Tag: tyson ford

Notre Dame lands massive defensive commitment in transfer portal

Notre Dame continues to load up through the portal!

[autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] hasn’t won as many games as Notre Dame football fans would like through his first two seasons but there is one place he has won big and repeatedly: the transfer portal.

After restocking the wide receiver group recently and landing a second quarterback from the ACC in as many years earlier in the week, Freeman and Notre Dame landed a big-time defensive commitment Wednesday.

Pass-rush specialist RJ Oben, previously of Duke, is now headed to Notre Dame.  He made the announcement on social media.

Oben is coming off a year where he was a major key on Duke’s solid defense.  He totaled five sacks, 17 tackles, six tackles for loss, and another six quarterback hurries this past season.

Oben will be key in replacing another transfer, Javantae Jean-Baptiste, who transferred from Ohio State before the 2023 season.

Oben stands 6-4, 260-pounds and figures to jump to the head of the depth chart at one defensive end position.  Inexperienced [autotag]Aidan Gobaira[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyson Ford[/autotag] also figure to play the position going forward.

As the defense loses some key pieces for 2024, adding Oben certainly lessens the blow to what was a very solid defensive line in 2023.

Five outcomes we’d love to see during the Blue & Gold game for Notre Dame

The culmination of the spring football season is upon us, the Blue and Gold game is set to be on our screens and for some of us, in the stands of Notre Dame Stadium. For the most part all the work these players have put in has been behind the …

The culmination of the spring football season is upon us, the Blue and Gold game is set to be on our screens and for some of us, in the stands of Notre Dame Stadium. For the most part all the work these players have put in has been behind the scenes, but now, they emerge from the shadows of Irish Athletic Complex and give us a sneak peak of what’s to come this fall. Here are five outcomes we’d love to see come out of the spring.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Where the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class ranked according to the experts

It was a solid “first” cycle for Freeman

It was once called Christmas in February, when there was not an early signing period in college football. When it first started, no one really knew what to expect, but after the first one in 2017, the precedence was set.

The majority of athletes would go on to sign in December, making the first Wednesday in February not nearly as exciting. That was exactly the case for Notre Dame, who entered the day with 21 commits and will finish the day with the same number.

Even though there wasn’t much excitement, there Irish still finished among the top class in the county and here is where they ranked according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Twitter reacts to reports Notre Dame naming Marcus Freeman as head coach

This will be a home run hire!!!

The Irish didn’t waste anytime finding Brian Kelly’s replacement, they actually didn’t have to go very far either. In a move that should not have surprised many, Notre Dame will name defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman as their next head coach. It’s an exciting moment so let’s take a look a the reactions from around Twitter.

Quick Notre Dame Football recruiting update

The Irish were active this past week on the recruiting trail

A commitment this week as 2023 Florida running back Sedrick Irvin Jr. made the pledge yesterday to the Irish. It now makes five total commits in the ‘23 class, one that is looking very impressive at this early state.

[listicle id=29791]

There wasn’t too much action on the 2022 side, as the Irish have 21 total commits, which ranks as the 2nd best class in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Find out below the most recent action in Irish recruiting.

 

Notre Dame Football quick recruiting update

Some interesting info for Irish fans

Although recruiting has slowed down a bit early in the season, that doesn’t mean things are still happening for the Irish. They’re still being active with current commitments, 2022 prospects and looking ahead to the 2023 class as well. Take a look below at some of the recent happenings regarding Notre Dame football recruiting.

[listicle id=17189]

Quick Notre Dame midweek recruiting roundup

Get up to date on Notre Dame football’s recruiting

It’s been a little quiet on the recruiting front for Notre Dame, but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t happening.

[listicle id=17189]

With the first home game on the horizon, there will be plenty of information about potential recruits that could end up in South Bend. Here’s a quick wrap up of how some commits are doing as well as some notes on uncommitted prospects.

[listicle id=33732]

Where Notre Dame commits landed on ESPN’s updated recruit rankings

There’s a lot of names on this list

The summer camp circuit is pretty much over and it has given plenty of new eyes on players. Recently, ESPN has updated their recruiting rankings for the top-300 players in the country. Find out below where the 2022 Notre Dame commits landed in their newest rankings update.

[listicle id=17189]

Notre Dame gives offer to defensive end recruit Nigel Smith

The Irish are after a young recruit to shore up their defensive line.

We’re now at the point where programs start making offers to recruits who have completed their freshman season. Notre Dame now is one of them. The Irish’s latest offer takes them to Melissa, Texas, where they are pursuing strong-side defensive end Nigel Smith:

Over the previous few minutes of making the Notre Dame offer public, Smith also announced he had received offers from North Texas and UTSA. While those programs obviously would keep him closer to home, neither Conference USA school has anything close to the history or reputation of Notre Dame. Of course, it will take more than that to convince Smith to come to South Bend.

Notre Dame already has a pair of strong-side defensive ends coming in for the 2022 season in Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira. They’ll also add a weak-side defensive end in Darren Agu. Here’s hoping they will be good mentors for Smith by the time he arrives if that’s indeed what happens.

[listicle id=28438]

Which 2022 Notre Dame football commits made ESPN’s top 300

How many of the current 11 do you think made it?

The majority of high school football seasons have already been played, a few stragglers still playing right now in the spring but that hasn’t stopped ESPN from updating their top 300 class of 2022 recruits.

[listicle id=17189]

The Irish currently have 11 commits, the class is ranked nationally inside the top 5 so there’s bound to be a few Notre Dame pledges in ESPN’s list. Find out below which one’s are considered among the best players in the country.