Tag: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Pride Jr. goes to Carolina In Fourth Round

It didn’t take long for Notre Dame DB Tony Pride Jr. to hear his name called on the 3rd day of the NFL Draft.

This draft was viewed as a very deep one for the secondary and after six corner backs were taken in the first round, the notion was solidified. Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. did have to wait longer than the first round to hear his name called but going in the fourth round is nothing to scoff at.

Pride Jr. is a physical corner who isn’t afraid to come up and make the tackle. Back to back years with over 40 tackles for a corner is impressive, he even forced a fumble in 2018. Pride Jr. will bring that physical nature to the Panthers next year.

As a solid member of last years secondary for the Irish, Pride Jr. veteran presence will be missed but seeing him move on to the next level is still great to see. Pride Jr. will look to make Irish Nation proud with Carolina.

Pittsburgh Steelers grab Chase Claypool in Second Round

Irish wide receiver Chase Claypool is taken by Pittsburgh Steelers as the forty-ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Yesterday during the draft Chase Claypool tweeted out a video stressing taking care of his mother. The new Steelers’s wide receiver emphasized his work ethic in getting to this point in his career, and that’s exactly what he did in his time with the Irish.

Claypool continued to get better each year in South Bend, his receptions, yards, and touchdowns each better than the last showed the all of the hard work he put in. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is expecting more of that when he arrives in Pittsburgh as soon as its safe. Who knows what could have been as after Claypool’s impressive NFL Combine, there was chatter he could sneak into the first round.

Last years leading receiver and MVP for the Camping World Bowl for Notre Dame will be missed, anytime you lose a thousand yards and 13 touchdowns it’s not easy to replace. Claypool is bringing his talents to the Steelers and if he continues his upward trajectory, you’ll be hearing his name being called on lot on Sunday’s.

Notre Dame TE Kmet Drafted in Second Round By Hometown Bears

After an impressive junior year, Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet declared for the NFL Draft and his decision paid off being drafted in the 2nd round.

Although Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet though he would be returning to South Bend for his senior year, that all changed when he saw the lack of elite tight end’s in this draft. Although no TE’s were selected on the drafts first night, Kmet was still chosen early in the second round by Chicago Bears, the 43rd overall pick.

The Illinois native didn’t blow up until last season when he caught 43 balls for 515 yards and got into the endzone six times. Kmet is seen as more of a receiver than a blocker, something that he will need to work on at the NFL level. Even with that flaw, Kmet knows he needs to be better in that area, put enough on film to impress Chicago to select him on the drafts second evening.

There were initial thoughts that Kmet could be chosen in the first round, but this draft has shown it’s fairly deep. It was one extra night that Kmet had to wait, and in the long run if he performs as well as the Bears thinks he can, it’ll be a small blip on his career.

Quick Recruiting Update on the NFL’s Draft Night

A few notes on Irish recruiting prior to a few of their stars getting selected in tonight’s NFL Draft.

Notre Dame tight end commit Cane Berrong was honored by the Georgia Sports Writer Associate as they put a bow on the 2019 high school season. Berrong was named to the class AAA first-team, an honor he shares with many talented players from Georgia.

Brian Kelly and his staff also sent out an offer to Gunner Givens of Virginia. The rising junior tackle is 6’6” and weights 275-pounds also received an offer from Purdue today while he already held offers from Penn State, Florida State, Virginia and others. The 2022 class is a ways away, but by the looks of the offers Givens has, he should be a nationally recruited prospect.

With a fast start to the 2021 class, Kelly would love to get ahead of the ball in the ’22 class as well. The Irish currently do not have any commitments for that recruiting cycle.

Watch: Notre Dame DE Kareem’s NFL Draft Hype Video

It’s safe to say Irish DE Khalid Kareem is excited for a new chapter in his football story.

Ahead of tonight’s NFL Draft, Notre Dame’s defensive end Khalid Kareem tweeted out a video with many of his Irish highlights included.

Kareem is viewed upon by draft experts to be selected sometime in the second day of the draft, in the second or third round. It should be an exciting next few days for Kareem and his family.

Watch: Notre Dame WR Chase Claypool’s NFL Draft Hype Video

Soon to be Irish draftee Chase Claypool released a heartfelt video prior to getting drafted into the NFL.

I think it’s safe to say that Notre Dame WR Chase Claypool is ready for his next football journey. This one with an emphasis on taking care of his mother after working hard for this moment.

A little over a third of the way through the first round of the NFL Draft and Claypool has yet to hear his name called. We are all waiting for that moment.

Notre Dame QB Commit Buchner Invited to Under Armor All-American Bowl

Irish quarterback commit Tyler Buchner has gotten an invitation to a prestigious high school all-star game.

