Tag: Manti Te’o

Notre Dame’s JD Bertrand, Brandon Joseph make Lott Trophy Watch List

Hope one of them wins this!

It might seem like college football is far away, but it’s not far away enough that award watch lists can’t be made. We now have one for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is the only major award in the sport that considers character. It’s good to know that performance doesn’t play a factor in this one, and it’s even better seeing two Notre Dame players make the 42-player list. Those players are linebacker [autotag]JD Bertrand[/autotag] and safety transfer [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag].

If Bertrand or Joseph were to win the Lott Trophy, they would join [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] in 2012 as the only Irish players to be so honored. [autotag]Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah[/autotag] is the only other player in the award’s history to be a finalist, doing so in 2020.

Bertrand, the Irish’s leading tackler in 2021 (101), has been nominated for being the president of Notre Dame’s Uplifting Athletes chapter, which is part of an organization that raises money for athletes suffering from rare diseases. Joseph, a transfer from Northwestern, is a Consensus All-American and had an Academic All-State honor in high school.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Five candidates that could break Notre Dame’s Heisman drought

Who can break this streak?

The Irish are tied for the nations lead with 7 winners of the most prestigious award in college football, the Heisman Trophy and the newest member of the fraternity will be introduced on Saturday night. Unfortunately Notre Dame has not brought the award home to South Bend since wide receiver Tim Brown did in 1987. Linebacker Manti Te’o almost win in 2012, but no dice there. The drought has lasted longer than it should and there are some players that could end that streak. Here are five current or future members of the Irish football team that could eventually raise the Heisman.

Scout’s View: Notre Dame 2023 linebacker commit Drayk Bowen

Another huge 2023 commitment for the Irish

Today the Irish scored a massive recruiting win, keeping the best player in the state of Indiana home with a commitment from linebacker Drayk Bowen.

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The Andrean star has been on of the most highly sought after players in the country, not just in the state. The 2023 star is ranked as a Top-50 national prospect who also held offers from Clemson, Michigan, Texas, Penn State and other before ultimately choosing to stay home and play for the Irish.

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With the Irish securing a commitment from Bowen, it makes the sixth commitment is what is shaping to be yet another Top-10 recruiting class for Brian Kelly. Here is my scout’s view of what to expect from Bowen when he arrives in South Bend.

First off, as the lead scout for the state of Indiana at PrepRed Zone, I have watched Bowen’s tape already, but had yet to see what he has done in his junior year. I ranked him as the state’s top player and after watching his updated film, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll continue to be tops in his class.

A speedy linebacker who reads plays extremely well. Bowen covers sideline to sideline with ease, showing glimpses of what his future entails. It’s pretty easy to see that he’s ultimately going to end up as a three-down linebacker, Bowen isn’t going to come off the field much when he get’s the defensive scheme down. It’s crazy to see him dabble as a running back and outrun defenders.

Another impressive part of his game is that he’s just as good against the pass as he is the run. Bowen is a fantastic tackler for this stage of his development and will only get better as he continues to get older. He uses his speed off the edge to be a playmaker on special teams as well, Bowen times his jumps well and is able to get his hands on field goal attempts.

The commitment from the instate star is massive, Bowen should have an extremely successful Notre Dame career and has the potential to be viewed as highly as some recent Irish stars like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Manti Te’o.

Bears place KR/WR DeAndre Carter on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears shut down Halas Hall on Thursday temporarily after WR DeAndre Carter tested positive for COVID-19.

The Chicago Bears shut down Halas Hall on Thursday temporarily after a fourth player tested positive for COVID-19. The Bears were cleared to return to the facility and conducted practice on Thursday afternoon.

We finally learned the identity of that fourth player — someone not on the practice squad, unlike the other three. The Bears have officially placed punt returner and receiver DeAndre Carter on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Thursday.

“Obviously we’re not exempt from this pandemic,” head coach Matt Nagy said. “We all know that cases are on the rise. And I just want to credit our players and coaches for adapting and staying flexible. It’s not easy. But we have the right mindset.”

Carter was claimed  by the Bears off waivers from the Texans back on Nov. 18. He’s since appeared in two games, where he’s returned one punt for five yards.

Chicago had already placed three practice squad players on the reserve/COVID-19 list — inside linebacker Manti Te’o, defensive lineman LaCale London and receiver Thomas Ives.

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