Tag: Clemson

Notre Dame Makes Cut for Literally Massive ’21 Offensive Tackle

Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin.  Perhaps trade out Michigan and Stanford for Georgia and Oklahoma and you’re talking about possibly the nine most successful programs over the last three seasons.

Nolan Rucci is a massive recruit both physically and also in skill.  The 6-8, 289 pound high school senior to be is regarded as one of the top recruits in the entire country and as 247Sports rates him as the 13th best prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.

Rucci announced his top nine remaining schools on Monday morning and Notre Dame made the cut which is the good news.

The bad news?  It’ll be a figurative dog fight to land his talents as his remaining nine schools are as impressive of nine as you’ll find for any non-committed 2021 recruit.

Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin.  Perhaps trade out Michigan and Stanford for Georgia and Oklahoma and you’re talking about possibly the nine most successful programs over the last three seasons.

Barton Simmons, the director of scouting at 247 has a comparison of former Notre Dame star and eventual ninth overall NFL Draft pick Mike McGlinchey for Rucci.

If the name sounds familiar it’s probably because his dad Todd starred at Penn State before playing eight seasons in the NFL.  His brother Hayden currently plays tight end at Wisconsin.

Rucci helped Warwick High School to a 10-3 record and Pennsylvania District 3 Class 5A semifinal as a junior in 2019.  Stay tuned to FIW for any developments in regards to Rucci and all Notre Dame targets for that matter.

ESPN Power Index Down on 2020 Notre Dame

Now I think you’ve got to walk before you can run and simply put, Notre Dame hasn’t walked on the national stage, at least not in big games.  That said, I still have expectations for this team to make a run at a potential CFP berth.

Talk to a Notre Dame football fan and they’ve got expectations to make another run at a College Football Playoff appearance, if not an outside chance at a national championship.  Now I think you’ve got to walk before you can run and simply put, Notre Dame hasn’t walked on the national stage, at least not in big games.  That said, I still have expectations for this team to make a run at a potential CFP berth.

One outlet that appears not to?  The ESPN Football Power Index.  The FPI puts together their formula and spits out a teams chances at winning all 12 of their regular season contests.  Let’s just say it really doesn’t like Notre Dame’s chances in a quarter of their contests this fall.

Opponent and ESPN FPI’s chances of a Notre Dame win:

vs. Navy 82.3%
vs. Arkansas 90.3%
vs. Western Michigan 94.4%
vs. Wake Forest 85.4%
vs. Wisconsin 26.5%
vs. Stanford 76.6%
at Pittsburgh 75.3%
vs. Duke 89%
vs. Clemson 13.3%
at Georgia Tech 75%
vs. Louisville 65.4%
at USC 30.4%

Let’s quickly discuss the projected losses:

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Four-Star ’21 Safety Lists Notre Dame in Final 12

Kendal Daniels is a top defensive back in the ’21 recruiting class – announced his top-12 schools Tuesday. See who Notre Dame is up against

The hunt remains on for Notre Dame and their 2021 recruiting class as it currently sits seventh nationally in the 247Sports rankings but the Irish remain in play for several key targets.  Although still probably a bit of a long-shot to land his commitment, Notre Dame made the top 12 for safety Kendal Daniels today.

Daniels, a four-star recruit from Beggs, Oklahoma, announced his 12 finalists on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon.

Notre Dame joins five SEC schools including Alabama, Georgia and LSU while home-state Oklahoma and Oklahoma State both also made his cut.  Clemson and Florida State both made it from the ACC while the only Pac-12 school listed is Oregon.

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Daniels’s athleticism sticks out on tape but so does his instincts.  I’m not saying he’s Ed Reed when I say this because pretty much nobody ever has been but his ability to read a play compared to everyone else on the field is noticeable – just watch the tape and notice him headed to where the ball will soon be headed, it’s impressive.   Daniels also has the speed to make plays which is clearly obvious above.

Whoever ends up getting him is going to be getting a player that certainly seems to have the football IQ to make an early impact.

