The Official Notre Dame Football Thread

[xCH0Nx]

I just enjoy watching it. I like watching all the analysis of each kid, peoples reactions, and which schools are pulling in some good classes.

Ever since I started watching college football seriously like 5-6 years ago, NSD has been one of my favorite sporting events. Right up there with March Madness opening weekend and Notre Dame/Michigan.

I can understand why people would find it boring. But for me even if I dont skip class, I will probably just be on laptop watching it all anyway because I enjoy it.

Gotta agree. I do the same. Its like the NFL draft, who sits and watches every single pick rounds 1-7? I do.

 

[padman59]

Troy Niklas is Irish. Nice addition on signing day.

Only commit yet to sign is Jalen Brown, and he's apparently stuck in snow.

 

[Irish]

All signed and faxed in now. Nobody is left to get, class is done. I might do a player by player thing and where I think they will impact, or I will just copy and paste a rivals post about it.

Great first Kelly class. Easily a top 10 in the nation.

 

[Irish]

Austin Collinsworth to safety for next season.

 

[Irish]

I just ended up copying and pasting a rivals post. Still a good read.

QUARTERBACK
A- Candidates: Everett Golson

When Notre Dame lost out on football/baseball standout Bubba Starling, it appeared that the Irish would have to go to second-tier prospects to fill the quarterback position in the Class of 2011. Quarterback prospects such as Braxton Miller, Kiehl Frazier, Christian LeMay and Marquise Williams were long gone as well.

But then along came Everett Golson, the dynamic but undersized spread offense quarterback out of South Carolina. Committed to North Carolina, Golson re-evaluated his options as the Tar Heels experienced a rash of suspensions. Golson eventually fell Notre Dame's way the first week of December. Now he's one of five early enrollees.

Rated a three-star because of his 6-foot-0, 170-pound listing, Golson still possesses all the characteristics that Brian Kelly was looking for in a spread offense signalcaller. What he lacks in size compared to Starling, he offers in his throwing technique, accuracy, consistent release point and athletic ability.



RUNNING BACK

D Candidates: Cam McDaniel

The grade does not reflect Cam McDaniel per se. He brings some zip to the running back position should he end up there and not in a slot (Z) receiver position.

But with Armando Allen and Robert Hughes both walking out the door, the Irish were expected to land at least one big name player at the position. Justice Hayes was in the fold, but the Michigan native got cold feet and - some would say foolishly - jumped into the cauldron that was/is Michigan football.

The Irish hung in there with New Jersey standout Savon Huggins, but in reality, they were on the fringe of the competition looking in at Rutgers, which eventually won his services. Amir Carlisle seemed to be trending toward Notre Dame late, but he slipped away to USC.

By far the most disappointing area of the recruiting campaign, but such is the uphill battle that a team running a spread offense faces. The Irish may have to look at recruiting spread offense running backs whose expectations for touches aren't quite as great as those who come from a more conventional rushing attack.



RECEIVER

A- Candidates: George Atkinson III, Davaris Daniels, Matthias Farley, Cam McDaniel

When it appeared that Daniels might be an academic casualty last summer, it looked pretty shaky at wide receiver for the Irish, where Duval Kamara was in his final year of eligibility and Michael Floyd seemed destined to be walking out the door upon the completion of his junior season in 2010. Notre Dame never made significant inroads with the likes of DeAnthony Arnett and Kasen Williams, and Miles Shuler proved intent on staying in-state and eventually committed to Rutgers.

But within the month of September, the Irish landed both Daniels (Sept. 28) and Atkinson III (Sept. 12) - a pair of four-star wideouts. And then Notre Dame landed a "six-star" recruit in January when Floyd decided to return for his senior season.

Atkinson III, a running back in high school, has much to learn about the wideout position. But he's an exceptional athlete who toyed with his prep competition, and Daniels has the innate ability to weave his way through traffic. The Irish didn't land great numbers at this position, but they eventually got the quality for which they were looking.

Farley, listed throughout recruiting as an athlete, has a background at the wide receiver position. But most indications are that the Irish will use him in the secondary at safety. If McDaniel doesn't find his niche at running back, he has slot receiver skills as well.



TIGHT END

A Candidates: Ben Koyack, Troy Niklas

Not much mystery here. The four-star tight end out of Oil City, Pa., verbally committed to the Irish the last week of April. The loss of Kyle Rudolph to the draft a year early was thought to be a possibility heading into the 2010 season, and his early-season hamstring injury - which eventually led to surgery - may have pushed him out the door sooner than a healthy, productive junior season would have.

