Martin Joins Hansbrough In South Bend

This blog has been resurrected under a new name based off of my Colts blog. This blog will be updated weekly with the biggest news of the week until football season, when you can expect a blog 2 or 3 times a week.

Scott Martin was a highly touted recruit coming out of Northwest Indiana. When he committed to Purdue, it looked like ND missed out on a local prospect. However, due to a lack of playing time and wanting a change of scenery, Martin has joined the Irish after playing 1 year for Purdue.

For Notre Dame, Martin and Ben Hansbrough, a guard from Mississippi State, transferring to Notre Dame changes the outlook on the future. Instead of 2008-09 being the make or break year, it looks like there could be a winning tradition building up in South Bend.

Scott Martin will most likely play wing for the Irish, replacing Zach Hillesland. Martin is a fantastic shooter and has got the size that Notre Dame has been lacking at the wing position until Hillesland became the starter. Hansbrough will most likely play shooting guard in the same role that Kyle McAlarney currently has.

Notre Dame may not have signed any recruits for 2008, but their 2009 class looks like it could be the start of something special. Joey Brooks, a wing, and Jack Cooley, a Harangody clone, are the incoming freshmen for 2009. Ryan Ayers, Zach Hillesland, Kyle McAlarney, and Luke Zeller are the 2008 seniors, and it appears that McAlarney and Hillesland have their replacements. Notre Dame has 2 scholarships open from the transfer of Joe Harden and graduation of Rob Kurz. I expect Notre Dame to reel in two more quality players and set up a great roster for 2009-10. Here is the early prediction of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 rosters.

2008-09
PG-Tory Jackson (Jr.)
SG-Kyle McAlarney (Sr.)
SF-Zach Hillesland (Sr.)
PF-Luke Zeller (Sr.)
C-Luke Harangody (Jr.)
6th-Ryan Ayers/SF/Sr.
7th-Jonathan Peoples/SG/Jr.
8th-Tyrone Nash/SG/So.
9th-Carlton Scott/PF/Fr. Redshirt
10th-Tim Abromaitis/SF/So.
11th-Ty Proffitt/PG/So.
12th-Tim Andree/SF/Jr.
13th-Tom Kopko/PG/So.

2009-10
PG-Tory Jackson (Sr.)
SG-Ben Hansbrough (Jr.)
SF-Scott Martin (So.)
PF-Carlton Scott (So.)
C-Luke Harangody (Sr.)
6th-Jonathan Peoples/SG/Sr.
7th-Tyrone Nash/SG/Jr.
8th-Tim Abromaitis/SF/Jr.
9th-Jack Cooley/C/Fr.
10th-Ty Proffitt/PG/Jr.
11th-Joey Brooks/SF/Fr.
12th-Tim Andree/SF/Sr.
13th-Tom Kopko/PG/Jr.
14th & 15th-Incoming Freshmen

Post-Spring Depth Chart

The Blue and Gold game was this afternoon, and there is no better time to pick the starters than when it is fresh in your mind. Let's go. I will include the incoming freshmen. Note: All numbers for freshman besides Trevor Robinson and Sean Cwynar are projected.

QB
1. Jimmy Clausen/7/Sophomore
2. Evan Sharpley/13/Senior
3. Dayne Crist/10/Freshman

RB
1. Robert Hughes/33/Sophomore
2. Armando Allen/5/Sophomore
3. James Aldridge/34/Junior
4. Jonas Gray/25/Freshman
5. Barry Gallup Jr./21/Junior

FB
1. Asaph Schwapp/44/Senior
2. Luke Schmidt/32/Junior

WR
1. David Grimes/11/Senior
2. Duval Kamara/18/Sophomore
3. Golden Tate/23/Sophomore
4. Michael Floyd/81/Freshman
5. George West/19/Junior
6. Deion Walker/87/Freshman
7. Richard Jackson/80/Junior
8. Robby Parris/82/Junior
9. DJ Hord/1/Senior
10. John Goodman/9/Freshman

TE
1. Mike Ragone/83/Sophomore
2. Will Yeatman/84/Junior
3. Kyle Rudolph/89/Freshman
4. Joseph Fauria/88/Freshman

