Freshmen would be ineligible to play in the NCAA if the NBA doesn't allow them to jump straight from HS?
I understand the intention - but there is a zero percent chance they follow through on that. Would it be for just basketball? There are much better arguments for that rule in football. Will it apply for football, too?
I believe this is basketball only but I stepped away for a minute and didn't hear the full roll out. Edit: And again, this nothing but findings, anything would still need to be approved by a couple parties.
Keith McGuire who has great film. Is committing this Friday. Just set his announcement. ND was leading then fading then surged but Loy and all 247 big boys crystal balled McGuire to Clemson this morning. Bummer
There's another offer list that is wildly inconsistent with the ranking. Seems to be the trend this year. A top 4 of Bama, OSU, Clemson and ND. And the Clemson offer, at least, is real.
I kind of think that the current landscape helps ND in hoops. Once Duke went down the one and done route it left open a niche that teams like us and Wisconsin can compete with veteran laden teams. If the power programs have to shift away from one and dones they will do that and we will sink back to mediocrity.
This is how I view it as well. Thankfully I think the last 5 years have changed the way the program is viewed on that national stage, so if we can have some sustained success with the guys incoming this year, we can carry that momentum into maintaining a top-20 type program as long as Brey is here.
Hamilton is such a huge get, measured in at 6' 3.5" at the opening and 188 lbs...kid is going to be a monster with range at 205-210 lbs he's not a 5 star right now but i could seriously see him being better than derrick allen down the road
Coach D's rankings of commits Spoiler 2019 COMMITS (BGI GRADE/UPSIDE GRADE) 1. Kyle Hamilton , S, 6-3, 185, Atlanta (Ga.) Marist (4.0 / 5.0) 2. Litchfield Ajavon , S, 6-0, 185, Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal (4.0 / 4.5) 3. Jacob Lacey , DT, 6-2, 295, Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren (4.0 / 4.5) 4. Andrew Kristofic , OT, 6-6, 260, Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine Richland (4.0 / 5.0) 5. Hunter Spears , DT/DE, 6-5, 260, Sasche (Texas) High (4.0 / 5.0) 6. John Olmstead , T/G, 6-6, 285, Metuchan (N.J.) St. Joseph's (4.0 / 4.5) 7. K.J. Wallace , CB, 5-10, 182, Atlanta (Ga.) Lovett (4.0 / 4.5) 8. Howard Cross III , DE, 6-2, 240, Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's (3.5 / 4.0) 1. KYLE HAMILTON, S - NATIONAL 76 STATE - POSITION KYLE HAMILTON RANK 5.5 6'3" | 183 LBS | ATH MARIST SCHOOL ATLANTA, GA CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 4/24/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 5.0 Offers: Notre Dame, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida State, Stanford, Michigan, Tennessee, Northwestern, NC State, Louisville, Duke, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Iowa State and Maryland There is a lot to like about the game of Kyle Hamilton , but the first thing that stands out is his size and length. The son of a 6-foot-7 former professional basketball player – DerrekHamilton – the younger Hamilton has tapped into his father’s height and length. Standing at least 6-3 with very long arms, and a frame that is likely to add a bit more height, Hamilton has the kind of length and range Notre Dame hasn’t had at safety in a long time. Beyond just having an elite frame, Hamilton brings a lot of athletic talent to the game. Hamilton has outstanding balance and his foot quickness is top-notch, especially for such a long athlete that in many ways is still growing into his body. That combination of traits allows him to make quick and fluid movements on the football field. At this point he’s more rangy than fast, but athletes like Hamilton, that are this long this early, and this thin, tend to add a lot of speed once they stop growing and get into a college nutrition and strength program. It is likely that Hamilton’s speed is going to take off at the next level more than most, which is part of the reason for his upside grade. Hamilton is an instinctive and heady football player. He will need to continue learning the nuances of the game and do a bit better job of reacting to routes instead of the football. The more he learns that and adds it to his game the better he will be at being a ball disruptor. That is saying something because Allen already gets his hands on a high number of passes at the prep level thanks to his length and athletic skills. He shows himself to be the ideal center fielder in the pass game, showing the range to drop into the middle and play a hash-to-hash game. What I like about Hamilton is that even though he lacks the strength at this point to thrive as a run defender at the next level, he is a more than willing tackler. Hamilton comes downhill with authority and is not afraid to mix it up. Once he fills out his frame and adds strength the run game will become a strength of his game. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 2. LITCHFIELD AJAVON, S 79 NATIONAL 3 STATE 5 POSITION LITCHFIELD AJAVON RANK 5.9 6'0" | 185 LBS | S EPISCOPAL ALEXANDRIA, VA CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 4/21/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 4.5 Ajavon has the potential to be a productive two-way player in the Notre Dame defense, which coordinator Clark Lea has admitted is dependent on strong safety play to truly thrive. Right now the Episcopal standout is at his best defending the run, but he is asked to do a little bit of everything at the prep level and he possesses the tools to continue developing his pass game skills. At 6-0 and 185 pounds with a thin, athletic frame, Ajavon has above-average size for the safety position. He is a physical defender that is more than willing to fly downhill and deliver punishment. Ajavon also shows the willingness to jump routes in an attempt to hammer a wide receiver. After some time in a college weight room and with more physical maturity, Ajavon should have the tools to carry over his strong play against the run to the college game. At times Ajavon tries to deliver knock out hits and fails to wrap up, but once he works that out of his game he'll be a strong tackler. He takes good angles to the football in the run game and pass game and shows good instincts and a high football IQ when he's on the field. Ajavon shows impressive foot quickness and his movements on the football field are easy. At times his footwork gets out of whack and it slows him down getting off the hash, but when he keeps his feet underneath his shoulder pads and keeps them tight he's able to make fast transitions off the hash. Improvements with his footwork will also help him improve his man coverage skills, which right now are the part of his game that needs the most work. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 3. JACOB LACEY, DT - NATIONAL 4 STATE 18 POSITION JACOB LACEY RANK 5.8 6'2" | 295 LBS | DT SOUTH WARREN BOWLING GREEN, KY CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 7/29/2017 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 4.5 I first saw Lacey after his freshman year at Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion Camp, and he was a true standout at the camp. He became a top target for Notre Dame even then, and ultimately the Irish landed his commitment. Lacey stood out back then and he’s now emerged as one of the top defensive tackles in the country. He is a good fit for the Notre Dame defense thanks to his ability to play with power and disrupt the backfield. Lacey plays all over the line for South Warren; he’ll line up at the nose, he’ll play the three technique and he’ll even move out over the offensive tackle. Power is the first thing that stands out about Lacey’s game. He has extremely strong hands and a powerful upper body. He can “bench” blockers and lock them out, which allows him to easily get off to the football. Lacey needs to finish better at the ball carrier, but his ability to bully opponents into the backfield is really impressive. There are clips when he’s getting triple teamed and Lacey is still able to get a push and collapse the pocket. Lacey will need to work on bringing his hands with him quicker off the snap and he must improve his repertoire of moves, but the tools are there for his hands to be an elite weapon down the road. Lacey shows a good burst off the line and his closing speed is good. His short, stout frame can be even more of an asset once his pad level improves. Lacey shows the ability to lean into blockers and get around the edge when he gets a step to the outside, which allows him to get a push and while protecting his gap. He’ll need to reshape his body a bit and improve his lateral quickness, but his tools are really good. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 4. ANDREW KRISTOFIC, OT - NATIONAL 12 STATE 55 POSITION ANDREW KRISTOFIC RANK 5.6 6'6" | 260 LBS | OT PINE RICHLAND GIBSONIA, PA CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 4/23/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 5.0 Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Northwestern, Boston College, Iowa, West Virginia, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia At this point Kristofic lacks the size and strength to be considered as good as other top linemen, but his tools are as good - or better - as anyone on the board. Kristofic is a basketball player and his body is just starting to fill out. Once that happens his game is going to explode and he is going to vault up the rankings. When evaluating Kristofic the focus needs to be on the upside grade and not as much his current grade or ranking. The big knock right now on Kristofic is that he’s just 260 pounds. Once football becomes his only focus he will gain