Category: Notre Dame

Former LSU head coach Orgeron thinks Notre Dame is close to a title

When is the question

When former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron stepped away from his position in Baton Rouge, little did we know that Brian Kelly would be his replacement. What we do know is that Orgeron knows talent and what it takes to win a championship. He believes that Notre Dame is close.

The former national championship head coach visited South Bend to attended a practice and was very forthright in what he sees going on. His replacement Kelly didn’t leave the cupboard bare for Marcus Freeman, who inherited a program that is poised to take the next step towards a championship. Orgeron thinks that will happen soon, just listen to his very recognizable voice below.

It’s hard to disagree with Oregeron’s assessment, the talent, coaching staff and intangibles are there. The question is when will the Irish put it all together?

[lawrence-related id=54964]

[listicle id=24549]

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 baseball keeps rolling, sweeps visiting Clemson

The streak is now 8-games!!!

The Irish are streaking again. It’s been a common theme among this Notre Dame 2022 baseball team. With Sunday’s win again Clemson, the Irish have now won their eighth game in a row, their second consecutive ACC series sweep.

It was the bats that carried the Irish on Sunday, scoring nine runs with the big blasts coming from Jared Miller and Ryan Cole. They each hit homers while Carter Putz drove in three and Spencer Myers played two himself.

The trio of pitchers, Will Mercer, Roman Kimball and Alex Rao held the Tiger’s bats down for the majority of the game. Clemson’s Max Wagner tormented Kimball, hitting two home runs on the day but that wasn’t nearly enough as the Irish won 9-3.

The win brings the Irish record to 20-5, and improved their conference record to 8-4. This current streak has brought the Irish back to second place in the Atlantic division, one game behind leader Louisville. Link Jarrett’s team looks to keep the winning streak alive as they welcome in Michigan for their midweek contest on Tuesday at 5:30pm EST.

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

Five-star quarterback has a great time visiting Notre Dame

Another five-star quarterback visiting South Bend

The Irish are going hard after some of the best quarterback prospects in the nation, regardless of class. They are pursuing Michigan five-star Dante Moore in the 2023 class and Marcus Freeman is not stopping there. California 2024 five-star quarterback Julian Sayin looks to be their top target in that class.

Sayin is two years away from enrolling but that is not stopping him from taking a look at some schools this spring. He made it to South Bend on Friday, just like it had been scheduled and according to his post on Twitter, Sayin seemed to have a very good visit.

The quarterback made the visit with one of his teammates, 2023 athlete Nico Arboit. They both are taking a look at Notre Dame but also they made a visit to Ann Arbor. The Irish are going hard after Sayin and getting him on campus can be seen as a great start to a hopefully long relationship.

[listicle id=54672]

[lawrence-related id=54941]

[lawrence-related id=54935]

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 takes game one vs Clemson, game two start time changed

The steak hits six-games for the Irish who look for seven today

The Irish got off to a great start against ACC foe Clemson, as John Michael Bertrand continued to show why is the ace of the Notre Dame pitching staff. The game start time was changed but not JMB’s performance, for the second straight start not allowing a run. The lefty was magnificent, going 8 and 1/3 innings, striking out eight Tigers and getting the win.

Although Bertrand did allow a run, it was unearned, it was exactly what you wanted to see from your game one starter. Saving the bullpen, Ryan McLinksey pitched just 2/3 of an inning on two pitches, sets up the Irish very well for the remainder of the series.

Offensively, three players had two hits each, Spencer Myers, Jack Brannigan and Brooks Coetzee. Myers and Brannigan along with Nick Juaire each drove in a run.

For the second day in a row, the start time will be adjusted, as Saturday’s contest is now set to begin at 3pm EST at Frank Eck Stadium. The Irish look to keep their six-game winning streak alive as their record is a dazzling 18-5 as they are set to face the Tigers in game two with Austin Temple on the mound.

[lawrence-related id=54953]

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

ESPN thinks the Notre Dame offense will be among the best from ‘22-‘24

The Irish have high level talent on the offensive side of the ball

It’s always fun to try and predict the future, especially when Notre Dame has just hired Marcus Freeman and there seems to be a massive change in the program. The former defensive coordinator should see his previous side of the ball continue to excel, but offensively there is still a big question mark.

When Brian Kelly left for LSU, he tried to bring Tommy Rees along with him, but the offensive coordinator chose to stay with his alma mater and Freeman. Although Notre Dame once again lost a senior quarterback for the second consecutive season, first Ian Book and now Jack Coan, ESPN is still high (insider) on the Irish’s future on that side of the ball.

Adam Rittenberg guessed at which offenses would be inside the top-25 from this season through 2024 and placed the Irish fifteenth overall. It was just one spot lower than last years ranking but he says “the overall outlook remains strong” despite the loss of Coan, running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Rittenberg names Michael Mayer “arguably the nation’s best tight end” while keying in on the development of “more options at receiver.”

