He's a little light right now which is why he probably doesn't have the offers Watch what happens now that he has an ND offer- the whole SEC will offer soon
I don't know about his offer list at the time, but Lugg was nowhere near as highly rated when he committed as where he ended up, no?
I prefer guys who start lighter and add weight to the guys who come in as behemoths and you have to reshape them. Unless their like Nelson and can start basically day one.
BC hasn't beaten an AP ranked team under this coach (0-20). Average 72.5 points on ACC play, have 49 at the half
I love that in Brey's post game he said at half he walked throught the locker room, basically said figure it out guys, and went to his locker room. I like to think he had a drink and grinned.
we should be able to get to 12 ACC wins this year, which really is incredible. looking at the schedules of everyone else, i'm not sure we can sneak our way into the top 4, and it's tough to remember where this team started the season, but that would be incredible.
We are the front runner to win the ACC now. That is amazing, particularly in a year where we were expected to be "down". Brey continues to impress. Let's get that banner and then make another run in the tourney. No reason we can't at this point.
wait...you'll need to explain this to me. like i said, looking at everyone else's schedule, i'm not sure we finish in the top 4, let alone win. we're tied in wins, but have played 1-2 more ACC games than everyone else. would be awesome if we win, but i don't think it's fair to say we're the front runner
This article from Fox Sports provides a better explanation than I can. Our final schedule seems to give us the inside track.
don't disagree that we have a very easy schedule down the stretch, but would definitely disagree with both of these, to varying degrees it's laughable to say, right now, or in two weeks, that louisville would be "serious" underdogs at home on senior day. and it depends on what this guy means when he says "one of the best teams in the country." top 20? absolutely. top 15? yeah, probably. but we did just recently lose 4 straight. we are 2-6 against the top 25. and we did just give up 50 points to BC in a half. our defensive efficiency is still a major issue but all that said - we are a good bet to win 3 of the final 4 (@ ncsu, gt and bc at home). that gets us to 12 wins. unc gets to 10 wins tomorrow, then would need to win 2 or their final 5. it's a crazy difficult schedule, but they get uva, lou, and duke at home. plus @ pitt (and @ uva). i'd be surprised if they didn't win 2 of those, if not 3. fsu has @ pitt, vs. bc, @ clemson, @ duke and vs. mia. don't know how the tiebreakers would work, but i think they can win 3 of those, but (given how they looked on the road on saturday), i also wouldn't be surprised if they lost @ pitt and @ clemson. so cross them off the list louisville has vt, syracuse, @wake and us (again, not sure how potential tiebreakers would work) plus duke and uva are still ahead of us and hold the tiebreak, so...yeah after digging a bit more into everyone's schedules, i will amend my previous statement about finishing in the top 4 (it is pretty crazy how difficult so many of the closing schedules are). i think if we do get to 12, there's a good chance we finish in that top 4. but i'd still say it's incorrect to say we're the favorite to win the ACC regular season crown tonight. that's still unc imo. if we get to 13 by winning at lousiville to close out the year though? ooo boy, you got a stew goin
Yup, I hear you. You have thought this through even more than I have. I still like our chances vs. the field though. A lot more potential stumbling blocks exist for our opponents than for ourselves.
good stuff from Sampson about S&C Spoiler Some behind the scenes stuff on strength and conditioning... 10:15 AM Last edited 10:19 AM by PETESAMPSON (2 votes) Working on a feature story on Matt Balis for later in the week that relies on interviews I've done with former Mississippi State players, but wanted to post some feedback that I've picked up from sources around the program that are close to both upperclassmen and underclassmen (even early enrollees). Overall the roster has been amazed by what Balis has done with the weight room in a very short amount of time, infusing the place with energy after last season's transition from Paul Longo. One source close to an early enrollee told me, "He's loving it. Says it's very tough but having a blast. Loved the energy." One of the big changes that I've picked up on is the more positive vibe from the coaches to the players this off-season. I've been told that includes Brian Kelly himself, being much more positive with the roster to pair with being demanding. "Not only is there great competition and energy in the Gug now, but most of all there is really strong encouragement plus positive reinforcement coming from all of the new coaches, coordinators and remaining staff members," a source said. There's an old saying that "They don't care what you know unless they know that you care" and out seems that approach took root throughout the staff this off-season. There's no question that it was lacking under Brian VanGorder. To watch and hear these coaches during spring ball is going to be very interesting. If you guys are on Twitter, I'm sure you've seen the players tweeting about how much they enjoy working with Balis. I'm told some players are seeing real definition changes in just four weeks, from freshmen to fifth-year seniors. The fact that a fifth-year senior could make a major weight room jump in just one month after four years of being in a college weight room, to me, that's pretty impressive.
