Official Notre Dame Football Thread

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  • FirstTimer
    Freeman Error

    • Feb 2009
    • 18729

    #31
    Irish pick up another recruit:
    Cathedral (Ind.) senior defensive back John Turner has committed to Notre Dame, according to ESPN Recruiting.

    Turner, who is 6 foot and 194 pounds, also had offers from Indiana, Minnesota and a number of MAC schools.

    According to ESPN Recruiting’s evaluation, “Overall, Turner has the range, ball skills and reliable pursuit habits you want in a free safety and could be falling under the BCS radar. Could be sharper in footwork and a bit more explosive but has a lot of physical development left and best football is ahead of him.”

    Turner is ranked No. 43 at his position by ESPN.

    Notre Dame has 11 Class of 2012 commitments. Turner is the Irish’s second in-state recruit.
    Defensive back was considered one of the main areas of target in the 2012 recruiting cycle for Notre Dame, and the Irish continue to stock the position.

    The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday that Indianapolis Cathedral safety John Turner verbally committed to Notre Dame.

    The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Turner, according to the Star, received his ND offer just three days before committing.

    "I went up to Notre Dame twice on visits, but they said they wanted to see me in person," Turner told the paper. "I went up to their camp (on Thursday) and did really well. I ran a 4.5 (40-yard dash) and shut people down in one-on-ones."

    Turner becomes the 11th player to verbally commit to Notre Dame's recruiting class of 2012, a group that does not become official until the Feb. 1 national signing day.

    Turner told the Star that Indiana and Northwestern were also in his top three.
    AdvertisementCaptain Harrison Smith will be a fifth-year senior for the Irish this fall while Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter, who are battling for the starting spot opposite Smith, will exhaust their eligibility with the 2012 season.

    Turner is the fifth defensive back to verbally commit to the class currently being assembled. Nicky Baratti is projected as a safety although it's not out of the question that he could land at quarterback, his high school position, and the Irish staff last month landed safety CJ Prosise.

    ND's biggest success story of the current cycle has been at cornerback, where Tee Shepard and Ronald Darby, both top 100 recruits, have offered verbal pledges.

    NCAA recruiting rules prohibit Irish coach Brian Kelly or members of his staff from publicly commenting on a recruit until national signing day.
    The third time was the charm for Indianapolis (Ind.) safety John Turner. After unofficially visiting Notre Dame twice without picking up a scholarship offer, Turner came back one more time to prove he had what it took this week for the Irish's summer camp. He ended up performing well enough to pick up an offer and shortly thereafter he came the programs' newest commitment.

    “I just loved the school and the tradition,” Turner told IrishIllustrated.com. “I’m a big tradition person. It just seemed like if I ever got the opportunity I would go there.”

    The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back also held offers from schools such as Minnesota, Indiana and Western Michigan. He came back to Notre Dame's campus to deliver the good news of his commitment to the coaching staff in person on Sunday. Turner is obviously pretty familiar with the Irish at this point and had no problems drawing a few comparisons between his current high school and his future college.

    “They’re both known for academics and the football team," he said. "Both have great football traditions and football teams. They’re always winning championships. Those are the main reasons why.”

    Cathedral High School wears similar uniforms to Notre Dame and are also called the Irish, so the adjustment to the next level won't be too tough for Turner. He snagged four interceptions and had 55 tackles last season as a junior.

    Turner gives Brian Kelly and staff 11 commitments in 2012, five of whom are defensive backs.
    Good story from Inside the Irish
    As the recruiting cycle gets earlier and earlier, the summer football camp has turned from an evaluation tool to a last chance for rising senior recruits. With Notre Dame already out to almost 100 prospects, you can’t help but pull for guys like Indianapolis safety John Turner, who came to Notre Dame’s summer camp with the intent of earning a scholarship offer.

    Turner did it. Wowing the coaching staff with his athleticism, Turner ran a 4.5 forty-yard dash, showing the speed needed to play in the secondary at the major college level.

    IrishIllustrated.com has the comment of record from Turner, who earned a Notre Dame offer to go along with mid-major options like Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Temple, Toledo, and Western Michigan, as well as Big Ten offers from Indiana and Minnesota. Recruiting Mike Elston broke the good news to Turner.