the necessary weight and strength, and at that point .... watch out. The Pine Richland big man isn’t a powerful blocker at this point, and it comes from his lack of size and weight room strength. He does a good job of playing with good angles, working his feet through contact and he uses his hands well. Kristofic competes in the run game, which I like, and once his body catches up to his talent the run game will become a strength. His pass blocking is outstanding, and like his run blocking it’s going to get even better the more he fills out. Kristofic is an outstanding athlete that is light on his feet, very quick out of his stance and he changes direction extremely well. He can mirror defenders and he uses his long arms/fast hands to stone would-be pass rushers. Kristofic is also a patient pass blocker; he won’t over-commit, he waits on the defender to make his move and once that happens he attacks and gets the job done. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 5. HUNTER SPEARS, DT/DE - NATIONAL 38 STATE 20 POSITION HUNTER SPEARS RANK 5.8 6'5" | 260 LBS | WDE SACHSE SACHSE, TX CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 2/20/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 5.0 Spears is a really talented player that isn’t even close to reaching his full potential. The Sasche (Texas) standout grades out as a four-star recruit as both a strongside end and a defensive tackle. His versatility makes him a valuable player in this class due to his starting ability at both positions as well as his ability to develop into a flex player that can play both spots. Listed at 6-5 and 260 pounds (he’s closer to 290 now), Spears has an incredible frame for a young player. He will need to reshape his body and get in better shape, but with his frame he could easily grow to be a 300-plus pounder with impressive quickness and playmaking ability on the inside. He could also streamline his body, stay around 275-290 pounds and stay on the edge. Spears is a powerful player with a lot of raw strength. He has a strong punch and fast hands. His hand play is quite advanced for a young player. Spears is able to lock out blockers and then shed on his way to the ball carrier. His thick lower half and natural power allows him to anchor well against double teams, which projects well inside, and his quickness and power plays well as an edge setter at end as well. Spears is a quality athlete with a quick burst off the line and good closing speed. Once he matures and gets stronger we’ll likely see him show more long speed on the edge as a pass rusher. He can quickly shoot gaps and knows how to “get skinny” when working vertically. Spears shows good pad level off the ball, but at times he’ll lift up once engaged, something he’ll need to correct. The only thing holding him back from having a 5-star upside is not knowing how he’ll recover from the knee injury that cost him his junior season. SOPHOMORE HIGHLIGHTS 6. JOHN OLMSTEAD, OL 63 NATIONAL 1 STATE 10 POSITION JOHN OLMSTEAD RANK 5.9 6'6" | 285 LBS | OT ST. JOSEPH'S METUCHEN, NJ CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 4/20/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 4.5 Offers: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Florida, Penn State, LSU, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Mississippi State, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Arkansas, Boston College, Louisville, Maryland, Ole Miss, Minnesota, Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt Olmstead is still a player I like and want in this class, but his junior film wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. Listed at 6-6 and 285 pounds, Olmstead looks bigger than that and not all of the weight was good weight. His athleticism didn’t play as well, and Olmstead looked a step slower as a junior and his change of direction took a step back. Moving forward he needs to improve his agility, flexibility and bend. He was a pure waist bender as a junior, and it hurt his game. The St. Joseph’s blocker still comes off the ball quickly and aggressively. He’s a punishing blocker who does his best work in the run game. Olmstead does a very good job driving his feet through contact and once he gets his hands on a defender it’s over. Olmstead is an excellent finisher, and a good chunk of his game clips end with him on top of a defender, and usually it’s at least a yard or two downfield. His punch is really impressive. Olmstead does a good job coming off with good pad level, but once engaged he has a bad habit of narrowing his feet and leaning forward, which causes him to lose his base. Olmstead’s narrow base is especially troubling in pass protection, as it keeps him from using his quickness to get to blockers and forces him to lunge more than desired. Olmstead has strong hand but doesn’t bring them soon enough. He can lock onto blockers, but once he learns to shoot his hands faster and sooner he’ll be even more dominant. The tools are there, and if Olmstead can put in the work to get in better shape and improve his base his grade will improve and he’ll climb back up towards the top of this list. