"We have to get more touches for the three dynamic players at running back. Somebody had to go to receiver. And Theo has the best overall skills."

- Coach Kelly

Lets look at some of the spring story lines with the Irish...

There is a lot to cover and this may be one of the most competitive springs in recent memory- even more so than Charlie's first year. We will take a look at each position group and identify who The Subway Domer considers Major and Minor players in the depth chart. This is a Spring look; meaning that I will not waste time and include freshmen that have yet to even arrive on campus.

* Quick note: Just because a player may be listed as a "Minor" doesn't mean that a large contribution will not be coming from the said player- only that the "Major" players are the ones most likely to start and provide a vast majority of minutes. It's baseball season, so think of it as Major League players and Minor League players that need a year or two. That's better.

We begin...

Days we all remember as ND fans. Jimmy committing to ND over USC, the Bush Push, Tim Brown winning the Heisman. February 24, 2010, the day KGG joined up with the Subway Domer and the Brawling Hibernian to bring you the latest ND insights.

When the Brawling Hibernian joined Subway Domer it was announced on a special day in our hearts. Brian Kelly decided to steal his thunder and announced that he would be the next coach of the Irish. Hibernian wasn't able to get his full props because we were all watching closely the events unfolding with Coach Kelly. So after the news broke yesterday that I would be teaming up at Subway Domer, I waited to see how coach was going to steal my thunder. Was he going to announce position changes? Was he getting a new recruit to commit? Was he letting us in on the inner workings of his offensive genius? Nope, none of the above. He realized it was a special day for the Subway Domer that we would all remember. He didn't want to spoil the day. Thanks for waiting for us coach, feel free to make any of those announcements anytime.

I feel like Brian Kelly did on December 11th. To say that I have wanted to join the Subway Domer's ranks since I was a young lad is an understatement. I remember those magical fall Saturdays growing up thinking about how I wanted to be a blogger when I grew up. I remember scouring every ND site on the internets looking for the perfect place to get some humor with my ND news. My trek stopped when I got to Subway Domer. I knew one day I wanted to join forces with the Domer. Thankfully my time has come. So sit back, relax and enjoy some insight, thoughts, rumblings and a little West Coast Subway flair. LETS DO THIS!

191 days until kickoff.

After a month or so of negotiations and heavy casualties, Daniel from Kelly Green & Gold, has agreed to join The Dark Side Subway Domer. Daniel has done excellent work, and the Empire can not tolerate competition and is forced to suck the life out of those who would compete for the glorious titles and tributes of the Notre Dame Subway Alumni Fanbase ,and I am glad he has decided to join Subway Domer.

In a blog with names such as The Subway Domer and The Brawling Hibernian- Daniel may choose a new moniker. However, Daniel was a very prophetic book in the Bible. No pressure, no pressure.

Please welcome Daniel ( how about "Darth Dan"? Nice ring to it- or "Danny 'I'll Punch You Right In The Fucking Mouth' Dan-Dog?)and keep checking out Subway Domer as he should be stopping in to say hello and things of that nature.

Don't piss him off- THAT"S lesson number one.

Welcome to the annual Subway Domer State of Recruiting. Basically, this is the post where the entire scholarship roster of the Fighting Irish Football team is examined from the standpoint of "place of origin," meaning: Where in the hell are these kids coming from? In the past, I have discussed pipeline states, and pipeline schools, as well as the importance of the relationships built by a staff in a particular area. Although Notre Dame does recruit nationally, they fall into line with everyone else after those pipelines and relationships are used.

The maps haven't changed much in the 4 years that we have been examining this subject. Notre Dame is recruiting strong in southern Florida, southern California, and all along the 80 / 90 Turnpike from Illinois to New York / New Jersey. It's the branching out from their pattern from time to time that makes a huge impact as far as the future is concerned. Would Notre Dame have been able to land Kona Schwenke (HI) in this last class if Manti Te'o and Roby Toma hadn't made the jump to South Bend in 2009? Probably not. That is why Notre Dame is still a sleeping giant. All of the tools and needs for a run back to Championship level are there from a recruiting standpoint if they are coached properly in all phases of the game. Notre Dame has an Alumni and Subway Alumni base that is like no other University in the country and is spread all across the nation. With that support, the Irish can keep cementing itself in the recruiting world and achieve the goals of the team and its Nation.

