Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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The Power Of Transfer Former USC running back Amir Carlisle moves to Notre Dame Feb. 1 with Will Mahone and KeiVarae Russell — but received an unexpected bonus a couple of weeks earlier. Amir Carlisle, a 2011 freshman run- N BY LOU SOMOGYI otre Dame was looking to sign at least two running backs in its 2012 recruiting class. It achieved that objective on ning back at archrival USC, trans- ferred to Notre Dame for the 2012 spring semester that began Jan. 17. Carlisle can participate in winter workouts and spring drills, but under NCAA transfer rules he will have to sit out 2012 before having three sea- sons of eligibility remaining. One of the top running back pros- pects on Notre Dame's 2011 recruiting board, the 5-10, 180-pound Carlisle originally gave a verbal commitment to Stanford prior to his high school se- nior campaign. The Cardinal was the hometown team for him while he at- tended Kings Academy in Sunnyvale, Calif. His father, Duane, was the head strength and conditioning coach for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers from 2008-10 and an assistant there the pre- vious three years. After Stanford head coach Jim Har- baugh advanced along the Bay Area to coach the 49ers, Carlisle re-evalu- ated his decision and opted for USC on Jan. 16, 2011, choosing the Trojans over Notre Dame. Carlisle and New Jersey native Savon Huggins, who selected in-state Rutgers, were the top Irish running back targets in that final month. One year later, Carlisle hopes the Carlisle's hiring at Purdue University, about 100 miles from Notre Dame, in its newly created position of director of sports performance. The elder Carl- isle will begin March 7 and oversee all 18 varsity teams, supervising a staff of speed, strength and conditioning coaches. Prior to his six years at San Fran- cisco, he also was a speed develop- 64 MARCH 2012 Carlisle, a 2010 Parade All-American, played in eight games for USC this past fall and had 19 carries for 118 yards (6.2 yards per attempt), while adding seven receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown. PHOTO BY BY DARRYL OUMI/COURTESY USC ment consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2000-04. Carlisle founded and served as president of Lightning Fast Training Systems from 1993-2005, which trained more than 10,000 ath- letes in 14 sports. Duane Carlisle told the South Bend Tribune on Jan. 7 that it was a family decision. "It was our intention to stay [in Cal- ifornia], but circumstances changed," he said. "… We felt as though Notre Dame would be the best fit for [Amir] for the next four years." third selection, Notre Dame, becomes the charm. Aiding the transfer was Duane younger Carlisle rushed for more than 2,000 yards each of his last two seasons at Kings Academy while av- eraging 11 yards per carry and scoring 57 touchdowns. At USC in 2011, the freshman was CARLISLE'S FRESHMAN YEAR A 2010 Parade All-American, the hampered by ankle and knee inju- ries but still appeared in eight games for the 10-2 Trojans while playing behind a deep corps that included Marc Tyler, Curtis McNeal — who rushed for a team-high 1,005 yards in 2011 — and sophomore D.J. Morgan. McNeal and Morgan both return in 2012, and sophomore George Farmer was moved from receiver to tailback at the halfway point of the season, or approximately when Dillon Baxter was removed from the team by head coach Lane Kiffin. In the 2011 preseason camp, veter- ans such as quarterback Matt Bark- ley and linebacker Chris Galippo told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times that Carlisle, who has been clocked with 4.43 speed in the 40-yard dash, was a standout among the freshmen. "What made [USC All-America a 42-17 blowout of Colorado Nov. 4, when he had 10 carries for 90 yards and two catches for 23 yards and a score. He finished the year with 118 yards rushing and seven receptions for 41 yards. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED receiver] Robert Woods so special wasn't his speed and it wasn't his ability — it was just his maturity as a freshman to handle the amount of [in- formation] load that he did," Galippo said. "Amir has that same maturity." Carlisle's best game came during