LT
1. Paul Duncan/72/Senior
2. Matt Romine/70/Sophomore

LG
1. Mike Turkovich/77/Senior
2. Eric Olsen/55/Senior
3. Lane Clelland/79/Freshman

C
1. Dan Wenger/51/Junior
2. Tom Bemenderfer/67/Senior
3. Braxton Cave/73/Freshman

RG
1. Chris Stewart/59/Junior
2. Trevor Robinson/78/Freshman
3. Andrew Nuss/76/Sophomore
4. Mike Golic/52/Freshman

RT
1. Sam Young/74/Junior
2. Andrew Nuss/75/Sophomore

LE
1. Pat Kuntz/96/Senior
2. Morrice Richardson/53/Junior
3. Sean Cwynar/98/Freshman
4. John Ryan/90/Junior

NT
1. Ian Williams/95/Sophomore
2. Paddy Mullen/93/Junior
3. Brandon Newman/99/Freshman
4. Hafis Williams/68/Freshman

RE
1. Justin Brown/94/Senior
2. Emeka Nwanko/91/Sophomore
3. Ethan Johnson/92/Freshman

WLB
1. Brian Smith/58/Sophomore
2. Scott Smith/41/Junior
3. Kevin Washington/42/Senior
4. Darius Fleming/52/Freshman

ILB
1. Maurice Crum/40/Senior
2. Steve Quinn/48/Senior
3. Aaron Nagel/47/Sophomore
4. Anthony McDonald/54/Freshman

ILB
1. Toryan Smith/49/Junior
2. Steve Paskorz/50/Sophomore
3. David Posluszny/57/Freshman

SLB
1. Kerry Neal/56/Sophomore
2. Kallen Wade/97/Junior
3. Kapron Lewis-Moore/68/Freshman
4. Steve Filer/60/Freshman

CB
1. Terrail Lambert/20/Senior
2. Gary Gray/4/Sophomore
3. Leonard Gordon/24/Junior

CB
1. Darrin Walls/2/Junior
2. Raeshon McNeil/8/Junior
3. Robert Blanton/30/Freshman

FS
1. David Bruton/27/Senior
2. Harrison Smith/22/Sophomore
3. Jashaad Gaines/29/Junior
4. Jamoris Slaughter/26/Freshman

SS
1. Kyle McCarthy/28/Senior
2. Sergio Brown/31/Junior
3. Dan McCarthy/16/Freshman

K
1. Brandon Walker/14/Sophomore
2. Nate Whitaker/33/Junior
3. Ryan Burkhart/39/Junior

P
1. Eric Maust/43/Junior
2. Brandon Walker/14/Sophomore

KR
1. Armando Allen/5/Sophomore
2. Golden Tate/23/Sophomore

PR
1. Harrison Smith/22/Sophomore

Looking Back: Class of 2003 Part 1

The 2003 recruiting class for Notre Dame was one of the best this decade. After Notre Dame won 10 games in Ty Willingham's first year, the recruits flocked to Notre Dame. Many of these players are in the pros or are about to be drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft. This class led Notre Dame to two BCS Bowl games. This class was one of the most productive since Lou Holtz left.

Victor Abiamiri/DE/*****: Victor Abiamiri was one of the most dominant defensive ends in recent Notre Dame history. He improved every year and was the anchor of the Notre Dame defensive line in Weis' first two years. He had 18.5 sacks and 91 tackles in his last two years. Abiamiri was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He had 7 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries. Abiamiri has been stuck behind Trent Cole, Juqua Thomas, and Jevon Kearse. He was also being recruited by Maryland, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, and Stanford.

Chase Anastasio/WR/***: Anastasio was a rarely used receiver for Notre Dame. Most of his action came on special teams. He had 3 catches in four years for Notre Dame and gained 36 yards. He turned down an opportunity to play a fifth year at Notre Dame in 2007, ending his football career. He was the #21 ranked wide receiver for 2003 and was being recruited by Ohio State, Stanford, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Nick Borseti/LB/***: Borseti, like Anastasio, never really amounted to anything at Notre Dame. He only had 26 tackles for Notre Dame and never started a game. He was the 58th ranked middle linebacker and was being recruited by Penn State, Syracuse, Virginia, and Boston College.

