Tag: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Does Clemson’s Xavier Thomas Redshirting Impact Notre Dame?

It seems like this is a loss for the Clemson Tigers, but is it really?

It came out yesterday that Clemson’s junior defensive linemen Xavier Thomas will be taking a medical redshirt this year and will not “play” for the Tigers. Thomas’ situation was scary, as head coach Dabo Swinney explained that Thomas was one of the many Clemson players to contract the Coronavirus, then after a quarantine contracted strep throat. The illness made an impact on Thomas’ physical well-being as he added 10-12 pounds.

While it may seem like the Irish are getting good news with Thomas not playing this year, that might not exactly be the case. His situation is different than some other collegiate stars who have opted out like Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. Those players have given up their eligibility while Thomas is still a member the Tigers.

With the new redshirt rules this would enable Thomas to play in four games this year and still keep his extra year of eligibility. This is Swinney’s plan for Thomas this year, but the question remains which four games will he participate in? Looking at Clemson’s cakewalk schedule, the regular season really just see’s the game against the Irish as their only real competitive game on paper. The Tigers avoid North Carolina, but they will face Virginia Tech, the lowest rated ACC team inside the Amway Coaches poll powered by USA Today Sports.

The Tigers have been mainstays in the College Football Playoff’s and with their preseason number 1 ranking, another trip seems very likely. When you add in the ACC Championship game along with the potential of two more playoff games, it whittles down Swinney’s options for getting Thomas on the field. Games later in the year will give him more time to get physically in shape after his illness’, with the hope that the former 5-Star recruit will finally breakout, even in just 4 games.

If you go by my logic, there will be just one regular season game that makes sense for Thomas to play in, the first Saturday in November against the Irish. It may seem like Thomas’ decision to redshirt will help the Irish, but that might not be the case after all. We will wait and see how it plays out, but there is a very real possibility that Thomas will be in South Bend and play a role for the Tigers.

Initial thoughts on Notre Dame’s 2020 schedule

A few immediate thoughts regarding the Fighting Irish’s first ACC conference schedule plus one.

As the Irish venture into the ACC for the season, their schedule was finalized finalized this morning along with finding out where they landed in the Amway Coaches poll powered by USA Today Sports. Here are a few thoughts on how the schedule is set up the Fighting Irish.

Clemson is still the toughest test for the regular season as they came in #1 in the Amway Coaches poll. The addition of #19 North Carolina will be tough, but the Tigers are still one of the best teams in the country. Dabo Swinney has recruited very well and his team is loaded with top-end talent led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Irish get an advantage by hosting the Tigers, but without fans, this might negate playing in South Bend.

Keeping on the Clemson game, the schedule sets up well for the Irish and they should be going into the November 7th game against the Tigers a clean 7-0. The most difficult game prior to facing Clemson will be Louisville, they will put up some points this season. Quarterback Micale Cunningham and wide receiver Tutu Atwell make up one of the best QB-WR tandems in the country, but the defense was atrocious last year. The Irish scored 35 points in the ’19 opener against the Cardinals which was two points over what their season average was last year. That effort put them 109th in the country and the Irish have plenty of time to find new skills position stars prior to that game.

The bye weeks come at a great time. We could nitpick a little bit about the six-game stretch between the first and last bye week, but it works out fairly well for the Irish. It would have been nice to see a bye before or around the Clemson game but having one in front of traveling to North Carolina is almost as good. Getting an extra week to prepare to go on the road and face a Top 25 team is ideal.

All in all, the Irish seem to have path that doesn’t pose many roadblocks to get back to Bank of America Stadium and compete for the ACC Championship. A split of the Clemson and North Carolina games while taking care of the rest of the lesser opponents would put the Irish at 10-1 which should be enough to be one of the top two teams in the ACC. Let’s hope it works out that way, with the Irish getting a chance to play for a conference title for the first time ever on December 12th and a College Football Playoff berth.

Notre Dame’s first ACC football schedule to be announced Thursday morning

As you know by now Notre Dame has given up its football independence for 2020 and is joining the ACC. They’ll play 10 ACC games, have one non-ACC opponent in a game that has to be played in Indiana, and will be eligible for the ACC Championship Game …

As you know by now Notre Dame has given up its football independence for 2020 and is joining the ACC.

They’ll play 10 ACC games, have one non-ACC opponent in a game that has to be played in Indiana, and will be eligible for the ACC Championship Game and any ACC bowl game tie-ins.

We now know when we’ll get that schedule announcement and the good news is you don’t have to wait long.

Thursday, August 6 at 9 a.m. ET the schedule will be released live on ACC Network.

Fighting Irish Wire will have all of the information in regards to the announcement so as always, make sure you keep it with us.

Theismann on Notre Dame/ACC: ‘Could be pre-cursor’

Joe Theismann knows a thing or two about playing Notre Dame but not being a member of a conference as the Super Bowl winning quarterback was a Heisman Trophy runner up with the Irish in 1970. Theismann has spent the 35 years since his NFL playing …

Joe Theismann knows a thing or two about playing Notre Dame but not being a member of a conference as the Super Bowl winning quarterback was a Heisman Trophy runner up with the Irish in 1970.

