Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Cierre Wood, running for a touchdown during a game against St. Genevieve last fall, did it all for Santa Clara in his junior season. Wood said academics was one reason he made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame.

Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Cierre Wood will bring his multitalented skills to Notre Dame in 2009.

It wasn't the campus buzz of a spring football game in South Bend, Ind., that coaxed Cierre Wood into the most important decision of his life.

The Santa Clara High junior, rated as the No. 3 high school recruit and No. 1 running back in the nation for the 2009 class, made a verbal commitment at the University of Notre Dame on Saturday before the Irish's Blue-Gold game.

Academics was the No. 1 priority for Wood, who was being wooed by major colleges from across the nation.

"Their academic standards are high," said Wood. "They graduate over 98 percent of their students."

Although he isn't sure of his academic plans, Wood is considering a major in engineering.

Wood is the second area player to commit to Notre Dame on a campus visit in the last two years.

Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian School made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame at a College Football Hall of Fame news conference in the spring of 2006.

Clausen was the No. 1-rated high school quarterback recruit, finishing his career with more than 10,000 yards passing in high school.

Wood had one of the most memorable all-around junior seasons in Ventura County football history.

In leading Santa Clara to the Mid-Valley Division championship, Wood scored 276 points, rushed for 2,612 yards, caught seven passes for 191 yards, returned seven kickoffs for 307 yards, had seven punt returns for 373 yards, intercepted three passes, blocked one punt, averaged 40.13 yards per punt and made 63 tackles.

"Cierre had narrowed it down to Notre Dame and UCLA," said Santa Clara athletic director Mike Shabert.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, USC football coach Pete Carroll and Washington coach Ty Winningham were among the volume of recruiters that came to the Santa Clara campus during the school year.

While UCLA was attractive and close to home, Wood felt it was time to leave California.

Going to a university in Los Angeles "would be like staying at home," said Wood. "When the time comes, it is time to break away and explore the world."

The Notre Dame campus gave Wood a sense of family.

Wood left for South Bend with his parents Martine and Valerie on Thursday.

"It was hectic," said Wood of his weekend visit. "I had to meet a lot of people and shake a lot of hands."

There was one important question Wood had for the Notre Dame coaching staff.

"I wanted an honest answer," he said. "I asked, Should I redshirt?' "

He was given an assurance that there would be an opportunity for Wood to compete for a starting position in the fall of 2009.

"They aren't afraid to play young guys," said Wood. "I will get my chance."

Nobody knows that better than Clausen, who was promoted to the starting quarterback for the Irish as a true freshman. Clausen and Wood had a chance to talk during the visit.

"He told me how it was," said Wood.

Throughout the recruiting process, "Cierre's family kept a good conversation with schools with calls and e-mails," said Shabert. "This wasn't a whimsical decision."

Santa Clara coach Frad Fredette thought Wood might wait a little longer before making up his mind.

"He was still being recruited by other schools, including USC and UCLA," said Fredette. "I thought he was going to give them another chance."

When Weis met with school officials last fall, he mentioned that a spring visit to the Notre Dame campus during the weekend of the Blue-Gold game would be appealing to the family, said Fredette.

Between now and the summer of 2009, Wood will likely need to add a few pounds to prepare himself for Division I college football, Fredette said.

"He will definitely need to work on his physique," said Fredette.

Wood's football fortunes have made a meteroic rise in just three years.

Brought up to the varsity three games into his freshman season in 2005, Wood rushed for 304 yards and caught six passes for 187 yards playing behind veteran running back Paul Perez.

"You could tell right away that he was the best athlete on the team," said Fredette.

Much was to be learned.

"We had some returns called back because he was blocking guys in the back," said Fredette. "He didn't know the rules.

"I have been impressed with how fast that he has picked up the game."

As a sophomore, Wood rushed for 1,407 yards and had one of the best receiving averages in state history, according to CalHiSports.com, by catching 16 passes for 595 yards (37.19 yards per catch) in leading Santa Clara to a co-Frontier League championship and a 10-2 record, the program's first winning season since 1989.