The Irish remain well-stocked at the tight end position with the emergence of Tyler Eifert, who still has three years of eligibility remaining, veteran Mike Ragone, Alex Welch, who preserved a year of eligibility as a freshman in '10, and junior-to-be Jake Golic.

The Irish needed just one tight end, with or without Rudolph returning, and they landed a four-star prospect out of the box as well as a versatile player in Niklas, who could end up on the defensive or offensive line.



OFFENSIVE LINE

B+ Candidates: Matthew Hegarty, Nick Martin, Conor Hanratty, Tony Springmann, Chase Hounshell, Brad Carrico, Troy Niklas

There will be other schools that land a higher-rated crop of offensive linemen, and as of right now, only three of the above-mentioned six are earmarked for the offensive line. But there is potential depth in this class along the offensive line with as many as six legitimate possibilities.

Hegarty is a legitimate four-star prospect, Martin is one of the most underrated three stars in the country with the mobility to play anywhere along the offensive line, and Hanratty is a powerful interior line presence.

The wildcards in the scenario are Springmann, Hounshell and Carrico. The first two would appear to be the more likely of the trio to become offensive linemen, although both are expected to get a first crack along the defensive line. Carrico gives the Irish size along the defensive line, which likely is his final destination. Niklas is a defensive lineman first, but with the competition just within this class alone, he could fill a spot on the edge of the offensive line or perhaps even tight end.


DEFENSIVE LINE

A Candidates: Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt, Brad Carrico, Tony Springmann, Chase Hounshel, Troy Niklas

So you want top-notch, difference-making defensive linemen? It's a rarity at Notre Dame. Players such as Renaldo Wynn, Anthony Weaver, Justin Tuck, Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws are few and far between.

Wait no more. In Lynch and Tuitt, the Irish landed four-/five-star prospects at defensive end that seem to have all the characteristics needed to be difference-makers coming off the edge. Lynch is a rocket out of a three-point stance, and Tuitt - who was tagged with a five-star designation - gives the Irish the bookends they've been seeking at the position.

Making this haul all the more gratifying is the depth the Irish got at the position. Carrico and Springmann joined the fold early in the process, and Hounshell is a rising three-star prospect with four-star characteristics. Springmann gives the Irish length on the edge while Carrico provides more size/bulk. Hounshell may have the most upside to join Lynch and Tuitt at defensive end long-term. Last but not least is Niklas, a long, rangy athlete who also could end up on the offensive side of the ball.



INSIDE LINEBACKER

C+ Candidates: Jarrett Grace

Like running back, the grade reflects more the lack of bodies than the abilities of Grace. Grace, an early commitment to the Irish, is the prototype Mike linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. He has size, offers a physical presence, and represents the future of the Mike position post-Carlo Calabrese/Anthony McDonald/Dan Fox. He'll likely be the inside linebacker tag-team partner of Kendall Moore down the road.

One other possibility is Joe Schmidt, whom the Irish have encouraged to walk-on at Notre Dame. Schmidt, though undersized, has Jack linebacker qualities. He's been warming up to the possibility of earning a scholarship at Notre Dame down the road and remains intrigued by the Irish defense.



OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

A Candidates: Ishaq Williams, Ben Councell, Anthony Rabasa

Williams joins Tuitt at the five-star level with the Irish, giving Notre Dame at least three edge players extraordinaire, along with Lynch.

No player rose as rapidly in the individual rankings than Councell, who impressed everybody in attendance at the Shrine Bowl for his aggressiveness, ranginess, and ability to adapt against a higher level of competition. And then there's Rabasa, who joins Nick Martin as one of the most underrated three-star prospects in the country. This kid can really get after the man with the football.

The arrival of a top-notch batch of outside linebackers comes at good time, too, as Brian Smith (who moved back inside during the 2010 season) and Kerry Neal walk out the door, and Darius Fleming begins preparation for his final season in a Notre Dame uniform. Steve Filer is done after this season too.

The future of the outside linebacker position belongs to Prince Shembo, Danny Spond, possibly Justin Utupo, and these three stud recruits who give the Irish a level of ability on the edge that is about as uncommon as the rare defensive end standouts at Notre Dame.



DEFENSIVE BACK

C Candidates: Eilar Hardy, Jalen Brown, Matthias Farley, Josh Atkinson

We're lumping the cornerbacks and safeties together in one category, mainly because of the versatility that Hardy brings to the secondary. If he plays cornerback, the Irish have a safety making a transition who is one of the most talented players in the class. If he plays safety, the cornerback grade is negatively impacted and the safety spot gets a significant bump.

