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Irish players benefit from football head start
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN - 1 hour ago
SOUTH BEND – James Aldridge thought he was old, thought he knew what he was doing when he enrolled early to Notre Dame out of Merrillville High School. He thought he was responsible and had a grasp on life’s realities.

It didn’t take him long to realize how young he actually was.

Aldridge was one of three football early enrollees at Notre Dame during the spring of 2006, the first time the school allowed the practice for football players. This year, the second group of early enrollees, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, running back Armando Allen and cornerback Gary Gray, entered South Bend a semester before their peers. Because of Irish coach Charlie Weis’ rule forbidding early entries from speaking to the media, their experiences remain a public mystery.

For Aldridge, entering school last year was a culture shock. No longer did he have adults structuring his life or telling him to go to class. So it took time to adjust, both on the field and on campus.

“It’s, well, you’ve got five minutes until class, and I’m sitting here in the dining hall,” Aldridge said. “Do I want to make this long walk or do I want to go to my room? But now, it’s like second nature to go to class and go to football. Once you kind of get that hard work ethic in football, it carries over to the classroom.”

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 09:18:47 GMT

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[Lefty Noob]

Good idea getting the kids in there and acclimated to college life early. Other schools do this as well?