Social media reacts to Jordan Faison 45-yard touchdown reception

Yes, it’s Faison.

Notre Dame has focused on the run game for most of its game against Stanford. [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] has been the beneficiary of that, scoring three touchdowns thus far. But the pass game has had its moments, too. We saw the latest example of that when [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] found [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] for a 45-yard touchdown, increasing the Irish’s big lead over the Cardinal:

And if that wasn’t enough, the Pac-12 Network went to commercial after this touchdown with a shot a Faison in his lacrosse gear:

This was Faison’s third touchdown this season and his second in as many games. It’s a testament to how there are so many great athletes on this Irish team. A national championship might not be in the cards this year, but it’s such a treat to watch these young men do what they do so well. If you don’t believe that, why don’t you see some of these reactions from social media?

Social media reacts to Gi’Bran Payne fumble-turned-touchdown

Yes, this was a score.

Notre Dame needed to show before halftime that it had no intention of letting Stanford do whatever it wanted. It looked for a moment that the Irish would fall short in that mission as [autotag]Gi’Bran Payne[/autotag] appeared to lose a fumble at the goal line after a 3-yard run.

As the Cardinal celebrated their apparent fourth turnover of the first half, replays showed that Payne might have broken the plane before he lost the ball. The officials reviewed it, and it turned out Payne did indeed score before losing the ball:

It might not have been the cleanest touchdown of the season, but it gave the Irish a 28-16 halftime lead. That will make it more challenging for the Cardinal to pull off the upset despite them showing that they won’t go away without a fight. That’s good news for Irish fans, including those who took to social media afterwards to celebrate the final touchdown of the half:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame relegation to Pac-12 Network

How do you plan on watching this game?

No, there won’t be a lot at stake when Notre Dame visits Stanford to wrap up the 2023 season. But that doesn’t make the decision to relegate this contest to the fringe and dying Pac-12 Network any easier to fathom. Such is the case when you’ve lost a couple of games you should have won.

Taking away the humiliation of being stuck on a network hardly anyone living anywhere near Notre Dame is likely to watch, those same people most likely don’t even get the station. That means Irish fans are going to have go out of their way to figure out how to watch the regular-season finale. Whether that means shelling out extra money or having to bum off someone else, it’s not great to be put in this situation.

Social media was very opinionated about this turn of events. Here are some of the best tweets that were sent out about it:

Social media reacts to Sam Hartman’s long touchdown run

That’s our QB.

Sam Hartman has had quite the mixed day against Clemson. In the first half, he threw an interception that Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned for a touchdown. He’s trying his best to make sure the second half goes a lot better. So far, he’s done that, and there’s no greater evidence than taking advantage of solid blocking and finding daylight to run for a 26-yard touchdown:

Hartman cut Notre Dame’s deficit to 31-23 with that run. Naturally, he can’t do it by himself, but he’ll do whatever it takes to right whatever wrong he had earlier. You don’t play six years of college football and not figure that out.

Unlike the last Irish scoring drive, the defense was able to hold firm on the next possession. Yes, the Tigers successfully faked going for it on fourth down and pinned the Irish deep on a punt, but at least they didn’t score. That’s a win, right?

Here’s how social media reacted to Hartman’s scoring run:

Notre Dame football is trending to add 4-star 2025 safety

This would be a huge recruiting win for the Irish

[autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] had quite the environment for recruits over the weekend and it looks like they are becoming a favorite to land a very good safety.

Florida’s [autotag]Ivan Taylor[/autotag] was among a large contingent of prospects to visit South Bend and the 6-foot, 175-pound 2025 safety left extremely impressed. It was enough for Notre Dame insider [autotag]Tom Loy[/autotag] to log a 247Sports Crystal Ball projection for him to land with the Irish.

Taylor is an extremely highly regarded prospect, ranking as the No. 7 safety and 71st overall player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. It’s the only crystal ball pick that is currently logged.

The Irish have five current commitments in the 2025 cycle, none of them at Taylor’s position.

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Recruiting expert ‘crystal balls’ 8 prospects to Notre Dame

Who will be the next to commit to Notre Dame?

There is no such thing as the off-season when it comes to college football.  Although games won’t be played until late August, plenty is still occurring.  The second signing period for the 2023 recruiting cycle opens in just a couple of weeks, the transfer portal seemingly never lets things sleep, and coaching changes can happen at any time.

Furthermore, recruiting for the 2024 class is all systems go.  Notre Dame started this past weekend by blitzing the locals in Indiana and Chicagoland before hosting a huge recruiting weekend on campus.  Now predictions for who the next Fighting Irish commitments might be are rolling in.

Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated and 247Sports is as respected of recruiting reporter/analyst as there is in Notre Dame football.  He made nine crystal ball predictions for 2024 recruits on Monday (Jan. 16, 2023), eight of which he pegged to Notre Dame.  Here is a little info on those eight Irish targets.

Report: UCLA signee QB Dante Moore says Notre Dame ‘was the school I was leaning toward’

The Irish were in it but Moore elected elsewhere

The courtship between [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] and Michigan quarterback [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] was well documented. At one point it looked as if Moore would end up in South Bend. Then the situation changed for both parties.

Moore committed to [autotag]Oregon[/autotag] before flipping very late in the process to [autotag]UCLA[/autotag], with which he signed. [autotag]Tom Loy[/autotag] of Irish Illustrated caught up with Moore and in an in-depth interview (insider) about his recruitment with the Irish, he went into detail how it all played out.

Moore claimed Notre Dame “was probably my No. 1 school really throughout the majority of the process.” A trip to Eugene changed his thinking and generated a commitment shortly after that.

He went on to tell Loy he was never a silent commit, but he was very open with the Irish staff about his status as a recruit.

Another part of the interview that stood out was Moore’s conversations with other recruits about Notre Dame. [autotag]Kenny Minchey[/autotag] (who signed with the Irish) went to him, as did [autotag]Avery Johnson[/autotag], Moore said nothing but good things about the Irish to both.

Moore was very complimentary toward offensive coordinator [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag], calling him a genius and saying he always enjoyed breaking down film with him. The interview was a great perspective on how Moore navigated the process, and he seems like a very fine young man.

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Twitter reacts to Braden Lenzy’s incredible touchdown catch

Did you see this?!

Just when [autotag]Braden Lenzy[/autotag] seemed forgotten this season, he emerged as a key figure in the first quarter of Notre Dame’s game against Navy. Through two offensive possessions for the Irish, Lenzy was leading all receivers with four catches for 67 yards. One reception came on the first drive for 21 yards. Another was made possible by a 38-yard pass from [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag], and it was, well, just look at it:

This catch that you only see a few times a season at most throughout college football gave the Irish a 14-0 lead. Even a few of the sailors in attendance had to look at each other in disbelief. You know you’ve done something special when the opposing fans have no choice but to give you credit for what they just saw. Twitter couldn’t believe what had happened either, and you’ll see it from these folks, many of whom undoubtedly still haven’t picked their jaws off the floor:

Notre Dame trending to flip current Texas Tech wide receiver commit

Could a flip be coming soon?

It is undoubtably a huge game for the Irish, not just one the field but off it as well. This game is one of the biggest during this weekends slate of games, with two teams that are perennially involved in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Even though Notre Dame has struggled during year one of the Marcus Freeman era, they have still rattled off more than a few solid wins, which include Syracuse, North Carolina and BYU. Another opportunity is in front of them to win against another ranked opponent, but the chance for them to win on the recruiting trail is gaining steam as well.

Current 2023 Texas Tech commit, wide receiver Kaleb Smith, will visit South Bend this weekend and two of 247Sports recruiting analysts (Steve Wiltfong and Tom Loy) have logged crystal balls for Smith to flip to the Irish.

Smith has been committed to Tech since February, but the Irish have come on hard recently. It is unknown if Smith will make an announcement for Notre Dame, but like the saying goes, if there’s smoke, there’s a fire. In this case the fire is a good thing.

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Report: Notre Dame still perceived leader for 5-Star QB Moore

More good news on the Moore front

The rollercoaster recruitment of Michigan star quarterback [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] has been exactly that for Irish fans. One moment, it seems like Moore is headed a few hours south and will suit up in the Blue and Gold. Then he schedules a trip to Texas A&M throwing another wrench into the situation.

The one constant however, has been the idea that Notre Dame is still leading in his pursuit and a report from 247Sports Tom Loy (subscription required) seems to confirm that belief. Loy is still under the impression that the Irish are “still the perceived leader” in Moore recruitment. His sources across the nation give him this impression although Loy does go on to say that “anything is possible and can change quickly in recruiting.”

The report also touches on when a commitment could happen for Moore, that timeline is very murky. The quarterback is considering multiple high level programs and isn’t concerned much about “building” a recruiting class.

Only time will tell how this turns out for the Irish and the other programs that Moore is considering at the moment. What we do know is that [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] has put Notre Dame in a position to land one of the best prospects in the country.

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