Tag: Clarence Lewis

Notre Dame’s top 25 3-star recruits since 2010

Just because someone is a three-star doesn’t mean they can’t be great.

In the world of recruiting, rankings clearly matter. It’s no shock that when you look at the best teams nationally, they’re the ones who usually ranked the highest in team recruiting rankings during the previous three or four years.  Maybe the top team doesn’t always have the top class, but you can bet they’re in or right there with the top-five nationally.

Another key part of recruiting comes to finding those diamonds in the rough.  That isn’t to knock three-star talents, but the hype around them clearly isn’t the same when a five-star prospect visits campus or commits to a program.

We decided to go back and rank the top three-star players Notre Dame brought to campus dating to the start of Brian Kelly’s run at Notre Dame that began with the 2010 recruiting class. Here are the top 25 of those such players in the last roughly dozen years.

The 247Sports composite was used in each player’s star rating for this piece. 

Twitter reacts to Drew Pyne’s touchdown pass to Jayden Thomas

What a first half for the quarterback.

To put it mildly, [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] has been a very divisive figure among the Notre Dame fan base this season. Forced to fill in at a starting quarterback job he didn’t win in training camp, the results have been rather mixed.

When things are going bad, more than a few folks call for him to be benched, but folks are pleased when things are going well. It was the latter in the first half against Navy when he ran for a touchdown and threw three touchdown passes, including this 37-yard strike to [autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag] to give the Irish a 35-13 halftime lead:

Oh yeah, did we mention that touchdown was set up by the Irish’s school-record seventh blocked punt of the season? And the aforementioned rushing touchdown happened after a [autotag]Clarence Lewis[/autotag] interception broke up a trick play by the Midshipmen. So while Pyne had some help, he’s the one who has the guide the offense to the end zone. He has done that, and these tweets show how happy that has made everyone:

First watch: Thoughts on Notre Dame’s first half against BYU in Shamrock Series

They Irish played well but it could have been better

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to watch the Irish defeat BYU in Las Vegas this weekend, my brother in-law got married. Thankfully modern technology helped me out, as I DVR’d the game. I finally got a chance to watch the game and here are my thoughts on the first half of the game. Second half will come tomorrow.

Notre Dame statistical leaders through one game

The early leaders are in.

Notre Dame will get another chance at its first win of the season when it plays its first home game against Marshall. They should get it done this time, but will they? Either way, here are the players to watch at Notre Dame Stadium this coming weekend?

The day after: Looming thoughts on Notre Dame after losing to Ohio State

Better days ahead for the Irish

It’s been just about 24-hours (at the time that this was published) since the game started on Saturday, but my mind is still focused on Notre Dame’s loss to Ohio State. It was just one game and there are plenty of aspects that can be taken from it. Here are a few thoughts that have racked in my brain over the last day.

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Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

 

Thoughts on Notre Dame’s depth chart ahead of Ohio State

Plenty of take aways from the seasons first depth chart

As in each year of college football, a new group of stars emerge from one season to another. This season will be no different and for Notre Dame, there are more then a few players who could make a significant leap in the eyes of college football fans everywhere. Here are a few observations on Marcus Freeman’s first regular season depth chart.

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Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame secondary ranked among nation’s best

Are you buying this hype?

We’ve started our positional breakdowns here at Fighting Irish Wire with the quarterbacks and running backs done and the rest of the offense to come this week.  Soon after we’ll get to the defensive side of the ball and the secondary to be more specific.

When we discuss that might we be talking about the strength of this entire Notre Dame defense?  And if so, when was the last time you looked at a Notre Dame defense and said the defensive backs were what you trusted the most?

There are certainly arguments to be made for other position groups as well but Notre Dame’s secondary received some grand praise from College Football News as they were called the nation’s second-best unit by the outlet recently.

Here is what Pete Fiutak of College Football News said about the Notre Dame defensive backs (and check out the link to see who Fiutak ranks right above and right below Notre Dame):

There’s a shot the secondary turns into the team’s biggest strength. Corners Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart can hit, the depth is – for the most part – there for all spots, the safeties are experienced, and on top of all of that, Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph might be the best safety in college football.

