Category: Notre Dame Football

ESPN Updates their 2021 Recruiting Rankings, High on Many Notre Dame Commits

ESPN ranks 7 of 8 Notre Dame commits inside their updated Top 300 class of 2021 recruit rankings.

Rivals and 247Sports beat ESPN to update their prospect rankings but it still is very much worth checking out where the current 8 Irish commits rank inside their Top 300.. Seven of the current 8 commits are ranked among the best in the nation:

#8 Pocket QB Tyler Buchner, 42nd overall

#1 H-TE Cane Berrong, 48th overall

#10 WR Deion Colzie 71st overll

#15 OT Blake Fisher, 113th overall

#10 DT Gabriel Rubio, 159th overall

#49 WR Lorenze Styles Jr., 232nd overall

#14 OG Greg Crippen, 290th overall

The only commit not ranked in ESPN’s Top 300 is S Justin Walters, who is still a very good prospect despite his low ranking. If you need proof, just take a look at Walters 23 offers from schools like Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Syracuse.

It is very encouraging to see the quality of prospects that Brian Kelly has gotten commitments from this early in the ’21 recruiting cycle. The base of elite players will surely help going forward as high level players want to play with other players of the same caliber. The 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class is well on their way to being one of the best in the country.

Notre Dame to Host Large Group of California Prospects Monday

A large group of California prospects are scheduled to make a visit to South Bend on Monday.

There should be multiple high-level prospects visiting South Bend this coming Monday, headlined by 2021 DE Korey Foreman, a Clemson commit, reports Tom Loy of 247Sports. Premium Sports and their CEO Malik James will bring a group of California prospects out to see multiple schools in the Midwest and East coast: Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Michigan, and Ohio State along with Notre Dame.

Aside from Foreman, who holds an Irish offer, there will be multiple prospects on the tour from the ’21 class checking out those schools including LB Raesjon Davis (LSU commit), CB D.J. Harvey (Notre Dame offer), ATH Anthony Beavers Jr., QB Miller Moss, ATH Jaylin Smith, QB Chayden Peery, WR DJ Justice, CB Dylan Flowers, CB Robert Regan, WR Jonah Carnell, WR Brenden Alvarez, WR Orion Peters, DB Dillon Kendle, ATH Kaylin Moore, and WR Jode McDuffie.

It is a large group that will visit and there is potential that a few prospects earn an offer from Brian Kelly and his staff. California has been a prosperous state for Notre Dame recruiting as there are currently 11 players from the state on the roster led by QB Ian Book. The talent level in the state is high, which tends to lead to more college ready prospects who have higher ceilings and if the Irish land any of these prospects it would be a huge coup to an already impressive start to their 2021 recruiting class.

NFL Combine: Kmet Well Aware of Hometown Bears Need at Tight End

As the Chicago Bears enter 2020 the need at the position is as obvious as it gets and the Notre Dame product is well-aware of his hometown team’s hole at the position.

The Chicago Bears have a good amount of needs headed into the 2020 NFL Draft with tight end being a massive one.  In the offense they’re trying to run, modeled off of that from Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs, the importance of a tight end can’t be understated.

However, the Bears have struck out on the position in recent years paying a boatload of money to former Philadelphia Eagle Trey Burton and spending a second round pick on Adam Shaheen who has done practically nothing in three seasons.  As they enter 2020 the need at the position is as obvious as it gets and the Notre Dame product is well-aware of his hometown team’s hole at the position.

“I’ve definitely looked at it” is what Kmet said Tuesday at the combine when asked about the Bears issues at the position.

“Obviously it would be a great opportunity to play in Chicago and the hometown and all of that. That would be a lot of fun” Kmet added.

Notre Dame used to be a hot-bed for talent for the Chicago Bears as 22 different former Fighting Irish players have been drafted by the Bears over the years.

Dave Duerson, Jim Flanigan, Mike Gandy and some guy named Johnny Lujack immediately come to mind.

When asked his favorite NFL team growing up, Kmet let his fondness for the orange and blue in Chicago be known:

“The Bears. The hometown.”

Kmet helped guide St. Viator High School in Chicago suburb Arlington Heights, Illinois to a state championship in baseball his senior year.  Tom Thayer and Chris Zorich are a couple of the Chicago locals to go on to Notre Dame before ending up with the Bears, a list Kmet could potentially join.

