Notre Dame recruiting – Page 20

Marcus Freeman’s Christmas Wishlist!

Marcus Freeman’s Christmas Wish List at Notre Dame

It’s that time of year again folks. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you. While in the holiday spirit, I thought it’d be fun to explore what items may be on Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman’s wishlist this Christmas.

After year 1 at the helm, this much is for certain. Freeman is certainly on the “nice list”. Even in challenging and frustrating times, he always stayed respectful and navigated issues with grace. Notre Dame fans all over the land hope Santa delivers on most if not all of the items on this list as a reward for being such a great steward of Notre Dame!

Notre Dame & Portal Chaos

Portal Chaos like never before for Notre Dame…

Things are changing fast in the landscape of college football. From conference re-allignment, NIL deals, the playoff expansion, and of course transfer portal chaos, it’s a lot to consider and stay on top of. None of these changes are small. They are all massive changes that severely alter how teams are recruited, built, and developed.

Understanding the changes and keeping up with them is one thing, but then enters the next logical question fans have. How do these changes affect “my team?” Who is in a position to take advantage of these new angles and what happens to programs that are slow to adapt?

Let’s take a look at some things to consider in regard to Notre Dame’s positioning in the “Wild West” of the transfer portal era.

CFP To Expand To 12 Teams in 2024: 5 Things To Consider

CFP Expansion and the effect on Notre Dame?

The powers that be have announced that the College Football Playoff (CFP) will indeed expand to a 12-team format beginning in 2024. To say that this is a seismic change to the sport we all know and love would be an understatement. This isn’t your grandfather’s version of college football, that much is certain.

What do we make of this shift as it relates to Notre Dame? Does this help or hurt them in pursuit of their first championship since 1988? There are opinions on all sides and angles of this issue. Let’s explore some of the most interesting parts of this new setup as it pertains to the Irish.

Recruits loved watching USC defeat Notre Dame in the Coliseum

#USC football could not have made a better, more positive impression on the many recruits who were inside the Coliseum for the Notre Dame game.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to realize that by beating Notre Dame 38-27, the USC Trojans made a very positive impression on the many recruits who came to the Los Angeles Coliseum for Saturday night’s big game.

The Trojans were playing the Fighting Irish in one of college football’s best rivalries, also the sport’s greatest intersectional rivalry. This was the first meeting between Lincoln Riley and Marcus Freeman, two coaches under 40 years old with bright futures ahead of them. They will be engaged in turf battles for recruiting. Riley won this round on the field.

He is bound to make significant gains in recruiting as a result of this win. Just look at how various prospects and their families reacted to their weekend in the Coliseum:

Notre Dame vs USC: 5 Keys To Irish Victory

What must Notre Dame absolutely do in order to beat USC?

To say there will be a lot on the line when Notre Dame travels to Los Angeles to face bitter rival USC this Saturday would be an understatement. Under new head coach Lincoln Riley, USC is in a prime playoff position and has a Heisman hopeful signal caller under center in [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag].

In terms of Notre Dame, who also features a new head coach in [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], this year has been wildly inconsistent with more peaks and valleys than a hike in the Rocky Mountains. Yes, head-scratching losses at home to inferior teams still confound, but the Irish still find themselves in a position they never did under Kelly. A chance to beat two top-five teams in the same year.

Let’s take a look at the five keys to victory for Notre Dame in the latest chapter of this historic bitter rivalry.

Notre Dame vs USC: High Stakes Beyond just CFP

ND-USC: Much more at stake than just USC’s playoff hopes

This historically familiar Thanksgiving weekend matchup between rivals Notre Dame and USC in L.A. is not short on major storylines. Both programs feature energetic, well thought of young coaches that are trying to jumpstart their tenures in year one with a ton to play for entering game 12.

This game should be the first of many nationally relevant battles between [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag]. Each of these coaches is in year 1 of long-term deals. Each is also quickly shaping and forming the culture of their program under their vision and styles, which are quite contrasting in nature and add to the intrigue of what this rivalry will look like in the near future.

