Uh-oh. Even Mike Frank was effusive in praise for the defense - particularly the DL today. That's remarkable all by itself.
They were notably disruptive. The D as a whole looked much more relaxed and engaged. I think after today they could be a top 40 ish unit if they stay healthy. I just hope it wasn't our OL sucking.
Tim Prister Practice report Spoiler Any time a football program scrimmages, there’s no way you can come away from it completely happy with everything that took place on both sides of the football. The give-and-take of a scrimmage dictates that someone did well and someone didn’t, and thus, there’s work to be done. The hour-and-a-half scrimmage in Notre Dame Stadium Sunday between predominately the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense and the No. 2 offense vs. the No. 2 defense was a little different. Ideally, you’re seeking a) that the perceived weaknesses of a team make a move toward becoming strengths and b) the strengths still manage to show enough to remain optimistic. That’s what happened Sunday when the Irish defense stayed on a trend that we witnessed in the second and third open practices to the media while the offense hit its share of plays. The proof is in September when the Irish face four physical programs – Temple, Georgia, Boston College and Michigan State. But I think we can say the Notre Dame defense that we had become accustomed since the sixth game of 2014 through the fourth game of 2016 is no longer awful. In fact, it’s downright promising. The defensive line can hold its own and the linebackers flow well to the football. The fundamentals (re: tackling) are improved. They play together as one as opposed to 11 guys over-thinking their responsibilities, ad thus creating paralysis. After the No. 1 offense marched 85 yards on 14 plays, capped by a Josh Adams one-yard touchdown run, the Nos. 1 and 2 defenses held the Nos. 1 and 2 offenses to no touchdowns over the next six possessions, right up until Ian Book’s pass to Dexter Williams from 17 yards out as the junior running back made a nifty, athletic over-the-shoulder grab with 12 seconds left in the first half. Justin Yoon missed a field goal wide right from 54 yards a bit short and to the left, and from 49 yards wide right on the ensuing drive. (Brian Kelly was talking operation with holder Montgomery VanGorder after the second miss.) There was a five-and-out series in which Jerry Tillery slashed to his left for a four-yard tackle for a loss of Adams (with Julian Love assisting). There was a three-and-out that ended on a Daelin Hayes sack (beating RT Tommy Kraemer). There was a three-and-out on a near interception by Jamir Jones of an Ian Book pass and a pass defensed by Donte Vaughn on a Book-to-Miles Boykin attempt. There were the sacks by Khalid Kareem and Okwara that led to a punt on a seven-play drive as well, although a quick whistle on the Kareem sack likely would have been a touchdown in a game as Book found Chase Claypool, who had gotten behind Vaughn and Devin Studstill. In the third quarter, there were four full series with just one first down. Of those four series, there were two three-and-outs and one four-and-out as Okwara held Williams to no gain on 4th-and-1 at midfield. On the flip side, there were offensive plays made – a 22-yard Brandon Wimbush-to-Equanimeous St. Brown pass; a Wimbush-to-St. Brown 13-yarder on 2nd-and-8; a Wimbush-to-St. Brown 18-yarder on 4th-and-4; a Wimbush-to-Durham Smythe 13-yarder to the one-yard line. All of these plays came in the opening drive. Book’s 19-yarder to Michael Young, as Pete Sampson described, showed that the rookie receiver is “freakin’ lightning.” Only a shirt-pulling tackle by cornerback Troy Pride Jr. prevented it from perhaps becoming a 73-yard score (which likely means a safety was not in ideal position). There was the 54-yarder to Claypool that was nullified by the touch sack. There were Wimbush’s 19-yarder to Alize Mack and 14-yarder to Claypool, who unofficially finished with four catches for 75 yards that would have been five for 129 without the aforementioned Kareem touch sack. Other offensive plays: An 11-yard Book-to-Jafar Armstrong pass. A 10-yard run by Dexter Williams. An 11-yard Book-to-Claypool pass. A 42-yard play-action pass from Wimbush-to-Claypool in which a pump fake/double move put Love in catch-up mode. A 23-yard scramble by Book. The first-half-capping Book-to-Williams touchdown toss. MOST ENCOURAGING -- OFFENSE Chip Long offered a variety of formations, choosing to stay away from multiple tight ends (except in short-yardage and red-zone situations with Brock Wright at fullback, Mack and Nic Weishar in the game). He used split backs around a shotgun-receiving Wimbush and flashed the bubble screen game (which is absolutely tailor-made for Young’s and C.J. Sanders’ burst) One thing to keep in mind until the bullets are live and Wimbush can take a hit. We were not going to see the full array of RPOs without the R – the Wimbush run. You cannot judge this offense based upon Sunday’s scrimmage without the full repertoire of RPOs mixed in. Wimbush’s accuracy was outstanding, and his chemistry with St. Brown looks strong. Claypool – despite taking a couple of shots from Love and Jalen Elliott – was a very encouraging sign as the Irish seek complements for St. Brown. (Note: Cam Smith caught one pass for a loss and that was it for the day. He and St. Brown saw limited reps because the staff knows what they can do.) Tempo was a constant part of the offense, and that will make it difficult for opposing defenses, particularly with Notre Dame’s depth at running back and receiver. There’s no way this offensive line keeps pace without the extreme strength-and-conditioning work put in the last eight months. I have to admit that after disavowing the notion that a bunch of receivers is better than three go-to guys, the notion may have some merit, although Boykin continues to have consistency issues and Chris Finke wasn’t a factor. (I still contend that when push comes to shove and it’s live action, those players who finish with 17 or 22 catches on the season are receivers who either a) don’t play as much or b) don’t get open consistently. Most encouraging with the offense is Wimbush, who is a brilliant athlete that can make plays with his arm and eventually his legs. I agree with Sampson that Wimbush’s elusiveness will cause way more problems for the opposition than his lack of contact the last two years. By the same token, I don’t think it’s as easy as flipping a switch where suddenly Wimbush makes all the right decisions as it relates to hanging in the pocket or taking off. That can only be accrued through playing time, so I can see some sacks early in the season amidst that indecision as he regains his “live mode.” Book can play. He’s more likely to throw an errant pass into coverage than Wimbush. But he can make the short throws and he is a weapon as a runner. I dare say he makes the decision to tuck it and run more accurately and decisively than Wimbush does, although again, Wimbush is wearing a red jersey and needs truly live competition. MOST ENCOURAGING – DEFENSE Mike Elko talked Wednesday about Daelin Hayes, Jay Hayes, Andrew Trumbetti, Julian Okwara, Adetokunbo Ogundeji and Khalid Kareem as guys who can put pressure on the quarterback. They absolutely did that, which bodes well for the upcoming season while turning a light of scrutiny on the offensive line, particularly Tommy Kraemer at right tackle (see Most Discouraging – Offense below). The defensive front held the point of attack and then some. Unofficially through three quarters (before the third- and fourth-teamers