One step at a time

We knew there would be a judicial punishment for Michael Floyd and we got it this week.  Floyd got a $200 fine, suspended license for 90 days, one year of probation and will have to have an ignition device installed in his vehicle for six months.  He will also have to attend a panel for people whose family members were killed by drunk drivers.  The court also dismissed the ticket he got for disregarding a stop sign on the night of his arrest.  Since this is not Floyd’s first go around with this kind of issue, maybe these punishments will sink into Michael’s head.  He comes across as a nice kid (although at 21 it’s time to grow up) who makes bad decisions and while that’s understandable for ,ost college kids, more is expected from Notre Dame students - especially high profile football players.   

Now, with his legal issues settled, Floyd continues to work on his goals set forth by Brian Kelly.  Although he has been allowed to participate in voluntary team workouts, he has not been officially reinstated. That timeline and decision is Kelly’s and Kelly’s alone.   These voluntary workouts are run by the student athletes and are supervised by strength and conditioning staff for their portions.  All quotes from Kelly about Floyd and his progress are positive and lead me to believe we will see Michael catching touchdowns (yes plural) on September 3^rd against South Florida in South Bend.  The bigger question is, what quarterback will be throwing him the ball?

Round and Round

Last fall, Jordan Prestwood was considered one of the top offensive linemen in the country and had committed to the Florida State Seminoles.  He was committed to the Irish but de-committed in October 2010.  At 6’6” and 280+ lbs., Prestwood was considered to be a four-star recruit by most.  Being as intelligent as he is athletic, Jordan graduated early and enrolled at Florida State for the spring semester.  Of course, he had many options after being given scholarship offers form Auburn, Florida, USC, Tennessee and South Carolina, to name a few. 

Prestwood did not fare well in Tallahassee.  It was reported that he missed a lot of classes and failed to complete even 10 reps on the bench press.  With friends (and girlfriend) back home, I can see being homesick is an easy explanation.  It also calls into question his maturity.

One of Jordan’s friends is Irish freshman Aaron Lynch (also an early enrollee), who I am sure has had conversations with about his spring experience in South Bend.  Due to NCAA rules, he will have to sit out the 2011 season.  Regardless of Prestwood’s reasons for the transfer or what happens next, this signals a resurgence of Irish football’s relevance in big time college football.