Wharton70

10 hours ago, IrishGuy said:

JH might not have much of an option "if" the NCAA hits them with the sanctions that inckude multiple level 1 violations. Though I doubt the NCAA will throw the book at scUM, it is a possibility.

Kelly to scUM would be great. He'd quickly have UM winning 9 or 10 games a year with a loss to tO$U and some random team he should have beat. Actually, it might be worse than that considering the Big 10 is adding a couple teams with something resembling a pulse.

If hairball is in hot enough water, it may mirror the Ed O situation at L$U - which seemed like an NCAA ultimatum - get rid of him or you get the death (SMU) penalty - why else would Orgeron leave his dream job so abruptly and with minimal fanfare / explanation - 74% winning percentage and 1 Natty? As to why Kelly - he is a politician's kid and interviews well - "most wins of any ND coach" )-:: They deserve each other.

Rumor on another site that he would go to Ann Arbor if Jimmy went to the NFL. Any thoughts?

On 12/23/2023 at 7:58 AM, IrishGuy said:

I know we all focus a lot on players (recruits and portal) but having quality coaching is just as important as ability of players. With Denbrock likely here for at least a few years and the rumors of Golden being extended.....this might actually be the start of something very special the likes of which many of you have not seen at ND (some of us old farts have.....)

Jimmys and Joes - Xs and Os. CMF is checking all the boxes. Echoes of Lou and Ara.

On 12/13/2023 at 2:21 PM, brian_nd88 said:

I wonder if one reason cross came back for next year is that he knew Oben was going to transfer to ND.  It will clearly be an NBC story during one of the games.  

Agree - heck of a story, but with the 'talent' that we have in the booth, there is an equal chance that they'd broadcast something like "Debbie Does Dillon" instead. 

10 hours ago, FaithInIrish Forever said:

Then he's like

By the way Charles Jagusah is our left tackle.

Maybe thats why Blake Fisher entered the draft.

Great point on Blake, Faith. He seemed like a good guy, but the freshman injury seemed to set him on a Sam Young 2.0 trajectory. I'm sure with his measurables, and potential, like Sam he will be drafted and make a considerable amount of money. Best of luck to him.

1 hour ago, FaithInIrish Forever said:

We all like Staes and will miss him but look at this insert block by Raridon. Pancakes his linebacker and Estime can hit full speed downhill, one cut and go.  Offensive Line gets so much blame with bad runs but I want you to understand the front 5 can only get you 0-10 yards. 10+ is about the tight ends and the wide outs taking out linebackers and in rare cases safeties, depending how close they are.     

100% - When recruited, everyone talked about his receiving skills, which are serious - routes, speed, and hands. The 1st thing that I noticed (before he was injured his 1st year) is that he is a George Kunz type of road grader in the blocking game. Say a novena that his knees hold up, he's got great potential. Flanagan also has serious skills - they could form a devastating duo.

On 12/5/2023 at 5:35 PM, Rocketsan said:

soon time for him to pack up the chapel and continue the journey west...

Just send me a red Voyageur toque and I'll be on my way.

Hopefully as good a recruiter as CS, a better fundamentals coach, and not as polarizing - what has come out so far is that some of 'the room' loved CS, and some really didn't - nothing substantiated.

Elsewhere, Elko has brought his Duke S&C to A&M, so Balis won't show up there.

I cling to the low % hope that he comes back, but consider it a win that he won't be coaching  (even for 9 months) our early season opponent. He's that good, and to me S&C has probably become the 2nd most important slot (behind HC) on staff. You can't cook a great meal with sub par groceries, no matter how good the chef. JMO

4 hours ago, TexasDomer said:

So is fire, the wheel, and fixed type printing 

Familiar with the 1st one, the second two not so much.

Do they really have electricity in the halls now?

19 hours ago, JeffV said:

Turtle Creek.  Typically student apartments near campus.  Lower rent.  Good location.

Thanks - new since I graduated in 1968. 🙂

17 hours ago, irishwavend said:

Why would I be talking about players doing something in Pittsburgh….in a dangerous part of town, nonetheless…? 🙄

I have no idea, that's why I asked

5 hours ago, irishwavend said:

Folks on campus tend to know the things that go on that never get reported.  Hell, I saw some players doing stuff like that regularly back in my day when we went over to Turtle Creek.

