Tag: tosh baker

Thoughts on Notre Dame’s depth chart ahead of Ohio State

Plenty of take aways from the seasons first depth chart

As in each year of college football, a new group of stars emerge from one season to another. This season will be no different and for Notre Dame, there are more then a few players who could make a significant leap in the eyes of college football fans everywhere. Here are a few observations on Marcus Freeman’s first regular season depth chart.

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Notre Dame to miss two big time contributors against Cincinnati

It would have been nice for these two to be suited up today

The Irish have been able to stay fairly healthy but this afternoon they announced they will be without two of their starters for their Top-10 matchup against Cincinnati. Each side of the ball will be missing a starter, as defensive tackle Kurt Hinish and offensive tackle Tosh Baker will both miss the very important contest.

It is unfortunate for the Irish, especially on the offense, as the offensive line continues to take hits and has not really had the chance to gel as a unit this fall. According to the most recent depth chart, Michael Carmody should be the fill in for Baker, as they were bracketed as starters. You have to expect that Carmody will be tested by the Bearcats.

Notre Dame vs. Purdue: Third Quarter Analysis

A back and forth quarter in South Bend

Geoffrey Clark has tapped out, so I’ll be taking us home on the quarter analysis. I’m going to do it a bit differently, just going to take you through my thought’s drive by dive. So here we go.

Adjustments out of the half are always a chess match and Purdue had a check on their first drive. The first play was a run, then every other single play on their scoring drive was a pass. Fortunately for the Irish, they held in the redzone, allowing a 34-yard field goal on the first drive. Purdue had the exact outcome on their first drive of the game as well, so even though the Irish gave up points, this is a win for the defense.

Jack Coan’s accuracy continues to be a concern for the Irish offense, as he leaves a pass too high for Michael Mayer who gets crushed. I will give him some credit however, as the next play Coan found Avery Davis in stride for a bomb, a 62-yard scoring strike.

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Unfortunately for the Irish, the 11-point lead was short lived, as Purdue marched right down the field and scored a touchdown of their own. It was helped by a Clarence Lewis pass interference on 3rd down inside the 10-yard lane. It looks like both teams have made good adjustments during the half.

Finally establishing the run with Kyren Williams, it’s nice to see the offensive line get a push. The run game opens up the offense and takes pressure off whoever is at quarterback. It ends up not mattering as Coan looks Kevin Austin’s way and he can’t come down with the catch. He’s having a rough day today. Not official numbers but I have him with 8 targets and no catches. Ouch.

The Boilers do give the Irish some life as their punt returner TJ Sheffield fields the punt around the 2 yard line and gets back to the 4. Bad idea on that one and a boost for the Irish. The bad field position does seem to bother the Boiler as they quickly get out from operating in their endzone. Back to back plays by Justin Ademilola, sack, and Kyle Hamilton, tackle for no gain, forces a 3-and-14 which goes incomplete and gets the Irish the ball back. Would have been nice to get a quick 3-and-out but this will do.

Penalties again, a very good Kyren Williams punt return is called back due to a Bo Bauer holding call. On first down another false start by Tosh Baker, his second one of the game, puts the Irish behind the chains again. They’re shooting themselves in the foot. It doesn’t matter much as Coan finds Braden Lenzy, but again the accuracy, Lenzy had to go down to catch the ball, no chance of gaining any yards after catch.

And that was it, on to the fourth quarter. Yet another tight game for the Irish, so hold on for another exciting finish.

Notre Dame spring game: Five questions that could be answered

Who steps up this afternoon?

The final taste of football is upon us, this weekend is the culmination of Notre Dame’s spring practice ending with the Blue and Gold game.

Heading into the season, there will be plenty of question surrounding the program, the biggest is undoubtably the quarterback position. Find out five question that could be answered during Saturday’s controlled scrimmage.

Does a certain stat validate Notre Dame’s status as O-Line U?

A stat brought to light by Pro Football Focus shows why Notre Dame should be at the top of the O-Line U rankings.

Plenty of schools argue back and forth which team has sent the best talent from their universities off to the NFL. There was an interesting stat that Pro Football Focus brought to light recently that should give Notre Dame fans plenty of ammo to fight off those other schools as to who produces the best offensive line talent into the NFL.

The number of snaps played is a great indicator of talent, especially along the O-Line where there aren’t many stats to back-up performance. Multiple former Notre Dame linemen stars including Quenton Nelson, Sam Mustipher, Mike McGlinchey and Zach Martin are huge forces for their NFL teams.

Not only that, we should see each of the four NFL Draft eligible (Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks) ultimately hear their names being called in late April.

Jarrett Patterson will also hear his name getting called when he leaves South Bend and surely some of the younger players like Tosh Baker, Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler and Zeke Correll should make it to the next level as well.

It’s safe to say that for the time being, Notre Dame holds the mantle of O-Line U.

Which Irish true freshman could benefit most from NIL?

Which Notre Dame incoming freshman could be in line for a payday when they can profit from their name, image and likeness?

When the NCAA made the decision that collegiate athletes would soon be able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL), it opened up a whole new world for football stars who have yet to make it to the highest level. Rivals took a guess at which incoming freshman would benefit the most from this and their choice of an Irish player might surprise you.

Mike Farrell, Rivals recruiting director, placed wide receiver Jordan Johnson one of the freshmen who could benefit the most from the NIL ruling. Johnson placed 8th on Farrell’s list, claiming that “the quarterback gets all the attention usually, but a five-star Midwest receiver having a huge career at Notre Dame could me him very valuable.”