took over) – including sacks and plays blown dead prematurely when the quarterback ran the football – the ground game accounted for 68 yards on 25 carries. That’s pressure on the quarterback, holding the point of attack, and the linebackers fitting gaps in a hurry. During the first three open practice, we questioned Okwara’s size and physicality when head-up on an offensive tackle. But you better block Okwara because if he has some space and a path to the quarterback, he’s going to get there in a hurry. Same with Daelin Hayes. The freshman Hayes was a shell of the sophomore Hayes. The linebacker corps is as good as we expected, and that includes Te’von Coney, who is the equivalence of a starter off the bench. The short-yardage defense was outstanding. On a 4th-and-3, Josh Adams was stopped short. On a 3rd-and-1, Brandon Tiassum dumped Deon McIntosh for a two-yard loss. On a 3rd-and-1, Coney stopped Williams for no gain. On the ensuing 4th-and-1, Okwara stopped Williams short of the first down. MOST DISCOURAGING – OFFENSE With the success of the defense detailed above, that meant that the veteran offensive line with Kraemer at right tackle hardly dominated for a unit that some have called a potential dominant front. Kraemer was a part of that, but let’s not get caught up in potential options here. Kraemer is the fifth best offensive lineman on the team. He hasn’t taken a game snap since his senior year of high school. Some patience is required. Hunter Bivin cannot play tackle effectively enough to unseat Kraemer. Liam Eichenberg was overtaken a couple of times and called for holding. He’s not as physical as Kraemer. Freshman Robert Hainsey is undersized and was called for holding. Kraemer is the right tackle. Period. He’ll get better as the season progresses, and the one thing he can do is power run block. MOST DISCOURAGING – DEFENSE We still don’t know what the safeties can do and there were enough downfield strikes – particularly the 54-yarder that was ruled a sack – to put this area at the forefront of concerns, even ahead of the interior defensive linemen. Jerry Tillery was excellent laterally, which would play better as a three-technique. But that was last year’s position. He still needs to be better horizontally, and not surprisingly, Quenton Nelson overpowered him a few times. But Tillery is improved and one can expect a consistent effort to go along with a much stronger body. Sampson mentioned in his offensive practice report that Jonathan Bonner had an anonymous scrimmage, which isn’t a bad thing. He wasn’t blown off the football. He likely won’t make a lot of individual plays. But if he holds the point, there are some talented, aggressive linebackers right behind him who will make a ton of plays. I also concur with Tim O’Malley on the concern at the backup tackle positions with freshman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Kurt Hinish. Ideally, you’d like juniors Micah Dew-Treadway and Brandon Tiassum to be ready for those No. 2 spots. Tiassum flashed, as he has a few times since the Blue-Gold Game, but he’s running No. 3 behind Tillery and Hinish for a reason. He allows himself to be blocked too easily and too frequently. I also agree with O’Malley as it relates to Love. He’s not overrated, but he may be a bit overhyped. He had a great freshman season, but he’s not a burner. That will show itself at times unless he is letter-perfect in his technique, which is difficult to do against speedy live competition. THOUGHTS AT LARGE • You will see Daelin Hayes, Andrew Trumbetti and Julian Okwara on the field together in pass rush situations. Trumbetti has to show a bit more than he did Sunday. • The 18-yard pass from Wimbush to St. Brown in the opening series was brilliant, and we’ve seen it before. Wimbush is incredibly accurate when flushed to his right. He drops the arm angle of his throw and can really drop a dime, even throwing off his back foot. Bottom line: What Wimbush needs now is live bullets. It’s time, and odds look good that he will shine. • Yes, the quarterback will get under center in the red zone, particularly inside the five. It’s understandable, but we talk about it like it’s a breakthrough in the game of football. Common sense finally prevails. • Justin Yoon is not locked in. He didn’t have a good practice (10 periods) the previous Saturday and he continued the trend eight days later. He did, however, drill a 24-yarder late in the scrimmage for an end-of-the-day confidence boost. • Tyler Newsome hit a short wobbler on his first punt attempt. He found his stride after that with a boomer to Chris Finke that should have been fair caught, another that was fair caught by Finke, and a 58-yarder early in the third quarter that was downed at the one. With two years of experience under his belt, and with his talent and commitment to strength and conditioning, Newsome should be a consistent weapon for the Irish – not the hit-and-miss guy of ’16. • Continue to be impressed by Adetokunbo Ogundeji, which Brian Kelly validated by saying he would guess that Matt Balis would consider Ogundeji his favorite defensive lineman in the weight room because of his eagerness and progress. • This quote bears repeating because it’s such a unique slant on a player. Kelly on Daelin Hayes: “He’s very intentional in everything he does. When he walks into our building, he counts the footsteps to our training room. He’s that intentional in terms of everything he does, to his workouts to what he eats to his film sessions…Everything is extremely intentional, everything that he’s doing, and that’s going to pay off. “He never comes to anything that’s football related unprepared. You’ll never find him not sitting in the front row, asking questions, staying late, wanting to be the best. Great players that I’ve been around possess that trait, and he possesses that trait. He’s also put on 25 pounds of really good cargo. Fast twitch, physical, and he’s matching that. You’re probably going to see that pay off on the field.” • There’s a lot to like about freshman Michael Young. Kicking it outside to the sideline when the path to daylight is up the field was not a good decision on a three-yard gain that could have been more with the correct read. • Freshman defensive end Kofi Wardlow, who will undoubtedly red-shirt this season, beat Jimmy Byrne to pressure Montgomery VanGorder into a Donte Vaughn interception. Walk-on Brian Ball made an interception on an up-for-grabs VanGorder pass a few plays later. • Brock Wright is Notre Dame’s best blocking tight end with Smythe, although he caught a three passes, including a 21-yarder from VanGorder late in the scrimmage. • It was a bit disappointing to see the mere smattering of fans in attendance at Sunday’s scrimmage. Based upon the traffic in the parking lots, one would have thought the crowd would have been much better. It appears that many of those who took advantage of the free tour of the Campus Crossroads Project did not take their curiosity onto the football field. • The video board is big and beautiful. Mike Bonner will unleash his background running the scoreboards in Yankee Stadium and for the Denver Broncos come game day. We did not see or fully experience what the video board will bring atmosphere-wise to Notre Dame Stadium. Sampson Spoiler Brian Kelly’s open Irish scrimmage Sunday encompassed about a Baker’s Dozen drives before the coaching staff emptied the benches. (Avery Davis to Javon McKinley marked the scrimmages final score – a deep ball over a weary Donte Vaughn.) The first unit fielded no surprises defensively, with Jay Hayes (Strong side), Jonathan Bonner (DT), Jerry Tillery (NT), and Daelin