Tag: 2024 Notre Dame football

The experts have no idea how to pick Notre Dame at Texas A&M

The experts have made their picks, do you agree with them?

Saturday’s season-opening tilt between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 20 Texas A&M in College Station is a big game for two teams with College Football Playoff aspirations.

Because it’s a marquee matchup between two playoff hopefuls, the game will be in the spotlight. As such, the expert analysts and pundits are weighing in with Fighting Irish Wire doing so as well.

Tom Fornelli from CBS Sports has the game listed as one of his two games of the week — Georgia hosting Clemson is the other — and he has Notre Dame and Texas hitting the under of 46.5.

This is because Fornelli believes that the two defenses will dominate. Fornelli suggests that the Irish may struggle against the Aggies’ defense due to injuries on the offensive line and because new A&M head coach Mike Elko knows new ND quarterback Riley Leonard inside and out, having coached him at Duke.

https://twitter.com/tomfornelli/status/1829204555730440651?s=61&t=nW7PCouJbinxzoQ7zhCi_g

Meanwhile, Fornelli believes that the Fighting Irish have one of the best defenses in the country, and that will cause fits for the Aggies. As for who will actually win the game, Fornelli admits he doesn’t know.

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Yahoo! Sports gives Irish strong College Football Playoff title hopes

Do you agree with Yahoo! here?

The preseason previews continue to roll in, and another outlet has put Notre Dame football in its top-10.

Yahoo! Sports is doing a series on teams that it thinks will be in the newly expanded College Football Playoff, and Nick Bromberg has Notre Dame ranked at No. 7.

Unfortunately, he remind us that while the Irish did lose three games last season, they also played Ohio State more closely than in they year before, and that most of Notre Dame’s wins were blowouts, save for a one-touchdown victory over Duke.

Speaking of Duke, Notre Dame added Riley Leonard as a transfer this year — Leonard was in Durham last season. Bromberg uses the addition of Leonard, the return of a deep core of talent (particularly on defense), and a “manageable” schedule as reasons why the Irish will be in the 12-team field.

Bromberg rightly points out that the offensive line will have to replace three starters and that Florida State and USC are the toughest games on the Irish schedule. That said, even a 10-2 team is likely to qualify for the CFP.

As a reminder, if Notre Dame does make it to the CFP, they aren’t eligible for a first-round bye since those will go to conference champions. The possible highest-seed for the Irish is number five.

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

Follow Tim on X: @tehealey

Notre Dame lands a commitment from in-state two-sport star

The Irish land yet another two-sport star

It seems as if in-state 2025 two-sport star [autotag]Brandon Logan[/autotag] knew what he wanted to do all along, be part of two Notre Dame’s teams.

The Fort Wayne baseball and football athlete was committed to Vanderbilt baseball up until yesterday, and on Saturday made the switch to the Irish. Logan will play both sports in South Bend, so this is a big win for the baseball program as well.

It’s not uncommon for Notre Dame athletes to play multiple sports, as we have seen Cole Kmet and Jeff Smardjza do it previously. Wide receiver’s Jordan Faison and Tyler Buchner are currently doing it, as they also play for the lacrosse team.

Logan isn’t ranked as a football player due to his previous baseball commitment. It’s safe to say that if Notre Dame wanted him on the gridiron, he’s good enough to play.

The Irish now have 22 commitments in its 2025 class, one that is ranked as the No. 8 overall group according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

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

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Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison earns high Pro Football Focus ranking

The Irish corner is still elite

Notre Dame cornerback [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] is the second-ranked corner for next year’s 2025 NFL Draft, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Irish star slots in behind Michigan’s Will Johnson and ahead of Colorado’s Travis Hunter among the top three players at the position.

Morrison, a junior, had 31 tackles – 25 solo – and three interceptions in 2023. His 2022 season was also impressive with 33 tackles, 22 solo tackles, and six picks, one of which led to a touchdown. He defended 10 passes last season, as well.

Not only that, the former Freshman All-American turned to the other side of the ball and caught a touchdown pass on offense that season.

Morrison will be expected to be a stalwart on a strong Notre Dame defense that held Ohio State to just 14 points last year – but also had lapses against Clemson and Louisville. If Morrison continues to play at the same level, he will definitely be looking at an early draft selection in the spring.

The other that made the list were: Arizona’s Tacario Davis, Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, Iowa’s Sebastian Castro, Texas’s Jahdae Barron, Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong, Louisville Quincy Riley, and Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston rounded out PFF’s top 10 corners for next spring’s NFL Draft in Green Bay.

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

Follow Tim on X: @tehealey

Brady Quinn weighs in on Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard

From one quarterback to another…

When you talk about the greatest quarterbacks Notre Dame has ever seen it doesn’t take long to get to [autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag].  The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist now works as a college football analyst on Fox Sports and recently met projected Notre Dame starting quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] for the first time.

“He’s a big kid,” Quinn said of the 6-foot-4, 216-pound senior. “He fits the bill for that. He’s a good athlete. He’s got a strong arm. I think he’s very capable of stepping into that role and being the guy. Obviously, an experienced quarterback. He brings all those intangibles to Notre Dame.”

As for Leonard’s recovery from injury that has left Notre Dame fans a bit concerned this off-season:

“I mean, look, injuries are always a concern,” said Quinn, now 39 and a decade removed from a pro career with seven NFL teams. “Especially when you’ve got a history. I dealt with foot issues. It’s just something you have to stay on top of and keep trying to do rehab, do different drills and things to help put yourself in the right position.”

Quinn also stressed the importance of others aiding in Leonard’s ultimate success at Notre Dame as the offensive line and new offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] will be key in the offense’s overall success in 2024.

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Notre Dame Quarterback Riley Leonard Health Update

Good news regarding Notre Dame’s starting quarterback

Much of former Duke quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag]’s time at Notre Dame has been marked with injury since his arrival this winter.

That’s left obvious concern with Notre Dame fans about where things stand for Leonard as the 2024 season approaches.  Despite the cleanups and such that kept Leonard off the field for much of spring (including the annual Blue Gold Game) there is a first-hand report that health appears close to 100%.

Jim Nagy is the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl which showcases national talent in preparation for each year’s NFL draft.  He recently saw Leonard throw in-person and shared the following.

It may not guarantee anything but it certainly should give a little peace of mind to Notre Dame fans who are concerned about Leonard’s health at this point in time.

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