A new beginning | by Pat

Ok, then. Let's dig right in with all the links you need to catch up on the Recruiting Class of 2007.

• The official Notre Dame press release
• Charlie Weis Press Conference Transcript
• the South Bend Tribune - "Irish Signs 18, Loses 2 late"

Rank 'Em. According to the four major recruiting services, here is the final class ranking for ND's Class of 2007.

6th - Lemming/CSTV
8th - ESPN
8th - Rivals
11th - Scout

BGS Breakdowns. For those silly readers that think we know what we're talking about, here's what we said about each recruit when their commit was made public

Offense
QB - Jimmy Clausen
RB - Armando Allen, Robert Hughes
TE - Mike Ragone
WR - Duval Kamara, Golden Tate
OL - Matt Romine, Taylor Dever, Emeka Nwankwo

Defense
DE - Kerry Neal
DT - Ian Williams, Andrew Nuss
LB - Aaron Nagel, Steve Paskorz, Brian Smith
CB - Gary Gray
S - Harrison Smith
K - Brandon Walker

Switcheroo. Both Andrew Nuss and Emeka Nwankwo started out life as a Notre Dame commit on the offensive side of the ball. But now one, if not both, will be entering their freshman year lumped in with the defensive tackles. Nuss is already listed with the defensive tackles on und.com, while Nwankwo is still grouped with the OL...for now. Both played the position extensively in high school, but offensive line was the position at which most schools recruited them.

Switcheroo part Deux. This saw a number of flipping, flopping, and flip-flopping as three commits altered their original plans and headed to Notre Dame while three others did the exact opposite and bolted ND for other destinations. Kicker Brandon Walker (Louisville), linebacker Brian Smith (Iowa), and corner Gary Gray (South Carolina) flipped into ND's class while defensive end Justin Trattou (Florida), wide receiver Greg Little (North Carolina), and offensive lineman Chris Little (Georgia) flopped out.

State of recruiting. Unlike the 2006 and 2003 classes, there are no high school teammates in the class of 2007. But in a nationally diverse class that draws from 12 different states, 5 states feature two or more recruits. Florida - Allen, Williams, Nwankwo. Tennessee - Smith, Tate. California - Clausen, Dever. New Jersey - Kamara, Ragone. Illinois - Hughes, Nagel.

More to come with the BGS take on the class and reactions from Signing Day...