What worries you the most about ND Football?

[FaithInIrish Forever 4,738]

Is it the Admin and the whole Ludwig thing?

Coaching Turnover

Quarterback in 2024

NIL- The pro free agency that is college football. Is it different from Leahy recruiting in the armed forces?

 

or other.

No fancy poll just pick your statement and defend it.

TRUTHBOMB!!!! NIL makes me puke a bit in my mouth.

[D Fence 166]

Our defense.  I think the offense will be able to score on people.  We lost a lot of production on the DL and our LBs did not play well at all last year.  Teams that wanted to run on us ran it down our throat (OSU, USC, Marshall).

[FaithInIrish Forever 4,738]

27 minutes ago, D Fence said:

Our defense.  I think the offense will be able to score on people.  We lost a lot of production on the DL and our LBs did not play well at all last year.  Teams that wanted to run on us ran it down our throat (OSU, USC, Marshall).

good one. ND has to figure out how to win up front. Didn't in the big moments on Defense for the most part last year.

[jbrown_9999 1,028]

NIL.

Leahy was ahead of everyone else when he was recruiting in WW II and was probably still in compliance with whatever rules existed back then

ND now is putting itself at a disadvantage by doing NIL "right" which will make it harder to compete against other schools which are all in on the pay to play.

As they say, character reflects how you act when no one is watching so I am OK with ND's NIL approach. It will make it tougher to win a NC though.

 

 

 

[FaithInIrish Forever 4,738]

1 hour ago, jbrown_9999 said:

NIL.

Leahy was ahead of everyone else when he was recruiting in WW II and was probably still in compliance with whatever rules existed back then

ND now is putting itself at a disadvantage by doing NIL "right" which will make it harder to compete against other schools which are all in on the pay to play.

As they say, character reflects how you act when no one is watching so I am OK with ND's NIL approach. It will make it tougher to win a NC though.

 

 

 

I just don't like it because it is really close to a paid professional athlete.

[IrishGuy 178]

Transfer portal and NIL.....

In today's college football, a team (see U$C 2022) can completely restock the shelves with the transfer portal but Notre Dame can only look at graduate transfers and extremely rare guys that academically qualify as non-grads.

For NIL, it's a broken system that I feel favors the programs that have historically been tied to questionable recruiting practices (namely in the area of getting money to families and players prior to NIL).

[tneun89 979]

As far as 2023, its the defense - DL and Safety in particular. ND needs to get at least one guy for each position from the portal after spring practice. Maybe I'm overhyping Hartman and his effect on the offense, but I really think this will be ND's best offense since at least 2015, if not since the best Weis years (2005-2006). ND has a Top 5 QB in the country for the first time since BQ, probably one of the best RB rooms in the entire country (and that's with an unknown like Jadarian Price who could be a monster), what should be a Top 10 OL unit behind Alt and Fisher, and a really improving WR room. ND should be really dangerous on offense, even with a new OC. But the defense will be the biggest impediment to the CFP. Guys like Riley Mills, Jordan Botelho, Nana Osafo-Mensah, Xavier Watts, etc. need to really step up this season. Hopefully Al Golden has a better Year Two. 

As far as long term, I think the transfer portal is a bigger concern. ND admissions will not budge (see Brandyn Hillman), and younger guys are more impatient than ever - nobody is going to sit on the bench for 3 seasons as they develop physically. Everyone wants to play now and will transfer because they will be promised playing time and lucrative NIL. ND will lose more guys to the portal than they will gain, at least as far as undergraduate transfers.

NIL doesn't worry me as much, although it's a concern for recruiting. I think pay-for-play killed ND last cycle (Moore, Keeley), and ND doesn't seem to be budging based on Swarbrick's editorial in the NYT. But ND just got the best transfer QB on the market in Sam Hartman largely due to an NIL deal. ND will be a player for guys who have proven themselves on the college level, i.e., grad transfers. NIL might impact recruiting classes, but I think ND can make up for it by enticing veteran players to come to ND. 

While ND's facilities are somewhat lacking behind SEC and BIG powerhouse programs (the GUG definitely needs a facelift), I don't think that's what will hold ND back from a national championship.

[JeffV 332]

All those topics are worthy of some good old offseason worries.  They're all valid.

I feel good about Freeman and the program direction, but ND needs to win now to keep a lot of the aforementioned areas of concern from becoming long-term issues.

Right now, there's some buzz, we're recruiting better as a whole.  ND feels relevant at this moment.  But if they don't put it together as a legit title contender in the next 2 years - everything will suffer. 

Worst case scenario is a 2025 coaching search, the inability to attract or pay 5-stars or compete for portal transfers, and a team that would be lucky to break into the EXPANDED playoff.  I don't think that will happen, but they need to progress starting now to stay ahead of it all. 

If things get irreparably broken, I don't see ND hiring a Deion Sanders, Hail Mary-type hire, to fix things.  

 

[FaithInIrish Forever 4,738]

Great posts everyone!

So for 2023 its DL and Safety, defense generally

For the future its the transfer portal, losing more players then we get

Also I'm Not the only one that NIL makes a bit sick because ND is going to make players earn it and be honest. Where the SEC is going to lie to kids, pay the best and screw up the rest. Empty freakin promises. I.E. Rashada and Florida.

You all are the best. At least we will worry together! Go Irish!

[TexasDomer 1,290]

“Coach, I’m afraid of spiders.”

[NYGoldenDomer 2,046]

On 4/3/2023 at 9:44 AM, TexasDomer said:

“Coach, I’m afraid of spiders.”

Great movie 

[coltssb 1,044]

What worries me?  Prince Kollie…

[mcgov12 1,237]

1 hour ago, coltssb said:

What worries me?  Prince Kollie…

Yup…some smoke about him possibly going. I think we all know how that goes most of the time once the smoke starts billowing