I want to say you have posted more about sous vide with leftovers, which I am 100% fine with and is useful contribution to BBQ discussion. The "let me throw some grill marks on this food that has been submerged in warm water for an extended period of time" can stay out.
Spoiler MONTEREY PARK, Calif. - Tyler Buchner picked Notre Dame in March. He’s not playing games. He’s not looking at other schools or taking visits. No drama. The four-star quarterback loves it in South Bend and there are so many reasons why. “It wasn’t what I saw, it was more the people I met and the experiences I had there that really separated it from the rest of the pack,” Buchner said at the Rivals Camp Series this past weekend. “The coaching staff was a huge plus and I could go on about them forever but just the people, the alumni, the students, the faculty, were all really special and that’s something I want to be a part of. I actually thought those people were amazing and the players I met on the team, I had so much in common with those guys and I wanted to play with those kids.” The La Jolla (Calif.) Bishops School star quarterback had plenty of offers. He took numerous visits. But what he saw at Notre Dame - and how special that program is from a national level - stood out among all others. “It’s crazy how many people love Notre Dame football,” Buchner said. “I had no clue this many people love Notre Dame. The fans are great. It’s a great school to be a part of and people walked by me all the time saying ‘Go Irish’ and that type of thing shows you how much of an impact that school has and all the tradition and history behind it.” And the coaching staff played a huge role, too. Buchner hit it off with coach Brian Kelly and, even more importantly, the four-star quarterback has a tremendous connection with offensive coordinator and position coach Tommy Rees. “Coach Kelly does a really good job of coordinating everything and he’s won a lot of games,” Buchner said. “My position coach who just got promoted to OC, Tommy Rees, he’s the man. I love him. I’m really excited to play for him.” The next step is for Buchner to do some recruiting of his own and he has a lofty top target: A star running back out of North Carolina. “Will Shipley, if you’re reading this, you need to get there,” Buchner said. “A ton of guys in my class are coming up on March 20-22 so that’s the big weekend for us. Blake Fisher is another guy working his (butt) off so we’re trying to coordinate that.” from those who watched, sounds like Buchner was in a dead heat with Jake Garcia (USC QB commit) for QB MVP honors but they awarded it to Garcia in the end both QBs got invited to the 5 star challenge and they are the only 2 QBs to be invited so far through 3 camps. Again, this is purely throwing not taking into account at all his running ability which is a huge plus over someone like Garcia
If you ever read the Democratic nominee thread you would know my list of mortal enemies is quite large. I should be able to fit you in by football season though.
Based on what has been out there, seems like this would bode well for some of the big fish we're going after
Finally Quinn went and watched him workout in person and contact fell off quickly after that. He was for sure dropped
Kerry Cooks going through process to be hired back. BK loves him some BK guys. Off field role. Also I couldn’t count but Pyne probably threw for 20 TD passes
interesting. but i'm fine with an off-field role. are there restrictions on number of those you can have now?
Uggh, we know Kelly loves his underrated, undersized QBs. Can't wait for Buchner to never get a shot because Pyne "gets the offense".
II offense practice report Spoiler Notre Dame, Ind. — A crisp but sunny early-March morning greeted Notre Dame and head coach Brian Kelly for the first spring practice of 2020 at the Irish Athletics Complex. Sidelined today from Tommy Rees’ offense but in uniform were offensive linemen Robert Hainsey (ankle), Aaron Banks (foot), Dillan Gibbons (foot), and Tommy Kraemer (knee), plus early enrollee wide receiver Jay Brunelle (shoulder). WIDE RECEIVER ALIGNMENT Kevin Austin (W), Braden Lenzy (X), and Lawrence Keys (slot) trotted out with the first unit as expected. They were spelled by Javon McKinley (W), Northwestern grad transfer Ben Skowronek (X), and Avery Davis (slot). Early enrollee Xavier Watts doesn’t have the frame of a would-be prep senior. He worked behind Lenzy and Skowronek to the field side while Micah Jones (who made some plays in 1-on-1) was the No. 3 boundary receiver. Kendall Abdur-Rahman filled in the third slot role. Senior Isaiah Robertson was not at practice though Kelly offered, “He’s still on scholarship. He's still with us. He's working on some things academically. We've given him some time to take care of some things that he needs to work on. “He's coming back from injury, so he wouldn't be able to practice anyway from that perspective, so we're just giving him an opportunity to work on some things.” Also not in attendance, junior Joe Wilkins, sidelined by strep throat. DOWNFIELD BATTLES Notre Dame’s pass-catchers won them. Period. Kevin Austin was the most impressive athlete today (on either side of scrimmage), routinely