SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - This year's seniors won't leave Notre Dame with the same accolades bestowed when they signed with the school and coach Charlie Weis predicted they would lay the foundation for the Fighting Irish to remain among the elite teams for years to come.
The Irish were coming off a 9-3 record in Weis' first season and finished ranked No. 9, their first Top 10 finish in 12 seasons. Weis, who had been hampered in recruiting the season before because he was finishing his job as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, signed what recruiting analysts described as the school's best in recent years.
``I told everyone in this class that this was going to be the class that started Notre Dame back to the top,'' Weis said at the time.
Most of those players watched from the sideline or saw limited playing time when the Irish went 10-3 their freshman season, their one noteworthy year. More got on the field during a 3-9 a season that arguably is the worst in school history. The Irish finished 7-6 last season and with two games left this year, they are 6-4. Some fans are calling for Weis to be fired.
This isn't what anyone involved in the program expected when those seniors arrived on campus in 2006.
``We came in expecting to win national championships,'' receiver Robby Parris said.
Depending on how Notre Dame goes Saturday against Connecticut (4-5) and the next week against No. 14 Stanford (7-3), this class could leave with the worst four-year mark since Gerry Faust's recruiting class of 1983. That class, highlighted by Steve Beuerlein, went 24-22, a .521 winning percentage.
Heading into Saturday, the recruiting class of '06 has the same record as Bob Davie's final recruiting class of 2001: 26-22 with a .542 winning percentage.
The two highest-rated players in that class were tackle Sam Young and running back James Aldridge. Rivals.com had Young rated as the 11th best recruit, 11 spots above Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
Young has started every game in his four years and on Saturday will set a school record with his 49th straight start. He has been a solid player, but never a dominant lineman.
``He hasn't always played great,'' Weis said. ``Sometimes he has, sometimes he hasn't. But what he's always done is he's worked his butt off every single day since he's been here.''
Young called his four years at Notre Dame a roller coaster. The thought of leaving ran through his mind after the team struggled during the 3-9 season.
``Especially when one of my good friends (Marcus Gilbert) plays for Florida, I come home and he's got 15 different rings on. I think it ran through my head,'' he said. ``I can say without a doubt that I made the right decision. For everything good, bad and in between I've been through, I wouldn't change my decision.''
Aldridge's career has been hampered by injuries. He led the team in rushing as a sophomore with 463 yards on 121 carries, his most productive year. As a fullback this season, just five carries for 15 yards in four games.
``You come in as a highly touted class with a bunch of studs, it is what you think it would be. Then reality hits,'' Aldridge said.
A total of 27 players signed with the Irish on Feb. 1, 2006. Tight end Will Yeatman, a lacrosse player, and punter Eric Maust, a baseball player, were later added. Of those 29, eight left to play elsewhere and two sustained career-ending injuries. Six are starters.
The Irish will see two of those who transferred in the next two weeks. Tight end Konrad Reuland is at Stanford while Zach Frazer, who finished fourth in a four-man quarterback competition in the spring of 2007, starts for UConn.
``The coaches, the coaching situation over there didn't work out,'' Frazer said. ``I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't leave on bad terms or anything.''
Despite some disappointments, Weis believes the seniors still were essential to building the program because the class filled so many holes. He said now there is a more orderly recruiting method.
``I think it gave us a good foundation,'' he said.
The seniors say they hope they leave the program headed in the right direction.
``Guys have played above their stars, below their stars, whatever you want to call it,'' Young said. ``But I think all in all, this class I'm a part of has just been resilient. We've just hung in there.''
