June 12, 2002

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana felt right to Matt LoVecchio.

So on Wednesday, LoVecchio, a former Notre Dame quarterback, announced he would continue playing college football in Indiana - this time for the Hoosiers.

"I met with Coach (Gerry) DiNardo and his staff, and I just felt comfortable," LoVecchio said by telephone Wednesday from his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J. "I'm excited to go there, and compete and help the team."

LoVecchio started eight games as a freshman for Notre Dame in 2000 and appeared to have a bright future after winning seven straight games and leading the Irish to the Fiesta Bowl.

But after Notre Dame's offense struggled last season, then-coach Bob Davie replaced LoVecchio with Carlyle Holiday in the third game.

LoVecchio completed 23 of 46 passes for 197 yards in two starts, and played sparingly in Notre Dame's last nine games.

After Davie's firing, Tyrone Willingham was hired and installed the West Coast offense. LoVecchio then announced May 22 he would transfer for "personal reasons."

"I was grateful for the opportunity the two years Notre Dame provided me with," he said.

LoVecchio said that several other schools were in the running to pick him up. He declined to name the schools or say how many he considered.

DiNardo, who took over as Indiana's coach in January, is a Notre Dame graduate and also plans to use the West Coast offense.

NCAA rules require LoVecchio to sit out this season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining when he returns in 2003.

"I have to use the time to mature physically and get accustomed to a new environment," said LoVecchio, who was considered among the nation's 100 best football recruits in 2000. "I will have to learn a new system."

DiNardo, at a golf tournament Wednesday in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, declined comment on LoVecchio's transfer, citing NCAA rules that prohibit him from discussing recruits until after paperwork is received.

Seniors Tommy Jones and Gibran Hamdan are listed first and second on the Hoosiers' depth chart at quarterback.

LoVecchio's transfer is another event in a series that has plagued the Notre Dame program.

In December, after firing Davie, athletic director Kevin White hired George O'Leary, who resigned when his resume was found to have inaccuracies. White then hired Willingham.

This spring, three players - Donald Dykes, Justin Smith and Lorenzo Crawford - were charged with raping a 20-year-old female student. A fourth player, Abram Elam, was charged with conspiracy to commit rape. All four were expelled.

And last week, Blue & Gold Illustrated, a weekly newspaper that covers Irish sports, reported running back Julius Jones was "dismissed" from the team for academic reasons. Notre Dame officials have declined to comment, and did not return messages left by The Associated Press on Wednesday.