Category: Notre Dame

Elite 2023 California QB has Notre Dame in top group

Will he end up in South Bend?

For many of us that watch Notre Dame football, the difference between what the Irish bring to the table and the elite of college football is at the quarterback position. Yes, Ian Book the last three years and then Jack Coan this fall were solid but they weren’t quite what the opposition brought to the table.

With Brian Kelly now off in Baton Rouge, Marcus Freeman has brought a fresh new outlook on recruiting. The change happened when Freeman was hired last year but now as the head coach, both sides of the ball should see that uptick in recruiting. That’s exactly what happened recently as California 5-Star Nicholaus Iamalevea Jr. dropped his top group of schools.

It’s going to be difficult competition for Freeman to pull this one off, but the good news is that Iamaleava looks to be heading away from home and South Bend would be a great destination.

Did Notre Dame’s Jack Coan end up on 247Sports Top-25 QB’s of 2021?

Is this ranking fair?

When Ian Book decided that he was not going to be a super-senior this fall, Brian Kelly did want many of us expected him to do. Dip into the transfer portal to find Book’s replacement. Kelly didn’t have to go very far to find that player, in former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan.

The transfer ended up with a pretty solid stat line, passing for 2,641-yards while throwing for 20 touchdowns and just 6 picks. It was good for a quarterback rating of 154.8, just outside the top-25 in the country.

Those numbers, with leading the Irish to an 11-1 record along with a New Years Six appearance in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl was not enough to impress Brad Crawford of 247Sports, who ranked the Top-25 quarterbacks of 2021.

When looking at Crawford’s selection for the bottom portion of his list, you can make a solid argument that Coan deserved to be there. Statically, his numbers were similar, but again, what stands out is the record. It seems that Crawford just missed out on Coan, who probably should have been in the lower half of this list.

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Tommy Rees: ‘I expect him (Ian Book) to go out and execute pretty well’

What do you think Book’s final stat line looks like?

On Monday night, former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book will get his first opportunity to start as an NFL player. With 30 starts under his belt for the Irish, this situation is not new for Book, but it will be at this stage.

In a report from New Orleans Saints senior writer John DeShazier, current Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees expects that Book will be ready for this opportunity. He told DeShazier that “if a guy’s open, the ball is going to be on target” and that “there might be some opportunities for him in the run game a little bit.”

His former position coach doesn’t think the first NFL start of Book’s career will be a moment that is not “going to seem too big for him at all.” Surely Book will have some nerves, it is his first start in the NFL, but after a few series, the all-time winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history should settle down and not look overmatched for the opportunity.

Pro Football Focus ranks Notre Dame’s Williams as Top-5 RB prospect

Where will Williams go?

As we all know Irish running back Kyren Williams has made his future known. He has declared for the NFL Draft and will not play in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.

The next time Williams puts the pads on it will be in the NFL but where he gets drafted is the next question. Recently, Pro Football Focus ranked the top draft eligible running backs and Williams checked in 5th on their list. He ranked behind Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, Iowa State’s Breece Hall, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet and Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller.

There is an argument that Williams should be higher on this list given his production, but I feel like it’s his size that might be a detractor. That might not matter if he plays like he did for the Irish over the last two seasons. Williams can be a three-down back, even with his smaller stature. Many of us expect the former Irish running back to have a very solid NFL career.

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.