    “He was telling me they want me at Notre Dame,” Turned told IrishIllustrated.com. “They have an offer for me. I was like, ‘Really? Is this really happening? Is this for real?’ I was very excited.”

    According to IrishSportsDaily.com, Turner’s offer was largely contingent on his ability to show enough speed to succeed at the D-I level. When he clocked a forty time that was good enough for the Irish coaching staff, Notre Dame pulled the trigger on Turner.

    “I thought I really did well at camp and I ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, 4.18 in the shuttle, and I did really well in drills during one-on-ones,” Turner told ISD. “I just had a really good day.”

    Those that follow recruiting probably won’t be wowed with the Irish chasing a guy that had only two major college offers. But Turner looks every bit the part of a big-time safety, and the staff had as good of a look as you could ever ask for, with Turner forcing the hand of Brian Kelly and his staff by turning heads at camp.

    Turner hopes to make a decision in the next few weeks, and you’ve almost got to assume he’ll be joining the Irish recruiting class now that he’s worked his way to an offer.

    Comment

    • FirstTimer
      Freeman Error

      • Feb 2009
      • 18729

      #32
      FLoyd reaches plea:

      It appears the legal portion of Michael Floyd’s wayward journey back to the football field is complete. The senior wide receiver appeared in St. Joseph County Traffic and Misdemeanor Court and pleaded guilty to one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

      According to multiple reports, Floyd’s driver’s license will be suspended 90 days. He’ll also be required to use an ignition lock for six months, a device that tests for alcohol on the driver’s breath. He’ll also pay court costs, a fine of $200, and he’ll attend a Victim Impact Panel.

      “Michael wasn’t treated any differently than anybody else,” Floyd’s attorney, William Stanley said.

      There likely won’t be any report out of the Notre Dame football offices, as the legal proceedings were just one of the many factors that head coach Brian Kelly will look at when evaluating whether or not his leading wide receiver will be welcomed back to the football team. Kelly is already on the record as saying he’s optimistic Floyd will be there when the Irish face South Florida, and Stanley mentioned some of the things Floyd’s been doing to help his cause.

      “He went through his counseling at Notre Dame,” Stanley said, as reported by the South Bend Tribune. “He actually did over 30 hours of community service voluntarily with a youth group in Minnesota when he went home for the break, and I got a very nice letter from the director of the program. He talked to young kids about the importance of academics and lessons of life that he’s learned.

      “I will say this on Michael’s behalf, obviously what he did back in March was very poor judgment. It was a terrible mistake on his part, but never once did he try to give me an excuse for his actions or ever try to mitigate the seriousness of the offense. I was very impressed by that.”

      With the court case resolved and fall camp not in session until August, Floyd will go back to summer school and continue working out unofficially with his teammates, workouts that’ll likely help the one-time co-captain of the team in reestablishing his leadership role.

      If you had to wager on it, expect Brian Kelly’s next update on the school’s all-time touchdown catch leader when he addresses the media at the start of fall camp.

      Comment

      • FirstTimer
        Freeman Error

        • Feb 2009
        • 18729

        #33
        Mark May actually had positive things to say about Notre Dame.

        Me thinks his issues for the last few years haven't been with ND...but with Weis..

        Comment

        • padman59
          Slayer of Demons
          • Mar 2009
          • 5709

          #34
          Originally posted by FirstTimer
          Mark May actually had positive things to say about Notre Dame.

          Me thinks his issues for the last few years haven't been with ND...but with Weis..
          Maybe because his team waxed that Pitt ass in his first game as head coach. :smug2:

          Comment

          • FirstTimer
            Freeman Error

            • Feb 2009
            • 18729

            #35
            Maty Mauk to Mizzou

            Jarron Jones pulls back his verbal from Penn St after his visit to South Bend.

            Comment

            • Irish
              do you see my jesus chain
              • Oct 2008
              • 4416

              #36
              Okwara a 3 star OLB commits

              Comment

              • FirstTimer
                Freeman Error

                • Feb 2009
                • 18729

                #37
                Floyd officially reinstated to the team.

                Comment

                • Irish
                  do you see my jesus chain
                  • Oct 2008
                  • 4416

                  #38
                  4 star DT Sheldon Day commits

                  Comment

                  • padman59
                    Slayer of Demons
                    • Mar 2009
                    • 5709

                    #39
                    Roberson and Clelland are done for the year. I'm a little worried about the running back depth chart.