Theismann has spent the 35 years since his NFL playing days came to a sudden end watching and analyzing a whole lot of football. On Wednesday he was a guest on “Packer and Durham” on ACC Network and discussed Notre Dame joining the ACC for 2020 and possibly beyond.

“What can Notre Dame do for a conference and what can a conference do for Notre Dame?” Theismann asked before mentioning the extreme circumstances in which college football will be attempted to be played this fall.

“It makes an awful lot of sense…could be a pre-cursor” Theismann added.

“You get what you wanted and now is a chance to see what it (Notre Dame) looks like in a conference”

Joe’s right in asking what benefit does joining a conference have for both Notre Dame and whichever conference that may one day be. Obviously the appeal of Notre Dame football and the money come with it make sense for almost any conference.

What, outside of there being only conference games and then no remaining option besides join a conference, does it make for Notre Dame then?

Only if ten game conference schedules become the norm does it make sense to me for the Irish to join a conference.

Theismann referenced the appeal of winning a conference being better and more motivating than it strictly being a national championship or bust for Notre Dame. I get that part and lord knows we’ve seen plenty of Notre Dame teams come crashing down once title dreams were shot, but at this point it is still part of the appeal.

Theismann also discussed the high expectations for the 2020 Notre Dame squad and offered much love to the offensive line.

You can hear the bulk of the interview below:

How much of an impact could freshman RB Tyree have this season?

Notre Dame freshman running back Chris Tyree has a golden opportunity to make an impact in his first year on campus.

We all know about Virginia’s Chris Tyree’s exploits as one of the fastest players in the country. Notice how it wasn’t just incoming freshmen, it’s in the country. While we know about Tyree’s speed, what we don’t know is how much of an impact he could have year one in South Bend. What we do know is that 247Sports Brad Crawford has Tyree on his list of 10 most impactful freshmen in the country.

The speedy back finished his high school career as the number 1 rated all-purpose back and 70th overall prospect in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings. An ankle injury during his senior season derailed what would have been three straight seasons over 1,000 yards rushing.

The biggest knock on Tyree has nothing much to do with his game, but his stature. At 5-foot-10-inches and 180-pounds durability obviously could be an issue. That’s exactly how Crawford’s scouting report sees Tyree noting “there will always be questions about his frame and work-load compacity.” There weren’t many other detractors to Tyree’s game in the other parts of the report aside from “adding strength is a must. Yet to show he can be good at pass protect.” Adding solid weight to Tyree’s frame would go a long way for his on-field production.

The remaining portion of his scouting report was very positive as Tyree has “blazing speed with verified 4.38 second in 40. Burst is a plus. Vertical of 38.2 inches. Stop-start ability is impressive. Wildly productive. Good vision and patience in the hole. Excellent body control. Accelerates to full speed within three steps. Can run inside or outside. Tough to arm tackle. Dangerous pass catcher who can lineup in slot….Major contributor at elite college program. Middle round NFL draft pick.”

The opportunity there for Tyree to contribute after Tony Jones Jr’s departure to the NFL leaving the Irish running back room without much experience. If Tyree takes advantage of the situation and stay’s healthy, we could be seeing a big season from the speedy freshman.

College Football Playoffs for the Irish? Maybe, maybe not…

Two Rivals experts debate if Notre Dame can make the CFP now that they are in the ACC for the 2020 season.

Now that Notre Dame has been included in the ACC there has been plenty of conjecture on how the Irish’s season will play out. Yesterday, we looked at ESPN and their updated Football Power Index ACC title odds and corresponding impact on the conference race and College Football Playoff odds. Today, Rival’s Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney examined if the Irish could make the CFP now that they’re affiliated with the ACC.

Let’s start with the optimist, Gorney, who think’s the Irish have a very legit possibility to make the CFP. He says that “Notre Dame has all the pieces to make a run to the College Football Playoff – whether it’s with an ACC-only schedule or anything else. The Irish have a veteran quarterback, one of the best offensive lines in the country, defensive playmakers at all three levels and they have excellent coaching as well.” It seems like Gorney liked the Irish’s chances even before joining the ACC for this season.

Farrell, however, didn’t see it like Gorney, as he “could see Notre Dame losing to Louisville, Pitt or North Carolina and ending the season with two losses.” The other loss Farrell is eluding to is the matchup with Clemson, it seems regardless of how Notre Dame schedule played out thought they would lose to the Tigers anyways. Farrell goes further saying “we knew they (Notre Dame) need to be perfect to make the playoffs most likely and with this schedule, I don’t see that happening.”

The two analysts are split on whether or not the Irish can finish inside the final Top 4 teams. With a conference affiliation, this gives the Irish more wiggle room than in previous years where an undefeated season was the only way that Notre Dame could make the final group. The wiggle room is minimal though, as two losses will take any team out of Playoff contention. This is shaping up to be a very interesting 2020 college football campaign and if the Irish can navigate themselves to a 11-1 season with an ACC title, they will punch their ticket into the Final 4.

