i recently listened to a podcast episode from cracked or nerdist or whatever about burning man. i knew the general nature of it, but dear lord place sounds nuts. sounds great
I actually watched the Pens/Caps game last night on a DC Comcast affiliate and Rust/ND was mentioned a couple of times by the local DC commentators. Don't remember them really discussing anyone else's school. The one time they focused on him post-whistle he was getting pushed around by Wilson or Winnik and trying to skate away. Not the best moment for a close-up.
#Cowboys team orthopedic surgeon Dr Dan Cooper did @thejaylonsmith surgery. Source: "Do we know something that others do not? Absolutely."
Jerruh said he expects Jaylon to play in the playoffs this year, which just seems stupid. Invest in his future and hold him out till next year
I want to go, but more as an excuse to go down to Austin. I also have the option of going to LSU/Wisconsin at Lambeau 100% free that weekend.
Intel Spoiler ISD Intel (5/6) After signing seven defensive backs last cycle, Notre Dame is again making the secondary a priority in the Class of 2017 and the Irish are seeing several targets make them a priority in their recruiting process as well. Earlier this week, Irish Sports Daily had three defensive backs confirm their plans to visit South Bend over the next few months while another told us Notre Dame is one of the schools at the very top of his list. BACK TO THE BEACH:Notre Dame has landed defensive standouts from Palm Beach Gardens High School in each of the last two classes with linebacker Te’von Coney followed by safety Devin Studstill, both of whom enrolled early and both of whom could see major roles on the field this fall. Next in line could be 2017 defensive backAmari Carter. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has been high on the Irish since Notre Dame started hitting the Florida program in recent years and Irish defensive backs coach Todd Lyght was at the school earlier this week. “I didn't get a chance to speak with him, but I know he was evaluating me during practice,” Carter told ISD. “I was told he enjoyed watching me practice and he knows I'd be an excellent fit for the Notre Dame program.” Carter will get a chance to see that for himself next month as he’s in for Irish Invasion on June 18th. And when we say “he’s in,” we mean he’s in. “Flight is already booked,” Carter said. “Hopefully I'll be able to witness all of the great things I hear about Notre Dame and South Bend.” Carter has told us in the past he has a high comfort level with Miami right now because of proximity, but has always talked about the Irish as well and reiterated that this week, saying, “Notre Dame is one of my top schools.” Carter says he will pick the school he sees himself being able to further his life in the most positive way. Additional Analysis From Uyeyama:For some reason the recruiting services don't seem to like the safeties from Palm Beach Gardens because just like his former high school teammate Studstill, Carter's rating does not reflect how good of a prospect he is. At least not their ratings. I have him rated as a 4-star who has the right skills to fit perfectly as a strong safety in Notre Dame's scheme. It hasn't taken long for Studstill to show he was overlooked by many in recruiting circles during his short time at Notre Dame and I actually think Carter's junior film is better than Studstill's was. He is a fundamentally sound tackler who hits through on contact and will punish receivers over the middle. His instincts and ball skills as a deep safety are outstanding as well. He plays with a swagger and I would love to see that kind of attitude rub off on the rest of the secondary if he were to choose the Irish. Junior Highlights ANOTHER FL DB PLANNING TRIP:While in Florida, Lyght also dropped in at Mater Academy Charter School in Hialeah, home of top 2017 cornerbackLatavious Brini. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder had a chance to speak with Lyght on the phone afterward. “Notre Dame is just great,” said Brini. “The defensive backs coach broke it down. He’s a great person. He was telling me how it would feel at Notre Dame, the culture and the average years of going to the NFL and things like that.” Brini said the message means even more coming from somebody who played at Notre Dame and then went on to play in the NFL. He is also planning a visit to South Bend in the summer, but doesn’t know exactly when that trip will happen just yet. “I just want to see the program,” he said. “I want to see the players and stuff like that. I just want to take it in.” He hasn’t taken too many visits recently, but said, “During the summer, we’ll be going all around, but I don’t really have it all planned out right now.” He’ll be looking at the culture, living environment and education of each school before making a decision. He has dozens of offers from schools like Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and USC among several others, but right now, it seems like Miami and Florida could have the early edges. Junior Highlights TEXAS DB TARGET HAS SERIOUS INTEREST:Paulson Adebowouldn’t come out and say Notre Dame was his current leader this week. But the 2017 Texas athlete wouldn’t say Notre Dame wasn’t either. What he did say was, “They’re one of my favorites right now. They’re up there as one of my top schools.” The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder from Mansfield High School visited for the Irish’s Junior Day back in March and it was enough to help push the Irish toward the top of his list. “I really got a good feel for what they provide