Kind of annoying the amount of shit that seems to be blamed on BVG. The guy sucked yes, but at the end of the day the attitude of the coaching staff being an issue in the past falls squarely on BK.
True, I just remember on an episode of A Season With BVG lecturing Jaylon that it was his fault that the rest of the defense wasn't performing around him and after listening to that I can't imagine anyone having a shred of respect for him.
There is potential for a Brey to coach ND one day. Had no idea his son worked on staffs under Meyer and some other programs.
I agree, it is easiest to blame the person that is no longer here for the problems of the past. Ultimately this all goes on Kelly's shoulders.
It is on BK. IMO him not firing BVG sooner was a big screw up. I also think in all his exit interviews in which he got feedback he surley got some kids who said it's too negative including BK. Now when crap is hitting the fan in game I doubt he's all positive
Really good article by Sampson on Kofi Wardlow's path to ND. I didn't realize how little football he has played Spoiler Michael Clark/Scout How Kofi Wardlow got to Notre Dame PETE SAMPSON 10:58 AM Here’s how Kofi Wardlow went from wannabe hoops prospect to back-up defensive end to MAC target to one of the most intriguing parts of Notre Dame’s class. It was a dizzying ascent. The night before Kofi Wardlow’s first high school game the St. John’s roster gathered to compare notes. The next day St. John’s would blow out Atlantic, 41-0, thanks in part to its back-up defensive end and part-time receiver. But for now, Wardlow was still just a junior package of gangly potential embracing a new sport. That spring Wardlow had accepted, after consistent prodding from the St. John’s football staff, that there was no such thing as a 6-foot-3 power forward. He had no idea how those dimensions translated to edge rusher, but he wanted to find out. During summer Wardlow had turned down a service trip to Nicaragua to train with the football program. Then he started impressing his teammates, including four-star defensive end Terrell Hall, who played a supporting role in Alabama’s defense as a freshman last season. Now it was time to show everyone else. Because St. John’s plays a national schedule – it beat Pittsburgh Central Catholic and lost to IMG Academy in Wardlow’s senior year – the program turns road trips into retreats. Before facing Atlantic in Florida, players set goals together for the season and singled out teammates ready to make the biggest jumps. When assistant strength coach Mike Ward gathered the players’ cards, Wardlow’s name popped up most within a program that would send players to Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&M and Maryland from the junior and senior classes. “Pretty much everybody in our group picked Kofi going into his junior year,” Ward said. “I had obviously known that Kofi could be unbelievable. Then I look at his sheet for the goals he set for himself. He wanted to have 10 sacks in one game.” Ward said Wardlow had four the next day. But it would take another 10 months before a college football program saw enough to offer. Kentucky Christian University was the first offer. Bowling Green came next. Wardlow tried to commit before the St. John’s staff stopped him. It would be another seven months before Notre Dame came calling. ‘We were still saving …’ To go from backup defensive end to starter took more than time and graduation. Wardlow backed up Hall the rest of his junior year and showed a few flashes that he might be a capable replacement as a senior. Still, Wardlow barely filled out his No. 85 jersey back then. It wasn’t a number that suggested a future pass rusher. The first clip of his highlight tape that year was actually a touchdown catch. When that season ended Wardlow asked the coaching staff what he needed to do to grow into a legitimate defensive end. The college coaches visiting his teammates later that spring would help. So would an extra 20 pounds after playing at 200 as a junior. Wardlow worked his spring schedule to match a free period with his lunch. Then he got creative with that block, eating an early lunch, then going to lift, then eating a second lunch. “In a month and a half he was up to 220 and asked what we wanted him to do next,” Ward said. “Then senior year it all just kind of clicked. The more and more he played, the more confident he got, and the better he played. He can do so many things. Standup outside linebacker? He can do that. Put a hand in the dirt? He can do that too.” It took until mid-season before Power 5 schools moved, as Maryland and Rutgers offered. Wardlow’s own parents caught on only slightly sooner. “We were still saving up (for college) until that point,” said father Mark Wardlow. “When senior year started you could see something natural there. That’s when we said that we won’t have to worry about school.” Wardlow finished his senior year with 28.