'Tis the season for selling

December 07, 2010|By ERIC HANSEN, Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND — With the fastest sellout in Sun Bowl history (21 hours) in the books, the mega-in-demand Notre Dame-Miami football tussle has moved to the dreaded secondary ticket market.

Now, what originally cost $15-$60 per ticket to witness on Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas, will gouge your checking account anywhere from $85 to $413 on stubhub.com.

For those with less-ambitious budgets, you can purchase a souvenir Catholics vs. Convicts T-shirt on eBay for $20 plus shipping and handling from an outfit called Sportscrack Tees.

As for Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, he’s busy selling, too. The product? His vision of ND’s football future.

The current Irish three-game win streak has proven to be a marvelous deodorant in that respect.

"They can see the momentum you’ve been talking about coming to fruition," Kelly said of the prospects on ND’s holiday shopping list. "We’re probably getting (fewer questions) about our program. I think they see we’re moving in the right direction."

CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming concurs, noting that the next referendum likely will come Thursday, when 6-foot-6, 229-pound multi-position athlete Christian French of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, chooses from among ND, Oregon and the homestate Iowa Hawkeyes.

"I always thought it would come down to Iowa and Notre Dame," Lemming said, "but Oregon is going so well, you never know. The interesting thing is that ND is now recruiting him as a wide receiver, which is the position I think he would like to play the most."

Brooklyn, N.Y. defensive end/outside linebacker Ishaq Williams is due in campus this week for an official visit.

Other big names in the mix include defensive back Wayne Lyons of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., running back Savon Huggins of Jersey City, N.J., and defensive ends Troy Niklas of Anaheim, Calif., Brennan Scarlett of Portland, Ore., and Shane Ray of Shawnee, Mission, Kan.

Ray is a Missouri commitment, who took an official visit to ND this past weekend.

Lemming said the Irish are also looking for another offensive tackle to go with committed prospect Matthew Hegarty.

"The USC game opened a lot of eyes and minds," Lemming said. "One game doesn’t usually do that with a school like Notre Dame, but it did this time. The Miami game could have a positive impact too. It will be a good measuring stick as to how far the Irish have come."

Talent quotient

Lemming says USC is still by far the most talented team Notre Dame played in 2010. Miami is on the next level along with Michigan, Michigan State and Stanford.

"I think people would have a hard time believing Stanford isn’t the most talented," Lemming said. "They do have talent, but it’s the coaching that makes the difference there."

1 | 2 | Next

|

|

|