for their students,” he said. “I talked to some of the student-athletes who explained to us how it was. It was a really cool experience. I really liked the environment.” Adebo could play offense or defense in college, but Notre Dame likes him at defensive back. His offer sheet currently includes schools like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor and Tennessee. He’s also high on some of those Big 12 schools, but his sincere interest in the Irish jives with what we were told – and told you – when his name first popped on the radar: this kid is serious about his academics. Additional Analysis From Uyeyama:While I think Adebo was a solid prospect at receiver, I am a much bigger fan of him at cornerback. Although I like his ability to mirror, his ball skills and his physicality in press coverage, I don't think he isn't strictly a press-man corner. His eye discipline and the fact that he is so smooth in his pedal when playing off-coverage suggest he can do just about anything asked of him, which is ideal for Notre Dame's defense. I saw him compete at wide receiver at The Opening Dallas Regional and although I only saw him briefly, he just didn't leap out as an elite prospect on that side of the ball. I thought the same thing when watching his wide receiver film, but at corner I do see a blue-chip prospect who would be a terrific fit in this defense. Junior Highlights GRAHAM COMING BACK FROM CALI:As expected, 2017 California cornerbackThomas Grahamwill be returning to South Bend after visiting for the Junior Day back in March. The one-time USC commit confirmed his plans to get back for an official visit for the Irish’s game against Michigan State on Sept. 17th. Graham and his father were blown away by their first trip and his mother will be coming along for the next one. We expect his mother to be just as impressed and that could be the kind of thing that help the Irish solidify a top spot on his list. We’re told Notre Dame is absolutely still in the running and Arizona could be the biggest competition at this point. Graham has long talked about being a package deal with his good buddy, 2017 running back Stephen Carr, but as often happens, things seem to be trending toward the two going separate ways. Carr remains committed to the Trojans and, although he’s still considering other schools, his other top options appear to be Michigan and Miami right now. Junior Highlights FROM THE BUSHES:The recruitment ofJosh Kaindohisn’t over, at least Notre Dame doesn’t think it's over. Not to say the Irish are convinced they’ll land him, but they’ll continue to try. That’s about all we can say about that right now. As we’ve said in the past, Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand has been on the road looking for more offensive linemen. Notre Dame is pretty confident 2017 Washington offensive linemanFoster Sarellwill make it to South Bend for Irish Invasion. Hiestand should be checking in on Sarell today, so we could know more soon, but this kid has seemed serious about visiting for months now. Stanford is one school that’s made an early impression and the in-state Huskies could also be a threat, but Hiestand has a pretty good record with guys he wants and Sarell seems like a guy he wants. Another guy Hiestand wants is 2017 California offensive linemanWyatt Davis. Notre Dame is heavily involved here and Hiestand was at St. John Bosco earlier in the week while on the West Coast. 2016 Irish signee D.J. Morgan is at the same school and appears to be really helping Notre Dame, especially since Morgan was a team leader and is extremely well thought of in the school. The Irish should definitely be in this race and they love this kid. “Great kid,” we were told. His head coach spoke at last month’s coaches’ clinic and has a strong relationship with the staff in South Bend. A guy everybody wants is 2017 Tennessee offensive linemanTrey Smith, who was recently named by ESPN as the top player in the entire class regardless of position. Smith visited last month and enjoyed himself, but Notre Dame knows it’s going to be a battle all of the way. Smith remains engaged with the Irish, but with so many other top programs coming hard, it's going to be tough. As we reported earlier in the week, elite 2017 Texas linebackerBaron Browningis scheduled to be in South Bend for Irish Invasion and Notre Dame is fired up about that. The Irish are hopeful they can get in the race for the one-time Baylor pledge, but as always with elite Texans, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Notre Dame was hoping to get 2017 South Carolina linebacker/defensive endLogan Rudolphon campus last month, but that visit got cancelled. The Irish are hoping to reschedule as they love Rudolph as a player. Clemson seems to be making a big push here and it could be hard to get him out ACC/SEC country, but his brother, Mason Rudolph, is the quarterback at Oklahoma State, so there’s some hope he could look beyond geography. Some Notre Dame fans may get concerned aboutAvery Davis, the Irish’s 2017 quarterback commit, now that Texas A&M is without a signal-caller in its 2017 class following Tate Martell’s much-publicized decommitment on Wednesday. Well, as we’ve said before, the Irish are very confident in their evaluations of quarterbacks, so while they were in on Davis extremely early, they’ve always felt everybody would eventually come after the Texas prospect. Notre Dame absolutely loves his potential and upside and the Irish are confident they’ll hang onto him. Davis’ head coach could be of help, but the biggest thing is Davis loves Irish offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and