ndomer4

I agree that a warm body is better than no body. We can bang on the staff for going after three star recruits all we want but CW and the staff know what they're doing. Star rankings mean literally nothing, he's a pretty good athlete though. With the type of guys we're bringing in I think it'll be tough for him to see the field especially at a position he doesn't play. Yeah he runs a 4.5 at his weight now but he won't be running that at 240 I can bet you that. If I were him I'd stick with Purdue and play but after I read the article on his visit I think he might flip over. Seems like a guy who maybe grew up a huge ND fan or just wants to be in the spotlight at a big school. He can win a title here also which is something he wants, regardless the staff likes him so I think he'll be alright here.

I've read Stockton has really picked up his game and will provide key depth. Stockton was a big time recruit so I was surprised he never saw the field, but now we might see a little more of him.

This is tough to see, the guy worked really hard and was a huge contributor for us last season. I thought we'd see lots of Jaylon anyways but this is still a big blow. My first nd game was the Michigan game and I loved seeing Spond chase Robinson to the edge and make the tackle. We always had trouble when Robinson got to the outside but Spond held him in check that game. Now it's between Councell and Smith. I think Smith is going to win the job because he's just too good not too. If Councell ends up starting I won't be dissapointed either because he's got some nice size and speed. Seems like Councell needs to pickup on the mental part and put it all together.

We can't afford to lose a game and we can all thank Louisville's joke of a schedule for that. That sec team is always going to get in but go look at Louisville's schedule and tell me where you see them losing. We can hop louisville no problem with an undefeated season but one slipup and we're going to a bcs bowl at best.

I'm sure you can remember the Weis days when a safety ALWAYS lead the team in tackles.

Very sorry for your loss Cory, you and your family will be in my prayers.

Agreed on Prosise and Mahone. Two guys who will end up being really good blockers, and to break off those big runs we need wideouts blocking well downfield like Michael Floyd.

Sacks- Tuitt 13 Tackles- Fox 95 TFL-Tuitt 21 INTS- Russell 5

He's still got two years to prove himself but it definitely seems like time is running out. I think Okwara could easily surpass him next year at outside linebacker. Also if Ishaq bulks up and moves to end then a guy like Rochelle might pass him up.

With our luck I can guarantee the next transfer is from someone leaving our team.

I'll go with Corey Robinson, you only hear great things about the kid and he's not even close to reaching his full potential yet. He's going to play a good amount this year, if tj and Daniels weren't so good and experienced then he'd probably be a starter.

That play totally describes Dayne Crists career.

I like what i saw from Rees, we just all have to accept he's never going to have a rocket of an arm. He's a pretty smart quarterback, ton of experience and he'll get the job done. He's above average I'd say, I also think we're far better off at qb than a majority of teams. Yeah the Greg Bryant run was nothing special I was expecting a 20+ yarder.

To be honest what has Schwenke contributed? We were screwed last year when he started for Nix in the Pitt game. There's no way he could have played as a true nose tackle last year at his size. However I think he's looked really good in the spring and now, looks like he's added size but a lot of strength. Not a contributor yet but I think he's gonna surprise lots of people this year.

That was a good read haha I was laughing the whole time reading that. You make it sound like they're a bunch of walk ons, I hope they play as bad as you make them sound. If that's the case for their front 7 I wouldn't even throw the ball if I was BK. Run run run...

Maybe Tuitt doesn`t have the year he expects and decides he needs to lose the weight so he comes back for his senior year. There`s still a bright side haha unless he can lose it before Temple.

I was sitting by a Michigan fan for the ND game and he talked about Jake Ryan like he was the end all be all. Unfortunate injury since I just had one that killed my season so I feel for him. I don`t think they have a stout front 7 but they stifled our run game last year, that can`t happen again.

We got ourselves a huge gem this year with Carlisle. We really have no clue how good he will be but there is a chance he turns out to be an all american type player. We know he`s good but not how good. Feels nice to get a transfer like this, I`m excited to see how good this guy can be.

I agree 100 percent Oklahoma, for as long as I've been an ND fan Michigan has always been a pain in the ***. Frankly I could care less about who they lost, no matter how bad Michigan is they always play us tough. Even in 2008 they were coming back on us but they kept shooting themselves in the foot. I`m not too sure on Michigan players, at safety I`m pretty sure they lost the walk on Kovacs. They always have a committee at runningback which is alright, the oline is good (lewan especially), receivers alright, Jake Ryan is a good pass rusher, and they always pull in a good recruiting class. Michigan seems like they`re a team who`s gonna be in and out of the top 25. I can`t imagine how detrimental a loss to them will be for our season. If we win that game we`re 2-0 in the top ten and on our way to a national championship. We lose we go to 1-1, drop to the late teens or 20`s, lose confidence, and are a loss or 2 away from not going to a bcs bowl at all. Expectations are high and we need this win if we plan to accomplish them. We also have no clue how tough some of these teams on the schedule will end up being. USC, Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona State, BYU, and Pitt are all pretty good teams. If a few of those teams or all end up being better than people thought we could end up with an even more brutal schedule and having to run a gauntlet already at 1-1. Let`s just say we can`t afford to lose this game.

I haven't heard that but I think Shembo is a 2nd or 3rd round talent, if he becomes a tad more consistent he might even be a first rounder cause he has the measurables (not sure on the 40 though). I agree BlackIrish, I was wondering why we haven't heard much about Prosise. I was expecting him to be the starting slot from what we heard in the spring, maybe Amir Carlisle is stealing the show there. I think Tuitt is a little too big, speed is huge and I'm pretty sure he's lost a step with that much added weight. Still think Martin will push his way really high in the first round. Another thing is we actually have so much talent that BK or other people don't have enough time to single out every single player. It's nice to finally see this much talent and so much competition throughout the roster.

Every game is important but when i see the schedule I look at three games. 1. Michigan. Not only our first huge test but a big rivalry game we've had trouble with lately. Always a close game but I'm sick of losing to these guys, on the road this game is as big as a must win gets. This is the game that gets us rolling. 2. USC. We've finally made it a rivalry again but we need to start embarrassing these guys like they were doing to us. IMO it is the biggest game because I think the last time we beat USC at home was 2001, just unacceptable. They always have talent but there's no way we can lose this game, it will feel like a huge setback if we do. 3. Stanford. If all goes according to plan the winner of this game will determine a player for the national championship. I think Stanford is our toughest test this year and if I had to pick a loss it would be this game.

Fox took a huge step from 2011 to 2012, if Calabrese makes the same step this year then I wouldn't be surprised if they play more than Grace.

Shumate is a really intriguing player. When you hear Kelly or other people talking about him hey always bring up how sure and hard of a hitter he is. Now I remember last year whenever I saw him in coverage he was super tight to his man and against purdue and michigan state he knocked down a few passes.

With the amount of talent we have we could line up with pretty much any formation and have loads of talent on the field. A Koyack and Niklas is intriguing, so is a wideout set of Brown, Jones, Daniels, Robinson, and Prosise. If Carlisle ends up being the slot I think we'll see a formation of Carlisle, Jones, Daniels, Niklas, and Bryant. I see those as the most talented 5, not sure if Bryant will start but I suppose he will at some point.

Read somewhere that Stanley was playing at right tackle and Lombard moved inside to right guard, not surprised there. Also I'm getting real excited about the stuff coming out about Greg Bryant. Wouldn't be surprised if he starts, also someone here said in the wish thread I think that Greg Bryant will be the best freshman back since Lattimore. That might be a possibility.