Notre Dame Injury News: Kevin Austin Breaks Foot

Wide receiver Kevin Austin, who was suspended for 2019 but is a big reason for huge expectations for the 2020 receiving corps, has broken his foot.

It’s not even the start of official practice yet but Notre Dame football has already suffered a significant injury.

Wide receiver Kevin Austin, who was suspended for 2019 but is a big reason for huge expectations for the 2020 receiving corps, has broken his foot.

From the Notre Dame Football PR Staff on Twitter:

The good news is that he’s not out for the season but the bad news is obvious. It’s a broken foot and not an injury that likely just is gone and forgotten about the second it’s technically healed.

Strength building and conditioning will come after as his potential 2020 outbreak so many are expecting, takes a major hit.

Austin only has five receptions in his Notre Dame career but was likely to enter 2020 as a starter and the benefactor of a significant amount of targets.

We’ll have more on this news at Fighting Irish Wire as more information becomes available.

Notre Dame Injury News: Kevin Austin Breaks Foot

Wide receiver Kevin Austin, who was suspended for 2019 but is a big reason for huge expectations for the 2020 receiving corps, has broken his foot.

It’s not even the start of official practice yet but Notre Dame football has already suffered a significant injury.

Wide receiver Kevin Austin, who was suspended for 2019 but is a big reason for huge expectations for the 2020 receiving corps, has broken his foot.

From the Notre Dame Football PR Staff on Twitter:

The good news is that he’s not out for the season but the bad news is obvious. It’s a broken foot and not an injury that likely just is gone and forgotten about the second it’s technically healed.

Strength building and conditioning will come after as his potential 2020 outbreak so many are expecting, takes a major hit.

Austin only has five receptions in his Notre Dame career but was likely to enter 2020 as a starter and the benefactor of a significant amount of targets.

We’ll have more on this news at Fighting Irish Wire as more information becomes available.

Notre Dame shakes up ESPN’s FPI after joining ACC

The Irish make their presence known with the latest update to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

With the announcement last week of the Irish joining the ACC for the 2020 season, many outlets needed to adjust their preseason rankings to account for this massive change. ESPN has just updated their Football Power Index and it looks fairly favorable for Notre Dame.

When looking at the numbers, there are plenty of them when breaking down the FPI, they Irish are almost assured of having a bowl game, as long as more of them don’t get canceled. With a 89.3% chance at more than 6 wins, you can bring that one to the back. The problem when looking further into the FPI is that the projection model has Notre Dame winning only one more game past that threshold.

ESPN’s projections have a final record of 7-3, but there is a silver lining to this, a chance to bring home an ACC Title. Clemson is the overwhelming favorite to win the conference, as the FPI gives the Tigers an 88.7% chance to bring home the hardware. The Irish rank second, and although chances are slim at 4.3%, it’s still a chance.

There’s a smaller chance the Irish win out, at a minute 0.2%, and even smaller chance to win the national title at 0.1%. Playoff’s are now the gold standard goal of ever program, and the FPI gives the Irish a 1.6% chance at making the coveted final four.

Getting an opportunity to play for a title in 2020 would be fantastic, even if it is an ACC one. How awesome would it be to play in a conference for a season, win the ACC title and ride off into an independence sunset hoisting the trophy and heading to the playoffs. Hopefully the FPI is off and that’s exactly how the 2020 season plays out for the Irish.

Will a true freshman be Notre Dame’s rising ACC star?

There is lot of hype surrounding an Irish true freshman and his opportunity to make an impact early for the Notre Dame Football team.

It seem’s weird to be included into ACC content regarding the Notre Dame football team, but here we are. It’s been a very odd year, but as football gets closer and closer, 247Sports took a look at up-and-coming players that they were excited to see this fall.

Irish incoming freshman Michael Mayer made Charles Power’s list, and for very obvious reasons. With the departure of Cole Kmet to the NFL, the path to early playing time is in the hand of the 5-Star recruit. Power believes “Mayer is a ready-to-go type prospect who is entering what looks to be a favorable situation in South Bend.”

What we don’t know is how quickly Mayer will pick up the playbook from new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. If he is able to grasp the scheme quickly, the talented freshman should be able to hit the field running. “He’s (Mayer) physically developed and skilled enough to make an impact as a freshman,” said Power.

It makes sense to at least give Mayer a shot early to see if he can prove himself on the field. Since players are now able to play in 4 games without losing a redshirt season, Mayer could even play a bit part without losing a year of eligibility. Ideally, this is not the case, with Mayer forcing Brian Kelly’s hand to play him throughout the year. I think this is the most realistic scenario, as Mayer should. work his way into the tight end rotation this year, before breaking out nationally as a sophomore.

It’s worth noting that former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovic made the list for Boston College, although the NCAA has yet to determine if immediate eligibility will be granted to the transfer. With BC on the new Irish schedule for 2020, it would be interesting to see how Jurkovic performs against his former teammates if eligible.