Apparently, and as I’m the exact opposite of a recruiting savant I’ll have to take other people’s word for it, there was a fairly intense battle for the services of Amir Carlisle last year between USC and Notre Dame.
The Trojans won the short-term commitment battle back then, but the Irish have apparently won the long-term recruiting war in the here and now.
Speaking to the South Bend Tribune, Carlisle’s father confirmed that his son has asked for and been granted a release from his USC scholarship, and will be transferring to Notre Dame. The reason for the decision appears to boil down to one factor: a change in the father’s employment location.
Duane Carlisle was the head strength & conditioning coach of the San Francisco 49ers when his son signed his Letter of Intent with USC last February, but took a job at Purdue as its director of sports performance a month or so later. As the family is extremely close -- and in what was described as “definitely... a family decision” -- the dad moving to the Midwest led the West Coast son to transfer less than a year after enrolling.
“It was our intention to stay (in California), but circumstances changed,” Duane Carlisle told the Tribune. “We’re a close-knit family. ...
“This definitely was a family decision. It wasn’t just an Amir decision. We felt as though Notre Dame would be the best fit for him for the next four years.”
Looking ahead, it’s unclear what would happen if the son was drafted by an NFL club other than the Indianapolis Colts and the father was still employed by Purdue.
Despite ankle and knee issues, Carlisle showed flashes of significant potential during his true freshman season with the Trojans. The back averaged over six yards on his 19 carries as well as catching seven passes, one going for a touchdown.
As a four-star member of USC’s 2011 recruiting class, Carlisle was the No. 4 all-purpose running back in the nation and the No. 9 overall player in the state of California according to Rivals.com. Per NCAA transfer rules, Carlisle will have to sit out the 2012 season, but will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2013.