Tag: ND

Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Legacy? Depends Who You Ask

What is John Harbaugh’s legacy at Michigan?

What a long and winding road it has been for current Chargers and former Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. From the early struggles at the Wolverine helm and continuous battles with Big Ten and NCAA leadership, Harbaugh leaves the college ranks as the champion. For now, anyway.

How will he be remembered? To the Michigan faithful, he exits as a martyr standing for all that is right and just with the world of college football. The victim of a witch hunts out to nail one of the country’s most recognized programs for no apparent reason. To others, he will be viewed as a cheater who pulled a “Carroll” and took off to the NFL before sanctions could hit.

Let’s examine each side of this issue to gain a clearer understanding of the vast differences in how this man is viewed and why.

 

What Does Notre Dame Need To Get Over The Hump?

How can Notre Dame take the step from being a very good program to a really good or great program in 2024?

Notre Dame has been one of the most consistent football programs in the country from 2017 until now in terms of overall record. This in itself is an accomplishment, but not the ultimate one.

Notre Dame fans want trophies.

Major bowl wins.

Playoff wins.

A national championship.

This leaves the Irish in an interesting spot. A perennial top “tenish” team but not much to brag about beyond that point.

Notre Dame’s program is on a stable foundation. Jack Swarbrick and Brian Kelly deserve some credit for that. The mission now is pushing this operation to higher highs. What is keeping Notre Dame from making the jump from really solid to elite or borderline elite?

Let’s examine some obvious answers to this important question.

Notre Dame Football: Adjusting Scheduling for New CFP?

Will Notre Dame’s scheduling look different in the expanded playoff era?

College football as we know it is over. What comes next is a grand experiment known as the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

What will it look like in practicality and not just concept? How will it alter the value of the regular season? How will teams set themselves up to best navigate the new system?

These are all questions everyone who enjoys college football will be asking themselves until the answers are revealed in time.

What about Notre Dame’s unique place in the new system? Ineligible for a first-round bye due to their independence, the Irish’s road to hoisting the ultimate trophy will surely be tough. Irish fans may wonder if anything about the regular season scheduling model will be adjusted once this new era is upon us.

Let’s examine this question in more detail.

Marcus Freeman Linked To Alabama Job: Is He A Good Fit?

Freeman named as a potential Saban replacement – but is he a fit?

Every time things seem to settle down in the world of college football, the next big “thing” happens. The latest news is Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama. This news is not a shock to me after I learned early last year of a mansion Saban purchased near the Tiger Woods compound in Jupiter, Florida.

I took this and the local Jupiter chatter surrounding it as a clear sign.

With more title rings than one hand can handle and a magnificent 206-29 record — six of those losses came in his first year — Saban’s reputation will live forever. But soon the attention will move to the future.

What direction will Alabama go in for their next hire? According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Marcus Freeman is on the candidate list. This is very interesting.

Let’s examine if Freeman would be a fit for Alabama.

Notre Dame Football: Irish Get Special Teams Jolt Through Transfer Portal

Notre Dame special teams got better today.

The transfer portal has been good to Notre Dame so far this winter and they came up with another catch from it Tuesday.  Former Marshall wide receiver and kick returner [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] is on his way to play for the Fighting Irish.

Harrison is coming off a year where he hauled in 28 receptions for 410 yards and a touchdown which came against North Carolina State, but on kickoff return is where he has done most of his damage.  Returning 23 kickoffs for 705 yards (over 30 yards per return), Harrison returned two for scores and was named a First Walter Camp All-American as a Kick Returner as a result.

This is a major boost for the Notre Dame special teams unit and a win for the Irish over Deion Sanders and Colorado as the Buffaloes were Harrison’s other finalist.

And before you ask, yes, Harrison was on the Marshall team that beat Notre Dame in 2022.  He led the Thundering Herd with 38 receiving yards that day but did not return any kicks.

Harrison originally enrolled at Vanderbilt and played the 2020 season there before spending the last three seasons at Marshall.  He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining with Notre Dame.

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Notre Dame Football: 22 Former Domers in 2024 NFL Playoffs

Notre Dame has a player on 11 of 14 playoff teams this year. Will a former Domer win another Super Bowl?

The NFL’s regular season came to an end Sunday night and the 14 playoff teams are set.

On those 14 teams are 22 players that spent their college years at Notre Dame.

Will any of those 14 find their way to Las Vegas in a few weeks and be playing to join the list of 45 former Golden Domers to win a Super Bowl?

Time will tell on that but 11 of the 14 playoff teams have representation from Notre Dame, including the top seeds in both the AFC and NFC.

So if your favorite NFL team didn’t make the playoffs or if you’re looking for someone to root for in the other conference, here is the list of Notre Dame players on NFL playoff rosters this season.

Key Notre Dame target for 2025 sets commitment date

Is Notre Dame going to stay hot on the recruiting trail on Monday?

Notre Dame received good news on Saturday when four star defensive end Christopher Burgess, Jr. of Chicago (Simeon) announced his commitment to the Irish.  Now could more good news be on the way for Marcus Freeman and company?

Four-star safety Ethan Long (’25) of Connecticut announced on Saturday that he will be making his commitment on Monday.  Notre Dame is among the finalists that also includes Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

Long has been a key target of Notre Dame’s for some time and is coming off a junior season that saw him record 56 tackles, three interceptions, and force three fumbles in nine games.

Will he end up in Notre Dame’s already stacked 2025 recruiting class?

We’ll all know in just a few short days.

Welcomed Pressure Awaits Freeman & Notre Dame in 2024

Year three tends to tell the story for coaches at Notre Dame. How will Freeman’s third year go?

Time flies doesn’t it folks? It feels like just yesterday we were discussing Marcus Freeman getting the head job at Notre Dame and now we are already discussing what year three will look like. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. There have been a lot of ups and downs in play as Freeman has tried to find his footing under the bright lights of Notre Dame Stadium.

For multiple reasons, justified ones, there will be a ramped-up level of pressure on the Irish to perform very well in 2024. It just feels like the time has come to start delivering. The fans and media are ready for it and it feels like the program is at a turning point. Let’s discuss this incoming pressure and why Marcus Freeman welcomes it.

Notre Dame Football: The 8 teams the Irish have never beaten

Nine teams remain but unfortunately a few of these will never get crossed off the list.

Notre Dame has been playing football since 1887 and ranks in the top five for all-time victories. Only Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama have more wins than the 948 Notre Dame has compiled (same as Texas).

Despite all of those wins, the Fighting Irish have never beaten some teams.

One of those teams used to be Oregon State, which Notre Dame beat in the 2023 Sun Bowl. Before that game, Notre Dame was 0-2 against the Beavers.

With Oregon State scratched off the list, eight programs remain. Before you scroll down, test yourself and see how many you can guess.

And you if you can name all of them (courtesy of Winsipedia), your knowledge in the world of Notre Dame football trivia is truly second to none.

Notre Dame Fans Want To Believe: Is It Justified This Time?

There is certainly hype – is it more real this time around?

2023 ended strongly for the Notre Dame football program.

A blowout bowl game win, a great offensive coordinator hire and successful runs in the portal and the early signing period have brightened Irish moods. The program really does feel like they are trending up.

The issue is Notre Dame fans feel like they’ve been here before. Living on hope and future promises never kept. Many are asking why they should consider this time will end any differently. The answer to me is simple. The program is being built differently than at any other time in the last 30 years.

Let’s examine the different ways this is the case in more detail.