I know Polian blows as a special teams coach but we are absolutely killing it on the planning front in recruiting. Great depth across the board - we don’t have to hold our breath at a position for the first time in forever. I guess dt a bit but still have like 4 options.
How about I just like all the songs he stole his music from? Unoriginal fuckstick and fuck Miami forever.
Enough beer makes that stuff fun. Fucking Flor-rida in Miami was awesome. My dad looked on proudly as I pulled numbers and he bought beers. Then Bama happened.
The thing is, we should have a dozen analysts doing that (and probably do). Now, that doesn't mean Polian can't prove his value on the recruiting trail. I just doubt that the administrative tasks are left to an onfield coach.
From what I understand Bill Rees has made a huge impact on the recruiting board and who they target. He’s basically seen as invaluable to the staff
Gold Standard Spoiler Intel On Upcoming DB Visitors — EJ Holland *** Defensive back recruiting has been a mystery all cycle. Just when you think the picture is becoming clearer, a curveball comes out of nowhere. Heck, even when Mater Dei (N.J.) cornerback Clarence Lewis committed this month, we were told he had to make a quick decision or his spot wasn’t going to be there for much longer. With all this said, the board does seem to be somewhat clearing up — at least we hope and we know you do, too. *** Let’s go ahead and start with Boyle County (Ky.) cornerback Landen Bartleson . We pumped the brakes on him earlier this week following some information we gathered on his recruitment. Here is the latest on Bartleson. From a talent standpoint, the Irish love him. His combination of speed, length and playmaking ability is something the staff covets. This is why he has been considered a strong commitment possibily for so long. But there are some boxes that need to be checked, and that can only happen on his official visit. *** We spoke to two sources that confirmed that Bartleson is still coming in for his OV this weekend and if things go well and those boxes are checked, the Irish will be in a very, very strong position to land him — potentially on the visit. If boxes remain unchecked, there will be some work that needs to be done before he would be able to join the class. - NATIONAL 11 STATE - POSITION LANDEN BARTLESON RANK 5.6 6'1" | 190 LBS | CB BOYLE COUNTY DANVILLE, KY CLASS OF 2020 UNDECIDED *** Right now, Waco Midway (Texas) Will Nixon is a take. With Clark Phillips still leaning Ohio State and Cam Martinez not making his way to campus, Nixon fits the mold of a small, quicker slot corner. Notre Dame assistants Brian Polian and Terry Joseph have been working extremely hard on him and have made progress with their DB pitch — remember, all schools want Nixon as a wide receiver other than Notre Dame. I’m told that Nixon’s father, Jeff, who is a coach at Baylor, is very high on Notre Dame and would love to see Nixon in South Bend. *** Interesting note: Notre Dame was actually Jeff’s dream school growing up. He camped with Lou Holtz growing up and is originally from the Northeast. Jeff eventually ended up at Penn State, which is why the Nittany Lions were considered the favorites for Will. Remember, Penn State was supposed to host him for an official visit this weekend, but it appears things have slowed down between the two parties. While Georgia Tech made an impression with Will over the weekend, the door is wide open for Notre Dame to close. - NATIONAL 92 STATE 87 POSITION WILL NIXON RANK 5.7 5'11" | 185 LBS | WR MIDWAY WACO, TX CLASS OF 2020 UNDECIDED *** Notre Dame is also set to host four-star The Colony (Texas) cornerback Christian Gonzalez . Gonzalez is being extremely calculated with his decision as several schools remain in the mix and really isn’t favoring one school over the other at this point in the process. The fact that Notre Dame locked him in for an official visit was a win in its own right. This is a prime opportunity for Notre Dame to take advantage. This might be Gonzalez’s final OV if he sticks with his summer timeline. *** Gonzalez has stated that education is important, and his mother