Tag: College Sports

University of Texas football hit hard by coronavirus

The University of Texas announced a massive outbreak of COVID-19 cases on their football team Thursday. Find out all the details here.

Seemingly each day we get news to the good and then news to the negative about the potential to college football being played as close to as normal as possible in 2020.

Recently the NCAA approved a plan for the pre-season schedule but have also seen some of the negative, including the University of Houston suspending voluntary athletic workouts last week after a hand-full of positive tests from it’s athletes.  Now another Texas school, the biggest of them all, is dealing with a corona-virus outbreak.

The University of Texas announced Thursday that 13 football players tested positive for coronavirus and are isolating while an additional 10 players haven’t tested positive but are remaining in self-quarantine because of coming in close contact with those whom tested positive.

Additionally four other Texas players have tested positive for the COVID-19 anti-body, meaning they have at least contracted the virus in the past.

Like I’ve said all along, we don’t know what two weeks from now is going to bring, let alone what we’ll be dealing with or where we’ll be at 79 days from now when Notre Dame starts their football season.  The situation appears to remain as fluid as ever as we continue to hope for cases nationwide to decrease.

Huge Step Taken for College Football’s Return for 2020

If you’re hoping for college football to be played in 2020 then you got some big-time good news as a huge hurdle was cleared on Thursday.

Mark your calendars for July 13.

The NCAA Football Oversight Committee today passed a recommendation that can formally begin working with their teams that day according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

The recommendation still needs approval by the NCAA’s Division I Council but that passing is reported by Yahoo! to essentially be a foregone conclusion.

Here’s how the schedule looks like it will break down and get college football started on time, at least for now:

July 13:  Coaches can work with their teams with strength workouts and film studies taking place. This date will come a week earlier for those teams participating in Week Zero this August.  This will be limited to eight hours a week.

July 24:  The eight hour limit would move to 20 hours a week for a two week period starting on this day.  This will be a new addition used to get players in playing shape for the season after spending the majority of spring and the early part of summer away.

August 7:  Training camp is allowed to begin.

August 29:  Week Zero kicks off as scheduled for seemingly all teams besides Notre Dame and Navy.

By no means does this guarantee anything in regards to the season being played as the situation remains plenty fluid but it is no question a huge step towards college football being played on time in 2020.

Related:  Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2020 Notre Dame football

College Football: How appealing is Notre Dame job?

Just how appealing is the job of head coach at Notre Dame? It’s a big time job but clearly not for everyone, even the great ones.

Remember the video game, “NCAA Football” that was put together by Electronic Arts?

I miss that game.  I miss starting as a head coach at a small school and working my way up the ladder to the more prestigious football programs.

In that game each football program would be given a star rating in terms of the caliber of job it was.  The truly elites like Alabama, Ohio State, USC and a few others, usually Notre Dame included, got the maximum star rating.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN put together a similar ranking recently as he put the FBS head coaching jobs in different tiers based on their level of appeal for a head coach.

In those rankings, Notre Dame didn’t reach the highest of tiers as that was reserved for Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas.

If it’s based on recent accomplishment I’d have a problem with it but it’s not.  It’s a ranking built on the job and the difficulty, or lack-there-of to win big with regularity.  Everything from assistant coaches pay to practice facilities and the amount of local talent to recruit are factored in.

With that in mind it’s nearly impossible to have an issue with any of the eight teams he listed in the highest of tiers.  Just because teams don’t win big doesn’t mean their programs aren’t in a great spot to succeed.

Notre Dame came in ranked in tier-two.  Joining them were Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M and Washington.

I’d actually argue that Auburn and Texas A&M should be in tier one based on endless resources in regards to facilities, home-base recruiting and boosters with deep pockets.

If you’re ranking the jobs that bring the most attention, no doubt Notre Dame is on the shortest of lists.  When you discuss the most-appealing though, it’s clear that it’s not a place that your standard good college coaches are going to have major success.

Former Notre Dame running back on the move again

Former Notre Dame running back, four-star CJ Holmes is on the move again as his time at Penn State appears over.

Former Notre Dame running back CJ Holmes is on the move again.  Holmes played in three games for the Irish in 2017, recording 32 yards on eight carries.  That winter he was charged with shoplifting and dismissed from the football program.

Holmes wound up at Penn State as a walk-on and played in their secondary in 2019 after having to sit out per NCAA rules in 2018.  Holmes appeared in one game and recording a pair of tackles for the Nittany Lions.

Holmes has entered the transfer-portal again, joining former five-star running back Ricky Slade, and four-star defensive linemen Daniel Joseph and Damien Barber who have also entered the transfer portal this off-season.

If Holmes again has to sit out a season with this transfer he’ll have just one year of eligibility remaining at whatever school he ends up at.

Holmes was recruited to Notre Dame as a four-star all-purpose-back in the 2017 recruiting class that was ranked 10th nationally by the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Deshaun Watson not buying into Notre Dame in 2020

Deshaun Watson is a legend at Clemson and star for the Houston Texans. He’s also not liking Notre Dame football’s chances in 2020.

Few college football players in recent years have accomplished more than Deshaun Watson did at Clemson.  The star quarterback led the Tigers to back-to-back national championship game appearances, walking off a winner after upsetting Alabama to win it all in January of 2017.

Now Watson stars for the Houston Texans who selected him twelfth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, 10 picks after the Chicago Bears selected Mitch Trubisky.

In three NFL seasons Watson has turned into a star, earning two Pro Bowl bids while throwing 71 touchdowns and having a career quarterback rating of 101.0.

Watson was asked on Twitter by former Clemson star Tajh Boyd if Notre Dame was a national championship contender in 2020.  Fighting Irish fans probably won’t be thrilled with his answer.

It’s clearly not what you want to read but is he wrong?