I don't get the reference. Turtle Creek, as in the PA. town outside of Pittsburgh - Leon Hart's home town? Or is there a neighborhood near ND by that name?

3 hours ago, GRIMREAPER1270 said:

I know Notre Dame will never do this but I think they should not go to a bowl game. Put out a statement that due to the transfer portal we cannot field a competitive team. Honestly we will go into the bowl game with just two Wr's? How can you compete? Maybe it sends a message to the NCAA. We face an LSU we will get smoked! By the way I do not see it as the sky is a falling scenario. We have three stud Wr's coming in next year to add with Greathouse. Then will will get another two to three Wr's via the portal. We will survive. However in a bowl game we will get crushed. 

If L$U is the opponent, and #5 - their QB - opts out (a good chance) that would level the playing field - a less exciting game maybe, but potentially a statement game for MF to out coach purple face, Just a thought.

3 hours ago, Big23Head said:

100% the issue is depth at WR now both for the bowl and for next season. Relying solely on the portal every year to have experienced WR is a crazy gamble right now but ND is going to be in that position it appears. 
 

FWIW, a quick and strong coaching hire could see a WR return. Speculating not a fact I know. The portal will be incredibly rapid though so it needs to be yesterday. 

 

Is Colzie out also?

No shortage of reps 🙂

Tight ends - Davis Sherwood Eli Raridon and Cooper Flanagan

1 hour ago, NYGoldenDomer said:

I heard about Lea on Irish Breakdown today while mowing the lawn but whenever their podcast was recorded it wasn't finalized yet.  They also mentioned that we might also see Matt Balis getting hired by A&M as he was buddy buddy with Elko and Balis' son is either an A&M recruit or already an underclassman.  I forget that detail.

and here I did six freaking novenas for Balis 2.0... A&M will be formidable - glad we'll play them early. As to Vandy, I see that as a quality school & mixing Jimbo there would, to me, be oil & water - everyone that I know with F$U & A&M ties was very glad to see him go. One FSU letterman said he was like Urban's cousin.

I wouldn't be shocked if he wound up at TA&M with Elko, like Caleb Williams, although TA&M has 5 QBs on roster, mostly 1st  & 2nd year guys.

A lot of plates spinning.

3 hours ago, tneun89 said:

@NDhoosier had a good post in the Recruiting Forum about how coaching changes might impact recruiting (positively for ND, in that they can maybe flip someone before NSD). It got me thinking about ND's potential coaching changes. I'm hoping most of the staff sticks around, but I expect 2-3 guys to head elsewhere.

Gerard Parker. The million dollar question. Probably deserves his own thread. I have no idea. I expect Freeman will change up the OC responsibilities and try to bring someone in, but I'm 100% speculating. ND's offensive numbers look great overall (14th in scoring offense, 10th in yards/play), but they've had some really bad moments in the biggest games (Duke, Louisville, Clemson). Obviously, some of that is due to other factors (lack of WR talent/depth, poor OL play, poor Hartman play), but he is the OC and is responsible for the poor offensive production in those games. (For the record, I actually think the offense played well against OSU. Not a ton of points scored, but they dictated the tempo, never had a three-and-out, and really should have won the game but for the defensive collapse in the last 2 minutes). I go back and forth because I know Freeman is buddies with him, but I think Freeman's competitiveness and desire to get ND to the top will override that friendship and lead him to move on. Maybe Parker comes back as Co-OC and TE coach, but, again, I have no idea what Freeman is thinking.

Gino Guidugli. I expect him to be back, unless he gets an offer to be an OC somewhere. No idea if that is on the table, but I think he'll come back. It sounds like he has been helping with playcalling. Maybe he is promoted to Co-OC. Pure speculation on my part, and I'd prefer Freeman goes out and gets a proven OC. 

Deland McCullough. I think he will be gone. He has had his sights on the NFL for some time. I know he has had interest from the NFL the past two offseasons. So, I think he makes the jump if the opportunity presents itself.

Chansi Stuckey. I bet he comes back. He's worked hard to get the WR room in better shape after it was in complete shambles prior to his arrival. While the upperclassmen, outside of Tyree, have not really done anything (some of that due to injury), he has gotten a lot out of Flores, Greathouse, and Faison. He has another great recruiting class coming in (5-star Cam Williams, and 4-stars Micah Gilbert, who some think is better than Williams, and Logan Saldate). He should be back in 2024. He's a rising star.

