SOUTH BEND – Bryant Young looks bigger than almost everyone at Notre Dame's football practice field and more intimidating than the players he's coaching.

But Young, the former All-Pro for the San Francisco 49ers turned Irish defensive graduate assistant, has no desire to play again.

"Absolutely not," Young said. "My playing days are definitely behind me, but I still get emotional and excited about watching them make the plays; and being around it definitely scratches that itch."

Young is also too busy learning how to coach.

Every day has been a process for the first-time coach, who is less than two years removed from his final NFL season. He has started to pick up on the film responsibilities of a graduate assistant and works with veteran defensive line coach Randy Hart.

"The fun part, really, for me, is really getting a chance to work with the young guys we have on our team and help them," Young said.

Young draws from his experiences playing at Notre Dame and more than a decade in the NFL, but he rarely delves into the 'back when I used to play' lecture.

"He's a very credible person to sit down and talk to," wide receivers coach Rob Ianello said. "You're aspiring to do what he's done. He has a degree from Notre Dame, had a great career in the NFL and played in the Pro Bowl multiple times. And he's got a great family.

"You're aspiring to do that."

Spring event

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has used the Blue-Gold game at the end of spring practice as a big recruiting day.

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen had his much-ballyhooed commitment to the school that weekend. So did one of last year's top players, running back Cierre Wood. It's become something Notre Dame hopes to pull from yearly with a bunch of prospective players in town for that weekend.

"You hope it pays positive dividends for ya, whether immediately or soon after," said Ianello, who is also the team's recruiting coordinator. "We'll have to keep plugging away, but we'll have a good crowd here for that game."

mrothstein@jg.net