Hayes (Drop End) up front and the captain triumvirate of linebackers, Drue Tranquill (Rover), Nyles Morgan (Mike), and Greer Martini (Buck) behind them. Nick Watkins manned the boundary with Julian Love to the field as corners; Jalen Elliott (Free/Whip) and Nick Coleman (Strong/Stud) were the safeties behind them. Shaun Crawford (field, Nickel), Andrew Trumbetti (SDE), and Te’von Coney (Buck) earned reps with the first team over the starters’ initial pair of series. THE NEXT 11 The second team showed Khalid Kareem (SDE) and Trumbetti (Drop), with the freshmen tandem of Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (DT) and Kurt Hinish (NT) inside. The aforementioned Coney worked as the Buck ‘backer with Jamir Jones (Mike) and Asmar Bilal (Rover) while Donte Vaughn (boundary) and Troy Pride (field) worked as the corners backed by Isaiah Robertson (boundary) and Devin Studstill (field). The first string kickoff coverage unit was manned by (left-to-right): Shaun Crawford, Austin Webster, Drue Tranquill, Asmar Bilal, Jordan Genmark-Heath, Chase Claypool, Greer Martini, Isaiah Robertson, Tony Jones, Jr., and Julian Love plus freshman kicker Jonathan Doerer. DEFENSIVE LINE As noted in a story published on Irish Illustrated Friday, the defensive edges of Mike Elston’s unit appear poised for a quality – perhaps playmaking – campaign. (http://scout.com/college/notre-dame/Article/Notre-Dames-Defensive-Front-Built-Outside-In-106271458) Questions remain inside, and though Jerry Tillery did not enjoy much success in early snaps against Quenton Nelson (hello FieldTurf, meet the facemask), Tillery shot through for a pair of athletic tackles-for-loss against the first unit offensive front, once beating Mike McGlinchey to the inside and previously past Alex Bars for a loss of four yards. On both tackles, Tillery crossed the hash mark to run down the ball carrier to the boundary side. He is cat quick at 6’7”. Jonathan Bonner did not distinguish for me – that might be a good thing, because it likely means he held his gap, albeit in a pass-heavy practice. He was credited with a sack of Wimbush today but let met tell you what would have happened on that play had young Brandon not been wearing a blue jersey, folks… Khalid Kareem had his best practice that we’ve seen, not only “saving” a 54-yard touchdown pass with a sack (he touched the QB), but showing good push against both Robert Hainsey and Tommy Kraemer throughout. Said Kelly of Kareem post-scrimmage: “He's been under the radar. We've been really pleased with Khalid Kareem. Where he's changed a lot is his strength. Maybe he doesn't have first step quickness but he is so physically strong. He is deceptive in his ability to cross face, spin out, do some other things. He's been a player that's been emerging for us. I really like what he's doing.” It’s a problem for me – and for Notre Dame over a 12-game slate – if true freshmen Kurt Hinish and Myron Tagavailoa-Amosa are clearly ahead of junior rookies Brandon Tiassum and Micah Dew-Treadway in the DT/NT pecking order. My guess: it’s a closer competition than we’re told, but Hinish and MTA don’t have bad habits to eradicate as do their elders. I jotted down Tiassum’s name for positives on three separate occasions. None of the snaps, however, were won against an offensive lineman likely to play in a college football game this season. (I noted Dew-Treadway for a positive in pass rush as well.) I’ll ask Brian Kelly about the pair vs. the freshmen pair on Thursday. Darnell Ewell was moved 5 yards off the ball by walk-on Logan Plantz in Ewell’s first snap late in the contest. He held his own, including against a couple double-teams, thereafter. It’s a developmental year for Ewell. Julian Okwara has a really nice first step – and he can close. Curious to see if they can use him with Daelin Hayes AND Drue Tranquill in 3rd-and-very long situations. More important, can he come in and rush the passer on standard 3rd-and-9s? He shot across scrimmage for a TFL late in practice and registered a sack that negated a touchdown. Unlike a few others in the scrimmage vs. quarterbacks not-to-be-touched, this would have been an actual sack. The kid can move but needs weight. (Hey, a redshirt might have been prudent last season!) Daelin Hayes ran by Tommy Kraemer and Tony Jones, Jr. for a sack. Kraemer was occupied by a Drue Tranquillpass rush, too. Nice two-man game by Hayes and Tranquill to overwhelm the redshirt-freshmen pair of would-be-blockers. Ade Ogundeji might be able to help situationally this year – I think he’ll have a couple solid years rushing the passer in the future. Nice push and PBU vs. Tommy Kraemer. LINEBACKERS I thought Te’von Coney had a good day in run support, flashing twice through scrimmage and sifting through traffic on the myriad screens the offense tossed at the defense. Martini is the starter, and more versatile (quicker, more athletic) player but Coney brings some power against the run. Drue Tranquill opened the game stoning the lead blocker on a bubble screen to allow Julian Love a tackle-for-loss against Cam Smith. Notre Dame’s five-deep linebacker corps should be its best/deepest unit since 2012 when Te’o, Fox, Calabrese, and Spond served as a quality foursome. (Jarrett Grace was the fifth but today’s fifth, Asmar Bilal) will be far more involved than was Grace that fall.) Jamir Jones has some athleticism in coverage – a sideline PD on what appeared to be an out-route from the slot? (I missed the beginning of that snap.) Asmar Bilal flows to the ball quickly in run support. DEFENSIVE BACKS I think the corners will surprise the nation and the safeties will not surprise us at all. For instance… The good: Photos: See every Auburn player at Fan DaySTART SLIDESHOW Nick Coleman closes quickly and is often right there to make the play against a superior athlete in EQ. But EQ is simply too good for Coleman in one-on-one coverage. Donte Vaughn is all over the ball in the air. At least three PD including against Miles Boykin and Javon McKinley Troy Pride appears to have gained the necessary strength to be a quality backup. He’s a notch below the Love/Crawford/Watkins/Vaughn quartet though. Shaun Crawford has not lost any burst Julian Love is a well-rounded football player. Might be a touch overrated by us ND media and fans – he’s not an All-American candidate – but that’s only because most of last year stunk out loud and he was a bright spot... Jordan Genmark-Heath has a future in this secondary. He brings it. (And he’ll play this year on ST) Julian Love saves a 58-yard Tyler Newsome punt by diving on the ball at the 1-yard line. As Keith Jackson once mused during a Notre Dame/Michigan game (the good kind, coached by Lou Holtz): “SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL TEAMS” Nick Watkins blew up an ill-advised GOAL LINE bubble screen (and not the defense’s goal line, mind you) and Greer Martini nearly caught a deflection for a touchdown as a result. That’s the type of play will draw the ire of a disgruntled crowd in September… Really nice pop by Jalen Elliott on Chase Claypool to ensure no sideline catch… The bad: Nick Watkins was roasted by Equanimeous St. Brown on a touchdown that was called back due to a phantom sack Shaun Crawford looked a bit weak attempting to tackle C.J. Sanders in space. That was odd… Julian Love was worked over on a double-move by Chase Claypool for a long gain. Isaiah Robertson yielded a wheel-route touchdown pass to running back Dexter Williams. Vaughn was beaten by an Avery Davis-Javon McKinley deep TD connection late. Methinks young Donte might have been out on the field too long by this point. O'Malley Spoiler