Tag: Reese’s Senior Bowl

Notre Dame defensive back is Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week

It’s pretty clear which play made him stand out.

As of this writing, Notre Dame defensive back [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] is not on the list of accepted invites to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] is there, but there at least is hope now that Watts will join him in that game.

The Senior Bowl has named Watts its Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Irish’s win over USC. He culminated a terrific regular season for him by recording nine tackles, breaking up one pass, registering one quarterback hit and picking off a pass that returned for a program record-tying 100 yards to score.

Watts leads the Irish with nine passes defended and five interceptions this season. The pick against the Trojans put him in the lead for interception return yards with 136.

Watts became the sixth Irish defensive player to score a touchdown this season and the fifth to do so via interception. The fourth player was [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag], who did it on the possession before Watts’ score:

The Irish will need Watts if they want to make a run during the College Football Playoff. It seems like only a matter of time before he makes a big play during that, too.

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Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard accepts invite to prestigious postseason game

Leonard’s college career won’t end with the Irish

When Notre Dame football quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] takes his final snap for the Irish later this season, it will not be his last as a collegiate player.

The senior accepted an invitation to the [autotag]Reese’s Senior Bowl[/autotag] on Thursday, giving him an opportunity to to impress NFL teams in attendance for the whole week of practice leading up to the game.

We saw a similar instance last season. Sam Hartman was also invited to the game. While he went undrafted, he signed a contract with the Washington Commanders. Leonard might not end up taking that same path. It appears he should get drafted by team.

The invite will be a great opportunity for Leonard to improve his draft stock in Mobile, Alabama, and show teams he can handle the intricacies of an NFL offense.

Nov. 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) leaves the field following a 52-3 victory over the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Riley Leonard earns two national awards for his play vs. Louisville

Congrats Riley!

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] played a huge role in the 31-24 victory over the Louisville Cardinals this past weekend.

The transfer threw for 163-yards with two touchdowns, while rushing 13 times for 52-yards and another score. Leonard was excellent with his ball security as well, as he was turnover free for the contest.

That exceptional play earned him two national weekly awards, one from the [autotag]Reese’s Senior Bowl[/autotag], as he was named its Offensive Player of the Week. You can most likely expect to see him competing in Mobile, Alabama when Notre Dame’s season concludes.

Leonard was also recognized by the Davey O’Brien Award as one of its Great 8 performers during Week 5. On Tuesday, we will find out if he took home their weekly award, as one of the eight players chosen will get the title. This award is giving out annually to the top quarterback in the country, and Leonard was named to their watchlist at the beginning of the season.

Congrats Riley on the well deserved honors!

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Three Buckeyes to play in 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday

Some Ohio State players will be taking part in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. #GoBucks

With the college football season in the rearview mirror and just the Super Bowl left to play in the NFL, draft season is quickly approaching for many football fans.

For many of the top players in college football, this last season is was the last opportunity to put game film out there to get drafted this April. There’s one more opportunity to make a splash with the arrival of the Senior Bowl this week.

Senior Bowl practices will take place Tuesday through Thursday with the game being played on Saturday at noon EST.  It is an excellent opportunity for players to show NFL executives, coaches, and scouts what they can do and build up their draft stock.

This year three Ohio State players will among those playing in the Senior Bowl with safety Josh Proctor, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, and defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. all accepting invites.

We wish the best of luck to all three players as a good week of practices, the game, and interviews with teams, could go a long way toward boosting their NFL Draft profile.

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Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman has one more game left in college career

College isn’t quite over for Hartman just yet

While Notre Dame quarterback [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] opted out of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, he was on the sidelines rooting on his Irish teammates.

It seemed like we had seen the last of Hartman at this level, but on Thursday morning we found out he will play one more game as an amateur, the [autotag]Reese’s Senior Bowl[/autotag].

For one last time, we will see Hartman in an Irish helmet. Even though his time in South Bend wasn’t as great as many expected, he still performed well. He will have one more chance to impress NFL scouts ahead of the draft.

We wish Sam the best in his final collegiate competition.

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Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman unsurprisingly gains national honor

No surprises here, Hartman was dominant

Although many of us had an idea of what [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] transfer [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] would bring to the table, we still needed to see it against an opponent.

The graduate transfer carved up the Navy defense, throwing for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead the Irish to 42 points. That performance earned Hartman the distinction of the [autotag]Reese’s Senior Bowl[/autotag] offensive player of the week.

This might just be the beginning of awards for Hartman, as he finally has a defense that can back up his impressive offensive play. Oh, and lest we forget he’s now playing on a national stage for the Irish.

The Irish will get back to the field this weekend at home against Tennessee State, in a game they will be heavy favorites once again. Expect Hartman to put up similar numbers like he did against Navy this coming Saturday.

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Watch: Daelin Hayes Sacks Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman in Senior Bowl

COVID-19 may have robbed us of Notre Dame’s game vs. Wake Forest this past season, but the Senior Bowl somewhat made up for it.

COVID-19 may have robbed us of Notre Dame’s game vs. Wake Forest this past season, but the Senior Bowl somewhat made up for it. Late in the second quarter of this year’s contest, Daelin Hayes was on the field at the same time as Demon Deacons quarterback Jamie Newman. We’ll never know exactly what would have happened had that matchup not been called off, but it’s possible it would have looked something like this:

Hayes had three sacks for 19 yards lost during the 2020 season. That he added one more with NFL scouts watching surely did wonders for his draft prospects. It’s more of an impact than several of these players get to make in this game. Here’s hoping somebody noticed him and thus wants him on their team.

Irish have 6 players on Senior Bowl Top 250

There could be up to six Notre Dame Football seniors who could play in this years version of the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl has been a great sendoff for collegiate seniors since 1950, giving them once more opportunity to impress the NFL scouts as the finish off their eligibility. This year six Notre Dame players made their top 250 list, which were: offensive linemen Tommy Kramer, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey, quarterback Ian Book, and defensive linemen Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji.

This game has been a spring board for some great prospects, as their alumni consists of Cowboys quarterback Dan Prescott and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The Irish have had one MVP of the Senior Bowl, coming all the way back in 1959 when running back Norm Odyniec shared the title with Georgia full back Theron Sapp.

All six of the Notre Dame players on their top 250 list have a great shot at making the All-Star game. Last year Chase Claypool impressed many while Troy Pride Jr., Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott each made their marks during the week. Hopefully they all get their chance to shine one more time wearing the Blue and Gold.