As for the offensive line, Rittenberg notes that the “best offenses have been elite up front, and the 2022 line projects very well under coach Harry Hiestand.” Naming the potential of the starting five immense, with Blake Fisher, Joe Alt and Rocco Spindler each having multiple years remaining in Blue and Gold.

I have long believed that the next step for the Irish program is to get to be an elite offensive team. The defense has always been there and if the offense can catch up, Marcus Freeman has a sleeping giant on his hands.

[lawrence-related id=54863]

[lawrence-related id=54842]

[lawrence-related id=54896]

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 in final three for star Ohio offensive lineman

The Irish are still in it

It has been no secret that the Midwest’s best state for high school talent is Ohio. It is a state has has a large amount of players, some of which can play anywhere in the country. Lakota East 2023 offensive lineman Austin Siereveld is one of those players.

Earlier this evening the massive six-foot-five-inch and 320-pound offensive mauler released his top-3 school, Ohio State, Alabama and Notre Dame. Just a few months ago Siereveld dropped a top-6, with Iowa, Cincinnati and Michigan not making the final cut. His final three schools are clearly some of the best football teams in the nation.

It remains to be seen what Siereveld’s next move is, if he’s going to take official visits or when he will commit. What we do know is that the Irish are still in the mix for the lineman’s services.

[lawrence-related id=54842]

[listicle id=29791]

[listicle id=45340]

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

Florida edge rusher will visit Notre Dame this weekend

The Irish lead early?

You can add yet another name to the impressive list of visitors that will be in South Bend this coming weekend. Today on Twitter, Florida 2024 edge rusher Joshua Lloyd announced that he will be heading up north and making an unofficial visit to Notre Dame.

Although Lloyd just holds two offers, one of them is from the Irish. At six-foot-one-inch and 220-pounds, he’s not the prototypical body type that you look for in an edge rusher. This should be telling as how Marcus Freeman and his staff project Lloyd, as he will most likely continue to add on weight and move to an interior spot on the defensive line.

With the Irish offering early and also getting a visit, it looks like Notre Dame is very much in the mix for a verbal from Lloyd.

[lawrence-related id=54818]

[listicle id=54672]

[listicle id=29791]

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 Baseball keeps rolling, winning steak extends to five games

The streak is not a handful

The Irish have found their groove again and they are really starting to play some great baseball. After enduring a four-game losing streak, which started with a Louisville swept and extended with the one-game series loss to Virginia Tech, Link Jarrett’s team has caught fire once again.

A mid-week win against Northern Illinois got them back into the win column, then a sweep against #5 Florida State in Tallahassee really propelled the Irish again. They kept the good times going today, as they welcomed in Butler and surprising had a battle on their hands. Eventually the Irish overcame the Bulldogs and won 5-2.

Offensively it was two-way star Jack Brannigan, who launched his fourth homer of the year. Spencer Myers, Nick Juaire and Zack Prajzner also added RBI on the day. Although Radek Birkholz struggled on the mound, giving up two runs, his teammates picked him up. Relievers Ryan McLinksey, Jack Findlay, Jackson Dennies and Austin Temple collectively allowed no runs.

The win puts the Irish record at 17-5, with an upcoming series at home against ACC foe Clemson. Notre Dame will look to extend their winning streak to six games Friday night as first pitch is scheduled for 5:00pm EST.

[lawrence-related id=54813]

[lawrence-related id=54753]

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

Georgia 2024 safety gets Notre Dame scholarship offer

Kyle Hamilton part II???

It’s safe to say that the Irish have done well recruiting the Peach State, with more than a few recruits committing from Georgia in the last few years. One of the biggest clearly was safety Kyle Hamilton, who is expected to be a first-round draft pick later this month.

Notre Dame’s recruiting prowess in one of the most talent rich states in the country is a good development and they used that clout today as they offered 2024 safety Ricardo Jones a scholarship today. His frame will remind us of Hamilton’s, checking in a six-foot-three-inches and 200-pounds as a rising junior.

The Irish offer is just added to Jones early impressive list which includes Tennessee, Nebraska, Auburn and Georgia Tech. He recently visited Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn. Jones recruiting is starting to heat up and the Irish putting their hat in early should be seen as a very positive development.

[lawrence-related id=54744]

[listicle id=54672]

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

Illinois speedster will visit Notre Dame this weekend

The fast back will be in South Bend soon

The Irish are scouring all across the country for the best talent and just one state to the west they’ve found yet another. Running back Tony Phillips Jr. has announced via Twitter that he will be visiting South Bend this coming Saturday.

The extremely fast back has been a varsity starter since his freshman year at powerhouse Bishop McNamara and has already amassed a very solid offer list which includes Syracuse and Tennessee. Although Phillips Jr. is a bit on the smaller side, at five-foot-six-inches and 170-pounds, his speed plays all over the field. If he stays this size most likely Phillips Jr. won’t be an every down back, but can still very well have a very positive impact for an offense.

Phillips Jr. does not have an Irish offer but this visit could go a very long way for that to come to fruition. We will keep an eye on the visit as he will visit South Bend for the first time.

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