Joe Brockington/LB/***: Brockington became a major contributor in 2007 in his fifth year for Notre Dame. He made the transition to inside linebacker almost seamlessly, recording 56 tackles and one sack. He had 3 more tackles in 2006, but it is mentionable that he played a different position in 2007 yet experienced almost no dropoff like the majority of the rest of the team. He was not invited to the NFL Combine, but he still could be drafted this coming April. He was also being recruited by Boston College, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Michigan.

John Carlson/TE/***: Carlson has been a big-time performer for the Irish since Anthony Fasano's departure after the 2005 season. He caught 87 passes for 1006 yards and 7 touchdowns over the last two years. He led Notre Dame in receptions last year and was Clausen's preferred target. Carlson will be drafted in the middle of the 2008 NFL Draft, and he was also being recruited by Minnesota and Stanford.

Isaiah Gardner/CB/***: Gardner is the biggest no-name on this list. He transferred to Maryland after one year at Notre Dame and recorded 147 tackles and 3 interceptions for the Terps. He was also being recruited by Oklahoma, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Check back later for future parts...

Coaching Shuffle: Lewis Out, Tenuta In

Notre Dame made some noise this offseason, and it didn't have anything to do with recruiting. Bill Lewis, the long time assistant head coach and defensive backs coach retired and Jon Tenuta, the former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator, was hired in his place. The difference of jobs between Tenuta and Lewis will be Tenuta will most likely take over at linebackers and Corwin Brown will coach the defensive backs, the job he held for the Jets, along with being the defensive coordinator.

All I can say is great job, White, Brown, & Weis. This guy is going to be a linebackers coach when he could be a head coach or defensive coordinator at big time programs. When you can get coaches like that as assistants and position coaches, it's always a good move. However, I would like to put him at defensive backs instead of linebackers. At Ohio State, he developed multiple stars who are now starters in the NFL. It's not like Brown did a bad job with the linebackers last year either. Kerry Neal and Brian Smith were fantastic. Joe Brockington was pretty good and he is now being projected to be drafted. Maurice Crum had some great games (UCLA comes to mind). With all of the youth at linebacker, I would rather have them keep a coach they are familiar with and give the defensive backs, who are mostly going to be seniors and juniors, the new coach.

When players are developing, the least amount of changes can be the best. We've seen what has happened with Alex Smith, QB for the San Francisco 49ers, when he loses his offensive coordinator every year. You don't want the young players having to spend more time on adjusting and less time on fine-tuning their skills.

If Corwin Brown moves to defensive backs coach, I won't be complaining either. He was the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets, and he played as a safety in the 3-4. If he moves, he will be prepared.

To sum it up, I'm not worried. Tenuta has been a great coordinator and assistant head coach throughout his entire career, and he does not have many blemishes on his record. When a coach could have been the head coach at a BCS Conference school (Michigan State) and a defensive coordinator for many schools, it's very good when you can get him as a defensive coach. If Notre Dame can continue to get these great position coaches, the players will continue to blossom. The decisions Charlie has made with his staff have been phenominal. Let's see if they produce on the field.

Pick A Number Between 1 and 99

That's what 23 new Domers will be asked to do in a week when they sign their Letters of Intent. There are, for now, 22 scholarship players and one preferred walk-on with a memorable name. This will change if Milton Knox or Keith Wells get a scholarship offer and commit, but I do not think that will happen in my opinion. So for now, a choice will be made in one week. A decision that will change the outlook on the Notre Dame football team. One that will change the next four years. Their jersey numbers.

Dayne Crist-Crist is a quarterback, so the number will most likely be between 1 and 20. Crist is a big (6-5, 228), talented QB. His high school number is number 10. He's supposed to be the next Brady Quinn. Give him his number. #10.

Jonas Gray-Gray is a running back, so 20 to 49 sounds like the logical choices. However, we've seen Darius Walker and Ryan Grant wear single digits, so he could as well. His high school number is 24, which is taken. I say he follows in the footsteps of Julius Jones. #22.

Michael Floyd-Floyd is the most talented wide receiver to commit to Notre Dame since Randy Moss. Hopefully Floyd stays out of trouble over the next week so he can come to Notre Dame. Since I doubt that will be a problem, He needs a number. He will probably choose a number in the 80s. His current number is 80, but Richard Jackson has his hands on that one. Expectations aren't important. He'll follow in the footsteps of the last Notre Dame Heisman winner. #81.

