Category: 2023 ND Football

Notre Dame standout in top-five of latest College Sports Wire mock draft

Which team do you want to draft Alt?

At this point it is just a matter of time until Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt becomes a first round pick.  Some think he’ll be a top-10 pick and some think he could be even higher.

Like say, fourth overall.

That’s where the latest College Sports Wire Post Wild-Card edition of their mock draft has Alt going to the Arizona Cardinals.  Here is what the staff, headed by Patrick Conn, had to say about Arizona Alt:

It doesn’t feel like the Arizona Cardinals are ready to give up on quarterback Kyler Murray at this point, with that said the team needs to give him some help. Joe Alt helps in that regard as he can protect his blindside and keep him upright. – Patrick Conn

Alt would certainly fit that mold if the goal is to protect Kyler Murray or whoever ends up being the quarterback he plays with.  I’d put Alt pretty near the elite territory in terms of pass blocking and plenty skilled in run blocking but feel he could improve a bit there as his body type doesn’t make run blocking the easiest of things.

See the entire Post Wild-Card Mock Draft by Conn and company here, including their surprising first overall pick.

Notre Dame football: Hilarious TV viewership tweet

Yeah, everyone was tuned in to see THEM!

I have combined with Wayne Gretzky to score 894 career goals in the NHL.

I have combined with Emmitt Smith to rush for 18,355 yards in an NFL uniform.

And along with LeBron James, I have combined to score 38,652 points in NBA games.

I say that to point out the social media post that Duke football put out when viewership numbers for last weekend’s thrilling contest with Notre Dame were released.  Obviously a primetime game going down to the wire was going to attract eye balls and it did exactly that.

Take a look at the numbers below that are included in the Duke tweet.

Whatever makes you feel better, I guess.

Notre Dame Football: Best Offensive Players of 2023 Ranked 1-15

Which grades surprise you the most?

Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 goes down as one of the most successful in program history by a numbers standpoint.  By a viewers standpoint they were also towards the top of the list of being the most frustrating we’ve ever seen.

Great against poor competition while seemingly unprepared for the likes of Ohio State, Louisville, and Clemson.

So from a completely emotion-less perspective, who had the best seasons on Notre Dame’s offense?  And who left a decent amount to be desired?

Pro Football Focus has their grades for Notre Dame’s entire roster for 2023.  We went through and found the 15 offensive players they ranked the highest for their performances in 2023.  See who made the top 15 below.

Players included in this top 15 had to have played a minimum of 100 snaps on offense in 2023.

Notre Dame Football: Estime Top Pro Football Focus Running Back Rankings for 2023

A truly GREAT year for #7!

Now that the 2023 season has completely come to an end its a good time to look back at the year that was.

For Notre Dame, that meant a return to having a truly elite college running back.

Yes, Notre Dame has had some really good backs in recent years but it’s difficult to put any in quite some time in the same level of [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] in 2023.  Estime was the lead-back for the Irish and ran for over 1,300 yards, a number that could have threatened 1,500 if he were to have gotten 2-3 more carries a game.

Just how good was Estime in 2023?  Pro Football Focus released their top-10 graded running backs across college football for the year and you can see for yourself just how well he stacked up.

Tommy Rees update in regards to Alabama opening

Roll Tommy?

Thursday we saw news that former Notre Dame quarterback and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had interviewed for the head coach opening at Alabama.

In the early hours of Friday morning he remains a possibility to be the next head coach but certainly doesn’t appear to be a favorite.

The following is from a 247Sports report by Brandon Marcello:

The names to watch heading into Friday at Alabama are Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Tide offensive coordinator Tommy Rees,sources told 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello earlier Thursday.

Rees is viewed as a long-shot.

Rees is only 31 and I’d still be shocked if he ends up getting the job.  My money remains on Lane Kiffin until we hear otherwise, but if Alabama wanted to do the Duke basketball type thing and have Saban still oversee things in a big way but have a younger coach, then Rees becomes what Jon Scheyer does for the Blue Devils.

Just thinking out loud.  Stay tuned as there could be major movement in regards to the next Alabama head coach today.

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Marcus Freeman Linked To Alabama Job: Is He A Good Fit?

Freeman named as a potential Saban replacement – but is he a fit?

Every time things seem to settle down in the world of college football, the next big “thing” happens. The latest news is Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama. This news is not a shock to me after I learned early last year of a mansion Saban purchased near the Tiger Woods compound in Jupiter, Florida.

I took this and the local Jupiter chatter surrounding it as a clear sign.

With more title rings than one hand can handle and a magnificent 206-29 record — six of those losses came in his first year — Saban’s reputation will live forever. But soon the attention will move to the future.

What direction will Alabama go in for their next hire? According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Marcus Freeman is on the candidate list. This is very interesting.

Let’s examine if Freeman would be a fit for Alabama.

Notre Dame Football: Reliving Pete Carroll’s Dominance Over Irish

These were some tough years to be a Notre Dame fan.

It was a massive football news day Wednesday as word came out [autotag]Pete Carroll[/autotag] was stepping down as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.  He led the Seahawks to a championship in Super Bowl 48 but before his run in the Pacific Northwest, Carroll oversaw a dynasty at USC.

And that dynasty came largely at the expense of Notre Dame.  Sure he wasn’t exactly coaching against Ara Parseghian or Lou Holtz, but dominance is dominance.

The years from 2001-2009 aren’t particularly fun for Notre Dame fans to look back on but with Carroll stepping down let’s take a quick stride down memory lane and remember just how bad things were in this rivalry when he was leading USC.

Where did Notre Dame finished ranked in final 2023 US LBM Coaches Poll

If head-to-head matters then how is…

College football season came to an end Monday night as Michigan defeated Washington to win the national championship for the first time since splitting the title with Nebraska in 1997.

Notre Dame concluded its season back on December 29 as they dominated an undermanned Oregon State team 40-8 in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

We all know Michigan finished first and Washington second but did a non-playoff team make it into the top-three?

And where did Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish finish after winning 10 games for the first time under the second-year head coach?

The US LBM Coaches Poll was released on following the College Football Playoff national championship game and is listed from 25-1 below.

Michigan Wins National Championship – What it Means for Notre Dame

It’s possible.

Monday night saw Michigan overpower Washington in the national championship game and walk away with their first national title since 1997.

The win caps the 10 years of a four-team College Football Playoff as the tournament expands to 12 teams next year.

I’ve seen plenty of Notre Dame fans on social media bringing up the spying and cheating that Michigan participated in and that’s fine if that’s your thing I suppose but I won’t be participating in that.

Instead, I will focus on the following as the lifetime Notre Dame backer that I am.

If Michigan can win a national championship in THE MODERN college football ERA, then there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Notre Dame CAN do the same.

If that doesn’t excite you then I’ve got nothing else for you.

236 days until Notre Dame at Texas A&M to kickoff the 2024 season.

LET’S GO!

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Notre Dame Football: 5 Ways for Irish to Close National Championship Gap

How does Notre Dame truly return to glory and raise another national championship trophy?

Notre Dame football has been one of the best football programs nationally since 2017.  In six of those seven years, the Irish have won 10 or more games, they’ve twice gone to the College Football Playoff, and their recruiting has seen a ratings uptick since [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was hired.

Yet Notre Dame was out of the College Football Playoff hunt by early October this year.  A home loss to Ohio State coupled with a destruction at the hands of Louisville did them in before having a third loss at Clemson later in the year.

So as good as Notre Dame has been there is still a gap to close.  How close are Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish to closing that and getting Notre Dame to play in a national championship game?

Let’s examine…