Tag: ND

CBS Sports Suggests Options for College Football Playoffs in 2020

The staff at CBS Sports dream about different scenarios for the 2020 College Football Playoff.

Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, there have been plenty of suggestions as to how to make the selection process better. This year could be a preview of what’s to come, as with so much uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season, the committee might just have to alter their methods. After all the Big 10 and Pac-12 have already gone to a conference only schedule while the other Power Five conferences are looking at potential conference games plus-one schedule.

The college football staff at CBS Sports all gave their suggestion as to how they would make adjustments to this years College Football Playoff. Starting off with Barrett Sallee, who suggests expanding the field to 8 teams due to the decisions from the Big 10 and Pac-12 altering their schedules. Sallee would like to see each Power Five conference champion get an automatic bid while 2 of the other open spots go to at-large teams. He would like to see the top Group of Five team get in as well, making it six automatic bids. Sallee does see an issue however, and it deals directly with the Irish as he says “unless it’s (Notre Dame) a full member of the ACC in 2020, its only chance should be through an at-large.” With Clemson most likely being the heavy ACC favorite, this would make sense.

Ben Kercheval would like to see the playoff field stay at four teams, but the committee would make their selections post-Bowl games. This allows the selection committee to get another data point to make an assessment on teams after many, if not all of the out of conference games will be canceled. Tom Fornelli would like to see conference-only tournaments with the top 4 teams and go back to the old ways of having the polls dictate a champion.

The final idea comes from David Cobb, who suggests a six-team playoff with a twist. Each of the Power Five conferences’ champion would get the automatic bid but the final spot would go to a Group of Five team. For that Group of Five team to get in, the team would have to win a “wildcard” type game to get in, pitting the top two highest ranked teams together for the final spot. What would be interesting is that a Group of Five champion would be crowned, the winner of the “wildcard” game.

All of these ideas are farfetched at the current moment but still very fun to entertain. For the Irish, the best scenario would be Sallee’s, as with two extra spots the chances for a return to the playoff for Notre Dame would be much greater. What do you think of these ideas for a playoff in 2020?

One Notre Dame Star made 247Sports Top 50 College Players in 2020

The analysts at 247Sports are extremely high on an Irish defender.

Heading into the season it is interesting to see which players are viewed as the best in the country. It should not come as a surprise that the Irish have a player on 247Sports list of top players, but just one of them made their Top 50, rising sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton.

A part-time non-starting player in his first season, Hamilton flashed big time ability as he registered 4 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) which ranked him 17th nationally, while adding 41 tackles and defending 6 passes. These kind of numbers from a true freshman would lead to plenty of hype for their next season and that’s exactly what’s happening for Hamilton.

The brass at 247Sports broke the players down into positional tiers, using past performance and positional value as tie breakers ranked Hamilton as the 25th best player in the country. It’s a bit shocking to see him that high, but many view the star safety as a player who most likely will be a three-and-done player for Notre Dame. I can’t argue with that analysis, as we will be seeing a first-round draft pick roaming the secondary for two more years.

Chris Hummer, who wrote the piece, said “Hamilton might be Notre Dame’s best defensive player since Manti Te’o.” High praise indeed for a sophomore that allowed just a 1.3 passer rating on 250 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

It is also worth mentioning that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah made the other’s considered list which put’s him into the Top 75 or so players in the country. Back to Hamilton, as we are seeing the next star Irish defender making his mark early on in his Irish career. Enjoy these next two years, as most likely they will be Hamilton’s remaining time as a Notre Dame star.

Pro Football Focus has One Notre Dame Star on their ’21 NFL Big Board

The Irish place on star on PFF’s NFL Draft Big Board ahead of the 2020 football season.

The NFL literally never sleeps and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic nothing has stopped The League. It certainly hasn’t stopped multiple outlets from looking ahead to next years NFL Draft, which Pro Football Focus did and put just one Notre Dame star into their Big Board which consisted of 50 prospects.