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 7. KJ WALLACE, CB - NATIONAL 58 STATE 55 POSITION KJ WALLACE RANK 5.6 5'10" | 182 LBS | ATH LOVETT ATLANTA, GA CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 1/28/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 4.0 UPSIDE GRADE: 4.5 Wallace is one of my favorite cornerbacks in this class. He isn’t very big and he isn’t fast, two traits that drag down his overall grade, but this young man can flat out play football at a high level. Wallace does a little bit of everything for Lovett and in many ways reminds me quite a bit of current Notre Dame star cornerback Julian Love. He plays safety, cornerback, wide receiver and returns kicks as a prep player, but it is at cornerback that his game truly excels and projects at the next level. The 5-10, 182-pound cornerback has top-level foot quickness and loose hips, vitally important traits for a cornerback. They allow him to pedal quickly and clean, they allow him to change direction with ease and they allow him to transition very quickly. Add all this up and Wallace plays fast, even though he lacks ideal long speed. Everything Wallace does on the football field is easy and smooth, and these traits make him very good in coverage. Wallace mirrors receivers well and shows a good feel for reading routes. Combined with his ability to change direction with ease, these traits allow Wallace to excel as a pure cover player whether he is playing on the outside or in the slot. He can come up and press and also play off man just as well. Wallace plays both cornerback and safety for Lovett, and if the need arose he could play safety in college despite his lack of size. He is a willing hitter who knows how to overcome his size and effectively take down ball carriers. Wallace could make an early push as a slot cornerback due to his combination of coverage skills, feel for the game and toughness. Wallace shows good footwork and has fast hands, but he will need to continue evolving and improving how he uses them. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS 8. HOWARD CROSS III, DE 238 NATIONAL 7 STATE 26 POSITION HOWARD CROSS III RANK 5.8 6'2" | 240 LBS | SDE ST. JOSEPH'S MONTVALE, NJ CLASS OF 2019 VERBAL COMMIT 4/22/2018 NOTRE DAME BGI GRADE: 3.5 UPSIDE GRADE: 4.0 Notre Dame needs to add depth at the strongside end position, and Cross does exactly that. His game is similar to that of former Notre Dame starting end Jay Hayes. At this point Hayes is a run heavy defender that has the power, attitude and hustle to handle himself quite well in the run game. During his junior season - against a very competitive schedule - Cross racked up 100 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Cross lacks ideal size for the edge at the next level and he's not a top-notch athlete. He's a shade under 6-2 and right now he's around 240 pounds. He has a thick, stout frame and adding weight shouldn't be an issue. The only question is can he add it and either maintain - or hopefully, add to his current quickness and athletic levels. Cross is used to going up against bigger players, and he has learned how to use his length - or lack thereof - to his advantage. He'll need to do it more consistently, but he does a good job coming off the line aggressively, staying low and getting under the pads of bigger blockers. The St. Joseph's standout has powerful hands and shows a strong punch, and does a very good job locking blockers out. He's also quite good at block destruction and closing quickly on the football. Cross is a strong tackler and takes good angles to the football. Moving his feet through contact a bit better and being a bit more consistent shooting his hands are musts, but he has all the tools to thrive as a run defender at the next level. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS UPSIDE RANKING 1. Andrew Kristofic , OT (5.0) 2. Kyle Hamilton , S (5.0) 3. Hunter Spears , DT/DE (5.0) 4. John Olmstead , T/G 5. Jacob Lacey , DT 6. Litchfield Ajavon , S 7. K.J. Wallace , CB 8. Howard Cross III , DE what's crazy is that he has KJ Wallace as the 7th best commit out of 8 and i think he might be the best CB we will get in either the 2018 or 2019 classes. Wallace just won the DB MVP at the Tenn opening event and was considered the best defensive player there by 247
were bound to be 1 or 2 players short on a fantasy league that already involves a bunch of us in this thread, someone interested in filling up any vacancy thats prolly, almost surely gonna arrive. its a no money keeper league where you keep 3 players at original draft round
Just looking a reading by a bit. How the hell is Hamilton a 3*? Edit: Holy shit I butchered that on mobile. Just looking at video and reading a bit.