                    Comment

                    • Irish
                      do you see my jesus chain
                      • Oct 2008
                      • 4416

                      #40

                      Tuitt makes Irish debut from Irish Illustrated on Vimeo.



                      Excuse my boner.

                      Comment

                      • Irish
                        do you see my jesus chain
                        • Oct 2008
                        • 4416

                        #41
                        Practice Report
                        OFFENSE BY PETE SAMPSON
                        The South Bend region endured scorching temperatures and little precipitation throughout the second half of July, so perhaps a reprieve was in order for the first Notre Dame football practice of the 2011 pre-season. The first four periods Saturday were conducted in a heavy downpour of rain.

                        Footballs were slipping out of the hands of the Irish quarterbacks 20 minutes into Saturday's practice at the LaBar Practice Complex.

                        As usual, the offense started out in its tempo drill, moving the football down the field with its skeleton 11-man unit. Taking the first reps at quarterback was Dayne Crist, who was sporting a left knee brace but showing no ill effects from his Oct. 30 injury in Notre Dame Stadium. Tommy Rees also was with the first unit offense while Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson ran the backup units.

                        Also working with the No. 1 unit at left guard was fifth-year Andrew Nuss while junior Chris Watt - who many expected to come out with the No. 1 unit - took snaps with the No. 2 offense. The rest of the No. 1 unit consisted of Taylor Dever at right tackle, Trevor Robinson at right guard, Braxston Cave at center and Zack Martin at left tackle.

                        There were no other surprises with the first unit. Michael Floyd was back at his usual No. 1 spot at the W receiver position. The other receivers in the spread offense included TJ Jones (X), Theo Riddick (Z) and Tyler Eifert (Y). Veteran tight end Mike Ragone also worked with the No. 1 unit, lining up attached to the offensive line as opposed to the slot where Eifert usually functions. Ragone entered the lineup as the Irish reached the red zone.

                        The No. 2 offense consisted of Christian Lombard at right tackle, Brad Carrico at right guard, Mike Golic, Jr., at center, Watt at left guard and the massive Tate Nichols at left tackle. The receivers included John Goodman (X), Daniel Smith (W), Robby Toma (Z) and Jake Golic (Y). Tight end Alex Welch appeared a bit hobbled during the media's viewing time.

                        Everett Golson ran the offense inside the red zone.

                        The No. 3 offensive line had Nick Martin at right tackle, Conor Hanratty at right guard, Bruce Heggie at center, Matt Hegarty at left guard and walk-on Matt Tansey at left tackle. The receivers included freshmen DaVaris Daniels (X) and Matthias Farley (Z), Deion Walker (W) and freshman Ben Koyack (Y). The running back was freshman Cam McDaniel.

                        (Editor's note: Readers of this practice report should not read too much into the alignments, due in part to the fact that so many players were shuffling in and out while the downpour made it difficult to accurately chart each of the players on the field. See Irish Illustrated's report for further information on the players' physical condition.)

                        DEFENSE BY TIM PRISTER
                        Checked out the defense during Saturday's soaking wet practice in the LaBar Practice Complex as the Irish kicked off training camp in the standard jerseys and shorts. The thing that hits observers out of the gate is the sheer volume of players the Irish staff can mold this season. When Stephon Tuitt, Tony Springmann and Chase Hounshell take reps with the fourth defensive line, that's saying something. Not sure Notre Dame had a fourth group of defensive linemen last season.

                        The first team defense came out as expected, the only questionable spots being Sean Cwynar, Zeke Motta, and Carlo Calabrese. Those three guys ran with the starters. The second team offered no surprises of Aaron Lynch, Kona Schwenke and Louis Nix III on the line, Danny Spond, Steve Filer, Dan Fox and Kendall Moore at linebacker, Jamoris Slaughter, Danny McCarthy, Bennett Jackson and Lo Wood at defensive back.

                        The third and fourth teams had a lot of interplay between who was running with whom it appeared, for example it appeared Josh Atkinson worked with both units at one point. Other third teamers were Hafis Williams, Brandon Newman, David Posluszny, Ishaq Williams, Anthony McDonald, Tyler Stockton and Justin Utupo. Again, Notre Dame has a lot of bodies to work with on defense this season.

