Tag: Fighting Irish football

Which Irish true freshman could benefit most from NIL?

Which Notre Dame incoming freshman could be in line for a payday when they can profit from their name, image and likeness?

When the NCAA made the decision that collegiate athletes would soon be able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL), it opened up a whole new world for football stars who have yet to make it to the highest level. Rivals took a guess at which incoming freshman would benefit the most from this and their choice of an Irish player might surprise you.

Mike Farrell, Rivals recruiting director, placed wide receiver Jordan Johnson one of the freshmen who could benefit the most from the NIL ruling. Johnson placed 8th on Farrell’s list, claiming that “the quarterback gets all the attention usually, but a five-star Midwest receiver having a huge career at Notre Dame could me him very valuable.”

Rivals ranked Johnson as the best prospect in the 2020 Irish recruiting class, in front of tight end Michael Mayer, offensive lineman Tosh Baker and speedy running back Chris Tyree. Farrell is right with his assessment that it’s usually a quarterback that gets all the hype, but skill position players can get plenty of love as well. I would expect Tyree to be a wanted man for his services as well and could possible rival what Farrell thinks Johnson could bring to the table.

No one really knows what could be in store for athletes when this ruling finally passes. August 30th is the next big date, as each NCAA division is expected to have a draft of what their NIL proposals will be. What we do know is this will usher in a new era for college football, and potentially keeping star players on campus for longer than expected.

Notre Dame vs. Clemson: Who Wins Simulated Contest

Find out how the Irish fare, in now what will be their biggest contest of the 2020 season.

We all know that one of the Irish’s biggest games of the 2020 season has already been canceled, the trip to Lambeau Field to face the Wisconsin Badgers. With ACC still not making a decision for their non-conference schedule, the contest against Clemson is still on the table.

Although 247Sports started their simulations of their top 20 contests for the upcoming season prior to the Big Ten and PAC-12’s decisions to only play a conference schedule, it’s still is worth a look at how these big games will play out. Plenty of upsets have happened in these simulations from Michigan finally beating Ohio State, Oklahoma State outlasting Texas in 4 overtimes, and USC blasting Alabama.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this outcome to happen, as the 247Sports simulation had the Irish beating the Tigers in resounding fashion. The final score was 44-25, in favor of the good guys, and a bit of a shocker if you ask me. I don’t feel like the Irish are over-matched, but the last time the Tigers lost a game by that margin in a non-playoff game was in 2014 when it happened twice, against Georgia Tech and Georgia.

A more realistic outcome would be the Irish edging Clemson in a tight game, getting some home field magic to knock off one of the best programs in the country. That isn’t how the simulation saw it, so let’s enjoy this big time W against Clemson as we await the real results in about four months.

Fighting Irish Football returns to the practice field

The Notre Dame Football team returned to the practice field in preparation for the 2020 season yesterday.

Since Notre Dame has announced that none of their players tested positive for COVID-19, it seemed safe to be able to get back onto the practice field but with precautions. That’s exactly what happened yesterday as Brian Kelly led his team back to work.

The hype video showed the team in three different areas: in their outside field, in the weight room and in the new indoor facilities as well. It looks like masks were worn only inside the weight room, a practice the Irish football players should get used to.

It’s great to see the football team get back in action, but with much consternation about what will happen in the 2020 season. At the current moment only the PAC12 and B1G have announced conference-only schedules, with the SEC, ACC and Big XII still yet to make a decision. This obviously looms large, as the Irish await what the rest of the college football world does. At least we have the return of the Irish to the practice field.

Two Irish Defenders named to Bednarik Watch List

Two breakout performers from Notre Dame’s defense last year are among the 90 players included on the Bednarik Watch List.

In what was viewed as breakout seasons for two Notre Dame defenders last year, safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the hype continues over into the 2020 season as both of them have been named on the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list.

The watch list consists of 90 of the best collegiate defenders in the nation, so there will surely be still competition for both Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah if they want to bring award back to South Bend. The award began in 1995, with linebacker Manti Te’o as the only Notre Dame defender to win the award in 2012.

As a freshman, Hamilton put up impressive numbers in limited playing time, recording 41 tackles, grabbing 4 interceptions while taking one back for a touchdown with 6 passes defended. The Atlanta native sure showed some impressive ability for such a young player, and the expectations for bigger number this year is valid. Hamilton is expected to start in the defensive backfield.