taking contested catches from defenders (with TaRiq Bracy most often the victim). When Austin wasn’t beating his defender, he was being held, especially in 1-on-1 drills where the imposing target has a distinct advantage in space. I wrote the words ‘held,’ ‘juggling catch,’ and ‘wow’ on four different occasions to describe Austin downfield. He shined in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 as well. Austin did not come down with one deep fade route, defended well by Bracy. Both Tim Prister and I noted of the rep, “Chase Claypool catches that easily.” Austin mistimed his leap which negated any vertical advantage he might’ve had… If Austin was Notable Player 1A, Tommy Tremble was a #2 if not 1B. The junior tight end powered through Kyle Hamilton down the pipes for what would’ve been a touchdown on a deeper thrown ball. (Hamilton broke it up though didn’t turn to find the ball). Tremble won two other downfield reps including a second vs. Hamilton on a dig route that went for a score. Tremble was successfully defended once—a smash route vs. Houston Griffith in which the latter broke up the quick throw. Backup W Javon McKinley worked over Notre Dame’s backup cornerbacks, bullying the much smaller Caleb Offord throughout practice. He beat Cam Hart deep on a perfectly thrown pass by Brendon Clark, and also Bracy to the corner on a dime from Ian Book. McKinley worked in a fade route grab (vs. Bracy) as well… There were no officials, but McKinley drew a pass interference on grad transfer Isaiah Pryor in 11-on-11 action Braden Lenzy looks nothing like the hesitant redshirt-freshman receiver we saw last August. He catches the ball cleanly downfield and it at full speed thereafter. Lenzy is working on a comeback route to complement his downfield speed threat. I thought cornerback Isaiah Rutherford read it well even after Lenzy sold it with a hard step downfield. (Secured the catch easily after creating space). Lawrence Keys shined as well, beating Kyle Hamilton to the corner and then on a dig route. Micah Jones was too much for the youth-filled Irish cornerbacks crew as well, his most impressive catch one in which he caught a pass over Offord despite pass interference. Avery Davis belongs in space, and if slot receiver and the screen game is what gets him there, it should be his final position at the program Xavier Watts beat Ramon Henderson on a deep in route (might’ve pushed off) but the young receiver showed why he’s ahead of the game, finishing the play (no whistle) as Henderson stopped with no whistle. Kendall Abdur-Rahman made a twisting catch in one-on-one but had to be correct on his route depth by coach Del Alexander during 7-on-7 action Nursing an ankle injury (Kelly offered he is ’90 percent’) Ben Skowronek showed strong hands and a frame reminiscent of McKinley’s downfield. The Irish have some perimeter size in one-back sets when Tremble, McKinley/Skowronek, and Austin align in the formation, especially in congress with Lenzy taking the top off the secondary. Not a lot from Brock Wright and George Takacs but Wright showed good strength running through Houston Griffith for one contested catch. The senior is purportedly recovering from a groin strain suffered this winter. He was the No. 1 tight end in Tempo with Tremble No. 2 and Takacs No. 3. OFFENSIVE LINE Though the opening Tempo drill did not reflect what we saw in live action, the starting offensive line from 2019 was relatively intact save for Banks at left guard, replaced by Josh Lugg with Liam Eichenberg (LT) Jarrett Patterson (C), Kraemer (RG), and Hainsey (RT). Colin Grunhard moved to left guard during live periods with John Dirksen at right guard and Lugg sliding to right tackle where he operated for the final six weeks of 2019. Andrew Kristofic (LT), converted defensive tackle Hunter Spears (LG), Zeke Correll (C), Dirksen (RG), and Quinn Carroll (RT) were the official ‘No. 2’ unit for the sake of reference, with Cole Mabry (LT) walk-on Max Siegal (LG), Grunhard (C), John Olmstead (RG), and walk-on Quinn Murphy (RT) rousing out the third group. Kelly offered of Kraemer and Hainsey: “They're not limited. We limit them on GPS today. Hainsey got up over 500 on his GPS, which is a workload number for us. It's a number that (trainer) Rob Hunt and I look at and feel like where he is we want a certain workload for him. He got to about 500 and we wanted to shut him down. Kraemer got to about 375 and we shut him down today. But those guys are going to continue to work through and be able to do virtually everything during the spring, so we're pleased with their progress. Kelly added that Banks would be out for about 5-6 weeks with a fractured foot but would be full-go for August Camp. Josh Lugg has an opportunity to win the left guard role in Banks’ stead but today he was needed at right tackle where he started the final five games of 2019. I noted both Ade Ogundeji and Ovie Oghoufo beating Lugg around the edge during certain reps but considering the senior bounced between left guard and right tackle and wasn’t allowed to fully engage the defender, he had a fine first day. QUARTERBACKS No pads, no press coverage, and thus no surprise that Ian Book would succeed in such a