Pissing me off we didn't have a commitment today. Jk. Board Any body want to make a post spring/pre fall starting lineup projection? Also you have to think with the staff keep moving players to linebacker Adams and White maybe 2 guys who could get be transferring huh? I can't think of any others unless Mckinnley is tired of waiting behind Claypool and now Boykin
I could care less about where Hayes goes. Post Spring starting 2 deep Qb Wimbush --Book RB Williams (even though they will start Tony for some reason) WR Claypool--Mckinnley WR Boykin--Lenzy (I know he's not on campus but he's gotta see field) WR Young (again probably Finke but hope it's young) TE Mack--Kmet LT Eichenberg--Lugg LG Bars-Ruhland C Mustipher--Ruhland RG Kramer--Gibbons RT Hainsey-Banks Drop Hayes-Okwara SDE Kareem-Ade DT Tillery-Amosa NG Bonner-Hinish BUCK Tranquill-Genmark Heath MIKE Coney-Jones ROVER Owusu-Karmoah--Bilal (but think Simon is coming for this) CB Love-Crawford CB Pride-Watkins S Gillman-Griffith/Allen S Elliot-Coleman A lot more quality and depth on back-end of D
flip bilal and owusu and put griffith at FS as a (mid season) starter and you have what i expect. Also think you might as well name 4TEs as i think well be running a ton of 2 TE sets
Love McGlinchey and Nelson so much - just amazing people, teammates, and representatives of ND story on Nelson Spoiler Talked to someone today who said that some of the networks wanted to have cameras in the home with Quenton Nelson, but the family politely declined. Instead, they wanted to have all the Notre Dame offensive linemen and tight ends be there with them. So today, all the Irish OL and TE's drove to the home in Indiana that the Nelson's own and will be there with their former teammate. This is about as individual of an event that a football player ever has. He is the only one getting drafted. Not his teammates, not his family, just him. Yet Nelson wanted all his teammates with him. Man you have to love Nelson and McGlinchey the more you hear about things they do off the field. McGlinchey Spoiler Enough time has passed so I felt like I could pass along something I was told prior to and after the LSU bowl game regarding Mike McGlinchey. I was given a heads up a week before the game that McGlinchey might not play in the game. The reason is he was battling an injury that could have gotten worse if it got tweaked again and it was to a body part that could be troubling if it got worse. I was told that there were some folks at Notre Dame who pushed McGlinchey not to play, a decision his coaches absolutely would have supported considering the injury he was struggling through. I was also told that Liam Eichenberg really stepped up in practice during the bowl prep, so McGlinchey wouldn't have been leaving the team in a really bad spot. According the sources I spoke with, McGlinchey was adamant about playing in that game. If he got healthy at all he wanted to play. I was told his wasn't going to pass on one last chance to put on the Gold helmet. I know I gained a lot of respect for McGlinchey when I was told that, and I heard it from a few different sources. Kid had every reason in the world to not play in the bowl game, and everyone would have understood - teammates and coaches - but he wanted to play one final game beside Quenton, he wanted to play one final game in a Notre Dame uniform and was also told he wanted to leave Notre Dame on a winning note. i hope both guys go to the NFL, dominate for many years, and make millions and millions of dollars because they both deserve it
Well Watkins is out. One experienced CB out. I feel we have 4 and maybe 5 starting CB quality when you include Vaughn who seemed to fall off face of earth. Now down 4 with Vaughn.
Moving closer to 85, but we're not exactly "trimming the fat" here. Last two guys would've played a lot of downs for ND in 2017.
I agree. 2 very solid depth players. Watkins and Hayes were good enough to play a lot of mins on a decent D last year. I do see more upside in Pride and feel Love is a better version of Watkins (similar styles). Vaughn is a guy i don't quite understand his lack of impact
Both are hurt a lot and have had people moved from positions to LB. Seemingly ahead of them. On top of that we had a good LB class recently
JGH switched from S to LB and was immediately ahead of them. Unfortunately for them, Elko/Lea came in and switched the scheme and they no longer fit in ND’s defense
That dude is staying, scrubs like this are just happy to be there. No idea why they thought it was a good idea to get him on campus unless he has the complete harbaugh playbook
Made a point that looked like that to a stupid osu fan just a few days ago. Martin, Stanley and mcglinchey is better than anybody in America in the last ten years...might almost include nfl teams
Not with weis though, the line sucked. Every year And not that great under Kelly either before heistand...but it’s still a good selling point
I don't know how many games Kelly had without HH but he's had a elite LT all his games in tenure. There are others who have made NFL rosters.