Fifth-year senior Liam Eichenberg checked in at 44th on PFF’s list, making him the fifth offensive tackle on the list. If PPF is correct, that would put the Irish tackle firmly into the second round of the draft with potential to move up. Michael Renner was impressed with Eichenberg’s work last year as he “took a massive step forward in 2019 to firmly put himself in the conversation as an early-round prospect. After allowing 23 pressures in 2018, he allowed only 12 last season with no sacks.”

Less than one pressure a game and no sacks allowed is certainly a way to get the NFL brass’ attention. This will not be the last NFL Draft list that Eichenberg is on, as he should be at worst a day 2 pick when he begins his professional career. If he can cut down the pressures into the single digit while keeping the sacks at zero, Eichenberg could creep his way into the first round of the NFL Draft.

Busy Weekend for Notre Dame Football in the 2022 Recruiting Cycle

The Irish gain their first class of ’22 football commit along with offering two elite players in the same class.

 

The biggest news out of the 2022 Irish recruiting class was the commit of Joey Tonana yesterday, but he wasn’t the only player the Notre Dame staff was after this weekend. Two more offers in the ’22 class were given out, both of them ranking inside the Top 100 prospects for the cycle.

The first player to report an offer was Texas’ athlete Brenen Thompson, the 5-foot-10-inch and 165-pounds player is ranked as the 77th overall prospect according to the 247Sports composite. The Irish join Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC and others vying for his commitment.

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Thompson plays quarterback for his Spearman High team, but due to his size he doesn’t project to play there in college. What Thompson does possess is great vision and burst. The offensive side of the ball is where Thompson projects, but it remains to be seen if it’s at wide receiver or running back.

North Carolina’s Jalon Walker was the other reported offer, the linebacker is an imposing figure at 6-foot-2-inches and 220-pounds for the rising junior. Already holding offers from LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson and others, Walker is a nationally recruited prospect. It makes sense as he is rated as the 36th overall player by the 247Sports composite.

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Walker plays a lot of coverage for his Salisbury High team but when he arrives for the tackle, he brings it. A ferocious hitter may need to refine his pass rushing skills but as a run stopper and in coverage, Walker is already ahead of the game. He has the size already for the collegiate game and shows enough speed to potentially move back into the secondary and be a hard-hitting safety.

It has been quite in regards to the 2022 class for Brian Kelly and his staff but this weekend was a step in the right direction. Getting their first commit in offensive tackle Joey Tanona and offering Walker and Thompson is positive movement of the Irish.

Notre Dame QB Book is named to Maxwell Award Watch List

Another preseason honor for Ian Book, quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame’s senior quarterback Ian Book was honored last week by being included by the Davey O’Brien Award watch list and today he was named to the Maxwell Award watch list. The Maxwell Award is annually given to the Collegiate Player of the Year, as last year Joe Burrow of LSU won the award. Burrow led the Tiger to a College Football Playoff title and was the first selection in the NFL Draft.

The Irish historically have had success winning the award, as six players have won the award a total of seven times. Halfback Johnny Lattner won the award in back-to-back seasons in 1952 and 1953 (also won the Heisman), making him one of the most decorated Irish football players ever. In more recent times linebacker Manti Te’o won the Maxwell Award in 2012 while the last Irish quarterback to win was Brady Quinn in 2006.

Book will look to build on a very impressive career, as he has led the Irish to back-to-back 11-plus win seasons, and a berth in the College Football Playoff. There will be many eyes on the Notre Dame quarterback this season, and if Book can build upon the success he’s had over the last two years, he could very well bring back the Maxwell Trophy to South Bend.

How Notre Dame Coaches will adjust while dealing with COVID-19 precautions

As the country continues to battle with COVID-19, the Irish coaching staff will make adjustments to their coaching habits this year.

