Category: Notre Dame

Report: Notre Dame’s Freeman is ‘genuine’ and ‘he doesn’t lie’ to recruit’s

This is good news

The hiring of Marcus Freeman has been great so far, he’s managed to keep the majority of 2022 commits intact during the early signing period and has gotten off to a fantastic start to the 2023 recruiting class. His first game as head coach is less than a week away and the momentum is building.

Today, 247Sports lead recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong outlined some strengths that Freeman has already shown on the recruiting trail. Parents of players mention that Freeman “just feels genuine” or that his personality is “something that’s unique and something people just have.”

The praise from players is exactly what you want to hear, especially for a coach who has yet to get his first win. That will come and when it does, it’ll just be another feather in Freeman’s growing cap. I expect really big things from Freeman and feel like this is just the beginning of a very good era of Notre Dame football.

CBS Sports latest mock projects one Notre Dame player selected in 1st Round

Heading east?

The NFL regular seasons is coming to a close and with many collegiate players making their intentions known for next year, there are going to be mock drafts coming out. CBS Sports has done exactly that, with Josh Edwards projecting where the stars of college football will end up at the next level.

It should come to no one’s surprise that Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton will get selected during the first day of the NFL Draft, but the question is where will he end up. Edwards has the early entry junior heading off to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, with the 11th overall selection.

It seems like the Eagles would be getting a steal, as Edwards ranks Hamilton as the top prospect at safety. If he is right, Philadelphia, would be getting a player Edwards says “has an argument as the draft’s best available player.”

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Elite 2023 Notre Dame football target set’s commitment date

This could be huge

Even though the 2022 class has yet to be completed, many school’s have started to peek over their shoulder to the 2023 class. Notre Dame is no different, as they already have seven commits in the class, one that is among the best in the country at the early junction.

There could be another name to add to the ‘23 class soon, Texas safety Peyton Bowen. The rising senior recently announced on Twitter that he will be making his commitment in less than a week, on the first day of the new year.

Bowen has a very impressive list of schools to choose from, including Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and USC. The Irish are very much in the mix for Bowen’s verbal and will will find out soon if he becomes commitment number 8 for the 2023 Notre Dame football class.

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Three former Notre Dame players make the NFL’s Pro Bowl Teams

Who made it?

The Irish have a long history of sending fantastic players to the NFL and having a big amount of success. Today, the NFL released their Pro Bowl teams for the AFC and the NFC. There weren’t as many former Irish names as we would have liked to see, but there were still some Pro Bowl stalwarts that made the team’s. Find out below which former Notre Dame players are going to Las Vegas.

Report: Notre Dame loses a freshman defender to the transfer portal

So much potential

It is that time of year again when many college football players make their decisions on what they will do next year. This has become a part of the collegiate experience for many, arriving on campus only to leave less than a year later.

Notre Dame is not the only school that has this issue, it happens all across the country. The transfer portal has added yet another name, Irish freshman defender Khari Gee has entered the portal according to Irish Illustrated’s Tom Loy.

The Georgia native committed to the Irish over offers from LSU, Clemson, Michigan and a host of others. You have to wonder if Gee will follow Brian Kelly to Baton Rouge. Only time will tell where he ends up, but for the time being, Gee has put his name in the transfer portal and could be moving away from South Bend.

Notre Dame in the mix for rival quarterback transfer

Well this would be interesting

We are in the era of the transfer portal, many players opting to find greener pastures during the off-season, looking for playing time. That’s exactly what former USC Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis has done instead of testing his NFL waters.

A rumor has emerged, as noted by Pete Sampson below, about where Slovis could end up and the Irish’s involvement with the veteran signal caller. If he were to end up at Notre Dame, that would make it two years in a row with a transfer at quarterback, following Jack Coan who previously was at Wisconsin.

The biggest question now is why? Freshman Tyler Buchner got plenty of run this fall, but does need to work on his downfield passing. Could Slovis be the answer for the Irish in 2022? Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for the latest on where Slovis will end up.

Notre Dame praised for handling early signing period coaching change

Kudos the the Irish for keeping a Top-10 class during a coaching change

When a coach leaves a program and another one takes over, it typically hurts your recruiting effort, especially when a signing period is closing in. The coaching carousel for Notre Dame saw Brian Kelly bolt to Baton Rouge, and shrewdly make the in-house hire of Marcus Freeman.

Yes, there were a few departures from the 2022 recruiting class during the past weeks early signing period, but the Irish still were able to maintain a Top-10 class, with some room to add on later as well.

As 247Sports Brandon Huffman reviewed how the teams who made coaching changes went during this time period, and bluntly put it that Notre Dame showed schools across the nation how to properly handle the situation.

If we learned anything, it’s that the only way to keep much of your class intact would be to go the Notre Dame route, which promoted Marcus Freeman from within. The Irish’s 2022 recruiting class ranks No. 7 in the country after the early signing period. Freeman’s staff stayed in South Bend and Notre Dame didn’t miss too much of a beat.

Hat’s off to athletic director Jack Swarbrick, for identifying his target early, Freeman, and not waiting to make the move. Many of us, including myself, thought this was the right move and already, paying off for the Irish.

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Notre Dame football: Signing day superlatives

Future captains, under-rated stars and more

The early signing period for the 2022 class is pretty much over, with a few commitments trickling in today. For the Irish, they signed twenty-one players, making it a consensus Top-10 effort. There were obvious ups and downs, with the Irish seeing two receivers de-commit in the days leading up to the early period. That didn’t mean the Irish didn’t sign a great class and here are some early signing superlatives for Marcus Freeman’s “first” recruiting class.

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Notre Dame football signee tracker: Who has officially joined the 2022 class

Check back for more updates on the Notre Dame signees

Today is the day when the majority of prospects from the 2022 class will make their final decisions on what school they will attend this coming fall. The Irish head into the early signing period with a Top-10 class and most likely some expected drama. Take a look below for the players who have sent their signatures to South Bend and officially joined the Notre Dame football team. (This will be updated as the day goes on.)

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What to expect from Notre Dame during early signing period

Will the Irish keep their Top-10 ranking after tomorrow?

A few years ago when college football changed their rules and implemented the early signing period, some of the first Wednesday in February’s shine wore off. That now has switched to mid-December and tomorrow is that new day. The Irish head into tomorrow with a Top-10 class, numbering 22 total commits. Here’s a quick preview of what we might see happen tomorrow during the early signing period for Notre Dame.