I’ve thought for a while simply by watching the improvement in the secondary and specifically at cornerback that [autotag]Mike Mickens[/autotag] doesn’t get enough credit for his work since replacing Todd Lyght following the 2019 season.

Is this unit the second best in the nation?  I hesitate to go quite that far but if it turns out to be you may very well be looking at one of the two or three best defenses in all of college football in 2022.

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Goshen News publishes story about Notre Dame cornerbacks

Do you have high hopes for this unit?

With spring practice in full swing at Notre Dame, now is the time to write about pretty much everything related to the program. After all, the first game of the season is months away, so it’s nice to read about the team without having to look at it through the lens of game performance. The Goshen News realizes is and decided to look at one of the units the Irish have. Specifically, Evan Lepak has written about Mike Mickens’ cornerbacks.

Significant attention is given to veterans TaRiq Bracy, Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart. Lepak also notes that the Irish have a bunch of freshmen after those three on the depth chart. There are redshirt freshmen Ryan Barnes, Philip Riley and Chance Tucker. The Irish also have early enrollee Jaden Mickey in camp.

We don’t know how effective the Irish will be at cornerback in 2022, but this cast of characters will be interesting to watch if for no other reason than to see how deep they can go with such a drop-off of experience.

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

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Fiesta Bowl: Third-Quarter Analysis

This is not fun anymore.

A Fiesta Bowl victory that once seemed almost certain for Notre Dame suddenly is in doubt. Oklahoma State came out for the second half looking like the team that was better prepared. The result is a 21-point Irish lead that has given way to a 31-28 Cowboys advantage at the end of the third quarter.

Spencer Sanders walked onto the field like he was completely in tune with his receivers. He completed one pass after another while facing little resistance from the Irish’s defense. For the second drive in a row, he hit Tay Martin for a touchdown, this one from 5 yards out. The Irish from most of the first half were nowhere to be found on this possession.

Both teams then went three-and-out. The Irish did a little better on the drive that followed that sequence, advancing from their own 15-yard line to midfield. However, it ended with a Jay Bramblett punt, which has happened all too often in this game. While he pinned the Cowboys at the 11, it didn’t matter because Sanders masterfully orchestrated another long drive that ended with the game-tying 8-yard touchdown pass to Martin, his third of the game.

Things went from bad to worse as the Irish’s offense once again could not get anything going against a vaunted Cowboys defense that had rediscovered itself. Xavier Watts was whistled for a kick-catch interference on the ensuing punt to give the Cowboys a short field. Martin then drew a pass interference against Clarence Lewis, bringing the Pokes even closer to the end zone. Somehow, the Irish’s defense stepped up to turn what looked like another touchdown drive into a go-ahead 38-yard field goal from Tanner Brown.

Unbelievable.

Notre Dame at Stanford: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Now, we wait.

Did Notre Dame let up in the fourth quarter of its regular-season finale against Stanford? Maybe a tiny bit, but it had enough of a cushion that it was able to do that. While it may not have been the best look, the result of the game will speak volumes enough. The Irish now will await their College Football Playoff fate after a 45-14 win.

Tyler Buchner got a turn at quarterback in the fourth quarter and made the most of it right away with a 33-yard touchdown run. Although the Irish (11-1) had the game well in hand at that point, there still was football to play. The Cardinal (3-9) decided they had something to prove, and everyone saw that when Tanner McKee responded with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Yurosek. While that was slightly concerning, there hardly was cause for alarm from the Irish’s perspective.

After the Irish punted on their next possession, the Cardinal put another nice drive together and got across midfield. Just when it appeared the drive would reach the red zone, Clarence Lewis forced a fumble by Michael Wilson after a 19-yard reception, and Justin Ademilola had his second recovery of the game. It reflected the kind of season it’s been for the hosts.

The Irish began driving again, mainly thanks once again to Jack Coan. They got a boost when an offside penalty was called right before they went for it on fourth down. The break paid off when Kyren Williams eventually ran for a 12-yard touchdown, the Irish’s final score of the regular season. With their statement made, they can rest up knowing they’ve done everything they can to make their case for more meaningful football this season.