This upcoming season is setting up to be odd, like last night’s report from Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel that the ACC might add the Irish as their Plus 1 in the 2020 season. Another odd aspect will be how coaches handle the social distancing during practices and games. ESPN’s Heather Dinich got an inside look at how Brian Kelly and his coaching staff will handle trying to properly distance themselves from the players.

Dinich reports that “the coaches will be wearing a fitted, clear, plastic face mask so the players will be able to see their facial expressions… and the coordinators and coach Brian Kelly will wear microphones to help cast their voices.” This will not be what the players are used to but for this season and potentially going forward it is a warranted change.

Another change will be how the team sets up their positional group meetings. Dinich reports that the Irish intend on still having their meetings in person, but “the offensive linemen will have to use the full team meeting room instead of their usual, smaller space, and a room that was once divided with a partition for the defensive line and linebackers is now wide open for an entire position group. What was once a recruiting lounge is now a defensive back meeting room.” As the Notre Dame Football program tries to adhere to CDC rules, this once again makes sense. The safety of the players and coaches is at the top of the Irish’s concerns, as it very well should be.

What about on-field activities? We all know that football is played is a vacuum, most players have to be in close proximity to each other, but the Irish have a plan. Kelly told Dinich that “we have to practice football. We’re going to be smart, and we’re going to do the thing necessary as coaches, but the players have to be able to be prepared to play the game when the game is ready to be played. When I look at the schedule that I put together, there are some tweaks relative to how we’re teaching, but when it comes to the fundamentals of the game, they will be taught in the same fashion that I’ve taught them for 30 years.” It’s hard to argue Kelly’s logic on teaching the team fundamentals, hitting blocking sleds and tackling dummies goes only so far.

As long as the program continues to be smart and safe regarding COVID-19, the football team will continue to be one of the very few that have yet to have any positive tests. On Wednesday Michigan State shut down their voluntary workouts due to a coach testing positive, while many other schools across the country have had to do the same. So far, the Irish have done fantastic with their players doing the right things on and off the field in preparation for a wild 2020 season.

Is Notre Dame the ACC’s Plus One as Yahoo Sports’ Thamel Suggests?

The newest report from Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel suggests that the Irish could join the ACC for the 2020 season.

With the Big Ten and Pac-12 making their decisions to play a conference-only schedule for the 2020 season, the logical choice for the Irish is to join the ACC. With six games already scheduled against ACC competition and a relationship outside of football, Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel’s report makes it seem like the most likely scenario.

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that he would like to see the season delayed. It looks like that could very well be the case as Thamel is reporting the ACC is debating a later start date. Swarbrick also wanted a shorter season, one that has 8-10 games, the other portion of Thamel’s report of what could be in store for Notre Dame Football in 2020.

If this is the case, then the schedule would take off the SEC’s Arkansas along with the MAC’s Western Michigan. That would leave Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Louisville to face off against the Irish this year. Miami has said they would welcome a match-up with the Irish, in what is building up to be one of the oddest college football seasons possibly ever.

We are all awaiting an announcement of what might happen this year as more conferences make their intentions known, the Irish would hate to be left out of a season. Joining the ACC for the 2020 campaign makes the most sense, and it looks like that is going to be a reality, for hopefully just this year.

Irish Commit to miss Senior Season, Enroll Early

With Maryland canceling their fall and winter sports, a Notre Dame commit announced his intentions for this coming season.

With many states opting to change their high school football schedules, rising seniors have to make changes to what they might do this fall. Do they play if their state moves football to the fall, do they transfer if football is canceled all together?

Notre Dame commit Ryan Barnes has made his decision after his home state of Maryland on Tuesday canceled their fall and winter sports and will have virtual learning for the first semester. He will not transfer to another school, focus on his academics with the intention of enrolling early in South Bend as Rivals has reported.

