"I Was Shocked…"

"Notre Dame is my top pick right now," said linebacker David Posluszny. "Coach (Charlie) Weis offered me when I was there for the Notre Dame Junior Day in January. He took me and my parents into his office and told me he wanted me to come play linebacker for him…that I had an offer. He said I fit the mold to play at Notre Dame. They want me for weakside linebacker..."

David Posluszny, the standout 6-foot-2, 214 pound linebacker from Aliquippa (Pa.), says he has offers from Notre Dame, Rutgers, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Temple, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Louisville. He denies a top five, but with four visits to South Bend already under his belt, it's no surprise that the Fighting Irish are in good position for the Hopewell High School star.

"Notre Dame is my top pick right now," Posluszny said. "Coach (Charlie) Weis offered me when I was there for the Notre Dame Junior Day in January. He took me and my parents into his office and told me he wanted me to come play linebacker for him…that I had an offer. He said I fit the mold to play at Notre Dame. They want me for weakside linebacker.

"I was shocked when I got the offer," he continued. "I didn't expect it at all. I really can't say there's any one thing that I like about Notre Dame…I like it all. It's such a prestigious school. The campus is unbelievable with the Golden Dome and the Touchdown Jesus…there is just so much tradition there.

"Academics are really important to me too. At Notre Dame, I know I could get a great education, plus have a chance to win a national championship. I met the new linebacker coach and really liked him a lot. Coach Weis said he really wanted me to play at Notre Dame and that he'd hold a spot for me so I could take my time and make sure I make the right decision for myself. They just switched to a 3-4 defense which is good because it gives the linebacker more opportunity to play.

"Pittsburgh and Wisconsin have been recruiting me really hard too," he said. "I went to Wisconsin and met some of the coaches and got to see the campus. I was really surprised at how much I liked everything there. The coaches are great. I got to meet with pretty much the whole coaching staff there. Coach (Bret) Bielema and all the coaches were just so easy to talk to. I was really comfortable with them. I'm going to take an official (visit) there, I just don't know when yet.

"I really like Pitt a lot," he said. "I went to their spring practice yesterday. They are really fun to watch. It so close to my house…thirty minutes by car. It would be something to be able to play in front of the hometown fans. Pitt was the first to offer me, along with West Virginia on Sept. 1.

"I know I want to take officials to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Penn State right now. I just don't know when yet. Penn State is the only one I haven't got an offer from yet. I know the coaches and the program pretty from my brother (senior linebacker Paul Posluszny). They have always been high on my list. I'm hoping I get an offer soon.

Posluszny said he has no time frame in which he'd like to commit. "Wherever I feel the most comfortable, that's when I'll do it. My brother has told me a lot about the recruiting process, so I feel I know what to expect a little more than other guys. I'm just going to take my time and weigh all my options before I make any decisions.

"I like to think of myself as a leader," he said. "I think that's my biggest strength on the field. My teammates can feel off of my intensity. I'm very smart on the field too. I need to work on my strength. Next year I'm moving to middle linebacker from the outside and I need to build my strength for that."

Posluszny, who claims to run a 4.6 forty, bench presses 300 pounds, squats 360 and power cleans 205.

Posluszny reports a 3.5 core GPA and is planning on taking his ACT in April and the SAT in May.