Personally I’d hope for Kmet to be a Bear, been a while since a Notre Dame player was brought in and expected to be a difference-maker on my favorite NFL team.  I’m guessing Kmet would be happier to sneak into the back end of the first round (Bears first pick is 43rd overall) and find a more consistently good franchise and bigger paycheck that comes along with it.

Cole Kmet Meets with the Media, Proclaims He’s Best TE in Draft

Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet met with the media, thinks he’s best TE in NFL Draft

Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet met with the media today and talked about a variety of topics including his decision to leave South Bend, why he’s the best tight end in the draft, why he chose to play football instead of baseball and plenty more.

Kmet will hit the field on Thursday, the first day of football drills for the skill position players. The only thing Kmet won’t participate in is the bench press. Most likely he will do that during the Irish’s Pro Day next month. The talented TE said this his goal was to run under a 4.69 40-yard dash, which was his previous best.

Kmet has already met with Washington and has 12 meetings with other team’s on schedule for tomorrow. It is quite an exciting time for the former Irish star and it will continue throughout the next few months leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23rd.

Notre Dame’s CB Pride Predicted to Put Up Impressive NFL Combine Numbers

Notre Dame Troy Pride predicted to wow NFL scouts at Combine this week.

Notre Dame Troy Pride Predicted to Put Up Impressive NFL Combine Numbers

The underwear Olympics or better known as the NFL Combine is underway with players arriving and getting measured before hitting the field on Thursday for the beginning of the workouts. The NFL is always looking for the next group of elite athletes and yesterday Charles Power of 247Sports predicted 10 players the NFL will fall in love with over the next week.

Power named an Irish player, although not one you would have thought, CB Troy Pride, as a player with the potential of wow many NFL scouts. Defensive backs are coveted by their size and speed, and it is anticipated that Pride will put up impressive 40 yard-dash times. Power noted that “Pride was a state champion in the 100 and 200 meters in high school and ran track for the Irish, hitting the 10.4’s in the 100 meters.” Pride has made it know that he wants to post the faster 40 time ever for an Irish player at the combine, stating his goal is to run a 4.2, which is blazing fast.

Pride made some waves at the Senior Bowl and will look to continue to impress the NFL scouts. Pride unofficially stands at 5’11” and weights 194-pounds, which is great size for a corner and with the elite speed that he possesses, Pride should be a prospect that sees his draft stock rise over the next few days.

Multiple Notre Dame Incoming Freshmen Projected to Have Immediate Impact

More than a few Notre Dame incoming freshman projected to have immediate impacts.

Barton Simmons, 247Sports National Director of Scouting, knows his prospects and this morning released his top 2020 recruiting classes that will have the most impact on this coming season. Although Notre Dame’s recruiting class was on the small side, just 17 commits, it was still ranked as the 17th best class in the nation,  and Simmons is high on many players that could have make immediate impacts.

Simmons believes there are multiple players who could help the Irish offense, starting off with TE Michael Mayer, the lone 5-Star prospect in the class. He believes that Mayer “has the talent to backfill nicely for Cole Kmet,” which makes plenty of sense as Mayer should battle for early playing time.

Chris Tryee is also mentioned as an impact player, as the running back “adds speed in the run game that the Irish have lacked for a while.” With Tony Jones Jr. heading off to the NFL, there is a hole at the running back position that Tyree could fill if Brian Kelly deems him ready.

The final offensive player Simmons mentions that could have an impact is WR Jordan Johnson. He sees Johnson as “a guy capable of picking up some of the work left behind by guys like Chris Finke and Chase Claypool.” Those three offensive players are the highest ranked on the incoming class and it would be to no one’s surprise if they are names you hear early and often this season.

On the defensive side of the ball Simmons likes LB Jordan Botelho and DB Ramon Henderson as impact defenders. Both of them are already on campus, having enrolled early and are able to participate in spring ball. Simmons also mentions Ohio State transfer Isaiah Pryor as someone who could pay dividends early. Which recruit do you believe has the potential to be a star early for the Irish?

Notre Dame’s Okwara named Top 5 DE Prior to NFL Combine

Notre Dame’s DE Okwara named Top 5 DE prior to NFL Combine.