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, then committed to Maryland in mid-December. That pledge didn’t last long enough for his parents to buy any Terps gear. When defensive coordinator Mike Elko made first contact with Wardlow and scheduled a visit on his first day out recruiting in January, it set the wheels in motion for a National Signing Day flip that rounded out the Irish class. Still, Wardlow switching from the Terps to the Irish took a lot more than Notre Dame throwing out its program résumé. ‘I want a challenge’ It’s not that Lesa Wardlow didn’t want her son to visit Notre Dame, it’s just that she needed to be convinced it was a good idea. When Elko made that visit contact in January, Lesa couldn’t make the meeting because she was getting the family ready for a weekend official visit to Pittsburgh. Now her son was talking about expanding his recruitment at a time when it was supposed to be narrowing. “This is really a little bit strange to do this now,” Lesa said. “Kofi just said, ‘Dad, mom, I know this is late. This is really late. But I feel I owe it to myself to make sure I’m making the right decision.’” A week later Wardlow was in South Bend with both parents for his official visit, meeting with Elko, defensive line coach Mike Elston, and head coach Brian Kelly. The family had a routine for those official visits, to take in the program as individuals and then share impressions that night at the hotel. Lesa was sold after the first day, which was before most of the heavy football stuff started. But she kept quiet in front of Kofi and waited to compare notes with her husband until that night. “Oh my God, I like this, this is a good place for Kofi,” Lesa said of her first impression. “It feels like him. He’s very easy going, conservative, focused on education, likes sports, the small campus, the family feel. But I wasn’t saying anything. I wasn’t sure what his dad would say. “We got to the hotel that night and he said, ‘I really like this place for Kofi.’ So we were having the same thoughts. We hoped that would seal it.” Elko and the coaching staff checked all the boxes that weekend, including answering Mark’s question about why Notre Dame didn’t start recruiting Kofi earlier. Elko said he tracked him at Wake Forest but didn’t think the Demon Deacons would be a big enough draw for the three-star rush end. “It had to be somewhere where I could see myself going for the next four years, see the players and see how they’re similar to me,” Kofi said. “Mindset. Coaching staff. Do I get them? Academics were gonna be challenge and I want a challenge.” Mark and Lesa figured Notre Dame led when Kofi asked to buy gear before heading home. He wanted a hat but settled for a t-shirt. He hadn’t requested anything on other officials. Considering how far the Irish had to come to make the family feel comfortable in north-central Indiana, it was a strong visit. “Foreign land,” Lesa said. “South Bend, Indiana is a foreign land.” The Decision Still, for all the ground Notre Dame made up with Wardlow during that official, flipping to the Irish from the Terps was hard. Choosing the Irish was like signing up for a marathon without having the ability to drop out. The Sunday before National Signing Day, a week removed from his Irish official, Wardlow was still wrestling with the decision. The deliberation continued into Monday night when he called the staffs at Maryland and Notre Dame to go over the final details. Then Wardlow look at the data. “I didn’t really want accept it until Tuesday morning,” Wardlow said about when he knew it would be Notre Dame. “It was a real tough decision. I know the Maryland staff. I know their players. I know what that recruiting class is gonna be like. It was a really tough decision in terms leaving a place I’m comfortable with and going to a place I knew would be challenging for me.” Wardlow was the final signed National Letter of Intent in to Brian Kelly on signing day, coming during his press