With Sunday geared to be more of a Blue-Gold Game 2.0 than a standard August practice, there was plenty to parse with Notre Dame football. With Tim O’Malley breaking down the defense, here’s what the offense flashed during what amounted to the high point of the preseason. Quarterback Notre Dame’s video board put Brandon Wimbush at 14-of-18 for 168 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers. Our Tim Prister charted Wimbush at 179 yards, but the same completions, attempts and obviously touchdowns and turnovers. We probably don’t spent enough time on this subject, but in the scrimmage situations that Notre Dame has shown this August, Wimbush rarely even flirts with interceptions or botched snaps. Not worrying about your first-year starting quarterback shooting himself in the cleats is a good place to start. As for what Wimbush did, he was the same quarterback we’ve seen throughout the preseason. When he knows where the ball needs to go, he’s very accurate. Sometimes it takes him a few seconds to get to that space mentally while reading Mike Elko’s defense. That’s par for a first-year quarterback. The arm strength is there for Wimbush to be great. Basically, Wimbush is more advanced physically right now than he is mentally. There was one throw Wimbush made to Equanimeous St. Brown during the scrimmage that should turn all heads. Wimbush got flushed out of the pocket to his right by Jay Hayes, and then threw off his back foot over Julian Lovefor a first down. My words won’t do it justice, so here’s the clip. Follow Notre Dame Football ✔@NDFootball Wimbush EQ Who's ready to see more of this?#GoIrish 3:05 PM - Aug 20, 2017 1313 Replies 226226 Retweets 977977 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Wimbush also had a bomb completion to St. Brown wiped out by penalty/touch sack where St. Brown ran by the secondary into the end zone. Nice touch by Wimbush, who let St. Brown run underneath the pass. Basically, Wimbush can make almost all the throws right now. Where he has the most room for growth is better understanding what throw is required against which look, at speed. Ian Book picked up where he left off in the Blue-Gold Game. He finished 13-of-23 for 107 yards (estimate) and a 17-yard touchdown to Dexter Williams. Unlike Wimbush, he also flirted with an interception that Jamir Jones couldn’t make. That’s a consistent look for Book this month. He’s much more likely to throw into something he shouldn’t than Wimbush. Book showed good athleticism on a couple long runs up the middle, even if the defense basically forgot about him on those snaps. Point being, he’s athletic enough. In conversations with Tom Rees last week, Rees laughed at the comparison between the two for the very reason Book is a superior athlete to the guy coaching him. When spring practice opened it looked like Notre Dam could win a game (or two) with Book at quarterback. It still feels that way, as long as that game is not Georgia, USC or Stanford. Nice touchdown pass from Avery Davis to Javon McKinley at the scrimmage’s end. That is literally the only thing we’ve seen from Davis all camp. To put that completion on tape, a touch pass to his right of 20+ yards, is something to remember a few years from now. Now it’s on to the red shirt. Running Back Much more interesting than anything the running backs did was how Chip Long used them. Notre Dame opened with a two running back set and used it liberally during the scrimmage with some success while also working one tight end into those sets. A two back look with Josh Adams and Tony Jones Jr. would get my vote as the first formation of the season on Sept. 2. Notre Dame named Josh Adams a captain on Sunday morning. Not a massive surprise considering he’s sort of been acting like a captain since spring practice. Adams scored the only touchdown of a Wimbush-led drive, which came off another unique formation of three tight ends, with Brock Wright lined up in a fullback role. (More on this later) Dexter Williams was the most productive of the running backs, maybe by a lot. He hauled in that 17-yard touchdown from Ian Book, pictured bellow, off a beautiful catch. It was the kind of reception that we’ve come to expect from Tony Jones during camp. Follow Notre Dame Football ✔@NDFootball What. A. Catch. @DexterW_22.#GoIrish 3:44 PM - Aug 20, 2017 77 Replies 115115 Retweets 639639 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Not much from Jones today to report. He’ll play this fall, but the hunch is he’ll be the clear third back behind Adams and Williams. That’s fine. Both Adams and Williams have tons of potential and could split 30 carries weekly. Deon McIntosh is running No. 4 at running back. As we reported last week, he’s been good enough in camp to make a red shirt for C.J. Holmes a logical roster move. Holmes got no work on Sunday and we haven’t seen him take a meaningful rep all move. Remember, Holmes underwent should surgery during spring practice. Wide Receiver Interesting day for this position across the board. Equanimeous St. Brown and Cam Smith got the first work, both running consistently with the first-team offense. From my vantage point, the first receivers off the bench were Freddy Canteen and Michael Young, with Chase Claypool also heavily involved. As I said in Instant Analysis, Young is frickin’ fast with the ball in his hands. Could he be Notre Dame’s fourth best wide out at points this season? I think so. Brian Kelly called St. Brown the only “marquee” player at wide out and that’s a fair statement. St. Brown is the best receiver on the squad right now by a wide margin. His catch of Wimbush’s off-balance throw over Love in the first half took tremendous concentration. He made it look easy. A 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown season feels like it’s in the cards for St. Brown. Good day for Claypool and interesting to hear Brian Kelly describe it as an up performance for the sophomore opposed to the regular output. Kelly talked about how the staff has been riding Claypool lately. Brian Polian told me last week that Claypool was sort of in a funk early in camp over playing time but has been practicing better, including on special teams. Claypool had a nearly 50-yard touchdown wiped out by a sack on a pass from Ian Book. He also nearly made a ridiculous catch going out of bounds that Jalen Elliott broke up. Kelly said the Irish have 12 receivers who can contribute this fall, but only 11 of them played Sunday. Kevin Stepherson was in uniform but he basically hung out in one spot on the sideline all afternoon. He barely moved. Among the reserves, good to see Javon McKinley get a chance, even if he’s probably in the bottom four of Notre Dame’s 12 wide outs with Austin Webster, Stepherson and Jafar Armstrong. McKinley suffered a season-ending leg injury last season. Most curious to see how Kelly rotates among the middle tier of wide outs, which includes Chris Finke, Miles Boykin, Freddy Canteen, Michael Young, Chase Claypool and C.J. Sanders. My hunch is Claypool will depart this group to join St. Brown and Smith. Young could be next. There’s a suddenness about him where you think he’s going to take everything to the house if he can break one tackle in space. Does Notre Dame have the kind of wide receiver depth that Kelly advertises they do? That’s hard to say. But there are a lot of potentially good pieces here. Tight End Like running back, the intrigue was with formations more than individuals. Two tight end looks weren’t gimmicks, they were norms. Three tight ends at the goal line/short yardage, with Brock Wright playing the part of fullback? Yes, please. That formation needs work