Notre Dame Recruits Shine in All-Star Game

Before the start of this season, Notre Dame fans expected their inexperienced Fighting Irish to play in a bowl game.

But with a 3-9 record — the worst in team history — shattering those expectations, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, an annual high school all-star game, might have been of some consolation Saturday.

The East team’s 33-23 victory against the West at the Alamodome featured 14 players from Notre Dame’s 2008 recruiting class, which is rated No. 1 nationally and is being hailed as the Irish’s best in almost two decades. The group is affectionately known as Charlie’s Angels for the help they are expected to provide Coach Charlie Weis next season.

“This is the rebirth,” said wide receiver John Goodman, who played for the East and has committed to Notre Dame. “We’re going there to start that team back up. All our minds are set on a national championship.”

The game Saturday showed glimpses of potential. The Notre Dame recruit Dayne Crist threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to another Irish recruit, receiver Michael Floyd, for the West team with 6 minutes 21 seconds left in third quarter.

Crist sprinted to the end zone, where he celebrated with his future teammate by slapping Floyd on the helmet several times. Floyd also had a 38-yard touchdown reception late in the game.

Floyd, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder from Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, had game highs of four catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. He said Weis told him last week that he would be watching the game.

During that conversation, Floyd said, Weis challenged him to “play big,” because “big-time players make big-time plays.”

“I tried to do that,” Floyd said. “I think I made them.”

In the third quarter, Goodman caught a 25-yard touchdown pass for the East team from Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette (Pa.) Senior High School, the nation’s top quarterback.

Terrelle Pryor, who is uncommitted, dominated the game while splitting time with two other quarterbacks. He was named the most valuable player with 79 yards rushing and 76 yards passing. In addition to his touchdown pass, he had a 6-yard touchdown run.

Because of commitments from players like Crist, who had a game-high 113 passing yards, Notre Dame’s recruiting class is its best since 1990; that year produced five eventual first-round N.F.L. draft picks, said Tom Lemming, a recruiting analyst for CSTV. The Irish are still in the hunt for six other recruits, he said.

“This class is going to be the one that brings Notre Dame back to the B.C.S.,” Lemming said.

Of Notre Dame’s 22 current commitments, Lemming said he expected half of them to play as freshmen next season. That could include Crist of Sherman Oaks, Calif. He was recruited by another Californian, Jimmy Clausen, last year’s top-rated high school quarterback.

“I think if anything happens to Jimmy Clausen, Dayne is the guy,” Lemming said.

Offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr., a Notre Dame recruit from Northwest Catholic in West Hartford, Conn., acknowledged that the Irish were “ugly to watch” this season. Notre Dame ranked last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense (242.25 yards a game) and sacks allowed a game (4.83). But Golic was confident that Notre Dame would quickly return to being a national title contender.

“Today was a big eye-opener for a lot of fans around the country,” said Golic, whose father was an offensive lineman at Notre Dame. “It gives them something to look forward to.”

After the game, Golic and tailback Jonas Gray, who also committed to Notre Dame, signed autographs for an Irish fan, Juan Aguilar, a 35-year-old account manager, who said he was as optimistic as ever about his team. He said he drives from Dallas to the All-American Bowl every year to watch Notre Dame’s recruits.

“Next year we’re going to win the national championship,” Aguilar said. “I totally forgot about this year.”

[More at www.nytimes.com]