AtLeastMySisWasIrish

So Big, with the announcement of Freeman as the new DC, do you see a quick hit impact with some of the difference makers you highlight or is it a more a wait and see after year 1 in his system. I know Kelly stipulated the Rover position would remain and see no issues with Freeman accommodating, or else he wouldn't have accepted the job, but with his coming from Cincy and not being a factor for a lot of high 4 or 5* kids, will this be enough to turn the tide and gain immediate traction? Also any news on Diggs? What's your Crystal Ball telling you? Thanks as always and GO IRISH!

Totally agree...best coach on the staff for recruiting + developing a stud dline. Love the way he rotates players and having clearly defined roles for each to focus on. Great coach who's always singled out by recruits and would be a kick in the balls to lose him to Purdue. Personally don't see him meshing well with Harbaugh and his oddball personality. So much for another quiet offseason in South Bend! GO IRISH!

If we have Spring ball, the staff will get a feel where all 4 QB's are at and allow them to have a plan in place for when Fall camp rolls around. One key point not addressed from the posts I saw is the defensive schemes the teams we play. Knowing WI as well as I do, it would be a tall task to put a Frosh starter up against a Jim Leonhard defense. He's the next Wunderkind in the coaching ranks and a master at mixing up coverages and fronts. Kelly is paid to win games and if Coan has the ability to read D's better than Buchner, then play him. If not, play the QB who gives us the best chance to win. ND is positioned to reload, not rebuild and combined with the reconfigured Oline, seeing which of our many talented WR's emerge will be the the factors the coaches make the decision on as to who will play. Thankfully we have known entities at TE and RB. Finally, why the rush to decide a starter in January when the kids aren't even on campus yet? On a side note, my daughter and I have already planned to be at the ND vs WI game at Soldier Field and just got a whole lot more interesting with the sub-themes of what was already going to be a great game to go to. Anyone else planning to go, there's a good ND bar in the South Loop and we'll be bellying up to the bar once it opens. Great spot for a DD pre-game venue! GO IRISH!

Great WIN and kudos to ND by putting an offer together that competes with the salaries paid out by SEC and other high paying powerhouses like Texas, LSU, Clemson and Bama. 4 years @ $2.5MM per puts us at the top of the wage scale and diminish the perception of ND being tight fisted when it comes to paying for top talent. With the loss of Joseph to Texas, focus now is to retain Elston as rumors are floating he may be a candidate for the Purdue DC job. I truly feel for Elston as he's the longest tenured coach yet now been passed over twice and no one can blame him if he chooses to pursue a DC job, yet no coach has done a better job of recruiting top end Dline talent and getting the most out of each. Hopefully Kelly and Swarbrick gave him a bump and retains the title of Asst. Head Coach as while the loss of Joseph will surely hurt, losing Elston would be worse. But welcome aboard Marcus and with is connections to OH and surrounding areas, praying it pays dividends in not only developing the talent on the roster but start getting the difference making playmakers needed to be a legit contender for the CFP. GO IRISH!

As an Ex-Badger and avid fan of both UW and ND, this is a logical move and one I think will pay dividends for the Irish as they build up Buchner. While not as dynamic as McCaffery, did he ever indicate he was interested in ND? I haven't heard a peep living in MI and likely ND reached out and was told no. So with who's on the board, Coan fits, was a one time Lacrosse commit, so clearly can run, and gets to fulfill his earlier goal of suiting up for an ND Sport. Best of luck to him and GO IRISH!

Post of 2020. Go IRISH!

Rees was not the reason we lost. Clemson was the better team and we were the better team in South Bend. If Rees lost the game, how did we hit them for 47 the 1st game. Damn good reason Lawrence will be the #1 pick along with a host of other players. He was the difference and time for the ND fanbase to give credit where credit is due. Venables is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in CFB and yesterday showed good reason as to why. They won, we lost, end of story. A&M is not very good based on the number of games I've seen them play this season, OSU had to come back in the 2nd half against a good Northwestern team but saw no reason why ND wouldn't beat them on a neutral field. We are a Top 5 team and hope the committee drops us no further than #4 and see how we stack up against the team I think is the best in CFB, Alabama. You come to ND to play the best and hope the kids get the chance. Go IRISH!

Believe he already announced he's not coming back for a 7th year. Gonna test the NFL Waters then proceed with his life. GO IRISH!

With it looking more likely Harbaugh will not return, the position coaches Edward's has developed relationships with will likely be gone as well. With the rumor mill running full speed, Campbell is the name most often mentioned but it will come down to Edward's wanting to play for State U and not the head coach. Have to believe it is at a minimum weighing on his mind though his HC is a former WR for MI so strong ties to the school. GO IRISH!

He's from Nashville, played at Vandy and leading one of the best defenses and the #2 ranked team. Not to mention a proven recruiter...those are factors which can't be ignored though like everyone else who's an ND fan, praying he stays but one would have to understand Kelly is already on the prowl for his replacement. Coaches have enough ego to believe they can resurrect or win at any school willing to shell out the money to lure them...Lea shouldn't be considered to be any different. Vandy is awful but if anyone understands how to recruit high character, academic oriented talent, it's Lea. Considering the talent which is within 200 miles, he can certainly improve the program from the dumpster fire left behind by Mason. GO IRISH!

'Bama deserves the recognition they're getting with their WR's and Oline. But it's more difficult to gauge until they play FL in the SEC Championship as it's been a down year for the SEC overall and they've yet to face a D that can take on their Oline and pressure the QB. He's had all day in the pocket, allowing the Receivers to gain separation. If we in fact play them, I firmly believe our front 7 will be the best they'll face and if we can get to the QB, then game on. Urbie said on the Fox post game he feels FL has the players to take on Bama and if so, we'll learn a lot more about our chances should we have the opportunity. On the flip side, we'll know a lot more about our team when they play Clemson as they'll have far more to lose and miss out on the CFP with 2 losses. We win this game and ND becomes the odds on favorite to make it to the Championship game. GO IRISH!

No tougher position than the QB at ND and he's handled the criticism and negative comments better than any who've preceded him. Kudos to finishing as the All Time leader in Wins and praying he adds to those totals before the season is finished. As he said following the game, 3 more to play! GO IRISH!

To think ND fans were in a panic when Saban took a look at him and now he's coaching at Tulane. Considering how bad FSU is, telling that Norvell didn't bring him in to FSU so his reputation with the kids is something he's going to have to work thru to get back into a Power 5 program.

Got me to laugh literally out loud with that one...but I think his leg is still attached but his injury was worse than Jaylon Smith and doubt ND would take a look based on the risk. Nice player but more of a runner than passer correct? With our WR & TE Talent, keep the kids we have + keep bringing in studs each year.

Nice post and another thing in our favor are the kids like Botehlo, the giant German, the WR's, Johnson and Watts...plus those out for the season like Nanah Mensa...building speed and quality depth...key looking forward is who will emerge as the QB. Hoping the reserves get quality minutes today and get good looks at Clark and Pyne. Can't remember if Buchner will be an EE but if so, with the hoped for return of Spring Ball and an actual camp to start the season, who gets the nod will determine what we can expect for the season. Not worried about the Oline as we've got the incoming studs you mentioned plus the highly ranked kids already in the program...I respect Kelly for not being the type of coach who runs up the score but I'm a bit selfish today and hope we're up by enough to get them in no later than the middle of the 3rd Qtr and keep the offensive play calling aggressive. Whole bunch of great reasons to watch the game in its entirety to see the kids! GO IRISH!