BetMGM Lists Seven Notre Dame Spreads – Irish Surprise Underdog in One

BetMGM listed seven Notre Dame game lines for the 2020 season. They’re about what you’d expect except for one. Navy, Clemson, USC, Wisconsin

I’m debating writing everything from here forward as if the 2020 college football season is going to start on time.  It may not be the most realistic belief but with where we’re at right now, do I really have to type out something along the lines of “assuming these games are played” or “as long as the season starts on time” anymore?  We’re all on the same page and I don’t think anyone out there is unaware of the possibility that college football may be played differently in 2020…or 2021.

With that said BetMGM has posted point spreads for seven of Notre Dame’s 12 games this season.  Of the seven, four have the Irish listed as a significant favorite while another has them as a slight favorite.  They then list Notre Dame as an underdog in a pair of games as well, one understandably so and the other being a bit of a surprise.

2020 Notre Dame Game Lines via BetMGM:

August 29 vs. Navy (Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland):  Notre Dame -16.5

September 26 vs. Wake Forest (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC):  Notre Dame -23.5

October 3 vs. Wisconsin (Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI):  Notre Dame -2.5

October 10 vs. Stanford (Notre Dame Stadium):  Notre Dame -17.5

November 7 vs. Clemson (Notre Dame Stadium):  Clemson -7.5

November 21 vs. Louisville (Notre Dame Stadium):  Notre Dame -14.5

November 28 vs. USC (Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA): No spread listed but USC a -125 money-line favorite (Notre Dame +105).

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated _____ at _____ a.m. / p.m. ET. (You will need to write in the day and time you are looking at the latest betting lines)

The games where Notre Dame is a significant favorite are hardly a surprise.  If one stands out to me it’s that Louisville is a 14.5 point underdog.  I thought that program took a giant step last year and seem headed in the right direction.

I’ve seen other shops list Notre Dame as a slight underdog at Wisconsin so I was a bit surprised to see the Irish favored, even slightly against what should be another very good Badgers squad.

Clemson being favored by 7.5 is the biggest spread I’ve seen anywhere on that November 7.  If you’re looking to bet that “game of the year” then look no further than here if you’re backing Notre Dame.  Tough to find a number as good right now.

And pardon me while I go and dump my savings account in on Notre Dame at +105 to finish the year at USC.  Is there a program that routinely does less with more?  The Irish are 3-2 at USC under Brian Kelly and enter the season is much better shape than the Trojans who realistically could be playing with a different head coach by the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around.

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Notre Dame Side to Christian McCaffrey’s Mega-Deal?

Christian McCaffrey signed an extension today with the Carolina Panthers for that amount and it makes him the highest paid running back in the history of the NFL. You might be wondering what that has to do with Notre Dame, but it’s as simple as following the bloodline of college football:
Recruiting.

An average of $16 million dollars over four years. Is it even possible to spend that amount of money? It would require great effort to do so, I know that.

Christian McCaffrey signed an extension today with the Carolina Panthers for that amount and it makes him the highest paid running back in the history of the NFL. You might be wondering what that has to do with Notre Dame, but it’s as simple as following the bloodline of college football:

Recruiting.

Christian McCaffrey is the favorite player of North Carolina high school senior-to-be Will Shipley. Shipley is a big-time recruit and has been heavily pursued by Lance Taylor, the Notre Dame run game coordinator.

Taylor was also the college running backs coach of one Christian McCaffrey back during both their days at Stanford. Taylor left Stanford following the 2016 season to take a job with the Carolina Panthers as their wide receivers coach and was rejoined by McCaffrey who the Panthers selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Taylor took to Twitter to congratulate his former player for signing the monstrous deal on Monday.

I don’t think I’m crazy in thinking the congratulatory tweet by Taylor has a double meaning. Obviously he’s excited for his old running back that agreed to a historic deal. That’s not it though, at least I don’t believe it is.

I’m not saying Christian McCaffrey signing a record deal is the reason Will Shipley will one day sign at Notre Dame because first off, right now nobody knows where Shipley ends up. What I will say is that when you’re recruiting a player of that talent level, the connection from Shipley to Taylor to McCaffrey certainly only helps things.  Mix in the timing of this all going down as recruiting visits aren’t allowed and it may not be the deciding factor in Shipley’s ultimate decision, but it certainly is more than a nothing, too.

