SDIrishFan

Unfortunately this assumes all 4 stars are created equal. They’re not.

Can't help but feel like Dante Moore screwed us twice. First with the decommitment from ND, then the decommitment from Oregon, which I'm sure opened up the bag to other players like Bowen. How long before Freeman says, yeah, dealing with 16-18 year old kids for recruiting and their NIL deals isn't friging worth it.

Things are trending positive for ND with Bowen. Whether any of it is true or not is anyone’s guess.

Wonder what it took to outbid Nike?

I mean, he's got a couple days, he might flip to someone else before then.

Pretty bummed that we had three 5 ⭐️s committed at one point and were not going to end up with any of them. That’s the difference between competing with the top tier teams and struggling to get in a NY6 bowl.

Second for Minchey!

Can't wait for the lawsuits and ambulance chasers that will ultimately happen.

Right in the first year. I've seen numbers just under seven figures projected for him. Its apparently exploded since then. Quite frankly, the numbers be thrown out for high school kids are many times that, "upfront", before ever playing a down. The number for Bowen, a safety at one of the least impactful positions on the field, was 2 million. The QB going to Tenn was rumored to be around $7M. Those numbers put our highest paid player to shame. Now, do I think these numbers and contracts will "self-regulate", sure. In a few years, but until then, ND is again fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.

There seems to be some doubts to this recently and perhaps the reason that many players jumped ship after their first year at big NIL schools. My guess is these "contracts" were very favorable to the boosters and many kids signed without reading/understanding the fine print.

As long as upfront cash is "against the rules", ND isn't going to play that game, which I get. That being said, other schools absolutely are. The ONLY way I see competing against that, is doing better than everyone else at taking care of the players on your roster. I'm not sure that that's happening either. I know KH14 and Mayer did well, even Foskey and maybe a few others. I also know ALL ND players get something. Just not sure we are the cream of the crop for NIL with players currently on the roster.

Not sure anything is certain. From what I've gathered from a few spots, sounds like there may have been a call last night with MF. Perhaps MF put him on the spot and say are you with us or not? There were also rumors of more in-homes with other coaches who weren't even in the picture all the sudden. It's like we also say, pay attention to what they do, not what they say. He went on numerous "unofficial visits" this summer/fall while committed. These under the guise of it being for his brother. We're going to soon find out why he took all those visits.

Sounds like MF may not even do an in home today now. Not sure if it was that he is tired of the drama or Bowen finally got the courage to actually decommit, but sounds like this one is over.

Really is crazy, in a good way.

Maybe, but we've also offered 2 or 3 guys late this year that committed elsewhere right after.

Hopefully minus all the knee injuries.

Sort of what I thought I'd seen but couldn't remember for sure.

I believe Salerno accepted a post-season all-star game invite. One of the military ones I believe, so he shouldn't be back. Also, rumor was Lenzy wasn't asked back either, which was a little surprising to me. He was open all year long, Pyne just never saw him while he stared down Mayer. I could be wrong, but I think we have to be back to the 85 limit to start the season?

That’s good. Like to see how he competes and stacks up against other top competition during the week.

Anyone have any news on his shoulder injury? Will he be able to compete at the AA game?

That' sucks, I was excited about his speed and explosiveness. Gotta believe its Colorado. Neon Deion strikes his first big casualty.

Agreed. No play caller is perfect. Give the guy a real QB and see how he does (I know it’s his job to find a real QB and between Minchey, Carr, and hopefully a top-flight transfer, he’s crushing it there all the sudden.)

Yeah, it's curious. I believe there are two portal windows now. December and April (I might have those mixed up). Maybe the staff is using bowl practice, and eventually spring practice, as an opportunity for players to make or break your time at ND. Perhaps some ppl are just getting their ducks in a row, wanting to have a destination before announcing they are gone. Oh absolutely, according to this article, only about 50% of players land back on their feet at another university with a scholarship: https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football/college-football-transfer-portal-numbers-risky-move-for-athletes That's obviously a pretty big gamble to take.

Depends how you define mass exodus I suppose. The past few years we've seen 10-12 kids exit for whatever reason, portal, "retire", transfer, etc. (between the December and April) My guess is that number this year will be slightly higher, probably 14-16 kids. Mostly depth players at this piont, but I'm afraid we'll also see a surprise or two from contributors in the two-deep.