setting. After a couple of early misses, Book began dealing, his most impressive throw down the seam to Tremble in front of Hamilton (for a touchdown), and two others to the field flat over the outstretched arms of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Decisive is probably the best word to describe Book’s day. Very few check-downs which is ideal for the setting. Book took time to coach early enrollee Drew Pyne during drill work as well. (Pyne’s lack of physical stature was notable next to Book and Brendon Clark.) Clark missed more throws in the first one-on-one segment than he did later in practice. The redshirt-freshman completed a pass deep downfield while rolling right in 11-on-11 action (either to McKinley or Micah Jones, they were out of my vision). Cornerback Cam Hart came up to contain Clark and as Hart broke forward, Clark released downfield, an athletic play despite the red jersey in a no-contact practice. It’s likewise fair to say Clark’s accuracy was not equal to Pyne’s in their limited reps. That might be more decision-making than mechanics in 7-on-7 action. RUNNING BACKS First the good news: the heavily rumored ‘major’ injury to a Notre Dame running back was just that—a rumor—as Lance Taylor’s unit operated intact led by senior Jafar Armstrong. Armstrong was spelled by (in order) C’Bo Flemister (with the first team) Jahmir Smith (to begin the second unit), and Kyren Williams (replacing Smith) with senior Avery Davis working exclusively with the wide receivers. No pads, no tackling, and no one hitting the ground makes for a sparse running backs report, but it was Flemister and Smith that were quick through the hole in their sporadic 11-on-11 rushes (tag-off), while Williams authored the most impressive move in space, catching a pass to the boundary flat and subsequently shaking Jordan Genmark Heath in open space during 7-on-7. It’s tag-off, but you have to be able to tag him…. 5COMMENTS Overheard coordinator Brian Polian take a tip from one of his colleagues during special teams drills, this one for the punt coverage unit in which blockers first engage a defender, then break downfield to cover the punt: “Coach Taylor makes a good point: we’re talking false steps. We can’t first step back to step forward…that’s wasting time!”
defense Spoiler As anticipated, there were a few Notre Dame defensive players sidelined for the first day of spring drills on Thursday, March 5. Defensive tackle Howard Cross III (shoulder), linebacker Jack Lamb (hip) and linebacker Shayne Simon (patella) all were off to the side working with Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning staff. None were expected to return this spring, although Brian Kelly indicated following Thursday’s practice that Lamb is “about three weeks out.” We’ll see if that proves true. DEFENSIVE LINE No surprises up front with the knowledge that Daelin Hayes will not be in contact drills this spring. In skeleton drills, the front four was Hayes at Viper, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa at tackle, Kurt Hinish at the nose and Ade Ogundeji at the big end position. When the Irish went into a brief 11-on-11 move-the-ball drill, Ovie Oghoufo replaced Hayes with the other three up front intact. Isaiah Foskey also received some reps at the Viper position. It will be fun watching Oghoufo this spring. On one pass rush, he ran right by right tackle Cole Mabry. As speculated by Irish Illustrated a day earlier, red-shirt sophomore Justin Ademilola has indeed moved from Viper to the big end position, where he joins Ade Ogundeji, NaNa Osafo-Mensah, red-shirt junior Kofi Wardlow and presumably early-entry freshman Alexander Ehrensberger (see below). The move to big end by Ademilola seems to make sense on a couple of fronts. Ogundeji needs another big body to form a big-end tandem and Ademilola fits the bill. He looks even bigger than his 6-foot-1¾, 248-pound listing. Listed at 6-foot-1¾, 296 pounds, Hinish looks as stout as he’s been at Notre Dame. Working behind Hinish was sophomore Jacob Lacey, who fought through shoulder problems in November and has healed well enough to remain on the field. The kid is proving himself to be a real warrior. During positional drills, early-entry freshman Alexander Ehrensberger was taking reps with the nose tackles. It’s unlikely the 6-foot-6 7/8, 247-pound Ehrensberger ends up on the interior. But presumably, in order to balance the rep lines, he worked with the nose tackles. Listed as a defensive end coming out of high school, the expected move of early-entry freshman Rylie Mills to three-technique took place Thursday. He worked behind veterans Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Jayson Ademilola. LINEBACKERS The Rover position remained Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Paul Moala and Marist Liufau with his free-flowing hair covering his shoulders. The change came with Jack Kiser, who worked at Rover during a defensive skeleton drill and then took reps at Buck alongside J.D. Bertrand. Bertrand also took skeleton reps at both inside spots. Although it seemed likely that either Owusu-Koramoah or Moala would change positions, both worked at Rover with Liufau and Kiser. Physically, Owusu-Koramoah