There are two major high school All-Star games that are played during Bowl season, the Under Armor All-American Bowl and the All-American Bowl (formerly the Army All-American Bowl) and today Notre Dame QB commit Tyler Buchner officially received his invitation to play in the UAAA Bowl.

Buchner still has a decision on which game he will play in, as he is not listed on the Under Armor roster at the current moment. What we do know is that Buchner is an elite player who we all are excited to see don the Blue and Gold in the fall of 2021.

There is potential for Buchner to be a true freshman starter, but that remains to be seen until he arrives on campus. If Buchner puts up video game numbers like he did last year, it is entirely possible he could bring that momentum to be the starter. Either way, Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees will have an elite talent at quarterback waiting in the wings.

Could Notre Dame get a Recommitment from WR Colzie?

The Irish staff are still recruiting Georgia WR Deion Colzie, trying to get the talented wide out to return to the 2021 ND recruiting class.

It was a surprise to many when Georgia WR Deion Colzie decommitted from Notre Dame, his dream school, a little over a month ago. Right after his exit from the 2021 Irish recruiting class, he received offers from Michigan, Penn State, Florida State and Auburn.

It is rare but not completely rare for a prospect to commit back to the school they decommitted from. After hearing what Colzie had to say during an interview yesterday with Rivals’ Chad Simmons, it seems like the Irish haven’t given up hope.

When asked about his relationship with Brian Kelly and Del Alexander, Colzie said “we still have the same relationship we had before. Talks every day, phone calls, trying to start the whole process over… They were willing to start rebuilding the relationship as well.”

This bodes well going forward for the Irish although it seems like distance may factor into Colzie’s final decision. Georgia has been in his ear about staying home while their 5-Star QB commit Brock Vandagriff has been trying to get Colzie to join him in Athens.

Colzie will release a top list soon and says a few schools will surely be on that list. Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State are the schools he knows will be moving on with his recruitment.

With just one other WR commit in the class, Ohio’s Lorenzo Styles Jr., the need is clear for Kelly to add another commit to the fold. Although it won’t be easy to get Colzie to commit again, the staff is still hard at work trying to get the talented wide out trending back to South Bend.

Notre Dame OT Eichenberg is A Top 2021 NFL Draft Prospect

Irish offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg should be hearing his named called early in next years NFL Draft.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg could have left early to the NFL this past season but opted to return for his final season with the Irish. If he had decided to leave, most likely would have been either a first-round pick or at worst a second rounder.

By staying for his redshirt senior year, Eichenberg will add on to the 26 starts under his belt this upcoming season. Viewed as the leader of the offensive line, the left tackle will lead a group that returns everyone and should be viewed as one of the best groups in the nation.

Looking ahead to the 2021 draft, Eichenberg will not a have a decision to make at the end of the year, but NFL teams will. College Football News named Eichenberg as the 15th ranked best player regardless of position who will be selected next year. The third offensive lineman on the list behind Oregon’s Penei Sewell and Standfords Walker Little, the Irish star should hear his name called early.

Pete Fuitak, the publisher of CFN, does see some issue’s NFL teams might see in Eichenberg as “he’s not as massive as some might like, and he’ll likely be just behind the prototype-looking tackles at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft.” Regardless of any nitpicking NFL teams may do regarding the tackle, Eichenberg is still in line to join the likes of Mike McGlinchey and Ronnie  as Notre Dame tackles selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

College Football News Updates Bowl Projections, Notre Dame is Peachy

In their post-spring bowl projections, CFN has Notre Dame going somewhere they’ve never been before.

Although the season is seemingly up in the air, that didn’t stop College Football News from releasing their post-spring updated bowl projections. With the Irish ranked inside the Top 10 in the majority of preseason projected polls, the expectations for the upcoming season are sky high.

At the current moment CFN has Notre Dame facing off against Florida in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Yes, a bit disappointing because it is not a Final 4 spot in the College Football Playoff, those went to Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia, but a New Year’s 6 contest none the less.

The Peach Bowl would be a new destination for the Irish, as they have never participated in this bowl game in their long history. The At-Large spot means that Notre Dame had a successful season, but at least one hiccup along the way, a possibility of two. Even if it is two games that Brian Kelly’s 2020 team would lose, a Top 10 ranking should come with the At-Large selection.

It may seem like a frustrating season, but only one team wins the National Championship every year, only 4 teams have a shot at distinction, and making a New Years 6 Bowl game should be viewed as a successful year. Making a trip to Atlanta and playing on New Years Day, would be a great way to end another productive season in South Bend.