considering it created a Josh Adams touchdown but also got stuffed on 4th-and-1. Still, it’s encouraging to see some personnel flexibility after Notre Dame’s offense went stale under Brian Kelly and Mike Denbrock last year. It’s a risk to read too much into August scrimmages, but it was clear coming away from Notre Dame Stadium that this is Chip Long’s offense now. Kelly really has ceded control of the playbook to his offensive coordinator. As for the players themselves, not much to report on Alizé Mack other than he’s returned from his hamstring pull of two week ago. He made a 19-yard reception from Wimbush during the first half. That was about it. Didn’t see a ton of unique usages of the junior on Sunday. In terms of the rotation, Cole Kmet appears to be ahead of Brock Wright, but Wright had the more productive day in the passing game. Wright finished with three receptions, including a long gain over the middle from Montgomery VanGorder and a couple short catches (five yards and under) from Ian Book late in the third quarterback. He’s a bull once he turns upfield. Offensive Line If Notre Dame could play a four-man offensive line it would probably have the best unit in the nation. Mike McGlinchey, Quenton Nelson, Alex Bars and Sam Mustipher were all good on Sunday. They weren’t perfect, but they should give Notre Dame’s offense a platform to stand on all season. It’s that fifth spot that’s a concern from my point of view as not only did Tommy Kraemer struggle against Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem, but so did Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey with the second team. Andrew Trumbetti worked over Eichenberg on one snap to make a stop. Hainsey got flagged for a brutal holding call. There just aren’t other options there right now. This is not a red flag on Kraemer by any means, but that position may be a work in progress this fall. I asked McGlinchey about Kraemer moving forward and he said the sophomore kind of reminded him of himself earlier in his career, unable to automatically flush bad plays and move on. I asked McGlinchey if Kraemer would need to learn during games this fall and he said Kraemer would probably make the most gains in practice under Harry Hiestand. Remember that Kraemer will probably make 52 starts at Notre Dame during the next four years. The first few aren’t going to be his best ones. It wouldn’t make much sense if they were. The second-team offensive line was similar to what it’s been all camp. Going left to right, Eichenberg, Josh Lugg, Trevor Ruhland, Hunter Bivin and Hainsey. Aaron Banks got some substantial work later in practice at guard. That group is a lot of guys who need a year in the weight room before getting on the field.
Imagine if the only way to follow Notre Dame football was to listen to Don Criqui. I feel for the blind.
Thoros of Beer Thread title should be changed to Notre Dame: AP #3 [spoiler}In one guys poll[/ spoiler].
Long time lurker.. wanted to post for the first time before the season. Any chance you could post the Rivals Notre Dame scrimmage reports?
Defense Spoiler Notre Dame held its first annual New & Gold Game today this afternoon inside of the newly renovated Notre Dame Stadium. The format was similar to that of the spring’s Blue-Gold Game, with the first team offense battling the first team defense in the early going and the second team units matching up. It was a four-quarter format with 15-minute quarters and a halftime. My thoughts on the defense’s performance: DEFENSIVE END · Notre Dame’s defensive ends are really good. They’ve been good all fall camp, but today they were especially good because they were all playing at high level together, especially the sophomores. · Sophomore Daelin Hayes continued his outstanding all camp. What we saw today, and what we saw all fall camp, is a more consistent player from an assignment standpoint. He reacted properly to motions, was assignment sound and when put in position to get after the quarterback he was a force with his combination of speed and power moves. · This was the best I’ve seen Julian Okwara all camp. My criticism of Okwara in the three previous practices that were open was his tendency to get too cute with moves, and he failed to trust in/rely on his speed. Today Okwara was flying off the ball and was very disruptive. He blew past starting right tackle Tommy Kraemer for a sack, negating a long touchdown from quarterback Brandon Wimbush to Equanimeous St. Brown. · Sophomore Khalid Kareem was really, really impressive during today’s scrimmage. He was impactful in the run game as an edge setter and penetrator, and he was impactful as a pass rusher. Kareem looks to be in better shape, which is allowing him to get off the line better than we saw in the spring. · Kareem’s punch has really improved and he did a really nice job using his powerful hands to beat his opponents with an assortment of power moves. On one effective rush he came off the line quickly, got lower than right tackle Robert Hainsey, shocked Hainsey with his hands and rode the talented freshman tackle into the quarterback. · Classmate Adetokunbo Ogundeji also had some quality moments, using his quickness and improved power to get into the backfield. He had a nice breakup of a quick pass during the scrimmage. · Freshman Kofi Wardlow is a ways away from a strength and technique standpoint, but observers at today’s scrimmage got to see a young man whose athleticism gives him a chance to be a really good player down the road. Only Hayes shows a better first step than Wardlow, who got into the backfield on multiple occasions. Now, where he got in trouble is he didn’t read screens really well and when blockers got locked on he didn’t know how to get off. DEFENSIVE TACKLE · Junior Jerry Tillery really handled himself well today. His pad level was very good, he did a good job getting extension with his hands and his effort seemed to be improved. Obviously I did not see every rep he took, but every time I saw him he was playing hard and finishing off plays. · Even more important, Tillery made plays today. His best rep was on a perimeter run away where he beat a tackle up the field and then hustled down the line to bring Josh Adams down on a run away from him. I’m not sure who he beat, but later in the scrimmage he blew up a guard and drilled the back in the backfield. · Jonathan Bonner had a good day, holding up well at the point of attack and showing good penetration skills in the pass game. It was the most disruptive I’ve seen Bonner. · My concern remains what comes onto the field behind him. While Bonner and Tillery performed well today, their backups were far more erratic. · Freshman Kurt Hinish had some good moments when he was able to use his quickness off the ball to get penetration. He had a strong push on a 4th down run late in the scrimmage to stop the offense short of the first down. · At other times he struggled to hold up at the point of attack. Notre Dame’s starting linemen knocked him back a few times, and a double team from freshman Joshua Lugg and I think Liam Eichenberg washed Hinish way down inside, opening up an easy cutback lane for Dexter Williams on a zone run. · Classmate Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa had a similarly up-and-down performance. Hinish is a bit more powerful at the point of attack but Tagovailoa-Amosa is the better pass rusher. · Both freshmen can help, no question, but they will have to be used wisely early on. · If juniors Micah Dew-Treadway and Brandon Tiassum could play with greater consistency the freshmen wouldn’t be needed as much. There were good moments from both juniors, and