Rivals ranked Johnson as the best prospect in the 2020 Irish recruiting class, in front of tight end Michael Mayer, offensive lineman Tosh Baker and speedy running back Chris Tyree. Farrell is right with his assessment that it’s usually a quarterback that gets all the hype, but skill position players can get plenty of love as well. I would expect Tyree to be a wanted man for his services as well and could possible rival what Farrell thinks Johnson could bring to the table.

No one really knows what could be in store for athletes when this ruling finally passes. August 30th is the next big date, as each NCAA division is expected to have a draft of what their NIL proposals will be. What we do know is this will usher in a new era for college football, and potentially keeping star players on campus for longer than expected.

Watch: Notre Dame Signee Surfs to Celebrate High School Graduation

Aidan Keannaina will begin a nice career with Notre Dame in the fall. At least it should be.

Aidan Keannaina will begin a nice career with Notre Dame in the fall. At least it should be. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle is one the highest ranked recruits in Colorado. In January, he played in the Polynesian Bowl with fellow Irish commits Tosh Baker, Kevin Bauman, Michael Carmody and Chris Tyree.

Before hitting the gridiron in South Bend, however, Keanaaina had to graduate from high school. Like every other student taking the next step in life this year, he needed to mark the occasion in his own fashion. Though Colorado is known for its mountains, Keannaina has Hawaiian blood, so there only was one way he could celebrate. That was by wakeboarding in full cap and gown and taking his graduation garb off while doing it.

If anyone had doubts about Keanaaina’s athleticism, this should dispel it all. The kid is quite coordinated, and that will make life easier for Mike Elston and the defensive line he coaches. It’s doubtful the Irish will be staging a team surfing competition anytime soon, but they’ve got a clear favorite if it happens after all.

Which Notre Dame True Freshman Steps Up and Contributes Immediately?

Which offensive true freshman will step up for Notre Dame and play a big part in the 2020 season?

Every year you expect a freshman to arrive onto campus, make an impact right away and contribute to the team. Last year it was safety Kyle Hamilton, exploding onto the national scene, becoming a Freshman All-American, and setting himself up for a huge second season in South Bend.

Yesterday, not only did Brian Kelly speak on raising money for COVID-19 during “The Fight,” but he also had a chance to speak about the upcoming season. Kelly was pretty positive that “a true freshman will emerge and play significant time on both sides of the ball.”

This past year’s recruiting class for Notre Dame had a total of 17 players, which was good for 17th overall in a nation according to the 247Sports composite. There were plenty of good players which signed with the Irish and Brian Kelly will have to figure out which ones can see the field early. Today, we will look at some of the offensive freshman that could make an impact.

Tight End Michael Mayer

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Mayer is the lone five-star prospect in the class, but even if he wasn’t there would be an opportunity for the Kentucky native to see playing time early. Gone is Cole Kmet, drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bears, and in comes the 6’4” and 232-pound Mayer as his potential replacement. Mayer will have to battle upper-classmen Brock Wright, George Takacs and Tommy Tremble for playing time, but he should be able to crack the rotation due to his impressive skill set.

Running Back Chris Tyree

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The speedster out of Virginia fills an immediate need, gamebreaker in the backfield. With Tony Jones Jr. using up all his eligibility, the opportunity for Tyree to make an impact early is there. Tyree’s size at 5’10” and 180-pounds won’t allow him to be a 20 carry a game back, but 10-15 touches a game for the freshman seems very logical. Like Mayer, the depth chart is in Tyree’s favor, with Jones Jr. leaving no other back on the team registered more than 48 carries, so playing time is there. I expect to see Jahmir Smith as the starter, but Tyree should be a good change of pace back and see plenty of time on the field as a true freshman.

Offensive Lineman Tosh Baker and Michael Carmody

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The offensive line isn’t a need for an instant impact freshman, every starter returns from last years squad, but the need is looking towards the future. Six seniors will graduate from the offensive line next year, although three of them could return for a 5th year, the need is still there for the future of the program. Getting Baker (6’7” and 271-pounds) and Carmody (6’5” and 283-pounds) ample playing time would be ideal, especially considering the Irish will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in 2021. Having an offensive line that can give a first year starting QB plenty of time would make the transition much easier.

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These are just a few of the talented offensive freshman that could make an impact early in their Notre Dame careers. Tomorrow we will take a look at which freshman defensive stars could emerge for the Irish during the 2020 season.

Notre Dame Football: How to Watch Four Future Fighting Irish on Saturday

Although not loaded with future Fighting Irish football stars you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of four signees who will begin their Notre Dame careers in 2020.

Saturday brings us the start of the NFL’s postseason as Wild Card weekend gets underway but before the ball goes in the air in those games some of college football’s next stars will participate in the annual All-American Game in San Antonio.

It’s one of multiple all-star games for high school football’s biggest stars to participate in before they join the college ranks.  We’ll fill you in on the All-American Game first before looking at other all-star contests

This year’s game, the first that I can remember not being sponsored by the US Army, can be seen on NBC this Saturday afternoon.

Although not loaded with future Fighting Irish football stars you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of four signees who will begin their Notre Dame careers in 2020.

Representing the East will be wide receiver Jordan Johnson of St. Louis, tight end Michael Mayer of Kentucky and offensive tackle Michael Carmody of Pennsylvania.

Offensive tackle Tosh Baker of Phoenix is Notre Dame’s only representative on the West.