is a teacher, so I expect the Irish to win her over with ease. This will be her first time on campus. With that said, Gonzalez is very intrigued by the idea of playing at Alabama, where he visited over the weekend. The allure of the Crimson Tide is giving him a lot to think about. Alabama also has a bit of a secret weapon as his girlfriend is currently committed to play soccer there. - NATIONAL 0" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: 10px; width: 7px; background: url("https://cdn.rivals.com/production/a...bfb264f545034d3f8a342e9632778ca65a3af8278.svg") left center no-repeat; margin-bottom: 3px;"> 44 STATE 25 POSITION CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ RANK 5.8 6'1" | 180 LBS | CB THE COLONY THE COLONY, TX CLASS OF 2020 UNDECIDED *** Lastly, Notre Dame is bringing in Southaven (Miss.) cornerback Caleb Offord for an official visit just weeks after hosting him for an unofficial visit. Offord plans to make his decision on July 4, and I’m told he would be a take for the Irish. I’m also told Notre Dame loves his height, length and speed. Offord is still a project, but he can be molded with the right coaching. Notre Dame is in the driver’s seat here. Tidbits On Weekend Visitors — Mike Singer *** 2021 Lakeland Christian (Fla.) defensive end Cade Denhoff landed an offer following the Lineman's Challenge over the weekend. After I visited his high school in late May, I spoke with a couple of sources about him, which is why I was pretty confident that he'd receive an offer from Notre Dame following the camp. The Irish already viewed him as a kid who was worthy of an offer, but they wanted to see him in person during the camp setting before extending it officially, as he already planned to take in the ND camp. I spoke with Denhoff following the camp and he had a great time learning from Mike Elston. Expect the Irish to be a top school for him moving forward. *** I also caught up with 2021 defensive end Byron Turner from St. Augustine (La.). He already holds offers from the likes of Florida and Tennessee and hopes that Notre Dame joins his list. BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell said that Turner is "skinny but showed good speed and edge rushing ability." Turner camped at Notre Dame with the sole intention of earning an offer from Notre Dame, but that hasn't happened yet. He is on Notre Dame's radar, and we'll monitor him moving forward. - NATIONAL - STATE - POSITION BYRON TURNER RANK N/A 6'4" | 230 LBS | WDE ST. AUGUSTINE NEW ORLEANS, LA CLASS OF 2021 UNDECIDED ** Sam Hart visited Notre Dame on Saturday, and the Cherokee Trail (Colo.) tight end left South Bend with a new offer from the Irish. He is Notre Dame's second tight end offer of the 2021 class, joining Georgia prospect Cane Berrong . Hart is very excited about his new Notre Dame offer and raved to me about how beautiful the campus was. Hart spent quality time with Notre Dame assistants Brian Polian, Chip Long, and Jeff Quinn. Hart came into the weekend not expecting the offer, so it was a very pleasant surprise. *** Rising 2021 defensive lineman George Rooks visited Notre Dame on Sunday, and by all accounts, his visit was a big success. This big-time prospect from St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) had a great meeting with Elston, where he got to learn about what his fit would be in Notre Dame's scheme. Rooks has some other big offers, but I'd say that Notre Dame is up there for him now. Coach's Take: Gabriel Rubio — EJ Holland *** Notre Dame picked up a big pledge over the weekend in big-time 2021 defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio . I caught up with Lutheran of St. Charles (Mo.) head coach Arlen Harris to get his thoughts on Rubio. By the way, Harris was a running back in the NFL from 2003-2006 and has a son, Arlen Harris Jr. , in the 2022 class that camped with Notre Dame for Irish Invasion. Here is our Q&A on Rubio. *** On what Rubio means to his team and program: “He’s leading our program by the way he just approaches day-to-day responsibilities. He’s one of those kids that isn’t a rah rah guy. He lets his actions speak louder than his