At least I’d guess that’s the way Lance Taylor sees it.

Stay tuned. Once the dead-period lifts it’s going to be all systems go to land one of the biggest prizes in the 2021 recruiting class.

Maurice Jones-Drew says he wants to see Jags better their defense through 2020 draft

NFL Network analyst and former Jacksonville Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew discusses what the Jags should do in the 2020 draft.

Despite the tireless work he puts into being a sports analyst, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew often makes the time to talk about his former team throughout the years. That was the case this year when he joined Jaguars.com’s Brian Sexton to discuss the current state of the team and league.

In the last part of their 1-on-1, Sexton asked Jones-Drew who are some players that would excite him if the Jags acquired them on opening night and Jones-Drew said Clemson linebacker, Isaiah Simmons. He continued to call him the best player in the draft then explained why it would be important for the Jags to add an elite player like him to their defense.

“If you’re going to give Gardner [Minshew] an opportunity to remain the starting quarterback like I’ve heard multiple times and all the reports we’ve heard, I’d want to better this defense because when that unit was one of the best in the league you had more opportunities offensively,” Jones-Drew said. “[Back in 2017] it gave Blake Bortles and the offense more chances to score. Remember that time where Blake got hot for about a month and the Jags were the scariest team in the league? They had a top defense and a hot quarterback. It was like, Woah! So, in my mind, I want to go back to that.”

Simmons undoubtedly would add a very versatile piece to the Jags’ defense. Of the many positions he could play, the Jags would probably put him at safety as the linebacking corps and nickelback position have established starters.

As for Jones-Drew’s statements about building up the defense, he certainly makes a solid point. The problem with that is the fact that the unit has so many holes to the point where it could take a while to build up. That said, it would be much easier to address the offensive side as they have the most talent on the team and are just a player or two away from being an impressive group.

Either way, the Jags can come out of this draft with a solid nucleus as they have 12 picks. Simply put, if they stick to a best available player approach, they will come out of the draft greatly improved.

Top NFL Reporter Says “Strong Conviction” to having College Football in 2020

The top NFL reporter around has college football news on Thursday afternoon and he says its a matter of when for 2020, not if.

Nobody breaks more NFL news than Adam Schefter.  Whether it’s a trade, a firing or a free agent signing, its practically an upset when NFL news isn’t broken by Schefter.

Schefter also has sources outside of the NFL as he’ll dip his toes in other waters from time to time and Thursday afternoon was one of those times as the veteran reporter shared what he’s hearing about college football having a season.

We’ve heard various different dates. Some believe that things will go off without a hitch and college football will open up the last weekend of August as scheduled.  Others think it may be until October or even later.  Whatever the case it certainly seems that college football will be played in some capacity.

I don’t know about you but personally I can’t wait to be sitting in Notre Dame Stadium on a Saturday afternoon in January.  I might have to buy a new pair of wool socks, though.

Or eight.

Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs make top-eight for nation’s top CB

Georgia football made the cut for 5-star CB Tony Grimes on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday night, Georgia received a commitment from 4-star offensive tackle Micah Morris in the class of 2021.

But the good news did not stop there. Shortly after, the Bulldogs made the cut for 5-star cornerback Tony Grimes, who celebrated his 18th birthday by releasing his top-eight schools on Twitter.

Grimes’ top-eight is as follows:

Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, Virginia, Ohio State, Penn State, UNC and Tennessee.

Grimes, out Virginia Beach, ranks as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback in the 2021 class. He is also America’s No. 7 overall player and the top player in the state of Virginia.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback plans on announcing his final decision on December 1st.

Grimes spoke with 247Sports about Georgia:

“(Defensive backs) coach (Charlton) Warren, with that visit I took down there, he shot me some game and I love what he has planned for his players to get better. I sat in a meeting with coach (Kirby) Smart, and coach Smart is running a good program. They play big-time ball. They’re SEC.”