This is not how Barnes saw his senior season playing out, but that is one of the unfortunate side effects of the nation continuing the battle with COVID-19. Maryland is not the only state to make adjustments as Virginia has canceled their fall sports, California and Washington have postponed their seasons to the spring, and Texas has made adjustments to their fall schedule. We can not stress how much this hurts not just the athletes but all senior high school students who will miss out on big milestones.

We will continue to monitor the situation as more states make their decisions and student-athletes make theirs as well. Of the states to make their fall schedules known that have Irish commits are Californian’s Tyler Buchner, quarterback, and newest Irish commit cornerback Chance Tucker and Texas’ defensive end David Abiara have yet to make their decision public. Once they do, we will fill you in on their intentions.

Scouts Eye: What to expect from Newest Irish commit Tucker

Notre Dame’s newest commit Chance Tucker brings a lot to the table, find out what we see after watching his highlight reel.

The newest Notre Dame commit from the 2021 class, California cornerback Chance Tucker, has great size at 6-foot-1-inches and weighs 170-pounds. The weight isn’t much of a concern at the moment, as once Tucker arrives to South Bend and enters a collegiate weightlifting program, that number will surely rise. What Tucker shows on film however is impressive.

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Tucker mainly plays on an island, something that gives defensive coordinators the utmost confidence that he can stick to his man. This allows other members of the defense to be more aggressive, and a safety doesn’t need to shade over to help Tucker’s side. One thing that Tucker will have to work on is getting his head turned around quicker, as this could potentially lead to pass interference penalties. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens will surely work with Tucker on that aspect.

He plays on both sides of the ball like most high school stars do, although he will focus mainly on defense when Tucker enters the program. There is a possibility that Tucker could contribute early on special teams as well if he does not crack the lineup early in his career. Either way, Brian Kelly has gotten a commitment from a player who has a high ceiling even though his star ranking might not be exceptional.

Two Irish Defender’s Makes Feldman’s Freaks List

There were two Notre Dame Football stars that made The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List.

There are many traits that make up a good football player, with some of them standing out like a sore thumb. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has come up with his Freaks List for the 2020 season and there were two members of the Notre Dame Football team honored (subscription needed).

Sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton impressed Feldman enough to rank 9th on his list, with his freakiest attribute being his vertical leap. What is interesting is that Feldman found out that “Hamilton is up 20 pounds since last year to 221.” That is a huge safety, who according to Feldman, his top speed last year was almost 21 MPH. Think about that, a human running 20 miles an hour. Go get in your car and get up to 20 MPH, stick your head out the window. That’s damn fast.

Back to his freakiest trait, Hamilton’s vertical which is 42.3 inches, that’s over 3-and-a-half feet! Compare that to the best of the 2020 NFL Combine, Hamilton would have been second among everyone according to Pro Football Reference’s combine results. Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones led everyone with a vertical leap of 44.5 inches, but Hamilton would have led the secondary as Louisiana Tech’s L’Jarius Sneed led there with a 41-inch vertical. The rising star was named to the Bednarik Award watch list but got snubbed for the Thorpe Award (the best defensive back), something that I believe they will regret by the end of the season.

The other Irish star that was on Feldman’s list was linebacker Jeremiah Osuwu-Koramoah and this shouldn’t come as a surprise either. What stood out to Feldham was JOK’s explosiveness, which has been something the linebacker has worked very hard for. JOK finally cracked the lineup last year and make a huge splash, leading the team in tackles while notching 5.5 sacks. Those traits helped JOK get into the backfield and wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

You wouldn’t expect a linebacker to have the testing numbers that JOK has, registering a “39-inch vertical jump, 10-3 broad jump and an equally impressive 20.4 MPH on his GPS. Owusu-Koramoah also notched 42 pull-ups in off-season training and back squatted 555 pounds.” The last number stands out the most, as squats show power and 555 pounds is no joke.

It’s nice to see both of them making Feldman’s list, as the hype continues to build for both of these Irish star defenders. Both Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah use their abilities and have translated them into big time production on the field. It will be a joy to watch both of them get after offenses this coming season.