I truly believe Notre Dame football is very much a College Football Playoff contender in 2020.  They have questions at various position groups and hardly an easy schedule but 11-1 and a shot at the CFP is plenty possible.

But is a national title realistic?

Notre Dame has gotten to the biggest of stages in the last decade but things have gone horribly once they got there.  The 2012 season’s finish with a blowout loss to Alabama in the title game and a 30-3 defeat against Clemson after going 12-0 in the 2018 regular season.

I’d love to be wrong but I have trouble thinking that leap will taken this season.

If nothing else though, I certainly wouldn’t mind Notre Dame shocking the world and Watson’s Twitter mentions being blown up by Irish fans on November 7.

87 Days Until Notre Dame Football Returns

87 days until we get Notre Dame football back. Don’t miss this memorable Notre Dame moment as we continue the countdown!

In 87 days we’ll gladly all welcome Notre Dame football back when they take on the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis.  In the meantime, we have rosters to break down, opponents to preview and position battles to discuss.

For now though we’ve got to look at where the number 87 ends up being relevant in Notre Dame football history.  For this one we didn’t have to go back all that far.

87: Yards on the final drive in Notre Dame’s 2019 comeback win over Virginia Tech

Trailing Virginia Tech 20-14 with just 3:22 to play, Notre Dame needed a drive for the ages in order to escape with a victory on November 2, 2019.  And that’s exactly what Ian Book, Jafar Armstrong and Chase Claypool among others helped create.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncsX71lEWKE&w=560&h=315]

After an embarrassing loss to Michigan a week earlier, this win was the first of six straight to end the year.  It moved the Irish to 6-2 on the season as they’d eventually finish up 11-2 after a blowout win over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl.

Just how much did Reggie Bush own Notre Dame?

With Reggie Bush and USC ending their disassociation, it felt like the proper time to relive just how much Bush crushed Notre Dame. Yikes.

Over the years there have been plenty of foes who Notre Dame could not get the number of.  With ESPN reporting that USC is expected to end Reggie Bush’s ten year disassociation from the school, it felt like the proper time to painfully relive some of Bush’s accomplishments at Notre Dame’s expense.

Years before Kim Kardashian was getting countless plastic surgeries she was dating Reggie Bush. And years before that he was as incredible of college football player as I’ve ever watched.

So just how well did Reggie Bush perform against Notre Dame during his three years at USC?

Bush’s Career game log vs. Notre Dame:

2003: 45-14 USC
Rushing: 6 att, 89 yds, TD
Receiving: 1 rec, 38 yds

2004: 41-10 USC
Rushing: 8 car, 25 yds
Receiving: 1 rec, 69 yds, TD

2005: 34-31 USC
Rushing: 15 car, 160 yds, 3 TD
Receiving; 4 rec, 35 yds

All-together:
3-0 record with USC outscoring Notre Dame by a combined score of 120-55.
Rushing:  29 car, 274 yds (9.4 ypc), 4 TD
Receiving: 6 rec, 142 yds (23.6 ypr), TD

All of that and Reggie Bush’s most memorable play in college football’s greatest inter-sectional rivalry was a play that he didn’t even touch the ball during.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62P8_Ik7NlE&w=560&h=315]

One day I’ll get over that.  Just not today.

Welcome back, Reggie.

Notre Dame makes cut for prized 2022 athlete/wide receiver

Notre Dame hasn’t had the best luck recruiting the wide receiver position in recent months. Perhaps that’s headed for a change here shortly

Notre Dame hasn’t had the best of luck recruiting the wide receiver position in recent months as one of the nation’s best for 2021 de-committed and the only wide receiver commitment in the 2021 class appears to be very much on the fence.

Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish did get a small dose of good news though for 2022’s class Tuesday as one of the nation’s top athletes in Kaden Saunders revealed Notre Dame as one of his seven finalists.

Saunders says in his statement that he wants to make a commitment around his birthday in September and tells how pretty much every video conferencing app has become his way of developing relationships at potential schools.

Saunders, a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, hails from Westerville South High School in Ohio.  The 5-10, 170 pound athlete is being recruited to Notre Dame as a wide receiver.

If the Irish are going to win his commitment in a few short months they’ll have to stand out compared to Michigan, Arizona State, TCU, Penn State, Indiana and West Virginia, all who Saunders also listed in his top seven.

 

Watch: Brian Kelly’s SportsCenter Appearance

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter Monday. Watch the interview right here!

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If you missed Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly’s appearance with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter Monday night then don’t fret, because we’ve got you covered here at FIW.

Kelly revealed Notre Dame’s plan to test players for COVID-19 each week ahead of games, something that had been speculated about but wasn’t yet known.  He also discussed how he has failed as a leader by not doing enough to help stop racism.

If those two pieces don’t do enough for you then you’re always welcome to watch his full appearance with Van Pelt, which you can do below.

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Related: 10 Things You May Not Know About Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly’s SportsCenter Appearance – 5 Things

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly was a guest on SportsCenter Monday night and shared some news in regards to Notre Dame football.

Brian Kelly joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter on Monday night and discussed a wide array of topics.  If you didn’t catch the interview don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered right here with the five things to takeaway.

On Social Issues:

Van Pelt led Kelly to start the conversation by discussing the current state of affairs in the United States in the wake of the unnecessary death of George Floyd.  Kelly offered the following on what went on with his team in the days immediately following that event.

“Dialogue.  It started with getting everyone together and to give them the platform to speak on what happened”

Kelly went on to add that he has “failed as a leader” of young men because he hasn’t done enough with his platform to help change things for the better.

In order to create this change we all claim to want, Kelly stated: “It can’t be talk, it’s got to be action”

Next:  “White men don’t like talking about racism”

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