Joe Rudolph. I expect him to be back as OL coach. Freeman was very complimentary of him at his recent presser. I have been disappointed in the OL at times this season, but he was highly regarded when he came to ND last offseason. 

Al Golden. Like everyone, I really hope he stays. Having the same DC for three years, especially one who is as good as Golden, would really help the 2024 team compete for the 12-team Playoff. Obviously, a ton of questions on offense, but having a Top 10/5 defense would make ND a legit contender. I know Syracuse is open, but does he want to try to re-build another program? Maybe he has the desire to do so, I don't really know. But for a guy who is more NFL in nature (a true teacher, not big into recruiting), I could see him staying at ND. My only hesitation would be if the NFL came calling. I don't think he would leave to be a LB coach somewhere, but I'm just speculating.

Al Washington. No info on him, but I expect he'd be back.

Mike Mickens. To me, the most ideal scenario for 2024 would be for Mickens to be promoted to Co-DC while Golden stays as Co-DC, but is also promoted to Associate Head Coach. No idea if that is even a possibility (my guess is that if the money is right, anything is possible), but that would be ideal because Golden will definitely not be here in 2025. Freeman goes way back with Mickens and already said earlier this season that he views Mickens as an up-and-coming DC. Let him learn from one of the best in college in 2024, then takeover in 2025. What he has done with the CB room in just a few years is truly remarkable, both in terms of on the field production and recruiting. He is a true rising star in the coaching profession.

Chris O'Leary. I was surprised when he had interest from the NFL last offseason, so maybe he has similar interest this season. Not sure what he wants to do - stay in college or go to the NFL - but he has grown on me this season. What he has done with Xavier Watts is a testament to his coaching ability. I think his recruiting has been subpar, but he turned a pre-season liability into a strength this season, so I hope he returns.

Marty Biagi. I think he would have crawled on glass to become ND's special teams coach, so I expect him to return.

 

Thanks for the analysis -. What about S&C? That has been a concern of mine, and I feel focus should be there - any hope of Balis returning?

On 11/10/2023 at 12:12 AM, Baldy said:

Same goes for Correll, because he has been put on his a** too many times this season. What sucks is he still has two years of eligibility remaining. 🙄

Agreed - Ashton looked  better, and has more eligibility / a higher upside

based on the last 3 or so games, it's time for Fisher to move on.

28 minutes ago, nremdn said:

Have you not seen enough?!

In 60 years as a fan & student, I've seen A LOT worse, and seen tougher situations turned around. Hang in.

8 minutes ago, Joey D.... said:

Oline, Hartman SOOOOOOOOOOOO OVERRATED

AND

GERARD PARKER IS AWFUL

 

I give Parker a 1 year pass, as with Golden last year - tough to cook a good meal with another guy's groceries, and in this case (OL and S&C) sub par sous-chefs. BWDIK

Clemson loss in four words...Harry Hiestand Matt Balis

2 hours ago, AnTostal said:

That was an amazing thing to see. He was running faster than the USC guy. 

He also helped take down #1 earlier when it looked like he (#1) would score.

A real asset - versus the $C kicker who wiffed on ND's 99 yard KO return.

A good night for special teams and the defense.

2 hours ago, The Captain 19 said:

Ole boys voice reminded me of a drill sergeant. 

Which is what is usually needed when in the "tough" part of the season - he would have still been on their butts, and have had the continuity of relationship to call them out. Zaire made a great point after O$U - by Tuesday you close the book on last week's game and focus on next Saturday.

There seems a lot of discussion about 'emotional let down', and 'emotionally drained'. Somewhere Coach John Ray is asking Ara, "What the heck is THAT about?" To paraphrase, football, like life, is not a contact sport, it is a collision sport. But again, what do I know?

In the 1st quarter several of the interior OL were blown off the ball.

Late 3rd 1/4 on the DL showed fatigue - missed tackles an got pushed back

It seems that as the season goes on, both lines are losing battles on this basis versus scheme / initial positioning.

How much do they miss Matt Balis?

But what do I know?