Wearing o' the Green | by Pat

It's been open season on Irish recruits all year long, with each mounting loss providing an opportunity for opposing teams (and perhaps a few recruiting websites) to ramp up the heat on the 21 players currently committed to ND. It's still a long way until National Signing Day, and who knows what will happen. One thing I've come to accept is that there is no sure thing in recruiting and things can change in an instant.

Still, if you're looking for a sign that a kid is going to stick with ND, this is a pretty good one:

Coach Kevin Rooney held a meeting with his Sherman Oaks Notre Dame football team on Halloween, and he found that keeping a straight face was extremely difficult. Linebacker Anthony McDonald showed up as Dog the Bounty Hunter. A teammate was Scooby-Doo and another was dressed as Superman.

Then there was 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback Dayne Crist, set to join Coach Charlie Weis next fall at the University of Notre Dame. Wearing a green top hat, green coat, green tie, green scarf and socks up to his knees, Crist turned himself into a giant leprechaun.

Very nice. McDonald as Dog the Bounty Hunter isn't bad either. The rest of the LA Times article is a fun read on ND's latest QB recruit. Included are a few quotes from Crist about his relationship with Coach Weis.

Once a week, Crist speaks with Weis on the phone. The conversations usually last 15 to 30 minutes. They also communicate by e-mail. Crist has sensed Weis' emotional ups and downs this season as Notre Dame struggles with a 1-8 record, but he enjoys learning from his future coach.

"It's a real comfortable relationship," he said. "We talk about what's going on with their week and game plan and he's interested in knowing what we're doing. He's a very emotional person. It's tough to talk to him on the phone because you can't get facial reactions. I love his personality."