SOUTH BEND, Ind. - With not a lot of prospects remaining on the board for the group that will sign next week, close followers of Notre Dame recruiting can almost afford to keep one eye on this year and another on the group that will sign in 2010.

And this week, a local junior gave recruitniks something to look forward to.

Daniel Smith, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver from nearby Clay High School in South Bend verbally committed to the Irish, picking ND over Indiana, Purdue and Central Michigan.

"For me, there was really only one choice of where I wanted to go to school," Smith told the South Bend Tribune.

In his junior year, Smith caught 51 passes for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns, and also intercepted seven passes as a defensive back. He projects at a number of positions in college, including receiver, safety or linebacker.

Smith is the second junior to commit to ND's 2010 group, joining Chicago-area offensive lineman Christian Lombard. Notre Dame signed the nation's second-ranked group last year, but this year's class won't approach that rating as it heads for a rating outside the top 10.

It's not a bad class, but because there aren't a lot of players who are expected to contribute early, it makes next year's group even more important.

Odds and ends
— Honolulu linebacker Manti Te'o, considered the top linebacker and one of the nation's best players, announced that he has whittled his list from five to three. Remaining are Notre Dame, USC and UCLA. Gone are BYU and Stanford. Te'o already has visited Notre Dame and UCLA and is expected to visit USC this weekend. He will announce his choice on Feb. 4.

— San Diego running back Tyler Gaffney announced on Monday that he will play at Stanford. Gaffney visited for Notre Dame's Nov. 22 loss to Syracuse.

— Wide receiver recruit Nyshier Oliver of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, N.J., has backed out of his ND commitment and switched to Tennessee. Oliver, who will play defensive back for new Vols coach Lane Kiffin, had originally been committed to Tennessee before switching to the Irish.

— Los Angeles-area safety Byron Moore officially decommitted from USC. Moore, who visited ND for the Syracuse loss, remains in play with the Irish, but also said late last month that he was interested in LSU and national champion Florida. Moore is a good friend of ND wide receiver commit Shaquelle Evans.

— Chicago-area defensive end Michael Buchanan, who was recently offered a scholarship by Notre Dame, has narrowed his choices to Purdue and Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune.

— Maryland linebacker Jelani Jenkins looks like a no-go for the Irish. Jenkins will not take an official visit to ND and could be leaning to Florida.

— New offensive line coach Frank Verducci will recruit his New York, New England and his native New Jersey. Quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus takes over his native Pennsylvania, and new running backs coach Tony Alford will handle part of Florida and part of Texas.

Injury update
Irish offensive line recruit Chris Watt underwent successful shoulder surgery recently. Watt suffered the injury in the Jan. 3 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His high school coach expects him to be throwing the shot put in April.

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