Tiassum had two of the more impressive players from a defensive tackle in the scrimmage. When he’s motivated and giving full effort he’s a good football player. The issue is on other snaps I saw him getting driven off the ball because he just stood up at the snap and got knocked back. · The key for Notre Dame the next two weeks on defense is getting the interior rotation settled. If the staff can get a rotation going and the players on the field are giving full effort the Irish should be okay whenever Bonner and Tillery have to come off the field. LINEBACKERS · The only linebacker I really keyed on today was junior Te’von Coney. We’ve seen Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini shine all camp, but Coney gets a bit lost in the shuffle. Notre Dame used him at both Mike and Buck today, which makes obvious that he’s the next man in at either inside position. · Coney was very impressive at both positions. When facing the run he was far more physical today than we ever saw him last season. He’s stronger, but he’s also playing with more aggressiveness and attitude. His pursuit and flow was good and he was productive against the run. · Just as important is the fact that I’ve seen Coney be more disciplined this fall, and he showed it today. On one particular outside run, Coney made the read, flew down hill and attacked the outside shoulder of his blocker, forcing an early cut back by Adams. At that point the pursuit was able to close and make a stop for a very minimal gain. · Notre Dame has three very good inside linebackers that are game ready. · Junior Asmar Bilal showed excellent pursuit skills and a nice burst off the edge. He looked very comfortable at Rover, which hasn’t always been the case. SECONDARY · Senior cornerback Nick Watkins and Equanimeous St. Brown had a very good battle today. Watkins had St. Brown locked on some reps and St. Brown was able to use his route running skills and athleticism to make a few plays of his own. The pair have been pushing each other all camp, and that continued today. · Sophomore Donte Vaughn was a bit up-and-down. I didn’t see why, but he got beat on a post route by St. Brown for a touchdown, although it was ultimately called back because of a sack. Miles Boykin got a step on him as well. There were other reps where Vaughn was in excellent position and was able to make plays on the ball. · This has been the run with Vaughn. When he’s on top of his game he’s outstanding, but when he’s off he gives up big plays. The moment he eliminates those bad plays with seem to always be technique related, he’ll force himself into a full-time role. · Sophomore Julian Love played both field and boundary cornerback today. · As a whole the cornerbacks did a good job handling the perimeter screens, which they have been facing all spring. They were aggressive coming up, they did a good job knocking the blockers back and with one exception they did not give up the outside. · Sophomore safety Jalen Elliott had a good day for the most part, although he took a poor angle on a screen play that opened up a quality gain. Elliott did a great job reading the play and he was there when he needed to be to blow the play up, but his angle allowed the receiver to get free. A positive from Elliott was today was the best I’ve seen him at playing off the hash. He flew off the hash on one outside go route and drilled Chase Claypool as the ball arrived, knocking Claypool into the sidelines and knocking the ball loose. · Junior Nick Coleman had a good day from what I could see. Even when he got beat in coverage he was in good position, but Wimbush made great throws and the receivers made tough catches. He looks to be back to full speed, which helped him show off his range. · Sophomore Devin Studstill wasn’t in my view much today, but the few times I saw him he was in good position in the run game. The best rep I saw from him was on a bootleg where he read his key and flew downhill to jump the tight end despite the fact action was going away from him. · Freshman Isaiah Robertson did a nice job coming down in the run game today but he was often a step late reacting in the pass game, which allowed at least one deep in route to get caught right in front of him. Robertson was in good position on a wheel route against Dexter Williams but the Irish back made a good play on the ball and beat Robertson for a score. · Today was the first action I’ve seen from Jordan Genmark Heath as a safety. He closed very well coming downhill and delivered a strong hit on freshman wideout Jafar Armstrong, although Armstrong was able to hold onto the ball. He was often a step late reacting, but he covered ground well and looks healthy. Offense Spoiler Notre Dame held its first annual New & Gold Game today this afternoon inside of the newly renovated Notre Dame Stadium. The format was similar to that of the spring’s Blue-Gold Game, with the first team offense battling the first team defense in the early going and the second team units matching up. It was a four-quarter format with 15-minute quarters and a halftime. My thoughts on the offense’s performance: QUARTERBACK · Junior Brandon Wimbush had a solid and effective outing. He was quick with his release and accurate, although he did underthrow a deep ball to Chase Claypool, but the ball still got caught. A throw that leads Claypool might have resulted in a score. Overall Wimbush ran the offense effectively, checking out of bad looks and there were no protection check errors that were obvious. · Wimbush had a pretty deep touchdown to Equanimeous St. Brown called because he it appeared he might have been sacked before he let the ball loose. Most likely what would have happened is he would have been hit right after the ball was let loose. · The knocks on Wimbush today was at times he would hold onto the ball a bit too long or would be late getting the ball to the check downs. Some of the sacks could have been avoided with quicker check downs. Wimbush also was off target on a couple of screen passes. One particularly bad miss was on an inside screen to Cameron Smith that might have gone for a touchdown had Wimbush not thrown the ball behind his wideout. · Sophomore Ian Book had a solid day, but there’s a clear gap between he and Wimbush at this point. Book needs to work on anticipating routes a bit better and getting rid of the ball sooner. He did a really nice job side-stepping some pressure and quickly getting up field for chain-moving runs. · Freshman Avery Davis finished the day off with a gorgeous post throw for a touchdown to sophomore Javon McKinley. RUNNING BACK · Notre Dame is absolutely loaded at running back. There have been years over the last two decades where the team’s current 3rd and 4th running backs would be major, major contributors. · Josh Adams had a typical Josh Adams day. He ran hard downhill, make the most of any creases he had and his pass protection was sound for the most part. At this time last year Adams was not playing with the same burst he did as a freshman due to some lingering muscle pull issues. That is not the case right now, as Adams as shown an excellent burst all camp, and we saw it again today. · Notre Dame moved Tony Jones Jr. all around today and he had a solid performance. There wasn’t much we saw from Jones that we haven’t already seen throughout fall camp. He did have a protection whiff, which can’t happen. · Junior Dexter Williams continues putting together an excellent fall camp. I have criticized him in the past for his lack of feel at running back. There is still some of that to his game, but he’s been running cleaner all camp and showing a better feel for his reads