Tag: ND

Swarbrick to ESPN: Delay Season, Shorten Schedules

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick has once again spoken out about how he feels the 2020 college football season should look like.

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick met with ESPN yesterday and has some very interesting comments as to what the college football season should entail in the 2020 season. Swarbrick’s thoughts make plenty of sense as he told Heather Dinich that he doesn’t “anticipate a 12-game schedule. I’d like to start a little later. The value of starting later is you really get to see how your university has done.”

By pushing back the season, which in essence has already been done by the Big Ten and PAC-12 due to canceling non-conference games, it gives school a better chance to get a grasp on their return of students and how to deal with COVID-19. The rest of the Power 5 conferences have yet to make their decisions regarding non-conference scheduling but buying time as the country deals with a national pandemic is a smart move. We all want to see college football this fall, and this could help the situation.

The other impactful statement made by Swarbrick was the fact that he would like to see “somewhere between 8 and 10 (games), but whatever is right for the health and safety of the players.” If his earlier comments are heard and used, pushing back the season makes an 8-game schedule more realistic. The Big Ten initially has leaned towards a 10-game conference only season, but a final decision hasn’t been made. Going back to Swarbrick’s idea of having a delayed season, 8 games is a good number.

Swarbrick brought some very good ideas to light and hopefully they don’t fall on deaf ears to the NCAA. Having an 8-game season is better than nothing but it would make the Irish most likely join the ACC for a season. With 6 of their currently scheduled games against ACC competition, the move makes sense, but that is still up in the air. We will find out what the 2020 college football season will look like by the end of the month and hopefully it all works out and a season is played.

Monday’s have been kind to Notre Dame Linebacker Owusu-Koramoah

Another Monday, another watch list that Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah appears in.

For the second Monday in a row, Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, JOK, has been placed into elite company making another watch list. This time it is the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s best linebacker. This honor is on the heels of last Monday when JOK was put on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list as well.

Owusu-Koramoah has a lot to play for in his senior year, as we previewed him here last week, which  includes a potential selection in the first round of the NFL Draft. There is a ton of hype surrounding JOK and if he wins the Butkus, he would become the 3rd Irish linebacker to achieve that status following Jaylon Smith in 2015 and Manti Te’o in 2012. Smith’s season had him finish with 114 tackles and a sack while Te’o has 111 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

The competition will be tough for JOK to take home this award in the 2020 season as Penn State’s Micah Parsons, Alabama’s Dylan Moses and others have gotten significant pre-season hype as well. If JOK can up his tackle numbers from 79 to over 100 and keep the 8.5 sacks or even improve on those number, we can very well see Owusu-Koramoah being named the best linebacker in college this coming season.

ESPN compares Notre Dame commit Buchner to who?

The future Irish quarterback is compared to a current star in college.

The Elite 11 Camp has come and gone, with recruiting experts getting a chance to go over the film, the future for each of the participants has become clearer. A pair of Tom’s from ESPN, Luginbill and VanHaaren broke down each of the quarterbacks and 2021 Irish commit Tyler Buchner got some high praise from them.

The opportunity for early playing time for Buchner is there, as they noted, but what was more important was how the Tom’s see the future for the star QB. Their report on him is very encouraging, as Luginbill see’s “Buchner has good size and a high skill set. He can navigate the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and work through progressions. For a younger player, he is an advanced passer with a lot of poise.”

The player comparison was a surprise, as I haven’t heard much about Memphis’ Brady White, so I did some research. White was 4th nationally with 4,014 passing yards last year to go along with 33 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Tiger’s star was 10th nationally in quarterback rating, just a little behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence who is viewed as a Top 3 NFL Draft pick. White helped the Tigers to a 12-2 record last year, a New Year’s Six appearance in the Cotton Bowl, although they lost to Penn State, it was one hell of a year for White.

White began his career at Arizona State, but then transferred to Memphis where he has put video game numbers in his two seasons as their quarterback. The wins came last year, as the Tigers finished 8-6 in his first season, but the build up was worth it. If Buchner has a career like White’s, many Irish fans will be very happy with that result.

