that's an elite level start and i truly believe that Buchner will be a 5* by the end assuming he stays healthy the rest of the way Crippen is a definite top 250 guy and he might be the best Center next year ND is also in on a ton of the top 100 guys in their list including being the leader to #51, CB jakalil johnson - same HS has jordan johnson but no relation. We are going to need to top level CBs in 2021
Also, a follow up to the Pitbull no show. There is a chance the concert was never going to happen. A stagehand told a friend that there was never a contract signed because they were so far apart in money, but the owner opened the venue and sold concessions for a concert he knew wasn't happening.
Can we stop with the here say and blasphemy? I for one refuse to believe Mr. 305 is seeking more than he is worth, or that he is a party to such controversy.
You're probably right. He has to pay royalties to other people for using their music instead of being creative.
midweek musings Spoiler Midweek thoughts about the Notre Dame football program, its recruiting efforts and college football. VETERAN EMERGENCE NEEDED Every time Notre Dame has a strong season on the field there are a number of factors that go into it, obviously. But one theme I’ve found during the Brian Kelly tenure is the emergence of veteran players that were either previously role players/backups, or a returning starters who went from being average to outstanding. In 2012, the emergence of TJ Jones at wide receiver, Prince Shembo at defensive end, Danny Spond at linebacker and Bennett Jackson at cornerback were just as important as dominant seasons from established veterans like Zack Martin, Louis Nix and Manti Te’o, and breakout seasons from young players like Everett Golson at quarterback or Stephon Tuitt. In 2015, it was Sheldon Day going from being a high-upside player that couldn’t stay healthy or produce to his talent level to being a star for the Irish defense. It was a breakout from Romeo Okwara, Nick Martin turning into a standout at center and of course, CJ Prosise turning into a 1,000-yard back. In 2017, we saw Te’von Coney go from struggling linebacker to standout playmaker. Drue Tranquill moved to rover and became a star for the defense, Jerry Tillery started to break out and Durham Smythe developed into a key cog on the offense. Last season it was the development of Jalen Elliott at safety, Julian Okwaraat defensive end, Miles Boykin at wide receiver and Dexter Williams at running back. I expect similar breakouts to happen along the offensive line, with Robert Hainsey, Liam Eichenberg and Tommy Kraemer all in line for breakout seasons. But there are four other players who I predict to have a major jump in production this season, and if they do it would fuel another potential playoff run for Notre Dame. Jafar Armstrong, RB – Adding Tony Jones Jr. to this conversation would be easy, and I expect Jones and Armstrong to be a potent duo this season, but Armstrong is the player who could have the greatest impact if he has a breakout. Jones is a do-it-all player that should be a key cog in the offense, but Armstrong brings home run ability to the offense, and is versatility is unmatched. Jones is a weapon out of the backfield, but Armstrong can line up at wide receiver and run legitimate downfield routes, catch the ball downfield and still be a major weapon running the ball. If he can stay healthy and develop like I expect there is little doubt that Armstrong wil be a major impact player for Notre Dame, one capable of putting up well over 1,200 yards of offense. Michael Young, WR – Chris Finke went from 16 catches his first three seasons to 49 last fall. Boykin went from 18 catches in his first three seasons to 59 last fall. I don’t know if he’ll have that kind of jump, but I fully expect junior wideout Michael Young to vastly improve upon his 11 career catches. Young caught just seven balls last season, but he had two of the three longest catches of the season by a receiver, and he brings a speed/playmaking component the offense desperately needed. If Chase Claypool plays to his potential and Finke keeps doing what he did last year, teams will have a hard time paying attention to Young. If he can stay healthy and focused, those opportunities should allow him to become a major weapon on the Irish offense. Kurt Hinish, DT – He might not produce at a high level due to being the nose tackle, so I’m obviously not seeing a Jerry Tillery type breakout from Hinish, but his development this season is key to Notre Dame having a championship caliber defense. Hinish showed flashes of being a playmaker at nose last season, and now that he enters his third season he should be stronger, more physical at the point of attack and more capable of being a factor against the run. If Hinish can anchor the middle of the defense against the run it should free up the linebackers to attack more and make more plays. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Rover– Notre Dame needs a major jump in production at rover this season after a down year in 2018. I discussed why that matters here, but the fact is having an impact athlete at rover is important in this defensive philosophy. Owusu-Koramoah has never played a down of defense at Notre Dame, but he has the athleticism, playmaking ability and range to do major damage on the perimeter against the run, the screen game and as an edge rusher. When he’s assignment sound he shows impressive skills in coverage as well. He’ll likely be part of a rotation at rover, along with sophomore Paul Moala, but Owusu-Koramoah breaking out and turning his athleticism/potential in production would be huge for the Notre Dame defense. PAST SUCCESS HAVING CURRENT IMPACT ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL Success breeds success, and on the recruiting trail early success breeds even better returns. Notre Dame’s recent success on the recruiting trail is partly due to the team’s outstanding on-field results the last two years, but it goes deeper than that. The Notre Dame staff worked hard to put together an outstanding 2018 class, and it mostly filled up early, which led to success in 2019. Notre Dame’s 2019 class was all but done by the time the season started, and a number of top 2020 and 2021 targets were on campus during the fall and winter, which has led to Notre Dame having borderline top five classes in both the 2020 and 2021 classes. Notre Dame’s 2020 class is on the verge of the best offensive haul of the Kelly tenure, and the defensive line haul is once again quite strong. Mike Elston’sstrong results on the recruiting trail in recent seasons might best epitomize what I’m talking about here. Elston got early commitments in 2018 from Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola and Ja’Mion Franklin. That allowed him to get an early start on the 2019 class, and by mid-May he already had Jacob Lacey, Hunter Spears, NaNa Osafo-Mensah and Howard Cross III in the class. That early success benefitted him in two major ways. One, it allowed Elston to focus all his 2019 attention on defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who he was able to add late. It also allowed him to focus early attention on top 2020 targets like Rylie Mills and Aidan Keanaaina. It’s mid-June and Elston is all but done with his 2020 line class, and that allowed him to focus on 2021. The result is Elston recently adding Rivals100 defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio from the 2021 class. Notre Dame's offensive staff spent over a year recruiting five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson and Rivals100 back Chris Tyree, which helped them add both. Offensive coordinator Chip Long was able to get early commitments from standout tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman early. Long and his staff are already working hard on putting the 2021 class now that his 2020 class is almost done. This is happening at a lot of positions, and the result is a major uptick in recruiting. RANKING THE OPPOSING COACHES During a recent radio segment on WSBT, I was asked who the best opposing head coach was on Notre Dame’s schedule. That sparked an idea for Midweek Musings. Here is my ranking of the head coaches on Notre Dame’s 2019 schedule. 1. David Shaw, Stanford– Although the recruiting has slipped and Stanford is a bit on the decline, going 82-26 at a place like Stanford is truly special. Shaw does not get the credit he deserves nationally. Could you imagine what Shaw would do if he had the talent Kirby Smart had to work with? 2. Kirby Smart, Georgia– He was an excellent defensive coordinator, and although I have some questions about his game day coaching in big moments, what he has done in three years at Georgia both on the field (32-10) and off the field (back-to-back No. 1 ranked recruiting classes) has been brilliant. 3. David Cutcliffe, Duke– Like Shaw, Cutcliffe is a brilliant offensive mine that gets the most out of his talent. The vast majority of coaches would have a far, far worse record at Duke than Cutcliffe. He’s another guy who would win a ton of games if he was at a school where getting top players was an option. 4. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan– I dropped Harbaugh down because despite how successful he was at Stanford, and the solid job he has done at Michigan, he has been dominated by his rivals and has yet to win a division title or conference championship, something Cutcliffe did at Duke. 5. