My dog is very old, Next almost has to be a terrier And these are elite names. Tipperary Terrence Tipperary Terrence II (although, I will say I’m disappointed they didn’t go with “2 Tipperary 2 Terrence”) Brick Top Shuan Rhu
midweek musings Spoiler Midweek thoughts about the Notre Dame football program, its recruiting efforts and college football. BREAKOUT STARS FOR THE NOTRE DAME DEFENSE IN 2019 In last week’s Midweek Musings I discussed the breakout stars for the Notre Dame offense. Notre Dame needs those players to emerge if the offense is going to play well enough for the Irish to make another playoff run. The story on defense is quite different. With players like Julian Okwara and Alohi Gilman returning, Notre Dame already has a pair of proven players getting All-American recognition. There is a strong foundation to build on, but there are a few other veterans poised for impactful seasons. If that happens the defense will once again be outstanding, and I’m predicting it will happen. Khalid Kareem, Defensive End – After an outstanding season in 2018, much of the preseason focus at end has been on Okwara, and rightfully so. Okwara and Daelin Hayes will combine to form an incredibly potent 1-2 punch at drop end this season, but a potential breakout from Kareem could be the difference between Notre Dame being really good up front or being elite. The strongside end is so important for both the pass rush and the ability to shut down the opposition ground attack. Kareem earned Notre Dame’s third-best run defense grade according to Pro Football Focus, and only Hayes had a better run-stop rate among the regulars, but there is room for him to be even better. Being healthier would help, and Kareem is now going into his second full year in the rotation. Sign up today to get 50% off an annual membership plus a FREE digital copy of the 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview magazine! We saw his game improve in the spring, when he battled hard against starting tackles Robert Hainsey and Liam Eichenberg. Kareem was playing with more power, he was being more forceful with his hands and he was finishing better. If that carries into the fall he could be every bit as good as Okwara and Hayes, if not better. That is important because more than any end, Kareem playing at an elite level would impact the defensive tackles and run defense to a much greater degree. Troy Pride Jr., Cornerback – Former Irish corner Julian Love was the team’s best corner from start to finish last season, but late in the season the former All-American got outplayed at times by Pride, who started to use his speed to dominate to a much greater degree. We saw consistency from Pride for the first time in his career. Now he is the leader at the position, and Pride is poised to take his game to another level. Having to battle Chase Claypool every day in the spring helped him much like Love having to battle Miles Boykin did the previous spring. Pride has all the tools you want in a top cornerback; he is long, he possesses elite speed, he has a lot of confidence and he’s a fluid athlete. What kept him from breaking out sooner is he had to learn the finer points of the position, but that came along last season. Pride will likely start in the boundary this season, but his unique skills gives DC Clark Lea the ability to move him all around the field if matchups require it. Notre Dame needs Pride to develop into a legitimate standout cornerback, which allows Lea to focus his coverage on protecting the linebackers, or protecting the other corner, or using the safeties to attack defenses instead of having to focus on helping Pride as well. Jalen Elliott, Safety – Gilman was a PFF All-American last year and he is the No. 1 ranked returning safety in the country according to that organization. Gilman was really good last fall, but a case could be made that at times Elliott was just as good, and Elliott to me was the better all-around player for stretches of the season. There is still room for Elliott to improve, however, and his game needs to continue to grow. Elliott needs to be a more sound tackler, and there are still more chances for him to make even more plays in the pass game. He took positive strides in the spring, and a true breakout is right in front of him for 2019. The key for Elliott is continuing to develop into an even more consistent player from an assignment standpoint. When he does that, and when he plays with certainty, he’s an outstanding defender. Notre Dame is likely going to ask more of its safeties this season, and if Elliott steps up he’ll combine with Gilman to give the Irish arguably the best safety tandem in the country. LOOKING AHEAD - IMPACT FRESHMEN IN 2020 Recently I wrote about the incoming freshmen that I think could make an impact at Notre Dame in 2019. While the current freshmen could certainly make their presence felt right away, there is a chance the 2020 class could have an even greater impact. It’s incredibly early, but here’s my first stab at the four 2020 commits that I believe could have an immediate impact at Notre Dame. 1. Chris Tyree, RB– If Jafar Armstrong has a breakout season there’s no guarantee he’ll return in 2020, and even if he does, Tyree is going to find his way on the field. Barring injury, there is no way you can keep a player with his speed and explosiveness off the field. Whether its returning kicks, being your change of pace back, setting him up for perimeter runs and screens or whatever else, finding a way to get him touches every single week will need to be a priority next season. 2. Xavier Watts, WR– Being an early enrollee should Watts him adapt quickly to the Irish offense, and he’ll certainly get a chance to earn early playing time on offense. Being an early enrollee will also give Watts a much-needed head start on the strength and conditioning program, and once his body starts to develop he’s going to be a guy that special teams coordinator Brian Polian covets for his coverage and return units. It is his potential as a standout on special teams that has Watts so high on this list. 3. Jordan Johnson, WR– Notre Dame is going to be loaded with talented receivers in 2020, but a player with Johnson’s talent will be too hard to keep off the field. Not being an early enrollee might slow down how quickly he rises up the depth chart, but I’ll be shocked if Johnson’s explosiveness and playmaking ability doesn’t earn him touches as a true freshman. 