Owusu-Koramoah was a bit of a different story than Hamilton, as he had to work his way into playing time as a junior. The wait was well worth it as the linebacker exploded on the scene with 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks along with 2 forced fumbles and two recoveries. If the rising senior continues his progression, a huge season is in line for JOK.

Both of them are seen as impact players on Clark Lea’s defense and keys to the upcoming 2020 season. With the offense having to replace all the starters from the skill positions, the defense will need to step up early to give that side of the ball a cushion while they figure things out.

Former Notre Dame captain, All-American passes away

A former Notre Dame captain and All-American football player died this week. Find out more about the life of Dan Shannon here.

The Shannon name has been around Notre Dame football for a very long time.

Most recently it was long snapper John who finished up his collegiate career by winning the inaugural Patrick Mannelly Award, given out to the nation’s best senior long snapper.

Before that it was his father, Gerard, who played for the Fighting Irish in the 1980’s.

And before both of them was Gerard’s father, Dan, who has passed away at the age of 86.

Dan Shannon played for Notre Dame from 1951-54 as the Irish accumulated a 32-5-3 record in that time.

Shannon tied for eighth in program history in recovered fumbles (season), with four in 1951, and he served as a team captain in 1954, the season in which he was named a Sporting News All-American linebacker.

Shannon played under both Frank Leahy and Terry Brennan.

Shannon graduated from Notre Dame in 1955 with a degree in accounting and went on to serve in the Air Force before being elected to president of the Chicago Park District, a post he held from 1969-73.

Shannon also served as president of Notre Dame’s Monogram Club from 1995-97.

Shannon was living in Lake Barrington, Illinois when he died this week at 86 years of age.

Our condolences to the Shannon family.

ESPN: How does the Big Ten’s decision impact Notre Dame

A look at what could be ahead for Notre Dame in the 2020 season after the Big Ten decided to play a conference only schedule.

After yesterday’s huge news that the Big Ten will only play conference games in the 2020 season and the potential for other conferences to follow is something worth tracking for Notre Dame faithful. ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Mark Schlabach looked into the conundrum the Irish could be facing in this season.

With just one game schedule against the Big Ten this year, against Wisconsin, this may not seem like a massive deal, but it is. Dinich and Schlabach view it like this, “For the independent outlier, this is a predicament, but there is a solution. First, losing the Wisconsin game is significant, but the Fighting Irish could overcome that alone. The problem comes if the Pac-12 does follow suit, because then Notre Dame would lose two additional games, in Stanford and USC. The most likely and expected scenario there would be for Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and ACC commissioner John Swofford to extend their partnership and have the Irish fill the rest of their schedule with ACC games.”

This does seem like the most logical solution, already half of the Irish’s previously scheduled opponents reside in the ACC. Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Louisville would most likely stay on the docket, but who would the Irish add? It completely depends on what Swofford and other AD’s decide to do. There are rumors the Big Ten could play 10 conference games, but at the moment nothing is set in stone. If the ACC goes to conference only and plays 8 games, I would love to see the Irish add NC State, Florida State, North Carolina or Boston College. If the Irish join the ACC for the 2020 season, which opponents would you like to see them face?

Is Notre Dame a Contender for 4-Star Offensive Tackle Rucci?

Rivals projects who is leading for Nolan Rucci, the offensive tackle from Pennsylvania in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Irish just picked up a commitment from Minnesota offensive tackle Joe Alt on Monday, and instate Blake Fisher already in the fold make a solid tandem for the 2021 recruiting class. Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn are still looking for another player at the position, as his philosophy is go hard after tackles and they can move down to guard if need be later.

With that in mind, Pennsylvania 4-Star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is still trying to make a decision on where he will attend school. Rivals took a look at where his recruitment stands and it looks like Kelly and Quinn should continue to look at other prospects. Adam Friedman, a recruiting analyst with Rivals, doesn’t see this one trending in the Irish’s way.