Notre Dame has long been his preference. As for potential commitments on the way, it doesn’t sound like any are anticipated right now. As we mentioned on Power Hour this week, with all of the coaches out on the road, this isn’t really the spot on the calendar for pledges. When the calendar flips though, things could change. Notre Dame believes Irish Invasion will be very good this year and the Irish could very well add to their Commit List then. JUICE FROM JERSEY:Irish Sports Daily was on hand for The Opening New Jersey Regional last weekend and not only did we get to watch some Notre Dame targets work out and talk with them, we also had a chance to pick up some intel about them. As we reported on Sunday, 2017 Connecticut wide receiverTarik Black’sparents were decked out in Notre Dame gear. We don’t believe that was a mistake and wouldn’t discourage people from reading into that. Notre Dame may not be Black’s favorite school at this point, but the Irish are one of his favorites and they’ll definitely be under strong consideration the whole way through. We’re told Notre Dame assistants Mike Denbrock and Scott Booker have done a great job of remaining in touch with Black and his family. While different schools offer different pitches, one often heard from coaches is to pick the school they’d be most comfortable at. Those advising Black understand that sentiment, but they certainly aren’t going to encourage him to take the easy way out. Black is back on track to make a silent commitment toward the end of the summer before official visits in the fall and a final announcement at the Army All-American Bowl in January. There’s a good chance his next trip to South Bend will be for an official visit in September for the Michigan State game, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if his private commitment is given to a different school. But again, Notre Dame won’t be out of it by then and regardless of where he ends up, he’ll be getting sound advice throughout. Junior Highlights CJ Holmesisn’t the kind of guy who gets emotional often, but we’d have to imagine he was struck by the realization of what he accomplished at the event. After missing his entire sophomore season with a shoulder injury, the Connecticut athlete’s recruitment probably suffered a bit. But Black’s teammate at Cheshire Academy has worked his way back and is quickly making up for lost time. Despite the fact that he’ll likely be a running back or defensive back at the next level, he won MVP honors and a ticket to The Opening Finals while play receiver on Sunday. Like Black, Holmes has great guidance around him. You won’t ever have to worry about this kid thinking he’s bigger than he is. He’s a team player and has been throughout his career, even if it’s meant him sacrificing the personal spotlight. Holmes and his family are extremely grateful to all of the opportunities he has in front of him and after Notre Dame checked on him last week, they’re really hoping the Irish become another option. If Notre Dame does end up offering, we’re sure arrangements would be made for him to visit and we’d expect the Irish to be serious contenders. Junior Highlights Jordan Williamsis back to a top 10 after the 2017 Virginia defensive end added Clemson to his list of favorites. Initially, Williams wasn’t sure if the Tigers were serious about him, which is why left them off, but they showed signs they are and now they’re back. Notre Dame assistants Keith Gilmore and Scott Booker have made sure the Irish’s interest was never questioned. We were told both coaches have done a great job maintaining contact. Williams has looked at getting to South Bend for Irish Invasion, but it sounds like that visit could come even sooner based on his schedule. The plan right now is for him to get out for another round of visits and then narrow things down before official visits in the fall. If the Irish make that next cut, they’ll have a great shot. If they don’t, well, then obviously they won’t. Junior Highlights Anyone who watched ourvideo interviewwith 2017 New Jersey defensive tackleDalyn Wade-Perryknows Notre Dame is a school he’s considering, but we just wanted to reinforce the fact that the Irish are major players here. He visits Stanford in two weeks and then will be in South Bend next month. He wants to make a decision in August. The feeling is he seems to be leaning more toward Notre Dame than Stanford at this point, but it’ll be interesting to see if that shifts at all after he visits Palo Alto. Junior Highlights 2018 New Jersey running back Iverson Clement was one underclassman who stood out at the event. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Mount Holly has early offers from Rutgers, Boston College, Penn State, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida among others. He said he hasn’t heard much from Notre Dame yet, but it’s a school he’d like to hear more from moving forward. “Definitely,” he said. “Notre Dame is a big powerhouse school, a really prestigious program, so why not have interest in them? Hopefully they’ll have interest in me.” Sophomore Highlights SANFORD CHECKS ON SAC-TOWN DE:Irish assistant Mike Sanford made his way up to Sacramento this week and dropped by Burbank High School, home of 2017 California defensive endDeonte “D.J.” Johnson, who received his offer from the Irish back in February. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder couldn’t talk to Sanford while he was in the building, but was able to catch up with him afterward. “They said I’m a top priority for them,” said Johnson. “It means a lot. With the NCAA rules and stuff they’ve got, they can’t really say anything, so them coming all that way definitely shows interest.” Johnson, who also has offers from schools like USC, UCLA, Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, Nebraska and Ole Miss among others, said he’d like to get out to Notre Dame if he can. “I’d like to see how the players interact with each other and how the coaches interact with everybody,” he said before adding he has no visits planned right now. He doesn’t have any current leaders either. “I’m still thinking stuff through,” said Johnson, who plans on making his decision at next year’s Under Armour All-America Game. Junior Highlights NO COMPREHENSION WORRIES:Earlier this week Plain Dealing head coach James Thurman told you about the type of kid 2017 Louisiana four-star safetyKeldrick Carperis on and off the field. Another positive trait Carper has in his pocket is the ability to pick things up quickly, which could be a good factor in any defense and importantly Notre Dame’s. Carper played many positions last fall and never struggled with comprehension, which is something that will benefit him in college. “We have a very small roster, so a lot of times kids have to play different positions,” said Thurman. “Last year he played quarterback, running back, receiver and he picked everything up in stride. There was never a situation that I had to tell him things over and over to him. This year he will play fullback, wing-back, tight end, quarterback and receiver. We are going to move him around, so teams can’t focus on him at one time. “Out of our 27 touchdowns last year, Keldrick scored 24 of them. You have to move him around a little bit and open up some other people. We will use him a decoy too. He is capable of learning stuff without over-coaching. We don’t have to stop and explain stuff to him. His dad is one of my coaches and he just has a good mind for the game. All that translates into his high football IQ.”
It's amazing how much less I care and know about recruiting compared to just a few years ago. I don't know who really anyone is.
I reckon it's a mixture of information overload and the fact that a commitment today no longer means anything. We get bombarded with substance less rumors, and then when a commitment does happen, we've been conditioned to never expect it to stick. The fun in following recruiting has really ebbed. Well maybe that and the fact that I have more life responsibilities now too...
Just saw this tweet. Stallion family please PRAY for our own Greg Bryant Jr. injured this AM and in critical cond. Need prayers now #GregBryantJr #StallionStrong
@BruceFeldmanCFB: #UAB's Greg Bryant, the former #NotreDame RB, was shot last night in Florida is in critical condition. https://twitter.com/stallionsfb/status/728944255138410497 @mattyports: Former Notre Dame RB/American Heritage star Greg Bryant, now at UAB, is in critical condition after I-95 shooting. http://pbpo.st/1rBYZ2Q
Man just saw it on Twitter, that's awful, hope he pulls through. Obviously had/has issues but he was still smart enough to see ND for what it is. Good luck to the kid.
Not going to act like it changes my life, but that's really sad, seems like a good kid who couldn't let go of the not so good.
Found gunned down on the highway with no witnesses (yet)? hopefully someone comes forward with some info
Seems unlikely this is correct given everything else but... @WimbushB12: STILL ALIVE!!! KEEP FIGHTING GREG BRYANT! Edit: Nvm looks like this is the case. Early reports were inaccurate
Sad news. You have to think GB could have gotten out if he stayed at ND - possibly with a chance at the league as well. Just a shame, and an awful thing to happen on Mother's Day no less.
Did he pass away? AP is reporting he was declared brain dead at 1PM today. Awful and incredibly sad regardless.
that's some sad stuff...wish the best for his dad and family. I know his dad was the one pushing him to ND to get away from all that stuff down in FL
whoa...sounds like Robert Beal is coming back to visit ND in June for II Robert Beal Jr. in for Irish Invasion We said Irish Invasion would be a big list and we can safe that 2017 five-star defensive Robert Beal Jr. will be on campus for Irish Invasion in June. We confirmed with two sources over the past few weeks that Notre Dame has gained traction again with the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder and are officially back in the race for the Norcross (Ga.) star. The biggest part of Beal's decision to decommit was he wanted to attend the same school as his sister, but she didn't get into Notre Dame. From what our sources say, the two attending the same school is not a factor anymore. Big development for Notre Dame, as Beal is a Notre Dame kid and enjoyed what he experienced to commit in the fall.
Chad Simmons posted this on our board today fwiw re: Beal I really thought UGA had this one, but it has opened back up a little the last few weeks. He is really talking to FSU and Texas a lot more with Alabama still very much in this as well. It was about Robert and his sister going to the same school, but that is no longer the case... They had a long family talk and it was too much to ask Robert to basically decide for two and limit his schools to the only ones where his and his sister could attend together. That has opened things back a little for him. Georgia is still a player, a major one, but they are not sitting as pretty as they were a month or so ago.
Send some of it our way @darrenrovell: If Fertitta brothers sell UFC for $4 Billion, it would be quite the return on investment. Bought it for $2 million in 2001.