Ragone picks Irish

Camden (N.J.) Camden Catholic tight end Mike Ragone announced his college destination on Sunday night and will have a press conference Monday morning. Ragone, one of the nation's top tight ends, has decided to play for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.

"First off, it has a lot to do with coach Weis," said Ragone. "The way he recruited me and the way Notre Dame recruited me. They said they wanted one tight end in the country and it was me, that blew me away. They also recruited the best quarterback in the country in Jimmy Clausen so playing with him will be great. It was just the right place."

Ragone knew he would be Irish on his second visit.

"It was for the spring game and I just felt it," said the 6-foot-4, 221-pounder. "I felt comfortable and it felt like home. I told my grandfather and my father right then and they were happy for me. I told coach Weis as well that weekend, that's when I committed. He was happy."

Did Ragone want to make an early decision?

"I really didn't know," he said. "I was planning on going through the process and taking it slow, but on that second trip to Notre Dame it hit me. This was the place I knew I wanted to be and there was no place else that was going to be better. I knew it."

Ragone watched former Notre Dame tight end Anthony Fasano, a New Jersey native, get drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

"That's my team too," he said. "That was cool. To see a Jersey kid go off to Notre Dame and do well, now I can keep that tradition going."

Ragone is recovering from an ACL tear that occurred during wrestling in late March.

"Rehab is going good," he said. "I'm well ahead of where I should be and I'll be 100-percent for the upcoming season. I just want to make sure that the doctors clear me to play first because I don't want to rush it. Once they say it's okay, I'll be back."