By George, It's West | by Pat

With the rate current recruits are jumping onto the Notre Dame bandwagon, imagine what will happen when ND wins a home game.

Oklahoma all-around athlete George West announced his intentions to sign with Notre Dame and in doing so became the 16th known verbal committment.

"I felt it was the right fit for me," West said prior to his game Thursday evening. "They have that swagger back in the program and their team chemistry is great."

An explosive, versatile player, West will likely come into Notre Dame listed as a wide receiver, but will be equally likely to put in time with the cornerbacks. At 5'8" 176lbs, West might be on the smaller side for receiver, but I can't help but notice that Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch is only 5'9". Oh, and that Joey Getherall guy wasn't all that tall, yet still had a bit of success at Notre Dame as well.

Forecasting either offense or defense for West isn't going to be easy. He led the state of Oklahoma in receptions last year, but he also tied for the most number of interceptions . He's also a special teams ace, which is where he'll probably make his first impact for the Irish. Last year he led the state of Oklahoma in punt and kickoff return yardage and so far after only 4 games his senior year he has 7 special teams touchdowns. In fact, Northeast Academy's very first play of the 2005 season was a 90 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by West.

A player like West is a great addition to a class because of his flexibility in playing multiple positions. He chose the Irish over offers to Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Baylor, Northwestern, Kansas State, Stanford, and Oklahoma State.