Category: Notre Dame

College basketball: 10 potential Mike Brey replacements

Who should replace Brey?

After the way the 2022-23 season has gone it wasn’t the most surprising news to hear that [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] would step down as Notre Dame’s head basketball coach at season’s end.  The Irish, who went to the NCAA Tournament 12 times in Brey’s first 17 seasons, have gone dancing just once since the 2017-18 year.

Brey mentioned in his press conference Friday that he’d be helping athletic director [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] find the next head coach.  Will Brey and his boss have to go very far?  Will it be someone with Notre Dame roots?  Or could they get really creative in who they decide to pursue?

Here are ten names to look at as Notre Dame hits reset on their men’s basketball program.

ESPN projects two Notre Dame players to be All-American’s in 2023

No surprises here

The 2023 [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] Fighting Irish team looks to have some star power on its roster. Even though they lost their two best players from last year, tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag].

Like every season in college football, the next season brings a new set of stars and head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] will be able to lean on two of them. ESPN released their projections for the 2023 All-American team and a pair of Irish players made the list.

It shouldn’t be too surprising who made the list for Notre Dame, as both of these players were stalwarts during the past season. Find out below which two made it.

Notre Dame keeps the offers flowing, Texas linebacker is next up

Another Irish offer goes out

No days off, that must be the motto in the [autotag]Notre Dame Football[/autotag] offices right now regarding recruiting. The Irish have found a rhythm with high schools prospects and aren’t letting off the gas right now.

Multiple offers have been going out to different prospects and today was no different as Texas linebacker [autotag]Justin Williams[/autotag] was the most recent offer. He possess great size at six-foot-two-inches and 205-pounds and his offer list is very impressive. [autotag]Auburn[/autotag], [autotag]Oregon[/autotag], [autotag]USC[/autotag], [autotag]Texas[/autotag], [autotag]Florida[/autotag] and others got to Williams before Notre Dame did today.

Williams was fantastic during his junior year, 8.5 sacks along with 105 tackles on the year. It obvious why the Irish are very interested in him.

[lawrence-related id=68009]

[lawrence-related id=67956]

[listicle id=67841]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame football: Initial Off-Season Sentiments

A guide of sorts to this off-season for Notre Dame fans

The Notre Dame season hasn’t even been over for three whole weeks and fans are already asking, what comes next? Where does the team go from here? How different will the Irish look when we next see them in the Blue and Gold game this Spring compared to how they did in the Gator Bowl win over South Carolina?

This little gap in action provides the perfect introspection point from which to take a look at areas of the team to track progression on. What areas are trending up, trending down, or maintaining? How much improvement can be expected from year one to year two in a new regime?

Let’s explore some of these short-term dynamics in depth.

Notre Dame offers 2025 Hawaiian linebacker

As just a sophomore!?!

The [autotag]Notre Dame Football[/autotag] program has a reach that many schools don’t possess. There is solid history in almost every state and that includes Hawaii.

The list is long for the Irish recruiting in [autotag]The Aloha State[/autotag], including former star linebacker [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag]. Currently on the roster from the state is defensive end [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag] and linebackers [autotag]Marist Liufau[/autotag] and [autotag]Kahanu Kia[/autotag].

There very well could be another Hawaiian linebacker on their way to South Bend, [autotag]Josiah “Ko’o” Kia[/autotag]. The six-foot-two-inch and 190-pounder just finished his sophomore year, but it was all that the Irish staff needed to see. Kia tagged linebackers coach [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag] and special teams coordinator [autotag]Brian Mason[/autotag] when announcing the offer.

[lawrence-related id=67873]

[listicle id=67841]

[lawrence-related id=67916]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame RB Diggs posts hype video: “Ima make the world believe me”

The Irish RB depth chart is deep

There is going to be a big hole to fill on the 2022 Irish roster at running back, as star Kyren Williams will take his talents to the next level. When Brian Kelly left to LSU, he did not leave the running back room empty, actually it’s quite full.

The competition this spring will be fierce, with Chris Tyree, Audric Estime and Logan Diggs all vying for carries. This is a great problem for Marcus Freeman to have, especially breaking in a new starter at quarterback and installing his offense.

We already know what Estime thinks, a Doak Walker award along with a National Championship next year. Although Diggs most recent Twitter post didn’t proclaim those lofty goals, he does believe that “the world believe me.” See for yourself below.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame cheerleading accomplishes program first

A program first – congrats to @NDCheerTeam!

Over the weekend, I received a text message from a former Notre Dame athlete asking why the managing editor of Fighting Irish Wire didn’t acknowledge a program first that occurred over the weekend for a Notre Dame team.

I had seen tweets about something so I knew what they were talking about but in complete transparency, I don’t know the first thing about that sport.  With that in mind, I turn the rest of this over to former Notre Dame cheerleader Becky (Shepkowski) Shaw.

She is most remembered for holding the “WE” sign in front of the student section during the BYU football game in 2003.

Why Notre Dame football fans should feel lucky

Sometimes timing is everything

Now that the 2022 college football season is over, it’s a great time for reflection.

Notre Dame football was a mystery for most of the year. It had an ongoing struggle for consistency as it navigated the path toward the Irish’s new identity. It wasn’t easy, and there are varying opinions on how it went.

There will be plenty of time between now and 2023’s opener in Dublin to dissect the roster, debate areas of strength and weakness, etc. But today I wanted to focus on some more nuanced reasons Irish fans should feel as though they are in very competent hands moving forward with Marcus Freeman.

49ers and pair of Golden Domers advance to NFC divisional round

Congrats to Banks and McGlinchey for advancing!

After a back-and-forth first half that saw the Seahawks take a 17-16 advantage to break, the 49ers dominated both sides of the ball after halftime Saturday to head to the NFC divisional playoffs next week.  As always, San Francisco’s offensive line was a major factor, allowing Christian McCaffrey to run for 119 yards, including a 68-yard scoring gallop.

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who Notre Dame squared off against in the 2019 Camping World Bowl, threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the win.  That included a second half touchdown pass to Debo Samuel that went for 74 yards and effectively ended the game.

With the win, the 49ers now head to the divisional round for the third time in the last four seasons.  It’s a remarkable feat for a team that nobody considers to have anywhere near an elite quarterback.

The win also means that former Notre Dame offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Aaron Banks are headed to the divisional round as well.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Be sure to check out 49ers Wire for more!

[listicle id=67343]

Notre Dame stays active on recruiting trail, offers instate 2024 offensive tackle

No rest for the Irish staff

The [autotag]Notre Dame Football[/autotag] staff is not taking the holiday weekend off. In fact they are going hard. We already noted that they have been super active on Friday, visiting multiple schools in Illinois and Indiana.

It was not different today, as Hamilton Southeastern 2024 offensive lineman [autotag]Styles Prescod[/autotag] was offered a scholarship this afternoon. The six-foot-six-inch and 265-pound tackle has seen his recruiting pick up over the last few months.

Pittsburgh, Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky offered Prescod during that time before the Irish pulled the trigger. He lists himself as a 3-star prospect on his twitter, but when Notre Dame offers any offensive line prospect, it means they can play at the Power-5 level.

[listicle id=67638]

[lawrence-related id=67691]

[listicle id=67640]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen