Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis won't stay on the West Coast to recruit as planned after the Fighting Irish play at Stanford.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said yesterday during a taping of his radio show for WLS Radio 890 in Chicago, which normally airs on Saturday, that Weis will fly back with the team.

"He's going to return from Stanford back to campus," Swarbrick said.

Weis had said Sunday he planned to stay on the West Coast recruiting.

Two days after saying he couldn't argue if Notre Dame officials decided to fire him with a 6-5 record, Weis opened his news conference by saying: "I have a news flash. We have a football game this Saturday evening against Stanford, so let's see if we can't talk about that."

Weis stopped reporters who tried to ask questions on most issues other than Stanford or Irish players.

CLAUSEN PUNCHED

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen was sporting a black eye behind the tinted visor he wore to practice yesterday.

According to a university official, Clausen was punched outside a South Bend bar early Sunday morning.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Clausen was the "victim of a sucker punch."

"He was not engaged in a fight. He didn't throw any punches. He didn't directly engage the individual," Swarbrick said. "He just got coldcocked by somebody, and we're very disturbed by that."