and cuts. Williams was at his best today, making quick and decisive cuts and getting downhill with more authority that we’ve seen. He’s always been a home run threat when the holes are big, but today he attacked smaller holes with good authority. · Williams caught a wheel route for a touchdown, making an impressive leaping grab. If he can become more of a factor in the pass game it will really improve his chances at extra playing time. Like Jones, he has to be better in protection. WIDE RECEIVER · My one knock on Equanimeous St. Brown last season was that he wasn’t a true alpha dog at the position. He was production but he wasn’t a guy that could take over games. His performance today in the scrimmage was an alpha dog type performance. St. Brown’s route running was precise against Nick Watkins, which it has to be. Those two battled extremely hard against each other and constantly push one another. · St. Brown made an extremely difficult downfield sideline catch against Nick Coleman, who was in perfect position and was actually tugging on St. Brown. He also torched Donte Vaughn on a post route for what would have been a touchdown had it not been called back for a sack. · Sophomore Chase Claypool continues to mature as a wide out. His route running is much better from even the beginning of this camp, and he’s starting to pick up some of the nuance of the position. It’s obvious he has really taken to the coaching of Del Alexander. · Claypool did a really good job attacking the ball on comebacks, he got free on a post route for a score (it was called back by a sack) and he beat Julian Love badly on a stop-and-go route for a long gain. The ball was underthrown and Claypool had to go up and make a play on the ball with Love shoving him as the pass arrived. Claypool was locked in and made the catch. · If Notre Dame can go into each game with St. Brown and Claypool both playing like they did today things are going to go well for the Irish pass game. · Seniors Cameron Smith and Freddy Canteen showed good burst off the line and Canteen made a nice gain on an out throw early on. · Freshman Michael Young is going to be too good to keep off the field. As a coach you just can’t justify having a player of his ability on the sideline, and the Notre Dame coaches admitted that today after practice. Young’s quickness is elite and his speed is hard to handle. He had a drop during the practice but his route running is advanced for his age and he gets really good separation against good corners. · Freshman Jafar Armstrong is much better than I thought he would be. He’s thicker and more explosive than I saw on film. He made an excellent catch in traffic right before getting drilled by Jordan Genmark Heath. It showed his focus and toughness. He might have a harder time getting on the field, but he’s going to do some things in his career. · Junior C.J. Sanders showed the most focus and for lack of a better term, effort, than I’ve seen from him. He was elusive with the ball and really played with some toughness. · It was a good day catching the ball for the wideouts, but the perimeter screen blocking and perimeter run game blocking was subpar, partly because of strong play by the corners. TIGHT ENDS · It was good to see Alizé Mack back in action. He made a nice across the field catch on the sideline, and he appeared to be back to full speed in his limited reps. · Cole Kmet did a nice job working the underneath routes. He looks real comfortable in the pass game, but I still don’t see the burst and separation that is often talked about with him. That’s not a knock, as he still looks good, just haven’t seen the “elite” skills often mentioned with him. · Fellow freshman Brock Wright got some work in the goal line offense and even lined up behind the center in front of the tailback. I’m not sure what that position is called (sarcasm). This was the first time all camp we saw him involved in the pass game. He did a really nice job getting open over the middle against the zone for a pick up of almost 20 yards. Wright also worked the sideline routes for at least two or three more catches. OFFENSIVE LINE · I didn’t spend a great deal of time watching the offensive linemen, but there were some things I picked up, especially with the young players. · Sophomore right tackle Tommy Kraemer is a really good run blocker, but he has a hard time with speed rushes. Notre Dame will have to give him help against the better pass rushers on the schedule this season, as opponents are definitely going to design their schemes to have their best rusher avoiding Mike McGlinchey and going against Kraemer as much as possible. · Classmate Liam Eichenberg is better suited for pass protection, but he’s still not consistent enough with his technique to play. When he stays under control he’s very good as a pass blocker, but he gets out of control a bit too much, which resulted in him getting a false start and a hold today. · Freshman Robert Hainsey is the most technically sound of the young tackles but we saw today where he still needs work, and that is with his lower body strength. Hainsey was riden into the quarterback on multiple occasions, which happens to freshmen no matter how talented they are. When opponents try to speed rush him he is going to win thanks to his athleticism, technique and football IQ. Hainsey just struggles in the pass game with power. He handled himself better in the run game today. · Once Hainsey gets another year in the weight room and adds more lower body strength he has a chance to be a special, special player. He was not ranked high enough in my class rankings last year. I graded him out as a four-star, but he’s much better than I thought he would be … already. · Freshman Joshua Lugg was working at left guard today. He was a bit erratic at times with his technique but he was very powerful in the run game. Lugg constantly won one-on-one battles against freshman DT Kurt Hinish. When he gets his pads low and drives his feet he can get good movement. His technique in protection needs work. · Freshman Aaron Banks is in much better shape and can really get a push when he locks on. His footwork is all over the place and he’s not ready for game time in that regards, but he’s a strong young man.
on all the Stepherson questions - here's a post from a very reputable poster on IrishEnvy on why he's not getting reps Rumor (from a few good sources) is that Stepherson is out for multiple games. Most agree it's 4. I've heard conflicting things from different people on whether it's for academics or weed. It should be publicly announced this week. The reason why he hasn't been getting reps is that he's not going to be available to play... at least not for the immediate future. All the stuff about how he's been approaching football/practice is basically superfluous.
New interactive 3D seating chart of the stadium. Pretty cool views from the suites... http://www.seats3d.com/ncaa/university_notre_dame/football/mobile/ In other news, got suite tix and sideline passes for the USC game.
Weird, my computer will NOT work with that site using the mouse, the touchscreen is fine though. Also lol at the image on the video board.
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20371343/ryan-mcgee-pick-play-clemson-patriots This story can go straight to hell
yeah, that play still bothers me so much, the view from the back of the endzone really showed so much the media just left off the board
it's amazing how playing a slow, unathletic linebacker changed the course of that season so dramatically. although i'll blame northwestern and louisville solely at the feet of Brian Kelly's poor game management.
