Tag: jack lamb

WATCH: Jack Lamb’s record book scoop-and-score

Jack Lamb can fly!

On Washington’s first possession of the game, the Huskies worked a seven-minute, 12-play drive that landed them with a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. But it was all for nothing.

Washington freshman QB Dylan Morris couldn’t handle the snap and Buffaloes linebacker Jack Lamb chopped his feet and retrieved the loose ball. With 88-yards of green grass until the opposite end zone, Lamb went untouched to give the Buffs a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The 88-yard scoop-and-score marked the third-longest defensive return (not including interceptions) in school history. Ben Kelly had a 96-yard scoop-and-score in 1999 and Ryan Walters had a 95-yard fumble recovery and score in 2006 — both against Kansas.

Lamb, a Notre Dame transfer, was getting the start at ILB in place of an injured Nate Landman.

Notre Dame transfer Jack Lamb adjusting to Colorado

Notre Dame transfer Jack Lamb has adjusted nicely with his new Colorado Buffaloes.

A Notre Dame football player transferring to Colorado in the early 1990s would probably be unlikely considering their rivalry. But now over 30 years later, times have changed. Former Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Lamb made the switch and has already made an impact during his first season with the Buffs.

Although Lamb is now technically a graduate student, he decided to transfer to Colorado in February with three seasons of eligibility remaining. That has to be a big bonus for Karl Dorrell‘s defense. After his 2019 season was cut short due to a hip injury, Lamb played sparingly in 12 games for Notre Dame in 2020 and recorded 13 tackles, including three against a No. 1 Clemson team.

Now dawned in a new suit of gold, Lamb believes the change has been a “game changer” for his career.

“Coming here I wanted to get a little more playing time,” Lamb said. “I didn’t get much of that after coming off a hip injury, so being able to get that opportunity here has been awesome.”

His play is beginning to reflect that as Lamb is coming off consecutive games with multiple tackles. He said that his confidence has improved as well with each game.

Another intangible Lamb has brought to Boulder is the experience he gained at Notre Dame. While many of Colorado’s youngsters are continuing to get acclimated to college football, Lamb has already faced some of the best programs in the country while at Notre Dame.

“In terms of just overall schemes and understanding the game, I learned a lot of that from Notre Dame,” Lamb said. “Getting three and a half years of that there and then being able to transfer all that here, it’s worked out well for me.”

Lamb’s Buffaloes will enjoy a bye this week before hosting Arizona on Oct. 16.

Former Notre Dame linebacker headed west

Lamb was the second-rated inside linebacker by Rivals.com in 2018 and was a third-down specialist for the Irish in 2019 before suffering a major hip injury against Virginia Tech.

Former Notre Dame linebacker Jack Lamb has a new home as his next stop has been determined.

Lamb exits Notre Dame with his degree in hand and heads west as a graduate-transfer for the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Temecula, California (Great Oak) product was one of the biggest pieces of Notre Dame’s 2017 recruiting class and found playing time in each of the last two seasons, but injuries while at Notre Dame will leave a lot to wonder what could have been.

Lamb was the second-rated inside linebacker by Rivals.com in 2018 and was a third-down specialist for the Irish in 2019 before suffering a major hip injury against Virginia Tech.

The injuries began his senior year of high school when he lost much of the season to a knee injury and Lamb was unfortunately injured again early on in his freshman year at Notre Dame.

Lamb’s Notre Dame career concludes with 20 career tackles, two of which were for a loss.

Lamb was the latest in a collection of Irish players to exit via the transfer portal this off-season.

Related: Notre Dame football’s 2020-21 transfer portal tracker

Lamb joins a Colorado team that is coming off a 4-2 year in a shortened Pac-12 season.  He’ll have at least two years of eligibility remaining with the Buffaloes.

Reload or rebuild for Notre Dame in 2021?

Will Notre Dame have a season where they struggle like in 2016 or will it be a prosperous season like this past season?

