Tag: irish

Notre Dame Football: New Found Confidence in Fighting Irish

Feeling better about Notre Dame football lately? You’re not alone…

Recently, with all of the massive changes going on within college football, there’s been plenty of talk from me and others about Notre Dame’s place and standing in whatever college football may end up looking like. How will the Irish adapt? How will they fare in the new College Football Playoff model? How will Notre Dame navigate a landscape that now feels more professional than collegiate?

These are legitimate questions and concerns. One that especially in the last 30 years would have been existential threats due to a lack of proper administrative action to protect and support football along with inadequate coaching leadership. I feel that this has changed recently on multiple fronts and I now have more faith than I have previously in Notre Dame’s ability to navigate this new landscape and still try to compete.

Let’s examine why I feel this way.

Notre Dame Football: Are Irish a top 10 team entering 2024?

Notre Dame a top 10 team entering 2024?

College football’s 2023 season came to an official end just last night but already we’re looking ahead to what’s in store for 2024.

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we have rather high expectations for Notre Dame.  No, we don’t think the title drought will end (hope to be wrong) but we’re on record of the bare minimum being making the College Football Playoff next year as it expands to 12 teams.

Various outlets are coming out with their “way too early” top 25’s for 2024 today and we’re keeping a watchful eye on many of those.  One that stuck out so far though was what Bill Bender of The Sporting News had to say about Notre Dame, who the outlet ranked No. 8:

“The Irish will maintain independent status in the 12-team CFP era, and this first season is an interesting test run. Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard is the new answer for Marcus Freeman, and sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and receiver Jaden Greathouse are set for larger roles. Clemson receiver Beaux Collins should thrive, too. The offensive line remains solid, and SN All-Americans Xavier Watts and Howard Cross III are back for the defense. Notre Dame opens with Texas A&M and could easily be 9-0 when Florida State comes to Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 9. Will they have the strength of schedule of their SEC and Big Ten counterparts in the hunt?”

Strength of schedule or not it’s hard to imagine a Notre Dame team that can go 11-1 not being in the top 12 by regular season’s end.  Run the table and you’re looking at a fifth seed that gets a true home game coupled with playing the lowest ranked of the four conference champions in the quarterfinals.

See how things can be shaping up in a big way for Notre Dame in 2024?

We’ve got a long way to go but just some juice to send you into the non-game-months with.

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Notre Dame Footbal: Winds of Change Blowing for Fighting Irish

The times are a changing in a good way…

Notre Dame football fans have been collectively holding their breath for the last couple of months regarding Al Golden and his Irish contract extension from the Irish. Rumors of a contract offered but not yet signed were abound. An eerily similar dynamic to the one that ended with Mike Denbrock heading back to South Bend from LSU. Much to Notre Dame fans’ delight, the speculation has ended as Golden has agreed to terms on a 4-year deal with Notre Dame.

As Marcus Freeman enters his 3rd year, the staff is led by two of the best coordinators in the country and recruiting is going very well. Notre Dame feels to be at the end and the beginning of something. This is the end of the beginning of the Freeman era. After a rocky couple of years to start, things have leveled out. Locking Golden long-term in has initiated the beginning of the next phase for the Irish.

Winning.

And winning big.

Let’s discuss why the timing suggests the Irish are about to crank it up a notch and truly compete for glory in the modern CFP era.

Notre Dame Football: National Analyst Weighs Irish Title Chances in 2024

Playoff or bust, sure…but what about Notre Dame’s actual championship chances?

What are fair expectations for Notre Dame in 2024?

Personally I look at pretty much any year going forward being a disappointment if the Irish aren’t hosting a first round playoff game in the middle of December.

Anything short of a College Football Playoff appearance, essentially being one of the nation’s top 12 teams, would certainly be seen as a failure.

But what about more than that?

What about winning a national championship for the first time since 1988?

To do so will require beating multiple powerhouses in the postseason, something Notre Dame hasn’t done a single time since the 1994 Cotton Bowl when they beat Texas A&M.

Josh Pate of CBS Sports and host of The Late Kick Podcast recently discussed Notre Dame in the 2024 season to come.  Check out how Pate handicaps Notre Dame’s chances both at the playoff and at actually ending their title drought below:

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Notre Dame Baseball: Irish open season with win over Rice

Great pitching leads the way for Notre Dame’s season opening win

Despite mustering just three hits on Friday night, Notre Dame baseball opened the 2024 season Friday night with a 3-1 victory at Rice.

Rice designated hitter Nathan Becker singled in the first run of the game, scoring Jack Riedel.  That would be the only run Notre Dame starting pitcher Caden Spivey would allow in his three innings of work.

Radek Birkholz came out of the bullpen for the Irish and threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit along the way, while striking out three.

Left fielder David Glancy got Notre Dame on the board in the second as he drew a bases loaded walk.