Northwestern ended up being a stubborn FU to the players it felt like. It was like a practice where after a mistake insisting on running it again to get it right. There was plenty of opportunities for Kelly to coach to win that game but it was like he was pissed off that the players kept making mistakes and he wanted to run what he felt like they should be able to run.
a good rundown for recruiting for those who have been out of it Spoiler July was an action-packed month for the Irish recruiting department with five commitments. Getting Kevin Austin on August 11 felt like icing on the cake as the Irish added a big-time playmaker to the offense after loading up on stout defenders. Now that the Irish are in the backend of fall camp and the high school football season is in full swing, recruiting news has slowed. But there is always plenty to discuss, including the surging defensive class and the abundance of official visits being set by key prospects. Could this be Kelly’s best defensive class? Mike Elko proved his recruiting prowess in final stages of last cycle. With just weeks to go before National Signing Day, Notre Dame was five to six commitments away from fulfilling their needs. Adding the talent necessary for the depth chart seemed unlikely. But Elko helped reel in an explosive talent in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, safety Jordan Genmark-Heath, Hawaiian defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and high-upside defensive end Kofi Wardlow. Elko and Co. have continued to land important prospects this cycle, including six four-star prospects and a pair of three-stars. It’s worth noting one of those three-star prospects is Ja’Mion Franklin who competed in The Opening Finals. Looking through the Kelly-era, the top defensive class was 2014 when the Irish added five-star Nyles Morgan and seven four-star prospects: Andrew Trumbetti, Nick Watkins, Jay Hayes, Grant Blankenship, Drue Tranquill, Daniel Cage and Greer Martini. The Irish also added three-stars Jonathan Bonner, Kolin Hill, Johnathan Williams and Pete Mokwuah. The Irish want at least four more defensive prospects this cycle with three cornerbacks a must, plus some combination of a defensive end (or two) and a safety. With several of the defensive targets slotting in the four-star column, depending on how you gauge overall recruiting class talent, the Irish could finish with the best defensive recruiting class in the Kelly-era. Getting there may require a sweep of defensive ends Jayson Oweh (No. 66) and Thomas Booker (No. 135), safety Julius Irvin(No. 221) and cornerback Kyler Gordon (No. 280). Three of those four have official visits set, with Oweh uncertain. Official visits dates are rolling in With September approaching, Irish Illustrated has confirmed official visit plans with several prospects in the last week. Irish Illustrated caught up with four-star cornerback Kyler Gordon on Tuesday night. The product of Everett, Wash., stated he will visit Notre Dame with his parents on Sept. 2 during the home opener against Temple. Gordon is the highest rated cornerback considering the Irish, the reason why his upcoming trip to South Bend is among the most important official visits of the fall. Gordon stated that TCU is the only visit outside of Notre Dame that he has planned at this time. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., wide receiver Geordon Porter officially set his plans to visit Notre Dame for Sept. 9 against Georgia. Porter will take his official visit with his parents. He will also visit UCLA on Sept. 2 and Arizona State on Sept. 16. The three-star prospect told Irish Illustrated he will likely make a mid-season commitment. It’s worth noting that wide receiver target Bryson Jackson will make his commitment on September 15, prior to visiting Notre Dame. The odds are Notre Dame won’t be his destination. Porter is among only a few wide receivers showing legitimate interest in the Irish. Irish Illustrated confirmed on Tuesday that four-star safety Julius Irvin will join the growing list of official visitors for that Georgia game on Sept. 9. The Irish have been in contact with three-star safeties D’Angelo McKenzie and Paul Moala who both hold offers from Notre Dame. Irvin is the most talented prospect of the three and would be a great addition to the class. Irvin attends Servite High School, the program that brought Notre Dame former tight end Troy Niklas and current wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. If you go back to the early-80’s, former Irish quarterback Steve Beuerlein also came from Servite. Irvin has a Top 5 of Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Utah and Washington. The Huskies are the perceived favorite. B.J. Crim told Irish Illustrated that he’ll also officially visit Notre Dame for the Georgia weekend. The Florida prospect doesn’t have an Irish offer, but he’s expecting one once he arrives on campus. The former Central Florida commit has been hearing from Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Louisville as well. Louisville is the only offer to come his way from that group. The big-hitting safety also holds offers from Bowling Green, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida A&M, Georgia State, Iowa State, Louisville, Ohio, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Troy and Wake Forest. Commit Jack Lamb will visit Notre Dame during the Georgia game weekend as well. Lamb will celebrate his 18th birthday on September 8 in South Bend with the game day visit on the following day. Lamb will get to spend time with the majority of the Notre Dame class during the weekend and help recruit top prospects in Jamaree Salyer, Tommy Tremble, Julius Irvin and others while on campus. Four-star two-way lineman Sam Taimani told Scout Regional Analyst Blair Angulo that he also plans to visit Notre Dame on Sept. 9 for the Georgia game. Taimani plans to take all five of his official visits. Alabama, Utah, Washington and possibly Oregon are the other schools that will host the finalist of The Opening. Taimani can play on both sides of the line but would likely play in the interior of the Harry Hiestand’s offensive line, probably center. A pair of 2019 recruits told Irish Illustrated that they plan to visit for Notre Dame home games as well this fall. Four-star safety Litchfield Ajavon will attend the Sept. 30 matchup vs. Miami (Ohio) and four-star offensive tackle Quinn Carroll will attend the USC game on Oct. 21. What’s happening at safety? The Irish continue to press for safeties to pair with standout Georgia prospect Derrik Allen. The Irish coaching staff were impressed with Paul Moala during their summer Irish Invasion camp. The three-star prospect left the event with an offer in-hand. Moala told Scout Regional Analyst Allen Trieu that he wants to take official visits this fall but could make a decision on a commitment in August. The only Power 5 offers Moala holds are Hawaii, Iowa and Notre Dame. While on paper that looks like a Notre Dame win, it’s not clear how hard the Irish will push, nor is it clear if Moala feels a fit in South Bend. California safety D’Angelo McKenzie has been upfront about his admiration of the Irish. Unfortunately for the three-star prospect, academic issues are keeping him ineligible at Notre Dame. He has plans set to re-write his SAT and ACT this fall and hopes to turn the tide. Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA and Wyoming are also in the mix but it appears McKenzie may have his heart set on Notre Dame. Considering the handful of safeties on Notre Dame’s radar, McKenzie’s opportunity to join the Irish may be dwindling. Notre Dame offered Julius Irvin on Feb. 19 and has been in consistent contact since. Washington is the perceived leader for the 6-foot-2, 182-pound prospect. But with an official visit set for Sept. 9, the Irish could make headway with the four-star recruit, especially with a win over the Bulldogs. Keep your eye on Irvin. He’s a good one.
II guys speculating that Stepherson was popped for his second failed drug test and will be out the first 4 games of the year
I think someone did, but it may have been in a group text message with friends. I just know I've read that recently
It is probably the same info and some wannabe trying to be good on the internet 4 games was what we saw here 2-3 days ago
I hope Stepherson got popped for some real drugs like Molly or Coke- not weed If we are really sitting our 2nd best WR for fucking weed in 2017.... thats lame
You talk about it like you don't know it... the guy is clearly not using roids. Coke either imo, maybe. Molly, I have no idea But suspending a player for 4 games for smoking weed is such a Nd thing to do that my vote is in.