Weis believes Notre Dame is on right path

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Amid growing fan discontent, Charlie Weis insisted Notre Dame is on the right path and he is the coach to lead the Fighting Irish out of their latest rut.

“I’m confident that the program is going to go where we all want it to go. That’s as honest as I can be,” Weis said Tuesday. “Because I think we have pretty good players. When you have pretty good players, you have a chance to be pretty good.”

Notre Dame fans, though, aren’t looking for pretty good. They’re looking for national championships, something they haven’t celebrated since 1988.

The Irish went 3-9 last season and despite an easier-than-usual schedule by Notre Dame standards, the Irish (5-4) are just a game above .500 and have lost three of their last four.

Weis, who as a Notre Dame student more than 30 years ago called the university president to complain about a loss, said he understands fans being upset.

“I think that I’d be perturbed, too, if I were them, to be honest with you,” he said.

Some blamed last year’s dismal record on Weis’ predecessor, Tyrone Willingham, whose last recruiting class left Weis to rely on a bevy of inexperienced players. But Weis has four recruiting classes — three full, highly rated classes — in place and isn’t showing as much progress as many fans expected.

“I’m encouraged with the personnel. I’m encouraged with the holes we’re filling on a regular basis both currently and in the future,” he said. “To me, as far as the mechanics of our staff, to me everything is starting to fall into place to me very clearly.”

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