The NFL’s job fair aka Draft Combine is set to begin on Thursday and Rivals has ranked where they view players prior to the players getting a chance to show off their athletic prowess. Last week Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney ranked the best defensive ends before they work out in front of NFL brass.

Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara was named among the Top 5, 4th overall, among his peers at the position. They noted that the fourth-year player was on the field for just 35 games, but the production was there. Okwara was a force against opposing offensive lines, ranking up 15.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.

Although Okwara needed work when he first arrived at South Bend, Farrell saw a player that “developed into one of the better pass rushers in the country and his technique is flawless. He’s also very good against the run in addition to his pass rushing stills.”

Okwara will show the NFL scouts his skills when the defensive line group works out on Saturday and you can see that on the NFL Network. Okwara’s name has popped up on a few 1st round mock drafts and with a good showing this weekend, him name could be popping up on more in the future.

Bleacher Report Names Notre Dame vs. Louisville One of Most Anticipated Rematches of 2020

Bleacher Report names Notre Dame against Louisville as a highly anticipated rematch in 2020.

It seems like every day another outlet is looking forward to the upcoming college football season, this time it was Bleacher Report as they looked ahead to the most anticipated rematches of the season. Joel Reuter narrowed in on one of Notre Dame’s games as one to watch, the rematch against Louisville.

This game ranks at the #8 most anticipated and it comes down to the fact that the Cardinals were still transitioning from Bobby Petrino to Scott Satterfield. The road victory for the Irish did not feature end of year starter at QB Malik Cunningham, which is the main reason for the intrigue.

Cunningham finished the year with impressive stats, tossing for 2,061 yards with 22 TD’s and just 5 INT’s. The Cardinals also return starting RB Javian Hawkins and after finishing the season at 8-5, Reuter believes they “will enter the 2020 season with legitimate expectations.”

This game will surely have much on the line as Reuter notes that “If the Fighting Irish enter that game with one loss against an undefeated Clemson squad and they face off against a ranked Louisville team, a trip to the College Football Playoff could be on the line.” I tend to agree with Reuter’s assessment of this game, as the Irish will be squarely in the mix for a final 4 spot if their lone loss is to Clemson when the season finishes. Which rematch are you most interested to see on this year’s schedule?

Notre Dame hosting Clemson Among Most Highly Anticipated Games of 2020 Season

Notre Dame hosting Clemson among most intriguing games of 2020 season.

It should come to no one’s surprise that the November 7th match-up that pits Notre Dame against Clemson in South Bend is a game that will have the nation’s interest. One again, this contest has been ranked as one of the most intriguing of the 2020 season by 247Sports Brad Crawford.

This game ranks as the 3rd with the most intrigue heading into the season for multiple reasons. Crawford says “this one is a must-win for Dabo Swinney and his team’s Playoff journey next fall. On the other hand, should Notre Dame upend Clemson in South Bend, that’s quite a statement to the selection committee for the Irish, barring multiple losses elsewhere on the slate.” The Irish have revenge on their mind as well after losing to Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl.

Crawford failed to mention the Irish’s contest against Wisconsin on October 3rd in Lambeau Field, which I think is a huge oversight. This game has the potential to be a Top 10 match-up with the winning team having huge notch on their belt for the Playoff Committee to consider when selecting participants. Which games this upcoming season intrigue you the most?

Texas ’21 DB Harmon Schedules Official Visit to Notre Dame

Texas cornerback Deuce Harmon schedules his official visit to South Bend in early April.

The Irish are looking for their next lock down cornerback and this morning Texas DB Deuce Harman tweeted out his intentions to visit South Bend.

This is a big development as the talented Harman is viewed very highly among his peers, ranking among the best corners in the nation. Although only 5’9”, Harmon plays bigger than his size due to his speed, anticipation and ball skills. He is very well put together checking in at 185 pounds and he is more than willing to come up and make a tackle.

Any time you can go into the talent rich state of Texas and pull out a prospect it’s a huge recruiting win and it seems like it’s trending Notre Dame’s way at the moment. Competition levels are high in Texas, usually giving prospects from the state a leg up when they arrive on college campus’. Brian Kelly along with the defensive staff will look to roll out the red carpet for Harmon when he arrives on campus in early April.