First baseman Josh Hahn put the Irish ahead in the fifth as he got hit by a Parker Smith pitch, making the score 2-1.  Simon Baumgardt then hit into a double play which did however end up in another Notre Dame run.

Bennett Flynn (2 IP) and Nate Hardman combined to allow just two base runners over the final three innings to secure the season opening victory, 3-1.

Notre Dame and Rice battle in game two of the series opening series in Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame Football: Key Irish Assistant Inks Four Year Extension

A huge part of Notre Dame’s coaching staff is staying put!

A very key part of Notre Dame’s coaching staff is staying put as defensive coordinator Al Golden has inked a four year extension with the Fighting Irish.

The move was first reported by John Brice of Football Scoop.

Under Golden’s watch the last two years Notre Dame has produced one of the best defenses nationally.  The Irish defense is coming off a year where they allowed the seventh-fewest points in all of FBS football.

Although the move doesn’t guarantee Golden stays at Notre Dame for all four years, it certainly makes it harder for someone to come in and successfully poach him away.

My key takeaway from this extension coincides with the signing of Mike Denbrock earlier this off-season:

If you’re going to play big-time college football then you have to spend like a big-time college football program.  Notre Dame did that when getting Denbrock and certainly did that when extending Golden.

As much fun as it is to root for a mom and pop shop to succeed, winning big with that mentality in major college football simply doesn’t happen these days.

Notre Dame Routed at Home by NC State

Rough night for the Irish

Things started poorly for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team Thursday night in South Bend and they didn’t get any better throughout the evening.

The Irish were outscored by the Wolfpack 16-2 in the first 7:35 of the contest and spent the entire night just trying to get back within shouting distance.

The Irish struggled on the night, shooting just 26.9% from the floor in what resulted in a 59-43 loss.

Maddy Westbeld led Notre Dame with 14 points while Sonia Citron scored 13.  Hannah Hidalgo added 10 but was just 4-19 from the floor.

Madison Hayes led North Carolina State with 15 points.

The Irish fall to 18-6 overall and 8-5 in ACC play while NC State moves to 22-3 overall.

Notre Dame returns to action Monday night when they’ll travel to Duke.

Notre Dame Softball: Irish Start Season With Opening Day Split

An up and down Opening Day for the Fighting Irish

Notre Dame’s 2024 softball season got underway Friday with a pair of games in Clearwater, Florida and the Irish splitting the two.

The Irish defeated Central Arkansas in the opener 3-0 after plating all three runs in the seventh inning, starting with an RBI double from third baseman Cassidy Grimm.

Alexis Laudenslager was excellent on the bump, going 6.1 innings and allowing just one hit.  Freshman Kami Kamzik recorded the final two outs for the Fighting Irish.

Game two saw Notre Dame struggle against South Alabama, dropping the contest 5-1. South Alabama opened strong by scoring four runs over the first two innings off of Shannon Becker as the Irish played from behind all game.

Notre Dame’s only run of the contest came in the sixth inning when catcher Carlli Kloss tripled and eventually was batted in by shortstop Addison Amaral.

Notre Dame returns to action Saturday against No. 13 Utah at 1 p.m. ET in a game that will be broadcast on MLB Network, the first ever softball broadcast on the channel.

Add Coach Prime and Colorado to Those Trying to Poach Notre Dame Quarterback

Hands off, Buffs!

The biggest name to date in Notre Dame’s star-studded 2025 recruiting class is quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag].  Knight committed to the Irish back in September and has been a vocal leader in helping recruit more talent to Notre Dame’s 2025 class.

Despite this, other programs are trying to swoop in and get Knight to flip his commitment.  The latest to do so is none other than the Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders.

Colorado doesn’t yet have a quarterback commitment in the class.  They were in on top quarterback prospect Bryce Underwood, but he ultimately committed to LSU.

This past Friday, Knight announced on social media that Colorado had extended him an offer:

Knight is rated as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite.  The same outlet ranks him as the 62nd overall player in the class and fifth overall quarterback.

NFL Highlights: Kyle Hamilton’s Pro Bowl Interception

Putting the bow on a memorable 2023 season for a Notre Dame great

Former Notre Dame All-American safety [autotag]Kyle Hamilton[/autotag] had a massive showing for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.  The 2022 first round draft pick earned All-Pro status and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

In that Pro Bowl that was played on the first Sunday of February, Hamilton made a huge play in trying to set up an AFC comeback.  With the NFC leading 64-59 with just over three minutes to go it looked like they were about to score to essentially put an end to the contest.

Instead, Hamilton took advantage of a tipped pass and put the AFC in position to win the game.  Check it out below:

The AFC got deep into NFC territory but was ultimately stopped on fourth and goal.

Hamilton had four interceptions on the year, including a pick-six which was the first of his NFL career.

See the best photos from Hamilton’s 2023-24 season here.