Irish make final 5 for Georgia Wide Receiver

Notre Dame Football is still a contender for a Georgia two-sport star

As the Irish continue to look for a second wide receiver in their 2021 recruiting class along with Lorenzo Styles Jr., they received good news to filling that spot on Friday. Georgia’s Jayden Thomas released this Top 5 school and Notre Dame made the cut.

Thomas checks in at 6’1” and 198-pounds and the Irish have a battle on their hands to grab his verbal commitment. Right now neither Rivals nor 247Sport’s experts have predicted where Thomas may end up and baseball will play a into his decision. He would like to play both sports at the next level and Thomas would be a great addition to Jarrett Link’s group.

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The two-sport athlete is an impressive player, as he plays all over the football field for his Pace Academy team. What sticks out most to me is the work he does off the ball, blocking for his teammates. That shows every that Thomas is a team player and will do what his team needs to win. Thomas would be a welcome addition to the 2021 Notre Dame class and we will have to wait a little long to find out if that is a reality.

Notre Dame Goes to a Familiar Place for Newest ’22 Offer

The Irish are back at Burke High School in Nebraska with their latest offer.

Defensive coordinator Clark Lea was busy yesterday, as Nebraska’s edge rusher Devon Jackson also added an offer. Lea offered Sebastian Cheeks on Friday also, and although they are in the same 2022 recruiting class, they do not play the same position.

Jackson uses his 6’2” and 200-pound frame differently than Cheeks does, lining up more on the edge of the defensive line instead of a more traditional linebacker. Jackson uses his speed to attack opposing offenses, while being a menace on special teams. Jackson looks skinny now, and once he adds on more weight, he will become a more complete player.

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The Irish join instate Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona State and a few others vying for Jacksons commitment. Brian Kelly and his staff are very familiar with the Burke program, as incoming freshman WR Xavier Watts and Jackson were teammates. This could play big dividends for the Irish as they continue to look for their first 2022 commit.

Irish offer ’22 Illinois Linebacker

Notre Dame goes into the Chicago Suburbs with their latest offer in the 2022 class.

Brian Kelly has gone a bit west with his newest offer in the 2022 class, as Evanston, Illinois linebacker Sebastian Cheeks has been given the opportunity to play in South Bend.

The Irish join Midwest schools like Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and others for the commitment of the 6’2 and 200-pound ‘backer. Cheeks has very good instincts, which leads to big plays for his Wildkit team. The potential for Cheeks to be a three down linebacker is very intriguing. What’s just as intriguing is the fact that Cheeks has his offer from the Irish pinned on his twitter page

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It is clear that Kelly and defensive coordinator Clark Lea have gotten Cheeks attention as they battle for his verbal pledge. The Irish current do not have any commitments in their 2022 recruiting class.

Which Irish true freshman could benefit most from NIL?

Which Notre Dame incoming freshman could be in line for a payday when they can profit from their name, image and likeness?

When the NCAA made the decision that collegiate athletes would soon be able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL), it opened up a whole new world for football stars who have yet to make it to the highest level. Rivals took a guess at which incoming freshman would benefit the most from this and their choice of an Irish player might surprise you.

Mike Farrell, Rivals recruiting director, placed wide receiver Jordan Johnson one of the freshmen who could benefit the most from the NIL ruling. Johnson placed 8th on Farrell’s list, claiming that “the quarterback gets all the attention usually, but a five-star Midwest receiver having a huge career at Notre Dame could me him very valuable.”

Rivals ranked Johnson as the best prospect in the 2020 Irish recruiting class, in front of tight end Michael Mayer, offensive lineman Tosh Baker and speedy running back Chris Tyree. Farrell is right with his assessment that it’s usually a quarterback that gets all the hype, but skill position players can get plenty of love as well. I would expect Tyree to be a wanted man for his services as well and could possible rival what Farrell thinks Johnson could bring to the table.

