Tag: Hartford Wolf Pack

Rucci sets commitment date, is Notre Dame an option?

Nolan Rucci, the 5-Star Pennsylvania offensive tackle, has set his announcement date for early next week. Are the Irish a viable option?

Late last January the Irish offered Pennsylvania offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, and the through was Notre Dame would be a player in his recruitment until the end. That is the case, as Rucci, the 14th overall player and nationally the 5th ranked tackle by the 247Sports composite has announced he will commit on Tuesday, televised by CBS Sports HQ.

Rucci will go live with his announcement at 6pm EST, but don’t expect to see Irish head coach Brian Kelly on Twitter with his #WeAreND reaction. Notre Dame has been included in his final 5, but they are on the outside looking in. At 247Sports there are 5 crystal balls, none of them favoring the Irish. The same at Rivals with their FutureCasts favoring Wisconsin, the overwhelming favorite to land the offensive tackle.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, Rucci’s older brother Hayden plays for the Badgers, while his father Todd is Penn State alumnus. Those are really the two schools that have the best chance at the younger Rucci’s commitment.

Kelly would have loved to add Rucci to the ‘21 class, as they currently have two tackles committed in Blake Fisher and Joe Alt. Fisher is a 5-Star like Rucci and Alt is considered more of a project due to his lack of experience playing tackle. When you add in the commits of guard Rocco Spindler and center Pat Coogan, it is a fantastic group even after missing out on Rucci.

Notre Dame Hockey: O’Leary Signs With Hartford

Notre Dame barely has finished skating for 2019-20, and already, someone on the past season’s team is getting a professional opportunity.

Notre Dame barely has finished skating for 2019-20, and already, someone on the past season’s team is getting a professional opportunity. Mike O’Leary has signed a contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He will be joining fellow former Irish forward Steven Fogarty on the Wolf Pack’s roster.

O’Leary, who will graduate from the Mendoza College of Business in May with a Management Consulting degree, is coming off a season in which he recorded a career-high 23 points. He had a hot start to the season in October, sharing the national lead with Cal Burke in points (2.75) and assists (1.75) a game. He had multiple points in all four games the Irish played during that month, finishing it with 11 points and being involved with the game-winning goal in three of the four games.

O’Leary was a member of three Notre Dame teams that won three Big Ten titles. He finished his collegiate career with 57 points, including 20 goals, in 151 games.