This grade would have been in the B category had Bennett Okotcha not switched his Notre Dame commitment to Oklahoma. To say that Okotcha's late decision "doesn't matter" or that another player is better than Okotcha anyway is silly. It is what it is: Notre Dame lost a good one in Okotcha, and it's a late blow to the recruiting class, due in large part because it probably assures that Hardy will not start out at his most natural position of safety, although the Irish staff appears prepared to give Hardy a look at cornerback with or without Okotcha.

Farley is raw, Brown was not offered by most of the big boys, and Atkinson had mixed offers, some of which may have come about because of his dynamic brother. With Darrin Walls out the door, and Robert Blanton and Gary Gray preparing to take their games to the NFL after the 2011 season, this was a disappointing aspect of the recruiting campaign.

When people talk about Notre Dame's haul on the defensive side of the ball, the majority of the plaudits are for what the Irish landed among the front seven. The back four have much to prove.



KICKER

A Candidates: Kyle Brindza

Sixteen kickers are rated ahead of Brindza on the Rivals list. Only three are designated as three-star prospects and the rest are lumped in the two-star category.

Bottom line: The kid shows an incredibly live leg and there doesn't seem to be a lot of hook or slice in his kicks. He'll have a year to prepare for the job and appears to have all the skills to challenge Nick Tausch for the No. 1 spot in 2012.

 

[Irish]

I won't let this thread fall.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0KYurhZb1M[/ame]

Jimmy sure could throw a nice deep ball.

 

[Irish]

Nate Montana has transfered to Montana. He is a walk on.

Luke Massa is now a WR.

And just like that we are down to 4 QBs, Crist, Rees, Hendrix, Golson.

 

[FirstTimer]

Nate Montana has transfered to Montana. He is a walk on.

Luke Massa is now a WR.

And just like that we are down to 4 QBs, Crist, Rees, Hendrix, Golson.

Kind of surprised about the Massa move. Never struck me as atheltic enough to make the move to WR. But I would suppose the staff knows better than me. If anything I figured they'd bulk him up and move him to TE. Still wouldn't be surprise to see Massa transfer.

However this does mean I was right about the two QB's that were going to be the odd men out in the QB competition.

:smug:

Wasn't Montana under a scholarship? I know he came as a walk-on but I thought he earned a scholarship.

I think he had "preferred walk-on" status

 

[FirstTimer]

Good article on the move.

Keith Arnold always does a great job covering ND.

http://irish.nbcsports.com/2011/02/14/qb-depth-chart-thinning-as-massa-moved-to-wide-receiver/

 

[SuperKevin]

Poor Nate Montana.

 

[padman59]

Good article on the move.

Keith Arnold always does a great job covering ND.

http://irish.nbcsports.com/2011/02/14/qb-depth-chart-thinning-as-massa-moved-to-wide-receiver/

Keith Arnold and John Walters (is he still writing for fanhouse?) have been the great covering ND for the past couple of years.

 

[FirstTimer]

Wasn't Montana under a scholarship? I know he came as a walk-on but I thought he earned a scholarship.

I stand corrected. Montana was on scholarship according to this article today.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20110215/SPORTS13/110219771/1021/Sports

 

[Irish]

Yeah we have 84 on scholarship now. He might end up giving it to a walk on, but that is Kelly's choice.

The only issue with Massa at WR is his speed. I believe he runs a 4.7-4.8(more likely). Some at IE say he is a 4.6 but I HIGHLY doubt that.

Still probably has a better chance to get in the game as a WR with 4.8 speed than at QB, so we will see.

 

[Irish]

And we start back up again.

I am not big on early recruiting, I usually start paying attention in October. Right now it really holds no substance to me.

But either way......

Tee Shepard 6'1 175lb Cornerback gave a solid verbal to ND today.

He had 27 offers on the table and is from Fresno California. He also going to the US All American Bowl.

He sounds solid and it is great to get some ground going with the top prospects in the nation, especially at a huge need, but this is only the beginning of March. I am sure this will be a dogfight for a year now.

 

[FirstTimer]

Nice early get at a position of need.

 

[FirstTimer]

From Keith Arnold

Elite CB recruit Tee Shepard is commit No. 1 for Irish | Inside the Irish

With eleven months to go until next year’s signing day, the Irish notched their first verbal commitment for the 2012 recruiting class. And while it’s hard to get too excited about a verbal commitment that’s far from binding, the Irish reeled in Fresno cornerback Tee Shepard, one of the most coveted cover corners on the West Coast.