conference. When Wardlow signed during a ceremony at St. John’s on Feb. 1, he walked off the stage to take a picture with a school staffer who graduated from Notre Dame. Wardlow is sure to have more of those moments, realizations he’s more connected to Notre Dame than he thought. He played against three incoming freshman last season – David Adams, Kurt Hinish and Robert Hainsey – even if he didn’t know it at the time. “I have a long way to go,” Wardlow said. “Up until this year, I really never followed football. Not even the NFL level.” Wardlow might be back in South Bend for the spring game. By then he’ll be a few months into the off-season program of strength coach Matt Balis, maybe adding a few more pounds to that frame Elko believes can help the Irish in multiple roles. Turns out those St. John’s teammates had it right two years ago when they cast votes for Wardlow as the player with the most potential. There’s no other way to explain how a basketball kid went from no offers as a junior, to a MAC offer entering his senior year to a Notre Dame signee after it. Now comes the harder part, but Wardlow and his support team seem ready for it. “He’s self aware to the fact Notre Dame is going to be challenging for him,” Ward said. “That’s when you get the most growth. You don’t grow without being put in uncomfortable situations.” “If it comes easy, it goes easy.”
Also Loy put in a crystal ball for Lenzy and said we could be at 11 commits by the end of next week. Hopefully he's right because that kid is good
wiltfong CBed Hayes and Dirksen to ND. Would ge a solid haul to shoot for the stars with the last spot or 2 on the OLine. Also want ND to offer Devin O'Rourke, just because he is decent enough and sounds exceedingly irish
Lets look at the OL cruits: http://247sports.com/player/cole-mabry-93611 Cole Mabry- Athletic Athletic Athletic who can add weight- Future RT or RG. I like this pick up and I'm glad ND beat Tenn to the punch with the offer. I think if Tenn had offered earlier he might've jumped on it http://247sports.com/player/ryan-hayes-46036248 Ryan Hayes- Dude is an out of nowhere player cuz lets be honest Traverse City is basically Canada. 6'7 and plays tight end in high school- where have we heard that before? Kid will likely be a 2 year starter at LT- this is the #1 must get for ND on the Oline this cycle. He's a prototypical OL cruit that goes to Iowa or Wisconsin and becomes an All American http://247sports.com/player/john-dirksen-89714 John Dirksen- small town, small school, small time competition but he dominates. He's got a rural background so hopefully he's a fit personality wise at ND. He's definitely a take- Future guard or RT ND should land all three of those guys with Mabry already committed. If ND is taking 5 OL then I expect them to offer this guy soon: http://247sports.com/Player/Wyatt-Blake-83949 Wyatt Blake- versatile could play 4 OL positions at the D1 level. Brawler- seems to fit the mold of our interior recruits the last couple years. He would commit probably on the spot with an ND offer and I think the staff knows that. If they wait to long he could commit to Iowa or Northwestern but I think he's waiting on ND ND is not getting these guys just move on: http://247sports.com/player/jackson-carman-86491 Jackson Carman- maybe best player in Country- he's all Urban http://247sports.com/player/james-ohonba-91761 James Ohonba- hard time seeing him leaving the state. I suspect he committs to UGA in the end and Sam Pittman the OL coach there is first rate. http://247sports.com/player/jamaree-salyer-79840 Jamaree Salyer- again UGA
Good list. With the need for numbers at DB and WR, I'm not sure they'd take 5 OL in this cycle. They've taken a very good group of seven over the past two. I also think not having an immediate need to plug I holes along the OL is one reason why we see them looking at lighter, athletic project types who, as you pointed out, often grow into All American OTs after a couple years. They have time to groom and mold these guys. Overall, I really like the athletic upside they are targeting. These are the kids who grow into McGlincheys.
The MSU beat guy for 247 also put in a CB for Hayes to ND last night. Seems promising. Separately, I know a lot of people talk shit about the crystal ball, but I like it. It tells me everything I need to know for free and without reading bullshit updates about how much a kid values academics and really hit it off with the coaches.