IRISH LAND NASTY LB IN CARLO CALABRESE

The Fighting Irish have been needing a hard-nosed, punishing linebacker who loves to destroy the other team's players to fit into Jon Tenuta's blitzing attack and it looks like they found the perfect match in LB Carlo Calabrese of New Jersey. Yesterday Calabrese committed to Notre Dame and head coach Charlie Weis making him the 5th commitment and 3rd out of the Garden State in the 2009 class.

Calabrese looks like an old throwback type of football player who always plays with a ton of emotion and simply loves to hit people.

"I like hitting kids," Calabrese said. "That's my favorite thing."

Calabrese is the perfect fit for the MIKE position at ILB for Notre Dame. He has great instincts for the ball and is already big enough and strong enough to compete for playing time once he arrives on campus in 2009. He knows how to shed blocks and plays with a solid base which should make him an excellent middle linebacker in college with the ability to stop the run. At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, he is built like a big rig and hits like one too. Looking at this picture will give you a better understanding of just how strong and big he is coming out of Verona High School(same high school as former Notre Dame tight end and current Miami Dolphin Anthony Fasano) in New Jersey.

Calabrese looks like a freak of nature and if I had to compare him to someone coming out of high school I would say he reminds me a lot of Takeo Spikes. He just seems like he knows where the football is going to go and quickly beats the opponent to the spot and then...well, he simply crushes them. Calabrese will become an instant fan favorite in South Bend with the way he plays the game and the emotion and heart he leaves out on the football field every Saturday. He is by far my favorite recruit in this class because of the energy he brings to the field and should be an excellent recruiter for the 2009 class which can reach the high teens in numbers.

Here are some highlights of Calabrese absolutely destroying the opposition while foaming at the mouth...