Tag: notre dame athletics

Breaking: Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick to step down

The Irish athletic director will move on next year

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] athletic director [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag]’s time is running out.

In a report by Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, Swarbrick will step down as the Irish athletic director in 2024 and be succeeded by NBC Sports Group chairman [autotag]Pete Bevacqua[/autotag].

Swarbrick has run the athletic department since 2008, taking over for Kevin White who left for Duke. The alumnus was behind helping the Irish keep up with the ever evolving college athletics world.

He was behind the additions to Notre Dame Stadium, Fighting Irish Media, bringing in other major events to South Bend while helping the launch of the ACC Network and extending the NBC deal for Notre Dame as well.

Bevacqua is a second-generation Irish alum and told Forde “this is a dream come true.” At this point the exact date of him taking over for Swarbrick is unknown, but it will happen in 2024. Bevacqua will start the transition on July 1 as a special assistant for athletics to Notre Dame President Reverend John Jenkins.

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Four-Star ’22 Tight End Commits to Notre Dame

The good news for Notre Dame is that the Fighting Irish didn’t have to wait long for their second commitment in the ’22 class as tight end Jack Nickel made his commitment on Monday afternoon.

It took a while for Notre Dame to land their first commitment in the 2022 recruiting class as four-star offensive tackle Joey Tanona broke the seal on that over the weekend.

The good news for Notre Dame is that the Fighting Irish didn’t have to wait long for their second commitment in the ’22 class as tight end Jack Nickel made his commitment on Monday afternoon.

Nickel is listed at 6-4, 230 pounds and from Alpharetta, Georgia (Milton).  He chose Notre Dame despite having offers from 26 other schools including Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and LSU.

Nickel is the first tight end to commit to Notre Dame’s 2022 class but joins an incredibly talented group that features four-star Cane Berrong from the ’21 class, five-star Michael Mayer from the ’20 class and four-star Kevin Bauman, also of the ’20 class.

The Fighting Irish certainly haven’t hit on everything out of the gate in regards to the ’22 class but it’s nice to see the commitments finally start to roll in after what had felt like a pretty significant wait.

Top Remaining Notre Dame Target to Announce Decision Wednesday

Will Notre Dame land their fourth defensive back commitment in the 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday?

Could Notre Dame be about to add a third corner back to their 2021 recruiting class?

That’s their hope as their top remaining defensive back target, Chance Tucker of Encino, California (Crespi) is set to announce his college decision on Wednesday.

Tucker shared he’d made his decision and that he’s ready to announce on Tuesday.

Tucker is graded as a three-star talent by 247Sports that Notre Dame officially offered on June 2.  Most recently, Northwestern offered a scholarship to Tucker just one week ago.

Notre Dame is certainly one of the favorites here but so is Washington, a team that has had outstanding success of late in securing strong defensive talent.

Tucker will be making the announcement at 10 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class currently sits with a pair of corner commits in Philip Riley and Ryan Barnes, as well as safety Justin Walters.

Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for all of the reaction after Tucker announces his decision and whatever you do, for the love of God don’t complain to him on Twitter if he doesn’t pick your favorite college football program.

20 years ago today Notre Dame hired Mike Brey

How in the world has it been 20 years since Notre Dame hired Mike Brey? Time flies when you’re having fun.

Cheers to Notre Dame head basketball coach Mike Brey, who was hired by Notre Dame 20 years ago today.

It may seem like a strange time of year for a college basketball coach to be changing jobs but if you recall, Brey replaced Matt Doherty who left South Bend after just one year, as Doherty replaced Bill Guthridge who retired from is post at North Carolina.

Despite being a relative unknown, Brey has taken Notre Dame basketball to a level of sustained success that it simply has not ever had.

In Brey’s 19 completed seasons at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish have earned a post season berth in the NCAA Tournament 12 times and twice helped guide the Irish to Elite Eight appearances.

Brey’s 417 wins at Notre Dame are more than any other men’s basketball coach in history, including Digger Phelps who finished his career in 1991 with 393.

The former Duke assistant coach came to Notre Dame 20 years ago today from Delaware where he guided the Blue Hens to a 99-52 record in five seasons, twice earning NCAA Tournament bids.

It doesn’t matter what your profession is, 20 years at one job is beyond impressive.

A tip of the cap, or a floor-slap if you’d prefer it, to Mike Brey on two fantastic decades at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame: Braden Lenzy’s Powerful Message

Notre Dame speedster Braden Lenzy spoke up about the injustices in the United States. Read what he had to say in a post to UND.com today.

Braden Lenzy is a weapon on the football field who possesses lightning quick speed that very few can compete with.  He had a coming out party of sorts in 2019 as he sparked Notre Dame in several contests.

Braden Lenzy isn’t just a football player.

Braden Lenzy is doing more than just posting on social media crying for a change.  More importantly, he’s calling on others of all races to do the same.

Lenzy has already taken his thoughts to social media, offering a look into his perspective.

Lenzy penned a letter that was posted to the Notre Dame athletics website on Thursday.  You can read the entire letter here and I recommend you do.  Some of the thought and hopefully change-provoking messages include:

Are we so blind as a nation to neglect such a large portion of our country we claim is “the home of the free,” that we won’t admit that everyone isn’t free?

As I woke up today, I felt the need to truly speak up. The nation I grew up loving is failing, and justice has yet to be served. George Floyd’s tragic death struck the hearts of all black men and women around the world, and it forced us to take action.