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia – His teams are going to be disciplined, physical and hard-nosed. Mendenhall is a quality football coach that has quickly gotten Virginia on t rack after going 99-43 at BYU. 6. Scott Satterfield, Louisville– It will take some time for Satterfield to get Louisville turned around, but he’s a coach capable of doing that after leading his alma mater (Appalachian State) to a 51-24 record, including 40-11 the last four years. 7. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech– Prior to last season’s 6-7 campaign, Fuente had four straight seasons with at least nine wins. He won the ACC Coastal Division crown in his first year and I expect a bounceback from the Hokies in 2019. 8. Ken Niuamatalolo, Navy– Not that long ago the head man for the Midshipmen would have been much higher up the list, but a 19-21 record the last three years, including a 3-10 mark in 2018, has combined with an overhauled staff to raise questions about the direction of the Navy program. Back-to-back losses to Army haven’t helped. 9. Clay Helton, USC – Not having Sam Darnold and Ronald Jones to erase deep problems in the program showed Clay Helton to be what I’ve always felt he was … out of his element. We’ll see if I’m wrong this season, but Helton has never shown me to be USC material. 10. Steve Addazio, Boston College – Addazio enters his seventh season at Boston College and he’s led them to exactly seven wins in all but one season, a 3-9 campaign in 2015. So predicting another 7-win season won’t be hard, but that level of mediocrity at a program capable of better has him way down the list for me. 11. Bob Davie, New Mexico– Leading New Mexico to back-to-back bowl games in 2015-16 was really impressive but going 6-18 since then has Davie on the hot seat. He has a 68-79 career record and was a failure at Notre Dame. 12. Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green– Loeffler has good ties to the Midwest and could do well at Bowling Green, but he’s a first-year head coach and that place is a mess right now. TWEET OF THE WEEK Yes, it is that time of the year! The season is right around the corner! View image on Twitter Notre Dame Football ✔@NDFootball First day back with the full team #GoIrish 922 8:38 PM - Jun 17, 2019 82 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy FILM TO WATCH Notre Dame already has two top offensive line targets committed in the 2021 class, with Avon (Ind.) High School star Blake Fisher and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout Greg Crippen already in the fold. Fisher recently checked in as the No. 14 player in the country in the first edition of the Rivals100 for his class. With Fisher in the fold the top offensive line target in the 2021 class becomes Olney (Md.) Good Counsel standout Landon Tengwall .
EJ's thoughts on the Rivals 100 and what it means for ND Spoiler 1. OL Class Can Be Special Notre Dame already has two commits at the position and is squarely in the mix with several high-end targets. In fact, Notre Dame has hosted 10 of its 12 offensive line targets for visits. Looking at the Rivals100, Notre Dame is set to host No. 10 Tommy Brockermeyer from Fort Worth All Saints (Texas) for an unofficial visit today. He will be a tough pull, but his interest in ND is legit. Warwick (Pa.) tackle Nolan Rucci came in at No. 28. While most feel like Penn State is in the lead, Notre Dame is a factor. The Irish recently offered No. 40 Donovan Jackson from Bellaire Episcopal (Texas) and will push to get him on campus this fall. No. 59 Landon Tengwall from Good Counsel (Md.) was featured in our ‘Who’s Next’ story and would be a monster addition to the class. No. 76 Rocco Spindler of Clarkston (Mich.) visited Notre Dame in the fall and remains interested. Lastly, No. 91 Ben Christman from Revere (Ohio) was just on campus over the weekend. Kudos to Jeff Quinn for a masterful job early on. 91 NATIONAL - STATE 12 POSITION BEN CHRISTMAN RANK 5.9 6'6" | 298 LBS | OT REVERE RICHFIELD, OH CLASS OF 2021 UNDECIDED 2. WR Class Can Be Just As Great Something that I really noticed when I was putting together content for the Rivals100 release was the fact that Notre Dame is in a strong position for some of the country’s best wide receivers. My favorite of the bunch is St. John Bosco’s (Calif.) Beaux Collins , who checked in at No. 19. I think this dude is a five-star talent and a must-land for next cycle. Notre Dame has already hosted him for a visit and is a top school early on. Notre Dame is also a top school for Steilacoom’s (Wash.) Emeka Egbuka (No. 8) and Pickerington Central’s (Ohio) Lorenzo Styles (No. 25). Both have also visited Notre Dame and love what the Irish have to offer. Notre Dame might be in the best overall position with Mater Dei (Calif.) product Cristian Dixon , who came in at No. 65. In fact, I would say Notre Dame leads at this point, but he’s not close to making a decision. And don’t forget the Georgia duo of Jaquez Smith (No. 79) and Deion Colzie (No. 95). Smith has Notre Dame in his top group, and Colzie was on campus this month. 