Tag: ND Football Recruiting

Notre Dame vs. Navy: Confidences and concerns for Irish

Game week is upon us – how you feeling for Saturday’s opener?

The last version of “Confidences and Concerns” was more than eight months ago, and I must say it feels good to revive this column at Fighting Irish Wire.

Game week is upon us. With that in mind, diehard Irish fans are tossing and turning at night pondering what the 2023 Irish team will look like this fall.

This time of year is special. Every team is undefeated and therefore can afford to let some hope enter their hearts and dream big. The beginning of every Notre Dame season is magical, but this year carries extra juice. There’s just so much “newness” to behold within the program from the quarterback to the strength and conditioning staff.

Let’s examine what I think Notre Dame fans should feel confident in and should be concerned about entering Game 1.

Notre Dame 2023: Success Hinges On These Position Groups

Which position is most key to Notre Dame’s success in 2023?

Finally, after impatiently waiting through summer, college football is officially back. As Notre Dame prepares for their Dublin adventure, fans have lots of unanswered questions regarding their squad. How much better does Sam Hartman make the team? How will Gerad Parker’s offense look? What about first-year offensive line coach Joe Rudolph? How will Al Golden’s defense be refined in year 2?

While these questions remain momentarily unanswered, I do think one thing is certain after fall camp. Notre Dame’s roster is getting faster, more athletic, and features way more year 1-2 players that can legitimately compete for roles in the 2-deep. How will this translate on the field for 2023? Let’s examine the biggest factors that will determine the Irish’s success or failure.

Breaking: Notre Dame football loses top 2025 commitment

Not great

Unfortunately for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag], the rumors were true regarding Oklahoma tight end [autotag]Nate Roberts[/autotag].

The 2025 prospect verbally committed to the Irish in mid-June, but just about two months later has now decided to decommit and reopen his recruitment. It is a blow for the Notre Dame class, as Roberts was viewed as the No. 2 tight end in his class and 110th overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

This decommit now leaves the Irish with just two commitments for the 2025 cycle, running back Justin Thurman and defensive lineman Davion Dixon. The silver lining is that there is plenty of time for Notre Dame to find a replacement.

Roberts statement seems like he will not be considering returning back to the Irish class.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

REPORT: Navy To Use 2 Quarterbacks vs Notre Dame?

Actual game preview/discussion. We’re getting close!!!

Notre Dame’s season opener against Navy is just 12 days away.  Actually, less since we’re past the time of kickoff.

A reminder – Navy has a new coach this year. Brian Newberry has taken over for Navy staple and occasional pain in Notre Dame’s side, Ken Niumatalolo. Perhaps the new man in charge has some tricks up his sleeve waiting for the Irish in Ireland? If ever there were a time for such shenanigans, I think this may be the perfect one.

Newberry knows he is undermanned and under-talented against the Irish and that he may have to take some chances to try and pull the upset. In his favor is the fact that there is no film of him as a head coach. He’s a bit of a wildcard. What is his appetite for risk/reward vs coach Ken’s? Notre must be ready for everything.

Adding to this already intriguing Dublin plot is the recent report in the Capital Gazette which indicates that Newberry may be inclined to play 2 quarterbacks against Notre Dame as he named Blake Horvath and Tai Lavatai QB A-1 and A-2. Let’s examine what this move would mean for Notre Dame as they line us against Navy to open the year.

Notre Dame football 2023: Preseason AP Poll Reaction

The last time Notre Dame was rated 13th to start the season…

The 2023 Preseason AP poll has been released, and it is very interesting, to say the least. While preseason polls should carry very little practical weight, perceptually, they do tell a story. What teams does the media believe in? Who do they not trust and why? How much of this year’s rankings are based on last year’s results with players that aren’t even on said teams anymore?

Notre Dame has landed in the 13th spot. Ahead of them are from 1-12, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, USC, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson, Washington, Texas, and Tennessee.

In case you were wondering, the last time Notre Dame started a season ranked 13th in the AP Poll was 1988.  Anyone remember what happened then?

Let’s take a deeper look at where the Irish stand and what lies ahead of them in relation to these rankings.

Texas 2025 running back has Notre Dame in his top group

The Irish are looking to add a second running back in their 2025 class

It may seem a bit for off but [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] isn’t waiting for the 2025 class to be on the field for their final year to turn up the recruiting heat.

Already with three commits in the class, the Irish coaching staff is actively looking to continue to fill up the class. One of those prospects they are pursuing is Texas running back [autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag].

The 5-foot, 11-inch and 175-pound back named his top thirteen schools over the weekend and although it may seem like a big number, the schools Blaylock is still considering are some of the best producers of talent at his position.

Blaylock is ranked as the No. 16 running back and the 154th overall player in his class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Report: Notre Dame’s top 2025 verbal might not be firmly committed

The Irish are fighting to keep the commitment

When Oklahoma tight end [autotag]Nate Roberts[/autotag] decided to commit to [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag], he seemed like the next in line at Tight End U.

Well, that might not exactly be the case by the time the first 2025 signing period begins. According to a report by 247Sports Tom Loy, Roberts might “already be having second thoughts on his decision and he may feel as though he rushing into this commitment.”

It wasn’t just Loy that believes that the Irish could be losing Roberts, On3 believes a flip could be on the way as well.

There are two schools pushing for the second-ranked tight end and 110th overall player on the 247Sports composite: Oklahoma and Ohio State. They were the other finalists Roberts was considering when he pledged to the Irish.

Roberts committed in mid-June and surely head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is going to do his best to keep him.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame football makes 2025 North Carolina defensive ends top 12

The Irish are in contention for the top defensive end

[autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] wants to get it’s 2025 recruiting class off to a fast start like they have done for the previous classes.

At the current moment there are three total commits in the class, two on offense and one on defense. The Irish are looking to add another on defense and one of those prospects could be North Carolina defensive end [autotag]Bryce Davis[/autotag].

The 6-foot, 3-inch and 245-pound edge rusher dropped his top 12 list of schools, with Notre Dame making the cut. Davis is ranked as the No. 7 edge and 49th overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Irish offered the defensive end in mid-March of this year.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Irish Assistant Coaches That Will Be Critical To Success

Great head coaches have an ability to spot talented assistants.

When [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] initially became the head coach at Notre Dame, there was a lot of familiarity. The roster was players that had been at the school a while and a great deal of the coaching staff had been as well, most notably Tommy Rees. What a difference a year makes.

Now, the roster has flipped considerably and the staff even more so. There are a lot of new faces at Notre Dame that are taking on some seriously important roles. And how they perform may dictate whether Notre Dame makes a playoff run or fizzles out with a record similar to last year.

Let’s examine some of these key figures and roles.

Notre Dame 2025 commit will be back on campus later this month

Grill & Chill time!

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] is off to a solid start for their 2025 recruiting class, one of their commitments being defensive tackle [autotag]Davion Dixon[/autotag].

The massive lineman stands 6-foot, 2-inch and weighs 305 pounds, who was the first verbal of the class, making his decision in April. Commitments made that early are always a bit worrisome due to the long time until the prospect is able to sign.

Case in point was 2024 commitment [autotag]Brandon Davis-Swain[/autotag]. The first player to join the Irish class ultimately decided against it and moved on.

That might not be the case with Dixon, as he tweeted out that he will be back in South Bend at the end of the month for Irish Grill & Chill, a recruiting event.

It’s great news to see that Dixon is all in with the Irish going forward.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen