Category: 2023 ND Football

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…

Where Notre Dame finished in final ESPN FPI Ratings for 2023-24

Are things on the rise for Notre Dame?

The 2023-24 college football season draws to an official end on Monday night when Michigan takes on Washington in the national championship game.

It’s a Michigan team that was been viewed as one of the best in the nation all year against a Washington team that seems to do a mighty-fine Rodney Dangerfield impression and “get no respect” despite running the table to a 14-0 mark so date.

Who wins tonight is very much up for debate.  We’re split here at Fighting Irish Wire while many other outlets have the same, unsure views.

ESPN FPI is a power rating system that updates each week following games.  They use a formula to rank every team in the nation and as hard as it is to believe, actual wins and losses don’t factor in majorly to this.

Instead, its used almost as a guide of which team would be favored against any other team.

After the season concluded for every team besides Michigan and Washington, ESPN FPI updated their numbers.  Notre Dame fans might be pleasantly surprised to see where the power ratings system ranked the Irish (hint: it’s significantly higher than they’ll be in any final AP or Coaches Poll).

Below is the final top 25 from ESPN FPI:

Welcomed Pressure Awaits Freeman & Notre Dame in 2024

Year three tends to tell the story for coaches at Notre Dame. How will Freeman’s third year go?

Time flies doesn’t it folks? It feels like just yesterday we were discussing Marcus Freeman getting the head job at Notre Dame and now we are already discussing what year three will look like. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. There have been a lot of ups and downs in play as Freeman has tried to find his footing under the bright lights of Notre Dame Stadium.

For multiple reasons, justified ones, there will be a ramped-up level of pressure on the Irish to perform very well in 2024. It just feels like the time has come to start delivering. The fans and media are ready for it and it feels like the program is at a turning point. Let’s discuss this incoming pressure and why Marcus Freeman welcomes it.

Notre Dame Football: Ketterer Touchdown a Win for Non-CFP Bowl Games

From Walk-On to a Walk-Off Touchdown!

For the hundreds of thousands still tuned into Notre Dame’s 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl it was just the cap on a blowout contest that had been determined long before.  But to Chase Ketterer it was a play, and even more so a celebration, that won’t soon be forgotten.

Ketterer, a Notre Dame walk on running back from nearby New Prairie, Indiana, started his Fighting Irish career in 2021 and saw the field sparingly early on.  After starring as an option quarterback in high school, Ketterer handled scout team quarterback duties during Navy week in recent years.

This season he was able to get touches in blowout wins over both Tennessee State and Central Michigan before scoring his only collegiate touchdown to cap the season.

Ketterer spoke to Austin Hough of South Bend Tribune about what wound up being his final play of football.

“I was saying to my parents that 40 years down the line, I might not remember the touchdown, but I’m going to remember everything that happened right after it,” Ketterer said. “The brotherhood is just awesome, and having those guys there for me and being so happy in that moment was awesome.”

Ketterer is set to graduate from Notre Dame with a finance degree this spring with goals of one day working in an NFL front office.

To me it’s a special moment for Ketterer, his teammates and his family, all of which spoke to for his piece.

It’s also one that doesn’t happen if these “meaningless” bowl games were eliminated like some wish.