Georgia originally offered Grimes on May 16, 2019.

Grimes also got a birthday shoutout from none other than THE Champ Bailey, a Georgia Bulldog legend.

 

A 2020 College Football Season? Here’s What Notre Dame’s Kelly and other Coaches Think

Recently, man high profile coaches discussed the subject of a 2020 season and a few of them are cautiously optimistic.

Spring football has already been halted; the NCAA mandated a dead period for recruits on campus and with Stay-At-Home orders having been extended, it is very fair for college football coaches to wonder if the season will actually happen.

Over the weekend Brian Kelly was the keynote speaker for a Zoom call that had over 200 Athletic Directors and Coaches invited to join on the video chat. Plenty was discussed on the call and of course the topic of having a season this year was touched upon. Kelly believes that “football is going to be hard to cancel, unless there are certainly safety precautions that we can’t get through. I think we got some time to work through those things,” and we all hope he is right.

Dabo Swinney, the Clemson head coach, whose team is scheduled to visit South Bend on the first Saturday of November, is very optimistic about the situation. He said on Friday during a conference call that “I don’t have a doubt. I have zero doubt that we’re going to be playing and the stands will be packed.” Swinney has the right attitude towards the situation, there could be doubts as this COVID-19 pandemic continues.

On ESPN’s First Take this morning Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley breached the subject as well, saying “I am extremely confident that we will have a season at some point. It may look different.” The differences that Riley pointed out could be start times for games, fans in the stands, and the schedule. Riley isn’t as convinced as Swinney about the fan’s inclusion, but he still thinks there will be football.

Alabama’s Nick Saban seemed to avoid the question when asked last week during a conference call about his thoughts. The 6-time National Championship coach “never really answer(s) hypothetical questions. I’m sure that everyone’s going to want me to speculate on what’s going to happen in the future, and nobody really knows. It’s very uncertain.”

It seems like each coach has their different stance on the matter, I’m sure that everyone would love to see college football be played in some compacity this season. The reality of the matter is that Saban is right, there is so much unknown at the current moment that no one can really know what will transpire in a few short months.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney confident we’ll have a 2020 CFB season

Clemson football HC Dabo Swinney is confident that we will have a 2020 college football season despite growing concern over coronavirus.

Concerns over whether or not we will have a 2020 college football season is continuing to grow.

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said that he would be “shocked” if we were to have any football, collegiately or professionally, this fall given the current coronavirus pandemic in the United States and around the world.

Fans were split on Herbstreit’s statement. Many agreed but a bigger number thought it was far too early to even discuss the possibility of no football this fall.

One man who does not agree with Herbstreit is Clemson’s two-time national title winning head coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney discussed the pandemic and its potential impact on the sport we all love during a conference call with the media on Friday.

“My preference is let’s get to work and go play,” Swinney said. “That’s the best-case scenario, and I think that’s what’s going to happen. I don’t have any doubt. I have zero doubt that we’re going to be playing and the stands are going to be packed.”

Swinney sounds very optimistic that there will be a 2020 college football season despite concerns of it being delayed from a number athletic directors and analysts.

He is not thinking like that just yet. For the time being at least, Swinney is preparing as if his team will be reporting to camp in August.

He told the teleconference participants that he has created a T.I.G.E.R.S. acronym for his team. It stands for “This Is Gonna End Real Soon.”

“That’s just my mindset. I’ve got one plan, and that’s to get the Tigers ready to play in late August, early September,” Swinney said. “I’ll leave it to the smart people to figure out the doomsday scenarios. We’ve got one scenario, and that’s to run down that hill and kick it off in the valley.”

Swinney also mentioned that he is hopeful that players may actually be able to return to campus as early as next month, even if classes are still being conducted online only.

“This is America, man. We’ve stormed the beaches of Normandy. We’ve sent a rover out on Mars and walked on the moon. This is the greatest country. We’ve created an iPhone where I can sit here and talk to people in all these different places. We’ve got the smartest people in the world. We’re going to rise up and kick this thing in the teeth and get back to our lives.”