…

We have come to a point in time where silence is no longer acceptable. The hashtags will no longer cut it. The police brutality that we have endured for my entire life must come to a stop. No one man or woman was created above the other, and it’s time our nation reflects that. 

…

I ask you this, America: show love and seek justice. No matter who you are, you can play a role. Peacefully protesting, donating to this cause, or even having a simple conversation with someone who needs it is doing so much. But I strongly urge you to make an effort. Do what is right. Take the steps needed that our fallen Black brothers and sisters should have experienced before they were taken from us. Don’t let the media sway you away from the biggest issue. We need everyone. We truly need you all. We are in pain and we need you. Please stand with us. 

Good for Lenzy for speaking what’s on his mind and for the reminder that some may need, that he’s more than just a football player that wears jersey number 25 on Saturday, but that he’s a young man growing up in a country that unfortunately hasn’t changed to the degree some of us would like to think.

Brian Kelly Updates Latest on Notre Dame vs. Navy in Ireland

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly met the media Wednesday and gave the latest on the status of ND vs Navy in Ireland this August.

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met the media in a very non-traditional way Wednesday as he updated the world on everything related to the Notre Dame football program.  If you’d like, you can check out that entire press conference that took place over Zoom, here.

One of the several things Kelly was asked and spoke about was the status of the season-opener that is supposed to take place in Ireland the last Saturday of August.  Will Notre Dame and Navy be making the trip?

“We’re having discussions with that,” Kelly said. “Clearly, we can’t just wait until May 15 to have the first discussion about going overseas, so those discussions are taking place.”

“We’re looking at all options at this time. We’d like to play the game in Ireland; whether we can or not, that it still a topic that’s being discussed.”

Clearly there are more trying events going on and more pressing issues than if a football game ends up being played or not.  Hearing Kelly say that though and perhaps because I’ve been watching too much news lately (don’t do that, it will literally drive you insane) but compared to a week ago I’m not gaining confidence about the chances of football going off as regularly scheduled.

And I wasn’t exactly the most-optimistic about it a week ago, here’s to hoping I’m wrong.

 

Former Notre Dame Defenseman to Make NHL Debut

Gross graduated from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as a management consulting major.

When the Phoenix Coyotes take on the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night Notre Dame will see it’s 36th former hockey player to skate in the NHL.

Jordan Gross, a defenseman for Notre Dame from 2014 to 2018 will make his debut for the Coyotes, becoming the 11th for Fighting Irish to play in the NHL this season as he joins Anders Bjork (Boston Bruins), Ian Cole (Colorado Avalanche), Dennis Gilbert (Chicago Blackhawks), Hinostroza (Arizona Coyotes), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Kyle Palmieri (New Jersey Devils), Andrew Peeke (Arizona Coyotes), Bryan Rust (Pittsburgh Penguins), Riley Sheahan (Edmonton Oilers) and T.J. Tynan (Colorado Avalanche).

A First Team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, he scored 10 goals and added 20 assists for 30 points as a senior. His 30 points ranked 12th among defensemen. His 146 shots on goal led all defensemen, as did his 3.58 shots on goal per game. He had a goal and two assists in Notre Dame’s 5-4 win over Omaha (Oct. 27), to become the 53rd player in program history to reach 100 career points.

Gross graduated from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as a management consulting major.

Notre Dame Football: We’ve Got a Forum!

We have launched a forum for exactly that and it costs you nothing to be a contributing part of the message board.

Hey you.

Yeah, you.

Have you been looking for somewhere other than Facebook or Twitter to share your thoughts about your favorite college sports team?

Good news.

We have launched a forum for exactly that and it costs you nothing to be a contributing part of the message board.

Mad about last night’s game?

Have a best guess on who the bowl opponent will be?

Or do you need to vent because your favorite player isn’t getting the respect they deserve nationally?

Now you’ve got a community to share all of your thoughts on all things Notre Dame athletics.

Simply go to our Fighting Irish Forum, create an entirely free account and start posting your thoughts immediately.  It’s as easy as that!

We hope to see you and your thoughts over there soon.

Thanks and Go Irish!

Hockey Sweeps No. 8 Ohio State/Earn Big Ten’s Third-Star of Week

For the second week in a row the Irish found a player earning the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week as senior net-minder Cale Morris did so.  Morris earned two wins over the weekend, bringing his career total to 50, the fifth most in Notre Dame hockey history.

Notre Dame hockey improved to 7-0-1 over the weekend after sweeping previously No. 8 Ohio State as  Jake Pivonka and Cam Burke scored third period goals on Saturday to complete the sweep.

As a result the Irish moved to No. 3 in the USA Hockey/USA Today poll this week, trailing just No. 1 Denver and No. 2 Minnesota State in the rankings.

The Irish now sit alone atop the Big Ten standings with 10 conference points on the year.  Penn State (9) and Minnesota (7) sit directly behind.

For the second week in a row the Irish found a player earning the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week as senior net-minder Cale Morris did so.  Morris earned two wins over the weekend, bringing his career total to 50, the fifth most in Notre Dame hockey history.

Jordan Pearce (2005-09) leads the way all-time with 59.

The award is the twelfth time Morris has been named one of the Big Ten’s Three Stars of the Week as he’s been named top-star six times, and second and third-star both three times now.

Senior forward Patrick Khodorenko of Michigan State top away this week’s first-star honors while freshman forward Alex Turcotte of Wisconsin took home the second-star.

Morris and the Irish will travel to Madison to take on Turcotte and the Badgers for a two-game series this weekend.   Both games starting at 8 pm ET on Saturday and Sunday with the Badgers still looking for their first conference win.