No one really knows what could be in store for athletes when this ruling finally passes. August 30th is the next big date, as each NCAA division is expected to have a draft of what their NIL proposals will be. What we do know is this will usher in a new era for college football, and potentially keeping star players on campus for longer than expected.

Notre Dame vs. Clemson: Who Wins Simulated Contest

Find out how the Irish fare, in now what will be their biggest contest of the 2020 season.

We all know that one of the Irish’s biggest games of the 2020 season has already been canceled, the trip to Lambeau Field to face the Wisconsin Badgers. With ACC still not making a decision for their non-conference schedule, the contest against Clemson is still on the table.

Although 247Sports started their simulations of their top 20 contests for the upcoming season prior to the Big Ten and PAC-12’s decisions to only play a conference schedule, it’s still is worth a look at how these big games will play out. Plenty of upsets have happened in these simulations from Michigan finally beating Ohio State, Oklahoma State outlasting Texas in 4 overtimes, and USC blasting Alabama.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this outcome to happen, as the 247Sports simulation had the Irish beating the Tigers in resounding fashion. The final score was 44-25, in favor of the good guys, and a bit of a shocker if you ask me. I don’t feel like the Irish are over-matched, but the last time the Tigers lost a game by that margin in a non-playoff game was in 2014 when it happened twice, against Georgia Tech and Georgia.

A more realistic outcome would be the Irish edging Clemson in a tight game, getting some home field magic to knock off one of the best programs in the country. That isn’t how the simulation saw it, so let’s enjoy this big time W against Clemson as we await the real results in about four months.

Another Honor for Irish Commit

The hype continues for the highest rated commit in the 2021 Notre Dame Football recruiting class.

The anticipation for Notre Dame quarterback commit Tyler Bucher’s senior season continues to build. After performing well during the Elite 11 QB camp, he has now been named as a MaxPreps preseason high school 1st team All-American as an all-purpose player.

There has been some conversation as to whether high school football will actually be played this fall, as Virginia has canceled their season, Arizona has delayed their start and California, where Bucher is from, will make their decision on their season public on Monday the 20th.

Back to what MaxPrep’s had to say about the future Irish signal-caller as Buchner “put up video game numbers as a junior at Bishops’s (La Jolla, Calif.). The 2021 Notre Dame commit accounted for 6,084 yards of total offense (4,474 passing, 1,610 rushing) and 81 touchdowns (53 passing, 28, rushing).” Those numbers are truly amazing, La Jolla played 13 games last year, so Buchner accounted for almost 35 points a game.

The top-rated player in Brian Kelly’s 2021 recruiting class will have plenty on his shoulders when he arrives on campus next year. The starting spot will be vacant after Ian Book graduates, so Buchner will have a shot at starting as a true freshman. That may not happen, but he should see some time, even if it’s mop up duty. If Buchner lives up to the hype, he’s rated as the 42nd overall prospect in the ’21 class by the 247Sports composite, all of Blue and Gold Nation will be proud.

How will not having a packed Notre Dame Stadium effect games?

Will it hurt or help the Irish this season without full crowds in Notre Dame Stadium?

At this current moment, it is hard to imagine the possibility of any collegiate football game having a packed house. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many states limiting large group gatherings which means having 80,000 Fighting Irish friends on a Saturday in South Bend very unlikely.

With that in mind, 247Sports took a look at which teams are helped and hurt by not having full crowds in stadiums this coming season. Chris Hummer named Clemson as a school that it helps, as if the Tigers needed any extra help anyways. The key games Hummer points out for the Dabo Swinney led team are at Florida State and then when they would visit South Bend.

A team that returns stars like quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Jamie Skalski will be a tough game for anyone, but not having a raucous Irish crowd definitely won’t help the cause. The college game relies much more on home field advantage than the NFL, it would be fantastic to see the fans making a difference by potentially rattling the Tigers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it will be the case this fall and the Irish will have to battle Clemson without the help of a packed Notre Dame Stadium.