Let’s take an in-depth look at what’s at stake for both programs as we enter game 1 between new-look Notre Dame and USC.

Notre Dame vs Syracuse: Confidences & Concerns

Notre Dame-Syracuse Confidences & Concerns

As I sit and write this I can’t help but think of what a rollercoaster this column has been since I started it a month or so ago here at Fighting Irish Wire. Much like the actual Notre Dame season, these confidences and concerns come and go and rise and fall rapidly. Too rapidly. I take this as a sign that Notre Dame has struggled to find itself this year. Items that appear as a confidence one week and concern the next are inconsistent, a perfect description of this Irish team overall in 2022.

Despite having no shot at reaching any postseason games that will carry much weight, Notre Dame has a shot at ending the year strongly against 3 highly ranked teams in Syracuse, Clemson, and USC that would help change the narrative entering the first Freeman offseason. Let’s take a look are some New York state of mind confidences and concerns.

Notre Dame football: BYU game start of the redemption roadmap

What happens Saturday will go a long way in telling the ultimate story of the 2022 Fighting Irish.

On the surface, one could think that since Notre Dame already has two losses and is unranked, there isn’t much at stake in the grand scheme of things. However, when the Irish and BYU kickoff in the latest [autotag]Shamrock Series[/autotag] game under the bright lights of Las Vegas, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Saturday’s game presents itself as a pivot point, a delineating line, even a tipping point if you will for what the rest of this season can and will become for Notre Dame. Sure, notching two losses before anyone even needed to dust off a hoodie or jacket ended Notre Dame’s playoff chances early this year, but there is a bigger picture dynamic in play. One of finding your identity, building confidence and establishing a solid foundation from which the long term Freeman Era can begin to build from. This is a critical mission that would need to be accomplished whether Notre Dame was undefeated or in its current state of record.

The opportunity to face the 16th ranked team in the country in a game with extra juice due to its location and buildup, coming off a strong road win and two weeks to rest and recharge should have the Irish salivating at the chance to notch a ranked win and build on the momentum gained in Chapel Hill.

There is nothing that can be done now to undo the early September slip ups. What can be done is for Notre Dame to show that they are a different team, have found themselves and are improving every week and can end this season strong which would be terrific for the current teams’ morale and also would go a long way in recruiting as well.

Page Two- The Redemption Tour Roadmap

Pages: 12

Updated College Football Team Recruiting Rankings for 2023

Who will rise the most from here and who will fall the worst?

We’re just over three months away from the early signing period opening for college football teams to officially land their verbal commitments as they’ll soon turn into the next stars for each respective team. There is meat left on the bone for plenty of teams across the country but how is the top-30 in terms of team rankings shaping up?

Plenty of traditional powerhouses find themselves towards the top of the list while some power programs require you look further down than you’d probably expect. As of September 20, 2022, here is a look at the top 30 ranked team recruiting classes for the 2023 recruiting cycle courtesy of 247Sports.

The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of five, four, and three star commitments each program has in the class, respectively

Notre Dame the victors for five-star quarterback C.J. Carr

The Irish get a massive commitment

HAIL!

Notre Dame has landed a commitment from one of its biggest offensive targets in recent memory as five-star quarterback C.J. Carr has announced he’ll attend Notre Dame.

Carr is graded as a five-star talent and is Notre Dame’s highest ranked quarterback commitment in ten years. Carr will be part of the 2024 recruiting class as he’s entering his junior season at Saline high school in Michigan.

As has been mentioned a time or two, Carr is the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr who split a national championship with Nebraska in 1997 while leading the Wolverines.

As for C.J., he’ll impact Notre Dame not just as a player but as what he will likely bring to recruiting efforts, specifically offensively. Having a five-star talent already secured in the 2024 class will certainly help in the pursuit of skill players to join him and it certainly won’t hurt Notre Dame’s standing with targets in the 2023 cycle either.

Carr threw for 2,696 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just four interceptions as a high school sophomore and checks in at 6-3, 190 pounds.