looks chiseled but still relatively light at a listed 215 pounds. In order to play Buck, Owusu-Koramoah would have to slap on some pounds. Better to just leave him at Rover and let his natural skillset take over. He was trending way up when the 2019 season came to a close. Coming out as the No. 1s at Mike and Buck linebacker were red-shirt junior Drew White and senior Jordan Genmark Heath. When the Irish went 7-on-7 late in the practice, it was Liufau with the twos next to Bo Bauer, whose chance to take his destructive nature on special teams to the defense could come into play. The Irish sure could use Genmark Heath to emerge. He’ll be a senior in the fall. It’s his last hurrah. Even though he’s a converted safety, he’s now been at the position long enough to have the best feel for the position among all the candidates. Not sure if he does indeed have the “best feel” for Buck. Liufau is an intriguing prospect. Long with bounce, Liufau is now listed at 6-foot-2½, 221. He’s one good summer away from being a long 230-pounder with safety-like athleticism on the second level. Red-shirt freshman Osita Ekwonu didn’t seem to be in the mix with the others and needed assistance from a teammate to get lined up properly when he entered the late-in-the-practice 11-on-11. 9COMMENTS DEFENSIVE BACKS Houston Griffith came out with the first team at safety opposite Kyle Hamilton. Isaiah Pryor rotated with Griffith while D.J. Brown backed up the budding star Hamilton. It was a good day for Griffith, who has been expected to win jobs each of the past two seasons, only to struggle and be replaced. Griffith and the rest of the defensive backs took part in a one-on-one drill with Ian Book pinpointing most of his throws. The vast majority of the 35 one-on-ones were won by the offense. The exceptions were K.J. Wallace against Ben Skowronek, D.J. Brown versus George Takacs, Brown against Tommy Tremble, TaRiq Bracy against Kevin Austin, and Griffith twice – once against Brock Wright and one against Tremble. D.J. Brown completed a solid day as Hamilton’s backup with a 7-on-7 interception on a pass thrown by Brendon Clark. Obviously Brown isn’t competing with Hamilton for playing time. But if Brown can turn in practices like he did Thursday, he could have a say at the other safety spot. By Kyle Hamilton standards, it was an unspectacular day. You’ll recall last August the Hamilton interception count, which escalated in bunches at times. Thursday, no Hamilton interceptions and no real ball disruptions. Not really sure based upon this practice alone what the Irish have in Ohio State grad transfer Isaiah Pryor. There was nothing of real note until late in the 11-on-11 on a pass intended for Javon McKinley. Pryor would have been credited with a pass broken up. McKinley redeemed himself during the 11-on-11 by making plays on red-shirt freshman cornerback Cam Hart and projected starter Bracy, who also was beaten late in the practice by Kevin Austin. It was interesting to see Hart come out ahead of Wallace after Bracy. Brian Kelly said after practice that Hart (shoulder) is in “aggressive shadow” mode, which is a way of saying aggressive just short of physicality. Hart is new to the position whereas that’s Wallace’s position by trade. The No. 1 cornerbacks were, no surprise, Shaun Crawford and TaRiq Bracy. Backing up Crawford was red-shirt freshman Isaiah Rutherford with Hart and K.J. Wallace getting the reps behind Bracy. Rutherford received the bulk of the reps in place of Crawford from about the Period 15 mark on as Crawford nursed a bit of a hamstring pull. SPECIAL TEAMS Five players caught punts from Jay Bramblett and Jake Rittman – Kevin Austin, Kyren Williams, Caleb Offord, Lawrence Keys III and K.J. Wallace. Austin was first in line, followed by Williams. Offord, the early-entry freshman, seemed very comfortable catching punts. At one point, each of the punt returners started with a football in his off-hand and tried to catch punts one-handed. That was not an Offord specialty.
this annoys me because the numbers don't really back this up. it's ok to admit that we weren't great running the ball and things need to change in order to beat clemson and wisconsin
The run game numbers overall were pretty good. The number of stuffs and the conversion rate on 3rd and short were quite bad. Books vertical threat does not help and is not an insignificant piece of that though.
Unless my dad gets a wild hair up his ass and buys flights to Ireland I have two tickets for someone who needs them Season holder lottery never fails.
Chip Long finally landed at Tennessee as an offensive analyst. What a fall from potential P5 head coach.
Are we still paying him? Is he better off not getting a coaching salary? Analyst jobs may not count as offset salary on a buyout
My guess is that with recent history nobody wants to take a chance on a coach that abuses players verbally.
The Irish Illustrated guys were all under the impression that Brey will step away after this season. Our situation is in contrast to the results with Wisconsin
The way they put it is if he doesn't retire on his own, Swarbrick will demand he make changes to the program which he probably won't do and ultimately retire.