John Goodman-Goodman is an option quarterback from the Midwest. He will not be a quarterback at Notre Dame, but he will be required to provide big plays. Someone just like that left and had a good Senior Bowl. Take Zibby's number. #9.

Deion Walker-Notre Dame's latest addition is a very fast wide receiver with a 40 time almost at 4.4. He wears number one in high school, but DJ Hord sports that number at Notre Dame. Walker should take a normal wide receiver number. This number is known for being what Alan Page sported. Make it a number that is usually reserved for tight ends. #88.

Kyle Rudolph-Rudolph is big (6-7) and he is fast (4.7). He will be used in the passing game for the next 4 years, and he hopes to follow in the footsteps of great Irish tight ends like Dave Casper, Ken MacAfee, and Anthony Fasano. He is a great receiver. People who bought John Carlson jerseys should be able to inherit a new jersey by graduation. #89.

Joseph Fauria-Fauria is a giant. Rivals has him listed at 6-8, and he is 250 pounds. He will be a great blocker in the Jumbo pack immediately. Notre Dame has two blocking tight ends (Fauria and Mike Ragone) and two receiving tight ends (Rudolph and Will Yeatman). Fauria wears 85 at Carmelite, but that is taken by Sam Vos. Bump it up one. #86.

Trevor Robinson-The firing of Bill Callahan may have been the best move for the Irish. With him getting the boot, Trevor Robinson and Jonas Gray switched their commitments to Notre Dame. Robinson has worn 78 in high school. There won't be much change. #78

Lane Clelland-Lane Clelland is the mystery lineman. He didn't dominate an All-American game like Braxton Cave. He didn't switch commitments like T-Rob. He doesn't have a famous dad like Mike Golic. However, Clelland is a great guard who is extremely physical. He wears 76 in high school. Andrew Nuss wears 76 at Notre Dame, so Clelland will get will get a new number. He should follow in the footsteps of Ryan Harris. #68

Mike Golic, Jr.-When an All-American recruit has junior in his name, you know he has good genes. His uncle, Bob Golic, was one of the best defensive players Notre Dame had in the 70s. Golic can't follow in his relatives' footsteps because Eric Olsen has 55, so Golic should pick up a number close to it. #57

Braxton Cave-Cave dominated the ESPN Under Armour All-American game. With his performance, he gave Dan Wenger some serious competition for the starting center spot. Cave wears 73 at Penn. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. #73

Sean Cwynar-Cwynar will be coming to South Bend early this year. He will be at Notre Dame for spring practices, giving him a real chance to start at defensive end. He wears 77 at Marion Central, but Mike Turkovich has 77 at Notre Dame. Cwynar should just take the only open offensive lineman number in the 70s. #79

Brandon Newman-Newman is huge. He is right around 300 pounds, and he is very strong. He could be one of the most powerful defensive tackles Notre Dame has had in a while. Newman wears 51 at Pleasure Ridge Park, but Dan Wenger has that one. Newman is a big man, so he needs a big number. #99

Hafis Williams-Williams may have to step up in 2008. Ian Williams is the only returning nose tackle, so Williams may be called on to make big plays. He wears 79 at Elizabeth, but Sean Cwynar already has that. Williams should follow Newman's route. #98

Ethan Johnson-Johnson is a very athletic defensive end. He could be the X-factor on this defense if he can come in and make big plays like Trevor Laws did. He wears 9 at Lincoln. John Goodman will take that number, so he can take a defensive lineman's number. #92

Steve Filer-Filer is a big-time local recruit. He goes to Mount Carmel High School, where he wears 44. Asaph Schwapp has that one, so he can go up a bit. #46

Anthony McDonald-Not much will change with Anthony McDonald. He sticks together with his teammate Dayne Crist. His school will have the same name. He will even have the same number. #54

Darius Fleming-Fleming could be breaking a lot of sack-related records by the end of his time at Notre Dame. Fleming is built perfectly for the pass rushing outside linebackers in the 3-4. He may have to improve at pass coverage, but that shouldn't be a big issue this year. He wears 90 at St. Rita, but that number is called for. He should go with a more linebacker-friendly number. #52