The list keeps growing with Notre Dame players making their intentions for next year known, many of them opting to move on instead of come back. Quarterback Ian Book, tackles Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey, guards Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, tight end Tommy Tremble, defensive lineman Ade Ogundeji, cornerback Houston Griffith transferring are just a few of the players on the move.

Recently, ESPN took a look at which schools have recruited the best (insider) to have success in 2021 due to their recruiting. Although Brian Kelly’s efforts have been great, they didn’t make the main portion of the article, the Irish were mentioned in the second group of teams.

Being on the list alone is a good omen for Notre Dame, as the list of players moving on that were major contributors from this past season is significant. Luckily, Kelly has done a great job accumulating talent in South Bend, giving hope that 2021 won’t have a similar result as the 2016 season did.

Per the ESPN article, the Irish will have 38 players returning to the 2021 roster at the current moment that were ranked inside their top 300. So what does that mean for the ‘21 season?

There will be some bumps in the road with many of the younger players getting their first significant amount of playing time, but that doesn’t mean it will be all bad. This past year saw multiple freshman (cornerback Clarence Lewis, tight end Michael Mayer, running back Chris Tyree, defensive end Rylie Mills and linebacker Jordan Botelho) each show flashes of their futures. The first three really shined and you can add Jordan Johnson to the list as well.

Second-year players like safety Kyle Hamilton, interior lineman Zeke Correll, defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey, running back Kyren Williams, linebacker Marist Liufau, and punter Jay Bramblett were major contributors. This group will need to continue to grow.

As for the 2018 class which was ranked in as the 10th best class nationally, they have struggled to make a significant mark. Griffith transferring along with quarterback Phil Jurkovec already leaving and wide receiver Kevin Austin unable to stay healthy has hurt the classes outlook. Those three were the top ranked players in the class. There, however, have been contributors from that class, with include linebacker Jack Lamb, wide receiver Braden Lenzy and tight end George Takacs, linebacker Bo Bauer and center Jarrett Patterson. This class needs to step up in a big way for the Irish to be successful this coming season.

I haven’t even touched on the potential incoming-freshman contributors, which include tackle Blake Fisher, wide receiver Deion Colzie, guard Rocco Spindler, quarterback Tyler Buchner, linebacker Prince Kollie and other talented players.

The schedule isn’t quite daunting, the first three games should give Kelly plenty of time to get the pups feet wet before their big contest against Wisconsin in Chicago.

In my opinion the Irish are not rebuilding, but they aren’t quite reloading. Having a regular spring schedule will be extremely important for this team. The reps and practice time will further develop the players who don’t have as much experience. We should not see another year like 2016.

California Dreaming, Notre Dame Recruits well in Sunshine State

The Irish have traditionally recruited California well and expect that to continue.

Yesterday, it was the minimal presence that the Irish in their neighboring state Ohio, but today Rivals took a look at who recruits California the best. It should not come as a surprise that Notre Dame made the list, the Irish have traditionally recruited the state well.

The Irish have secured a commitment from Tyler Buchner in the 2021 recruiting cycle, he is the top rated quarterback and second overall prospect in California. Last year it was CB Ramon Henderson and in the 2019 class it was CB Isaiah Rutherford and DE Isaiah Foskey. It was CB TaRiq Bracy, OT Jarrett Patterson and LB Jack Lamb who signed with the Irish in 2018.

It is safe to say the state of California has been kind to the Irish, and Brian Kelly keeps dipping into the Sunshine State for talent every year. There is potential for more Californian’s to sign with the Irish this year as RB Prophet Brown and DB Dyson McCutcheon both have Notre Dame in their top few schools.

Of the offers out to the 2022 class, only Texas with 10 has more than California’s 5 right now, so expect Kelly to continue to look for talent out west. Making the state a priority is a good thing, as it’s a hotbed for Division I talent. The California to South Bend pipeline should continue to be strong in the future.