words. Obviously, with his skillset and size, he gets attention right away. But he handles it really well. He’s a down to earth kid. I call him old school. He’s blue collared. He goes out there, and he works. He doesn’t take shortcuts. It’s great having him in our program.” - NATIONAL - STATE - POSITION GABRIEL RUBIO RANK N/A 6'5" | 280 LBS | DT LUTHERAN OF ST CHARLES ST. PETERS, MO CLASS OF 2021 VERBAL COMMIT 6/15/2019 NOTRE DAME *** On Rubio’s biggest strengths as a player: “He’s very smart and technically sound. His skillset is pretty high because of the things that he’s learned from his dad (former NFL player Angel Rubio) and training. He’s knowledgeable on how to use those weapons. When it comes time to execute, a lot of times, kids don’t know how to respond because he’s a level up.” *** On what Rubio’s ceiling can be: “I can’t even gauge it. He’s young in his class. He’s still growing mentally and physically. He has a great motor. I like that he’s not content. His work ethic is going to take him a lot further than most.” *** On comparing Rubio to an NFL player: “That’s a good question. He’s just long. He’s got an advantage. I’m not sure I played with anybody like him. I would say a guy like Grant Wistrom that had that tenacity on the edge and would go inside as well. Gabriel is longer than him. No one jumps out right away. I’m going to think about it (laughs).” *** On Rubio’s commitment to Notre Dame: “It’s funny because I was just there the other weekend. From just walking around the campus and seeing how the coaches conduct themselves, he’s a Notre Dame kid. He told me, ‘coach, I know.' I asked him if he was sure because my job is to make sure it’s not too early. But he was in love with the campus, program and coaches. When I saw it for myself, I knew it was all Gabriel. I’m excited for him. These next two years, he can play ball and not worry about other distractions.” *** On impressions of Notre Dame from a HS coach’s perspective: “It’s first class. I spent a lot of time with Coach Lance (Taylor). I was intrigued with him and just how their operation was for their camp. The last time I was on that campus was a long time ago for myself with Lou Holtz. I didn’t know what to expect or if there were much changes. The tradition holding tight over there is pretty awesome.” Fisher Ready To Help Build 2021 Class — Mike Singer *** Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive tackle Landon Tengwall is the top target for new 2021 OL commit Blake Fisher . The Avon (Ind.) standout told me that if Notre Dame is able to reel in Tengwall then "we'll be set." There are also a few other guys who Fisher told me he's going to be recruiting hard. *** Fisher said: "There's Lorenzo Styles , Donovan Edwards , obviously AJ Henning and some other dudes. We'll see, but we're looking really good right now as far as being in a position to win a national championship. I'd say Landon is my go-to guy right now. I have to get him, and we'll be set as far as lineman go as we already have Greg Crippen ." - NATIONAL - STATE - POSITION BLAKE FISHER RANK N/A 6'6" | 330 LBS | OT AVON AVON, IN CLASS OF 2021 VERBAL COMMIT 6/15/2019 NOTRE DAME *** Fisher is active on social media and knows the landscape of Notre Dame's top targets very well: "I talked to a lot of those guys before I committed. We would just let each other know what we were thinking. You can tell some of those guys want to commit by their Twitter posts and this, this and that. I know Chris Tyree is doing a great job with AJ Henning and Lathan Ransom . I know Tosh Baker is doing a great job too.: *** Fisher himself was recruited as well: "We have a lot of recruiters. Tyler Buchner was a really big factor in my recruitment. He texted me every other week. Aaron Banks, he was probably the biggest recruiter for me. He had all of my questions answered. He never left any questions unanswered. The whole o-line unit played a big factor in my commitment."
Will it really be *that* complicated? He's a very good coach who won a lot of games but (up until now) has not been able to win the big game and will always be a notch below the mount Rushmore of coaches at ND.
