Is There Any Doubt Left?

Well, just in case there is, I want to put it to bed.

This is a list (with thanks to FunkDoctorSpock, who artfully put it together) of seniors and 5th years next season, with their post-2007 eligibility in parentheses:

TOTAL - 16

OFFENSE - 5

Sulivan
Carlson
T. Thomas
Jabbie (1)
Bragg (1)

DEFENSE - 10

Zbiwkoski
Wooden
Brockington
Laws
Stephenson
J. Brown (1)
Verngalia(1)
Crum (1)
Lambert (1)
Ferrine (1)

SPECIAL TEAMS - 1
Price

This is what our good buddy Ty left for Charlie Weis. This is the crackerjack recruiting that was keeping him and his staff off the golf course.

It's not my intention to bag on these young men -- they wear the uniform, they contribute, and they're above reproach, as far as I'm concerned. But there aren't nearly enough of them, especially at positions of need, and that's the cupboard CW had when he arrived.

If that's not enough, the folks at Dawgman.com, the Scout site for Ty's current haunts, have this to say about the state of their recruiting

NOT PANIC, JUST ABJECT DISAPPOINTMENT

Of all the guys we've been recruiting down the stretch... Smith, Weems, Masafilo, Amajoyi, Bolden, Tomzyck. We've managed to lose all of them. Now we may lose Boyles. It's argued this team needs talent to win. "Let Ty bring in his boys... then we'll see." But he's not bringing in his boys. We're gonna get smacked around with next year's schedule. And no recruiting momentum. And it's not gonna be until we change coaches that this mediocrity ends.I've been on the fence about the value of keeping Ty, about the value of continuity. But I don't see any value in continuity if it doesn't improve our talent. I've followed recruiting religiously this year and all my faith has been answered with a big hurking disappointment. I can't believe how sadly we've fared down the stretch.

I'd say we told them so, but the queue's waaaaaay too long and kicking the down isn't fun.

I eagerly await the pontifications of Saunders and Wilbon and their ilk after Washington gets their heinies handed to them next season and The Molder of Men is shown the door. No doubt that'll be Notre Dame's fault too -- we poisoned the well of his coaching greatness and now he's too psychologically damaged to recover. Or something like that. Promises to be riveting.