                        A couple freshman potential position changes in Troy Niklas working with the outside linebackers and Tony Springmann working at nose guard. Notre Dame lists both at defensive end. Niklas has a very, very long build and is nearly skinny at 250 pounds. It's premature to get into the red shirt debate because of 20 minutes of observation, but with Niklas it's a safe bet he's going to bulk up in a major way in the coming year and Notre Dame might get a bump from turning him over to Paul Longo for the next 12 months.

                        Spent plenty of time watching the freshmen during the opening periods of practice. As advertised, Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch are massive additions to the roster in multiple ways. To have those guys in reserve should make this position much improved this fall. Tuitt has a long way to go, similar to Lynch at the start of spring ball, but there's so much to mold for Mike Elston. Both look like they're returning for their junior years, not starting their freshman seasons.

                        Ben Councell jumped out in terms of his length. Listed at 6-foot-5, the outside linebacker is long and brings a different body type to the "dog" position than Prince Shembo or Danny Spond. However, that height doesn't capture his length, meaning he's almost got a basketball player's build with long arms, very rangy. That attribute strikes when he takes on the blocking sled because he distances it so far from his body.

                        Kept an eye out for Joe Schmidt as well. The walk-on inside linebacker looks like a walk-on linebacker in terms of his size. Shorter than what Notre Dame would target at that position and dwarfed by his friend Niklas. Similar build to a David Posluszny when he arrived in South Bend. Taking on uncovered guards in a 3-4 defense will be a challenge.

                        For a player coming off back and foot injuries in the past year, Sean Cwynar appeared to be moving well through drills. He doesn't have the girth of Nix, but he's plenty big at 285 pounds. It will be interesting to see if his lower body conditioning catches up to his upper body after having that be limited much of this year. Still, for a position many thought would be automatically Nix (including this reporter), it won't surprise if it's an even rotation.

                        Spotted commitment Scott Daly on the sidelines along with junior running back Ty Isaac out of Joliet Catholic. Isaac was offered by Notre Dame this spring along with Illinois, Arizona and Toledo.

                        For those harboring any lingering concerns about Manti Te'o following that Sun Bowl knee sprain and spring practice limitations, the star linebacker appears to be as good as ever in terms of conditioning.

                        Comment

                        • padman59
                          Slayer of Demons
                          • Mar 2009
                          • 5709

                          #42
                          For weighing in at 325, Louis Nix looks like he's in pretty good shape as well.

                          Comment

                          • FirstTimer
                            Freeman Error

                            • Feb 2009
                            • 18729

                            #43
                            Not sure what games I'll be going to this year. Looks like it will be between Air Force, USC, and Boston College.

                            My folks were trying to find a weekend that works for the entire family and Mich St was the only one that did but fuck that. I've seen more than enough MSU games and hate Mich St, their fans, and their band.

                            Comment

                            • padman59
                              Slayer of Demons
                              • Mar 2009
                              • 5709

                              #44
                              Crist is the starter at QB. Hopefully, Kelly adjusts the playcalling or Crist has absorbed the playbook so he can perform better this season, and I'd like to see him survive the season healthy.

                              Also of note:

                              -Dan Fox beat out Calabrese for the Will
                              -Watt won the open guard posisiton
                              -Jamoris Slaughter is the other starting safety

                              Comment

                              • Irish
                                do you see my jesus chain
                                • Oct 2008
                                • 4416

                                #45
                                Really interesting about Motta and Carlo losing out.

                                I have been a Motta fan since he signed and really hoped Jamoris would just be the nickel. Motta seemed to be progressing and I think he is the more physical well rounded safety compared to the limited time Jamoris has seen the field.

                                I was never really sold on Carlo but I do like the kid. I always kind of thought he made a lot of mistakes especially since he has an all american next to him getting most of the attention. I know they say Fox is a better coverage guy and Carlo is better against the run so I would assume these guys swap a lot during the season.

                                Also kind of convinced myself that I wanted Rees to be the starter even though I really want Crist to do well. I just feel more comfortable with Rees out there right now.

                                And my dad got tickets for the BC game so this will be my first trip to South Bend and I am so stoked.

                                Comment

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