95 NATIONAL - STATE 8 POSITION DEION COLZIE RANK 5.9 6'4" | 180 LBS | ATH ATHENS ACADEMY ATHENS, GA CLASS OF 2021 UNDECIDED 3. Top Overall Class The release of the Rivals100 gave us our first glimpse at the 2021 Rivals team rankings. And guess what? Notre Dame has the best class in the country. That’s right, the very best. Notre Dame is the only school in America with three commits inside the Rivals100. The Irish boosted their score in a major way this weekend with the additions of Avon (Ind.) offensive lineman Blake Fisher and Lutheran of St. Charles (Mo.) defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio . You need elite players in the trenches to win national championships, and Fisher and Rubio checked in at No. 14 and No. 81, respectively. A winning formula also requires a top quarterback, and Notre Dame certainly has its guy in The Bishop’s School (Calif.) quarterback Tyler Buchner , who came in at No. 52. It’s one hell of a start for Brian Kelly and company. 52 NATIONAL 6 STATE 7 POSITION TYLER BUCHNER RANK 5.9 6'2" | 195 LBS | PRO QB BISHOPS SAN DIEGO, CA CLASS OF 2021 VERBAL COMMIT 3/8/2019 NOTRE DAME 4. Better Days Ahead For DB Board The 2020 defensive back board has been nothing short of a revolving door, and it appears the Irish will strike out with elite level corners this cycle as La Habra’s (Calif.) Clark Phillips is leaning Ohio State. With that said, Notre Dame is on the mind of the top corners in the country in 2021. Both Tony Grimes (No. 23) of Princess Anne (Va.) and Ga’Quincy McKinstry (No. 30) of Pinson Valley (Ala.) are looking to visit at some point in the near future. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is considered the early favorite for De Smet (Mo.) corner Jakailin Johnson , who came in at No. 54. Notre Dame is also a top three school for Denton Ryan (Texas) athlete Billy Bowman , who camped with Notre Dame for Irish Invasion. Bowman came in at No. 88. Simply put, corner recruiting is set to take a step forward next cycle. 88 NATIONAL 13 STATE 6 POSITION BILLY BOWMAN RANK 5.9 5'10" | 170 LBS | ATH RYAN DENTON, TX CLASS OF 2021 UNDECIDED 5. Huge Early Visits Of the Top 10 recruits in the country, Notre Dame has already gotten three on campus. The aforementioned Brockermeyer actually starts his visit today. As mentioned, Brockermeyer is going to be a tough land from the Lone Star State. He is a Texas legacy, and most have his siding with the Longhorns. Still, Brockermeyer loves the education offered at Notre Dame as well as the offensive line history. I also mentioned Egbuka in the wide receiver section as a legitimate option. Egbuka visited in the spring and would like to make it back in the fall. He is an explosive athlete that is pretty open early on. Lastly, Lakeview Centennial running back Camar Wheaton (No. 5) saw Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago and was impressed with his first trip to South Bend. A return visit is in the works as well. However, regional schools will be tough to beat.
So a bit of personal news this morning. I got engaged last night! Not sure if anyone on here has met her at any tailgates last year, but she'll be around this year for sure. She's excited to meet "my internet friends" from "that TMB thing"
Congrats my dude!! Side note: One of my favorite things about meeting up with TMB guys at tailgates is explaining how I know them...
thanks guys! feels a bit weird this morning, but exciting. haha well i have had the ring since late feb. we agreed we wanted to get through my surgery and the early part of the recovery before we did anything, but she knew i had the ring so knew it was coming and was hinting hard that she wanted it soon. so starting a couple weeks ago, i started faking her out. i'd buy her flowers, make her/taker her out to nice diners, and i'd get down on one knee - to tie my shoes, or pull up my socks. to the point where she was convinced it wasn't happening soon. and then last night she came over for dinner (sous vide of a gigantic tomahawk ribeye - i swear, i didn't propose just so i'd have an excuse to cook that), i had decorated the living room with flowers, signs on the wall, etc. no picture taker or pulbic displays or anything like that. simple but not vanilla
of course, the living room is still all decorated (including some rose petals on the floor) and i just had a delivery of an entertainment center. got a bit of a strange look from the delivery guys
Think we are getting 3 3star dB commitments. Usually I’d be concerned but they made kids come validate their offers in person (I think they were sick of dbs showing up and not being as athletic as they claimed) so hope they are good evaluators.