joyner’s uncle, typically referred to as Genron on the recruiting boards, said this alone was enough to get Joyner to axe the Seminoles from consideration.  However, Joyner also said he’d be on hand to watch the Seminoles play the Terps in the Seminoles final home game.

The kneejerk reaction to Bowden’s imposed (from what it seems) retirement is that Ohio State may be in a pole position now.  Ohio State’s program is in much better shape than Florida State is at the moment.  Nevertheless, I don’t think Bowden’s retirement changes too much for Joyner.  I imagine he knew that Bowden would not be around for all of his 4 year career for the Seminoles, if that’s where he ends up.  That it came sooner than later may not alter anything.  Further, Florida State already had a transition plan² in place for a few years now and reports on his reaction to Mickey Andrews’ corollary retirement seem inconclusive.  Joyner’s interest in Florida State remained, though sometimes weathered, in the face of the program’s downward spiral and academics chicanery of a few years back.  It should remain after Bowden’s retirement, leading to his February decision one way or the other.

Coaching transitions always entail recruiting consequences.  The end of two eras, one at Notre Dame and the other at Florida State, happen to have consequences at the point where the recruiting interests of the transitioning programs and Ohio State converge.  Much may not change; these transitions do not determine favorable outcomes for Ohio State.  That said, these two big events in the college football landscape do give some pause to be thankful³ that the Buckeyes’ football program — one that surely can (and hopefully will) improve — is healthy and Rose Bowl-bound in 2009.

1. Apparently Notre Dame is too, which is news to me. [↩]
2. While Jimbo Fisher is now the head coach, I’ve gathered that a few names are on the fence in Tallahassee, including linebacker coach Chuck Amato.  In short, even with Bowden and Andrews gone, more shakeups may be on the way. [↩]
3. It’s not too late after Thanksgiving, is it? [↩]