Tag: Florida State

Wisconsin predicted to lose top 2025 quarterback target to Florida State

Wisconsin predicted to lose top 2025 quarterback target to Florida State

On Thursday, four-star class of 2025 quarterback Carter Smith received an On3 expert prediction that he will choose Florida State.

The prediction came from On3 Vice President Steve Wiltfong, one of the top insiders in the recruiting industry.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s matchup against No. 1 Oregon

The prediction arrives days before Smith will visit Wisconsin during its prime-time game against No. 1 Oregon. The Badgers have been in hot pursuit of Smith since he decommitted from Michigan at the end of October.

This update also comes immediately after class of 2025 QB Tramell Jones decommitted from Florida State, creating an opening for a quarterback in the Seminoles’ class. On3 reports Smith will likely visit Florida State for its game against Florida on Nov. 30.

The musical chairs at quarterback have Jones trending toward Florida, Michigan in pursuit of top 2025 QB Bryce Underwood, and both Florida State and Wisconsin battling to land Smith.

The highly touted quarterback is No. 158 overall, No. 14 among quarterbacks and No. 26 in his home state of Florida, according to 247Sports. His addition would be a substantial boost for Wisconsin’s class of 2025. He would be the program’s highest-rated high school quarterback commit since Graham Mertz (class of 2019).

Wisconsin still has a chance to make its case to Smith during his visit to the program this weekend. A win over No. 1 Oregon would do a lot for that case.

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Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III’s injury vs. Florida State

The Irish star defensive tackle didn’t play after hurting his ankle, but is it worse?

Notre Dame football star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] injured his ankle against Florida State and missed the majority of the game because of it.

The potential All-American is an integral part of the Irish defense, and losing him for any significant time would be a big loss. Following the game, head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] gave everyone an update on Cross’ health, as he ruled out with an ankle sprain.

It seems like he could have come back into the game if needed, but as the game went on, it made the most sense for Notre Dame to keep him off the field.

Hopefully this isn’t a lingering injury, but you should take this as good news that if needed, Freeman would not have hesitated to put him back onto the field. Depending on his recovery during the week, it does seem as it’s still up in the air if we will see Cross lining up against Virginia as ankle injuries can be tricky.

Notre Dame is already creating playoff buzz.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – AUGUST 31: Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on August 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

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Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

A perfect end to a perfect night.

It officially became a blowout when [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called off the dogs. But even that wasn’t enough to keep Notre Dame from continuing to dominate as a curtain call to a 52-3 victory over Florida State.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] completed a 26-yard pass to Jaden Greathouse, then handed it off to [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] for a 1-yard touchdown run.

When the Irish’s offense retook the field after another Seminoles three-and-out, which featured a [autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag] sack, [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] took over at quarterback. Even he got in on the scoring action when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag].

As a final humiliation for the Seminoles, [autotag]Luke Talich[/autotag] intercepted Brock Glenn and returned the ball 79 yards for the game’s final touchdown and the first score of his collegiate career with 1:23 remaining. It was so unnecessary and yet so beautiful to see, especially with the Seminoles on the verge of scoring for the first time since the first quarter.

Irish fans were right to be cautious about this game because it had all the makings of a trap game. But the Seminoles came in with an offense that proved to be as putrid as advertised, and they now have the most losses of any preseason top-10 team.

Meanwhile, the Irish still have a College Football Playoff dream to chase. They have all the makings of a team that belongs there.

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Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Third-Quarter Analysis

One quarter to go.

The third quarter has featured Notre Dame really laying the hammer down on a Florida State team that already was struggling. And it has happened on both sides of the ball, hence their 31-3 lead.

[autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] recorded his career-high third sack on Brock Glenn, who responded by promptly throwing an interception to [autotag]Jordan Clark[/autotag], his first with the Irish. The offense took advantage of starting at the Seminoles’ 35-yard line by reaching the end zone in six plays. That happened when [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] ran for his second touchdown, this one from 6 yards out.

When the Seminoles got the ball back, Luke Kromenhoek replaced Glenn as quarterback. The result was them finally put together another decent drive, even converting on a third down. Though they advanced as far as the Irish 27, Kromenhoek was sacked twice on the final series, including on a fourth-and-12.

Though the Irish got some help with a roughing the passer call and ended up at the 6, Leonard couldn’t finish off the drive with a touchdown, either by him running it in or throwing it to a receiver. At least [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] kicked a 28-yard field goal, his first of the game.

The Irish have this game well in hand with the Seminoles presenting absolutely no threat.

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Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Second-Quarter Analysis

The Irish are up with 30 minutes in the books.

(This story was updated to add new information).

[autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] wanted to finish what he started for Notre Dame late in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, he ran for 65 yards and initially appeared to have just missed the end zone.

But a replay review confirmed Price had kept his foot in bounds, so he had a touchdown to extend the Irish’s lead over Florida State to 14-3.

There wasn’t a lot of action to speak of for a while after that, though the Irish’s defense had an interesting sequence. After [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] went out with an injury, [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] picked him up with back-to-back sacks on Brock Glenn to unseat Cross as the Irish’s sacks leader.

After getting close to Seminoles punter Alex Mastromanno a few times, [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] got a piece of a punt, and that allowed the Irish’s offense to start a drive at midfield. It didn’t mean a thing though as the Irish never reached the red zone, and a [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] 42-yard field-goal attempt went wide left.

[autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] recorded another sack on Glenn to force another Seminoles punt. The Irish had to start further back than before this time, and with time running out, they opted to go for it on a fourth-and-10 from the Seminoles 34-yard line after a timeout.

The Seminoles were flagged for having 12 men on the field, and the Irish  picked up a first down when Leonard completed a 22-yard pass to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag]. Leonard took full advantage by promptly hitting [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] with a 12-yard touchdown.

The Irish are up, 21-3, at halftime. The way the Seminoles have played offense, that looks like a safe lead, but we’ll see.

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Notre Dame vs. Florida State: First-Quarter Analysis

The Irish have the lead. That’s the important thing.

Notre Dame is facing a Florida State team that has nothing to play for but pride the rest of the season. Opponents with nothing left to lose often are the most dangerous. Despite a 7-3 Irish lead after the first quarter, the Seminoles have shown they won’t be pushovers.

The Irish needed only 103 seconds to get the scoring going. The middle of their first drive featuring a 28-yard completion from [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] to [autotag]Aneyas Williams[/autotag]. It culminated with Leonard running 34 years for the game’s first touchdown.

The Seminoles’ first possession took almost half the quarter, though that was helped by an Irish defensive penalty on fourth down. Though the Seminoles got to the Irish 4-yard line, they only could muster a Ryan Fitzgerald chip-shot field goal to get them on the board.

After that, there was a whole lot of nothing with four consecutive three-and-outs, two apiece for the teams. [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] broke that streak with a first-down run in the final minute. He did so without [autotag]Anthonie Knapp,[/autotag] the Irish’s starting left tackle who went to the bench with a currently undisclosed injury during the quarter.

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2025 Notre Dame running back commit takes in Touchdown Jesus at night

Everyone appreciates this sight.

With Notre Dame about to play its first home game in almost a month, a bunch of recruits and commits are on campus for the weekend. Among them is 2025 three-star running back commit [autotag]Justin Thurman[/autotag], who made his decision at the start of August 2023.

Thurman, who hails from Tampa, Florida, is taking in the sights of what will be his home starting next year. One good thing about him is he understands that no matter who you are, visiting Touchdown Jesus is an absolute must when one sets foot on the Notre Dame campus. It’s one of those things that looks beautiful no matter what time of day or year it is.

Thurman took in this breathtaking sight Friday and posted about it on social media. He also used it as a battle cry for the Irish to defeat Florida State on Saturday. It’s perfectly fine that he did so because it hard not to use Touchdown Jesus for inspiration.

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Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame defense vs. Florida State offense

Notre Dame has a dominant defense, and that has been the case the entire season. In fact, it’s been the case for a long time now, and there’s no reason to think that will change as long as Marcus Freeman is in charge. Hopefully, Freeman will be in …

Notre Dame has a dominant defense, and that has been the case the entire season. In fact, it’s been the case for a long time now, and there’s no reason to think that will change as long as [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is in charge.

Hopefully, Freeman will be in charge for a long time so that the Irish’s defense remains among the best in college football. That’s not to say the Irish won’t have a great defense beyond his tenure, but he gives the fan base peace of mind in that regard.

The Irish should have no problem handling Florida State’s offense. While the Seminoles’ defense isn’t beyond awful, the same cannot be said for their offense, which nationally ranks near the bottom of several major statistical categories. It’s a large if not the primary reason the Seminoles have a 1-8 record and won’t be playing in a bowl game.

Here’s how the Irish’s defense and Seminoles’ offense match up:

Florida State finally avoids a disaster by turning a QB sneak into a 42-yard gain

Florida State avoided its season of doom completely coming off the rails with this wild QB sneak.

Florida State fans likely breathed a sigh of relief after a seemingly routine quarterback sneak nearly unraveled in the worst way possible.

FSU’s season has been so bad that nothing is seemingly safe. Just last week, they executed what might have been the ugliest field goal I’ve ever seen. And this week, they nearly botched a quarterback sneak. I shouldn’t be surprised, but yet, somehow, I still am.

Early in the second quarter against Miami, FSU wanted to go for it on fourth-and-one. The exchange between the center and quarterback Luke Kromenhoek was bobbled, but somehow — football gods were seemingly showing mercy — Kromenhoek squeezed out of the pile of players and hit a 42-yard scamper. INCREDIBLE.

(Feature image courtesy of ESPN)

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2025 Michigan tight end commit will make official visit to Notre Dame

This would be a huge flip.

Notre Dame has developed a reputation in recent years for its quality tight ends. Another one could be coming to the Irish next season, and it would really would make the fan base happy.

Tight end recruit Andrew Olesh, the top-ranked 2025 recruit in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports, committed to Michigan on July 8 without the Irish having made him an offer. Clearly, something has changed though because Irish Illustrated is reporting that Olesh will make an official visit for the Irish’s Nov. 9 game against Florida State.

If the Irish were to lure Olesh away from the Wolverines, he would be the third 2025 commit that 247Sports has ranked as the best in their respective state. The ones so far are offensive tackle [autotag]Will Black[/autotag] from Connecticut and [autotag]James Flanigan[/autotag], currently the only tight end in that recruiting class, from Wisconsin.

247Sports currently ranks the Irish 13th among the 2025 recruiting classes, so this should bump them up a bit if it happens:

Best of luck to the Irish in efforts to flip Olesh.

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