Who was everyone's favorite recruit that they got pumped up about, only to be let down? Mine was Jason Ching, boy I thought he was going to be all world except for bad injury... Also if not a ND guy tell what happened to him...Injuries, grades, didn't reach potential, jail.....etc
For me it was the One and Only CPA...better known as Carlos Pierre Antonine...he was highly touted, was supposed to be better than any LB on the squad, would surely start as a Freshman. Hope I don't end up replacing him with Manti Te'o .
Kory Minor came in as the USA Today's top defensive player in the country. No injuries, just a disappointing 4 years.
ND <t>I have two.. Cooper Rego or the RB from California...I think he was out of mater Dei HS...Mike something.<br/> <br/> both of these two kids looked so good on tape I couldn't beleive it, just awesome!!! I think Rego trnanferred to WV and the other kid stayed at ND as FB but was never a starter. <br/> <br/> Two best looking players on tape I ever saw!</t>
On Kory Minor, granted he never had the multi-All American career that was hoped for a guy with his HS credentials. But he was a 4 year starter at LB, somebody once said that Davie played him out of position, but I don't know he still had a good career at ND. I got this from the und.com website: McNair never played for the most part. CPA didn't start till his 5th year and wasn't very good then. Jason Ching had both back and abdominal surg as a freshman, then had a bad knee as a Soph and then had to try and beat out Anthony Weaver the next 2 years...which he never did. Mostly a backup and certainly never lived up to his prep hype either.[/quote]
Was the question which player was YOUR biggest disappointment? If I'd known he'd became a Gallo employee my whole view of Minor's career would have been different. He was great for a 5th round draft pick.
Yes, I was just suprised that you picked him...amongst the many disappointments that we've had in the last 15 years. But fair enough, Kory Minor is yours! Terry
Ronnie "By-By" Bliey, 62-63. Came to ND as a highly recruited RB from New York (NYC, I think). Supposedly blazing speed. Never panned out. I don't recall how he earned the nickname "By-By" but I remember that he was known for setting the dubious fictional team record for east-west (sideline to sideline) yards. It seems that he would take a handoff and run toward the sideline looking to cut upfield but could never find an opening. It was my freshman year, Kuharich's last year, and I can remember groaning whenever By-By got the ball. I have no idea whatever happened to him after college, but I hope he's had a good life, like I hope for all ND alums and fans.
......too many to count! Which is why I never get too worked up over the next greatest blue-chipper or superstar class. That said, the most recent bluechippers that just didn't measure up were two I remember clearly.....one was Justin Zwick who was the most sought after QB recruit we've had in 25 years or so and earned the starting job for 3 or 4 games his Jr year only to lose it by mid-season. Good kid just didn't have the right stuff. The other was the most highly regarded LB recruit in Ohio since Chris Spielman was the Wheaties cover boy. Mike "The Animal" D'Andrea. Came in the same class with AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter and was the real "prize" of the group. Due to a number of reasons, virtually never saw the football field early then a series of nagging injuries effectively ended his career.....great work ethic, marvelous physical specimen, etc, etc. Sad.....but happens so frequently.
I'll go with a current player, Sam Young. Came in as the #1 O-line prospect in the country. 6'8" 330lbs. Slower than a glacier and not particularly strong either. They tried him at LT as sophomore but Weis did not want Clausen's death on his conscience so they moved him back to the right. Some of the most spectacular sacks of ND QBs have come over Sam Young. Now I see he is projected as an NFL prospect. That must be on speculation that Verducci is a good coach and will finally develop him. I hope they are right.
Highly touted disappointments is tougher at Purdue, mostly because we don't get that many highly touteds...our gems usually grow out of the rough, like Drew Brees. Guess I could go back to Jeff George.
That certainly is legit, Stu. It's amazing to me that he hung around the NFL for as long as he did. If there ever was a "me-first" guy, he was it. Contrary to the old adage that there is no "I" in team, George spelled the word, T-E-I-M. :lol:
Kory Minor was the captain of the team and spent 4 years getting every crappy assignment that the defense would hand him. But I guess I can see where one would be let down. Those Davie years were awfully disappointing. Coming in as the HS Defensive player of the year certainly carries with it extra weight... But the guy was a 4 year started who wound up being captain of the team and had a 4 year NFL career playing in 30 games. Short of the hype, perhaps, but I think that is a whole lot more than many 'legends'.. When I think of kids misused at ND by Bob Davie, Kory Minor is the first name that pops up.
Who was the coach who recruited Jeff George to Purdue? It wasn't Jack Mollenkoff was it? I know that as soon as Fred Akers was hired George was out of there as the offense Fred was going to run didn't fit Jeff. But he had a good career at Illinois under Mike White, enough to be the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft when he came out. I have to say I had never thought of the view point that Purdue didn't get many highly hyped HS kids. I wonder if Bob Griese was highly sought after as a HS QB, what about Leroy Keyes?
George I can see how you feel about Young. He'll be a 4 yr. starter and probably get drafted and have a career in the pros. Sounds familiar. Problem is, when a player starts as a freshman, he's supposed to develop into a first day draft pick by his senior year.
TOK... Both Griese and Keyes were before my time, believe it or not (ok...I was a freshman for Keyes senior year but don't remember his recruitment hype.) Jeff George was a cancer and he proved it at Ill. and in the pros as well.