The Irish ranked 6th for Rucci’s services, not a particularly encouraging spot going forward. They have a lot of other schools the Irish will have to jump in order to get Rucci in the Blue and Gold. His recruitment has been trending away from the Irish so Kelly will most likely have to look in another direction. When looking at the 16 tackles offered, only five remain uncommitted and none of them are trending the Irish’s direction. They most likely will have to find another diamond in the rough like Alt to round out the position in 2021 recruiting.

College Football Jobs Ranked, Notre Dame highly coveted

The Irish head coaching job has been and will continue to be one of the best jobs in all of college football.

Coaching the fabled Notre Dame program has always been a high-profile job, expectations for every coach that lead the football program will always be sky high. Although the Irish have not won a title since 1988, the job is still held in high regards as 247Sport named the position as the 9th most coveted head coaching job in the country.

Brad Crawford, who ranked the jobs for 247Sports, sees that “there might not be a brand stronger than Notre Dame in college football. Touchdown Jesus, South Bend, the gold helmets … you get it.” It very hard to argue against that, there are not many schools with the same tradition that Notre Dame sports.

The explanation of the ranking is something that we all know, but Crawford points out two reasons why the Notre Dame job gets the 9th spot. The “drawbacks here that other programs don’t have in the Top 10 is location and academics. The standards at Notre Dame are higher than most and Indiana isn’t exactly pumping out elite athletes annually. That’s why Brian Kelly has taken a nationwide approach to recruiting during his tenure.”

The national approach has worked, but not quite as well as Kelly would like. In the last 5 recruiting cycles, including the current one, the Irish will have signed just 2 instate players. Kelly has said the recruiting needs to go to another level to compete with the teams they need to beat to be among the best in the nation.

The Notre Dame head coaching job will always be one that comes with gigantic expectations and lots of scrutiny. It is not cut out for every coach, some of them just can’t handle what it means to be the Irish’s lead man. Kelly’s been at the helm for 10 years now and he’s helped bring back some respectability after the Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis eras.

Rivals: Buchner Stock Down after Elite 11 Finals

Tyler Buchner, the 2021 Notre Dame quarterback commit did not have his best showing last week during the Elite 11 Finals.

This was not what Notre Dame fans wanted to hear, that their prized quarterback recruit Tyler Buchner picked up some bad habits this offseason. This has caused Mike Farrrell, Rivals Recruiting Director, to include Buchner in among his group that saw their stock fall after the Elite 11 quarterback camp.

Farrell went on to say that “someone messed with the Notre Dame commits mechanics as a sidearm, baseball sling is occurring often now. This leads to all sorts of issues from accuracy to the ball hanging at times. This was an odd performance.” That is not a very glowing review for Buchner, so hopefully he works on those aspects of his game.

It is hard to tell what Farrell is seeing in the few clips that were posted by spectators at the event. What I saw was not quite enough lower body rotation, with Buchner relying on his arm strength too much. That is an easy fix, as with more reps he can get his footwork in order to help with his delivery.

The most concerning part of Farrell’s assessment is the accuracy of Buchner’s balls. It’s a skill that is very difficult to teach, some quarterbacks have it, some don’t. At such an early age, Buchner has plenty of time to correct these mistakes before he arrives to South Bend. We know that he is a hard worker and the hope is he takes these critiques to heart and works on them before his final high school season.

Rivals: Notre Dame is Recruiting Defensive Tackles with best in Nation

The lone Irish commit on the interior of the defensive line is among the best in the country.

Although the 2021 Irish recruiting class only has one defensive tackle commit at the moment, Missouri’s Gabriel Rubio, he is still a very impressive prospect. His commitment alone was good enough for the Irish to be placed as Rivals 5th best class of ’21 at his position.

It’s the work ethic like this that has made Rubio a national name, according to Rivals rankings he’s the 99th best player in the country, 8th at defensive tackle and 2nd in the state. After posting impressive junior season stats, 117 tackles to go with 18 sacks, Rubio should see a huge senior sendoff before arriving in South Bend.

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It’s not just that Rubio is a great player, he’s also put on his recruiting hat, trying to help Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame coaching staff with their efforts.

Rubio will have high expectations when he arrives on campus, with a resume like his it would be hard not to. The Irish beat out schools like LSU, Ohio State, Georgia and others for Rubio commitment, making him the highest rated defender in the class up to date. Expect Rubio to have a very good career in the Blue and Gold.