4. Jordan Botelho, DE– Getting Botelho on campus early is huge for Notre Dame, who loses Julian Okwara and Daelin Hayes from the drop end position next season. Returners Justin Ademilola and Ovie Oghoufo will be fighting for rotation spots, and Isaiah Foskey is another player with the talent to play at that position. Botelho will have work to do, but getting the jump start in the spring will give him a wonderful opportunity to force himself onto the field not only on special teams, but also as a potential pass rusher at end. PRESEASON TOP 10 I’ve read a lot of preseason Top 25’s heading into fall camp, so here is mine. This is not just predictive of how things will go, but rather who I think should be ranked in the Top 10 heading into the season based on past results and looking at what I think will happen 1. Clemson– I’m a big believer that you’re number one until someone beats you. Clemson had the first-ever 15-0 record and returns some truly elite players on offense. Its defense will take a step back, but it will still be quite good. 2. Alabama– Alabama is going to slip at some point, and this very well could be the year (see my LSU comments), but like Clemson, until someone other than the Tigers beats them they deserve to be No. 2. 3. Notre Dame– Notre Dame should have finished the 2018 season ranked ahead of Oklahoma last year (12-1 is better than 12-2 against a weak schedule), and Notre Dame returns more starters than the Sooners in 2019. If Notre Dame keeps its game against Georgia close and runs the table they will have a strong argument for the playoffs. 4. Oklahoma– I think Oklahoma takes a step back this year and I don’t see them finishing this high, but they deserve to be ranked No. 4 based on returning talented players, a far more experienced defense and back-to-back playoff berths. Them winning the Big 12 will be about Lincoln Riley adapting to Jalen Hurts at QB and the Sooners reloading up front. 5. Georgia– Georgia will get its shot to leap Notre Dame on September 21st, and right now I predict the Bulldogs will win that game. But the Irish deserve to be ranked higher heading into the season because they were simply better last year and ND returns more starters. Georgia is favored to beat ND, but it must also handle a very challenging November schedule. 6. OhioState– The Buckeyes will win the Big Ten East again because simply put, they have way better players and both Michigan and Penn State are vastly overrated. I expect the offense to take a step back but the defense should be much better. The Big Ten has not caught up to Ohio State yet. 7. LSU– If Alabama gets knocked off this year I predict it will be LSU that does it. Its all about whether or not Ed Orgeron can get more from the offense, which returns pretty good talent. I expect the Tiger defense to be elite. If the offense can improve a bit over last year and LSU can be more consistent they can win the SEC. 8. Texas– This might be a bit high for Texas, but to me there’s a big drop off between No. 7 and what comes next. If Sam Ehlinger can stay healthy and the defense continues to improve I could see the Longhorns winning the Big 12. 9. Oregon– This is one of two sleeper picks I have for the Top 10, along with Wisconsin. Oregon returns a ton of talent from last year, and that experience should allow the Ducks to get over the hump this season. Playing Stanford, USC and Washington on the road and opening with Auburn makes this a challenge, but I think the Ducks get it done this year in the Pac 12. 10. Wisconsin– Don’t sleep on the Badgers, who were decimated by injuries last season. Their OL won’t miss a beat and their offense will be much better this season. They will have a chip on their shoulder after last season and the fact everyone is jumping on the Nebraska bandwagon. Scott Frost’s time will come in the Big Ten West, but Wisconsin and Iowa are going to be the cream of the crop in the West this season.
I loved when Kelly tried to get rid of the alma mater after losses, but then the crybaby observer got its way
by the way, everyone in the fantasy league, im aiming at an august 31st draft date with keepers due 1 week earlier, 4pm each
Wasn't there just a practice report or something that mention that things finally clicked for Austin and he was showing out?
yep. i'm preparing for another dexter williams situation and being extremely annoyed that he isn't on the field for the next 3 years.
In Also, anyone want 2 Louisville Tickets at face? We ended up with 4 and our seat neighbor who got first dibs can't make it. It's $170 for the 2.
Guess what time of year it is boys? https://www.ndinsider.com/premium/f...cle_c329a591-fa62-5788-8cc4-067efa21b14a.html
QB controversy is brewing on the message boards #DumpBook #JurkIt Sidenote should be a quiet camp outside of LB the team is pretty much set already Kelly seems confident again as well
Anyone looking to buy 2 tickets to New Mexico and a Library Pass? My seat neighbor got diagnosed with glaucoma and they drive in from Virginia every week so they are peeling back the games they attend. Not sure what he is asking for the bundle. Bonus, you have a home tailgate Double bonus, you sit next myself and my dad.
Wrong team, you meant Georgia per recruiting rankings Until recently Clemson didn’t recruit much differently than ND. Clemson just hit on qbs and DL which wins big in CFB
Also do Gilman and Hamilton play different safety positions? Because that would be an amazing pairing
This needs to be that scene from Remember the Titans where Ryan Gosling hands his spot to Turk from Scrubs. Kidding, kinda.