Tag: Thomas Harper

Another Notre Dame player opts out of Sun Bowl

Make that 20…

It wasn’t public knowledge but earlier this month Notre Dame defensive back Thomas Harper told the Fighting Irish coaching staff that he won’t play in the Sun Bowl versus Oregon State.

Tuesday’s practice was open to the public as the Irish get ready for the Sun Bowl on December 29.  Harper wasn’t there and when the media asked about his absence, Notre Dame officials confirmed his decision to opt out.

Harper is the seventh player opting out, instead focusing on the NFL draft.  He’s the 20th overall player that won’t be on the game roster for the Sun Bowl as 13 more have exited the program via the transfer portal.

Harper’s final numbers in one season at Notre Dame were as follows:

39 tackles
6 tackles for loss
2 sacks
1 forced fumble
3 passes defended

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Hopefully, these players can end the regular season on a high note.

Notre Dame has one game left in the regular season against Stanford. Good luck finding a way to watch it on the Pac-12 Network, but that’s a topic for another day. Right now, let’s focus on who is most likely to help the Irish beat the Cardinal.

Statistically, here’s who is likely to factor in whether the Irish can get revenge for last year’s defeat in South Bend:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 10 games

Here’s who to look for against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has two games left to improve the quality of the bowl it will play in. That might not mean much given that the New Year’s Six bowls are out of play, but it still is something to shoot for. The first of these contests comes against Wake Forest.

Here are the players statistically leading the Irish going into their home finale, one of which knows the Demon Deacons very well:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through nine games

Here’s who to watch for in the next game.

Notre Dame is riding high after winning its past couple of games. Now, it will visit a Clemson team that looks nothing like it did the past few years. The Irish have to feel pretty good about their chances. Wouldn’t you?

Here are the statistical leaders for the Irish heading into November:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through eight games

In case you forgot after the week off.

Notre Dame has had an extra week to enjoy the blow it dealt to USC’s season. Now, it’s back to business with Pittsburgh coming to South Bend. With the gauntlet portion of the schedule behind the Irish, this hopefully will be the easiest game they’ve had to look forward to in a month.

For those who need refreshing after the week off, here are the Irish’s major statistical leaders:

Notre Dame: Why Thomas Harper didn’t play against Louisville

Safety Thomas Harper was unavailable Saturday night for Notre Dame at Louisville. We now know why.

Notre Dame wasn’t one player away from beating Louisville on Saturday night as the Cardinals shredded the Irish, 33-20.  However, one key player Notre Dame went without was defensive back Thomas Harper.

Harper was officially ruled out of the contest about an hour before kickoff.  Marcus Freeman shared why Harper was out after the disappointing loss.

“He’s in concussion protocol,” Freeman said after the game “He wasn’t ready to return to play.

“Obviously, you do not want to lose a great player like Thomas Harper, but (we) expect him to be back next week.”

-Marcus Freeman

Harper had five tackles in each of Notre Dame’s previous two games prior to the Louisville contest.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through five games

Who can get the Irish back on track after their heartbreaking loss?

Notre Dame doesn’t have time to think about what could have been against Ohio State. Its focus now must shift to a resurgent Duke team. Wins continue to be necessary because you never know what can happen over the next two months. The College Football Playoff might still remain in play.

Here are the Irish’s statistical leaders to watch for against the Blue Devils:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through four games

Here are the players most equipped to take down the Buckeyes.

Notre Dame got through its four games unscathed, and now it’s time for the really big test. Ohio State is coming to South Bend, and this could more or less decide the Irish’s fate for 2023.

It will be tough, but they’ve shown they have the personnel to meet the challenge.

Here are the statistical leaders to watch out for in the upcoming contest:

Notre Dame offers transfer defensive back a scholarship

The Irish are looking for some depth

It might not seem like [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is concerned with his secondary this fall, but an offer to a transfer suggests that might not be the case.

With [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Hart[/autotag] holding down the starting spots and transfer [autotag]Thomas Harper[/autotag] most likely taking care of the nickel, it seems like the Irish would be set.

An offer to Rhode Island transfer cornerback Antonio Carter might tell a bit more of what Freeman thinks about the group. The three starters will be fine, but the depth might not be up to the head coach’s standard at the moment.

Carter has made a few visits already since entering the portal and the Irish are a bit late to the party. We will see if the timing of the offer matters for Notre Dame and the transfer corner.

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Notre Dame Football: Transfer portal tracker for 2022-23

Who do you most want to see Notre Dame bring in via the portal?

Whether you like it or not, the transfer portal has taken college athletics by storm and changed the landscape of college sports forever. Notre Dame has experienced this in recent years. It has had players exit and players arrive via the portal.

So who is leaving Notre Dame via the portal in 2022-23? We’re keeping you up to date on who enters the portal, where they end up and who Notre Dame lands via the portal this offseason.

Here are all the Notre Dame players to enter the portal since the start of the 2022 season. Those who transfer into Notre Dame will be tracked as well.