Former Notre Dame football recruit Blake Lueders said Monday if Charlie Weis had remained at Notre Dame, he probably, would still be a member of Notre Dames recruiting class of 2010.

But, he also said his recent Stanford visit still might have changed his mind.

One thing is certain, when Weis was fired, just days after losing to, ironically, Stanford, it opened the door for the Cardinal.

Lueders, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end from Zionsville, Ind., who is rated a four-star recruit, visited Stanford the weekend of Jan. 15-16.

Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh visited Lueders Sunday on the heels of a Friday visit from new Stanford assistants, Brian Polian and Randy Hart, both of whom were on Weis Notre Dame staff.

Lueders committed to Harbaugh. He had been committed to the Irish since June.

I went out to Stanford on my official visit and, overall, I just thought it was a better fit for me, Lueders said Monday. I thought I would have a better experience there.

Lueders called Harbaugh and new Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly both great coaches.

Even with Weis there, I would have still liked Stanford better, Lueders, who had 93 tackles this fall in nine games, including five for a loss. But with Weis leaving, it kind of pushed me into taking another visit.

If I had taken that visit, even with Weis there, I think I probably still would have gone to Stanford.

Staff writer Jim Meenan: jmeenan@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6342