IrishSportsDaily.com got the quote of record from Shepard:

“I committed to Notre Dame,” Shepard told IrishSportsDaily.com. “I am happy to get it over with. I didn’t want to play with the other coaches. They have a job to do, and I didn’t want to lead them on. I just wanted to get it out of the way. I mean, I had 27 offers, but I always wanted Notre Dame. I am excited.”

And a runner-up quote from ESPN.com’s Greg Biggins:

“They knew I was going to Notre Dame but thought I would go through the process a little longer,” Shepard said. “For me, it came down to knowing what I wanted to do and just not wanting to waste anyone’s time. The second they offered me, I knew I would be going to Notre Dame so there was no need to drag this out.

“Notre Dame had everything I was looking for. I love the tradition, the new coaching staff and what the school is all about. It’s a privilege to say you attend Notre Dame and I know the program has been down for a few years but they’re turning the corner and I’m excited to be a part of making them the top program in the country once again.”

We learned during the last recruiting cycle that a verbal commitment travels a long and winding round to actually signing on the dotted line, but there’s plenty to get excited about for Irish fans looking at commitment No. 1 for Brian Kelly and the Irish. Here are a few:

COHORTS:
If you’re looking to judge Shepard on his offer list, get ready to be impressed. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Cal, Miami, UCLA, Washington and USC among the 27 Shepard claims.

PRIORITY:
Shepard was the first cornerback offered by the Irish back in May of 2010, and during the Team USA All-Star game where 2011 commits Matt Hegarty, Stephon Tuitt, George and Josh Atkinson, and Anthony Rabasa played, Shepard was already hinting that he’d be joining the Irish soon.

He’s another great recruiting get by tight ends coach Mike Denbrock in California, who reeled in the Atkinson brothers and Troy Niklas this year, and kept Justin Utupo and Cameron Roberson in the fold in 2010.

STAR RATING:
It’s too early to get star crazy as the major websites haven’t gone through their initial evaluations, but all signs point to Shepard being a Top 100 player in the country, and potentially a five-star recruit.

MESSAGE BOARD INTEL:
This comes courtesy of Fresno Mike, who frequents the ND Nation board, and has probably, actually, shockingly had a chance to see Shepard play with his own eyes, something not many recruitniks can actually say:

His DB coach, Tony Perry, says that he’ll be the best corner that he’s coached. That’s a tall order as this particular area of Fresno (primarily Edison High but now also Central) has sent DB’s coached by Perry to Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon, USC, UCLA, Cal, Georgia Tech, Arizona, Colorado and Fresno State among other schools over the past 10 years. That includes current Oregon starter Cliff Harris and Arizona starter Robert Golden. Harris has also indicated that Tee could be the best of the bunch. Oregon will be in the hunt also…especially since Harris is in Eugene and they do a great job recruiting this area.

Harris at Oregon. TJ McDonald…now a starting safety at USC. Robert Golden…now a starting corner at Arizona. Tevin McDonald…will start at UCLA this fall as a redshirt freshman. Courtney Viney…scholie to UCLA. Brandon Leslie…scholie to Georgia Tech…now going to Hawaii. Aaron Miller…scholie to Oklahoma. Johnny Sears…scholie to Michigan. Bernard Hicks and Robert Peele…scholies to Cal. Lorenzo Sims…scholie to Colorado. Clifton Smith…scholie to Fresno State and played in ’08 Pro Bowl. All of those kids played at Edison between the ’01 and ’09 seasons and the ’08 team had a starting defensive backfield of Harris, TJ McDonald, Golden and Leslie. Not a bad high school defensive secondary.
Translation: This guy could be good.

CONCLUSION:
It might have taken a little longer than most wanted for that first recruiting domino to fall, but Shepard is the type of recruit that’s worth waiting for. Now all the Notre Dame staff has to do is hold off the rest of the country.

 

[Irish]

After some video research the kid is easily a 4 star and might get a 5 from Rivals. I think Scout and ESPN will give him a 4.

All we have to do is win, and it looks like we will keep this guy.

 

[Irish]

Tom Zbikowski is having his second professional boxing match on March 12th.

Here is his first pro fight I think 4-5 years ago.
Tom Zbikowski vs. Robert Bell (extended)

 

[Irish]

Taylor Decker commits

Offensive tackle out of Ohio.

Seems to be another Kelly guy. 6'8 288. Probably a 3 star.

 

[FirstTimer]

Taylor Decker commits

Offensive tackle out of Ohio.

Seems to be another Kelly guy. 6'8 288. Probably a 3 star.

Holy shit that's one big dude.