Shamrock Secrets Spoiler *** Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier drop end target Phillip Webb released his top 11 schools list today, and Notre Dame made the cut along with Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. I've reported recently that Webb is someone who has kept in touch with Notre Dame for the past few months but is a long shot to end up signing with the Irish. That is still likely the case, but I have some additional insight to share on the nation's No. 42 prospect. *** Webb has initiated a good amount of contact with Notre Dame, so he does have real interest, but it's going to be hard to see him leaving the South. The issue here is that Notre Dame is unable to make a hard push with the numbers being so tight. I'm told that there was serious discussion about Webb officially visiting Notre Dame this weekend, but those plans were put on hold. Webb told Rivals.com's Chad Simmons that he knows he's going to take an official visit to Notre Dame in the fall, which I'm hearing may happen according to my sources as well, but chances are 50/50 at this point. Notre Dame has spent much more time recruiting Mitchell Melton and have a much better chance landing him than they do Webb. *** Speaking of Melton, there's been talk on the board that Cullen Coleman's official visit being cancelled means that the Irish must think they're getting Melton. That's not the case. He took his Ohio State official visit last weekend and is expected to officially visit Michigan this weekend. My sources here are not confident that Notre Dame lands Melton, as I've reported in the past. His Notre Dame visit did go really well and the Irish did impress him, but again, there's not a whole lot of confidence that he'll pick Notre Dame when he announces on July 3. *** Coleman cancelling his visit was about Notre Dame's numbers in the class. Notre Dame really liked Coleman, but a RB/DE hybrid prospect was not as big of a priority for Notre Dame. Defensive back recruiting is very much heating up for Notre Dame, and the staff is pleased with its current defensive line haul. If ND is going is going to take a fifth defensive line prospect, it's going to be a top of the board guy, and that's not Coleman. Moving off of Coleman was about numbers keeping a spot open whether it be defensive back or another offensive spot down the road. *** Moving along to the 2021 class, Notre Dame added its first defensive line commitment in the class over the weekend. St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio announced his pledge to the Irish over the weekend, and he's expected to be a very active, vocal leader of the class, especially in helping Notre Dame recruit other 2021 defensive line prospects. *** Notre Dame is off to a hot start with its 2021 defensive line targets. The Irish have offered nearly 20 defensive line prospects in the class, and hosted Cade Denhoff and George Rooks over the weekend -- both had very good things to say about Notre Dame. The Irish hosted Najee Story in May and are in the mix for elite DT Tywone Malone. There are also several more elite 2021 defensive linemen who ND is after. It will be another strong DL class for Mike Elston.
it's clear ND views guys differently than the website rankings - especially Xavier Watts and Melton...those guys are being treated like true top of the board players
Agreed, he clearly slots in behind Knute, Leahy, Ara, Holtz. Probably even with Devine. Devine has a title but he stepped into an easier situation. If he wins a title he can be discussed with Holtz
I have no idea what the context was back then but kelly stepped in a joke of a situation, Nd football was dead in the water
Beyond dead. From a dude who couldn’t recruit to a dude who couldn’t manage a roster to save his life.
And kelly learning on the job from 2010 to 2016 is pretty forgettable but If he continues this run for another 3-4 years and always being a top 5 team in this context he should be top 5-7.
Outside of some devastating roster things (frozen 5, Stephenson, Golson, all the rbs, etc) the worst thing that happened to Kelly is 2012 and 2015. Unbelievably lucky seasons with games we shouldn’t have won and he thought oh we are close power on. 2016 finally made him change and I think the last two teams would smash 2015 and maybe beat 2012
I disagree with you on one team, 2015, that team was ridiculously good but the coaching was not up to par. Although that team lost to some very good teams. Except Stanford, fuck you van gorder
With a good dc maybe but I am not sure a walk-on joe smith and terrible safeties could’ve saved this team in a playoff format regardless The talent needed is not always just top of the line players, you also need players that belongs. Joe Schmidt did not belong and nd’s safeties did not belong.
I'm pretty sure Prister, O'Malley, and Sampson have made this point several times on their podcast so I can't take credit for the thought. It's kind of obvious when you think about it and stack them up though.
It also depends where the programs goes after, if he is credited to bringing it back to life it could help his legacy. Fun things to think about
Can anyone post the Holland update on Ransom? Interesting if LSU is out but I’m guessing he goes to Texas.
No idea how to do it in a spoiler from my phone but yes, that is the jist he things it’s texas >>>>>>>> Nd/osu. And LSU is out with its latest commitment.
Rivals came out with their first 2021 top100 Fisher #14 Buchner #52 Rubio #81 Pretty damn solid start to the class
Wicket do you Reddit? I for some reason get retweets from the Reddit Pete page and the latest was a couple guys from the Netherlands asking why our political system is so fucked up.
I do Reddit and am on the Pete subreddit but thats not me. Ive seen and read enough to bring the problem back to a few bullet points