Let's take a look...

Welcome to the 2010 Subway Domer Recruiting Spectacular. I don't want to waste too much time here, because we have a lot of ground to cover, but I did want to say a few quick words about this class.

When asked by In the Bleachers on a recent podcast about this class, I said it was a very strong class for a transition year. I sincerely meant this. For Notre Dame to end up with a top 15 class (Rivals) after the 3 year span they had plus a new coaching staff with only a month and a half to go was fantastic. Those who think that this class was a failure and point to U$C and Kiffen as another transition school to compare to are fucking morons. Apples and Oranges people. Those who think this class was outstanding, are equally moronic. There were many holes that were not filled, but... this is a time of celebration, so perhaps we shall discuss this at a later time.

Before you read the Spectacular, you need to know what you are reading. I, The Subway Domer, have provided a look at the prospects recruitment and their possibilities on the depth chart as well as provided grades (don't be too brutal with me) and guesses at to what number of jersey each prospect will wear at Notre Dame. The Brawling Hibernian had a different task. I threw The Brawling Hibernian out of my van and into the desert with nothing but a bottle of Wild Turkey, some hallucinogenic asparagus, a crayon, and a notebook. His task? Finish this thing. His results? Well, they were worldly. He will enlighten you all on what foreign country each prospect identifies with as it pertains to, well... anything.

BTW- Spellcheck does not work on something this large. There will be mistakes- deal with it. We better get started...

In case you missed the live podcast- or didn't know anything was going on at all, let me direct you. Tonight, The Subway Domer played guest to In The Bleachers'  Michael Felder. After listening to it, I am making a new self-proclamation... less crack.

You can listen to the entire thing HERE.

No animals were harmed in the making of this podcast, but I truly sound as if I came from a bloody cockfight. Enjoy.

Yes, I know. You can still email me if you like, but I do realize that a TON of news has popped out of ND in the last few days. The Brawling Hibernian and I are working hard on a few things, and the wait will be worth it. Why? Because we fucking said so. Just a heads up on what we are lining up:

Tonight- I, The Subway Domer, will be joining In The Bleachers for a podcast . They have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

Middle of next week- The 2010 Subway Domer Recruiting Spectacular will be posted. The Brawling Hibernian has a special treat for all of you in this post.

The week after- The 2010 State of Recruiting Post. Maps, bitches. Maps.

Just wanted to give you all a heads up.

Signing day is less than a week from now. Who wants to pull their hair out and smash it into their own eye sockets? I do, I do!!! Crazy? Well, that's how recruiting has evolved in the last decade, and when it comes to Notre Dame recruiting... it gets even nutbaggier ( it's a new word).

Every February, Irish fans fell a huge letdown as they watch endless hopes of landing this stud (insert position and player) heading somewhere else.

"He had us in his top two?! How can he turn down a Notre Dame education for those convicts in Miami? "

"He's making a 40 year mistake!"

"He could start TOMORROW if he just signed with Notre Dame!"

It gets worse every year. those are just a few examples of the type of comments that come spewing out of the mouths of the overzealous- and the ignorant. (Except for the starting tomorrow part- there's nothing wrong with that statement for a lot of positions. cough cough).

How does this evolve? Let's take a look as i role in and out of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person...

With signing day less than two weeks away, and spring ball arriving a little over a month after that- there is a new hope in South Bend. Notre Dame starts the 2010 season with a new coaching staff and is finally looking to put its rocky 15 year recent history to rest.

To do that, Notre Dame is going to have to have a strong season against what is already being perceived as a very weak schedule. Strong, being a 9-11 win season with most of those wins not being in the last few minutes of the game (cough, cough) and not only playing in a big bowl game- but winning it as well.

Pretty big expectations, huh? Well, that's the way it is with Notre Dame. No matter the reality of the situation, Notre Dame is always in the spotlight and will remain there until the administrators get their wish and have Notre Dame playing in Division 1-AA.

Will talk more in depth of the schedule in the near future. Right now, however, let's take a quick first look at what the schedule looks like...