David Posluszny-The younger Posluszny definitely has good genes, much like Mike Golic and Dan McCarthy, two other 2008 recruits. Hopefully he inherited his brother's run stopping ability. He is a great pass defender, which may be a major asset for this team. He wears 31 at Hopewell, but that number is not available. Try higher. #37

Dan McCarthy-It's going to be a brotherly reunion at Notre Dame when Dan plays with his brother Kyle. However, Dan has had multiple injuries this year, and he will most likely get a redshirt. However, he still gets a jersey number. He may want to keep his old one (15), which is a wise decision. #15

Jamoris Slaughter-Slaughter, like McCarthy, has had injury problems. His knee should be fixed come summer, but he may not play next year, especially with all of the returning corners. However, he still needs a number. His number 8 is taken, so he should settle with a close number. #16

Robert Blanton-Blanton has the best chance out of any secondary player in this class. He is a great athlete, and he may have a chance to get some playing time in front of Gary Gray to get in the dime position. He shouldn't change much, including his number. #12

Now here is the preferred walk-on.

Some of you might know who it is.

Some of you may not.

He has a famous dad who was involved with a Notre Dame championship team.

He had a great pro career and his jersey is common among Notre Dame fans.

Here it is.

*drum roll*

Nate Montana-Another Montana. That's awesome. Now, he has to take his dad's number. It has to be done. #3

That would be the coolest thing ever for the son of the most famous Notre Dame sports player to wear his dad's number. Expectations normally don't apply to preferred walk-ons, so there may not be much pressure on him to recreate what his dad did. Either way, he HAS to choose this number.

Greatest Week Ever: Football Players

Since this is the week leading up to the Super Bowl, National Signing Day is the same weekend, and college basketball is starting to heat up, it's time for the Greatest Week Ever: Irish-style. For Notre Dame, recruiting is basically over besides some recruits that will get late offers, but I can't get into it. The suspense isn't there. The Patriots are in the Super Bowl, which is reason for me NOT to watch ESPN. The NBA and NHL are in their midseason, so the excitement of the 100 game series of the playoffs are almost here. While the snoozefests are going on, I will do a 7 part series of the greatest teams, players, coaches, and more of Notre Dame athletics. This should invoke good arguments. Now, I'm starting off with the hardest topic of them all: The Top 10 Notre Dame football players. Notre Dame has a long history of football greatness. They have had 7 Heisman winners and multiple great linemen who never had a chance at the Heisman. Oh yeah, the Gipper, Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis, Raghib Ismail, Joe Theisman, Brady Quinn, and Tony Rice are some players that don't fill those categories. Yeah, they've had some good players.

10. Tony Rice/QB/1987-89: Rice was the leader of three Notre Dame football teams with one being the 1988 national championship team. He was the greatest running quarterback in Notre Dame history, and he finished his career with the Johnny Unitas award in 1989 for the best passer of said year. What makes Rice's accomplishments even more amazing is that he had no freshman year. Because he did not pass the Prop 48 requirements, he didn't get to play or even practice with Notre Dame in 1986. He was essentially a first year player in 1987, where he led the Irish to a Cotton Bowl win. Rice was also the only starter on the Notre Dame 1988 team, both offense and defense, not to play in the NFL. He is one of the best option quarterbacks in the history of college football. Every player who runs a form of the option should watch tape of Tony Rice. He was the epitome of elusiveness and speed from under the center.

9. Tim Brown/WR/1984-87: Tim Brown may be more well known for his Hall of Fame career at wide receiver for the Raiders, but Brown was one of the top returners in college football before he became the All-Pro receiver in Los Angeles and Oakland. He had 1927 all-purpose yards in 1986, and he won the Heisman the following year. He ended his career with 5024 all-purpose yards and 107 receptions. His breakout game was against USC in 1986 where he returned a kickoff for a touchdown, had a touchdown reception, and returned a punt 56 yards to set up the game-winning field goal. Brown was the first true Notre Dame wide receiver to win the Heisman.

8. Joe Montana/QB/1974-78: Joe Montana may have only started for two years, but he made the most of his time under center. When Rusty Lisch went down against Purdue, Joe Montana got his chance. Montana came into the game with 11 minutes left in the game and the Irish down by 10 points. Montana threw for 154 yards and led Notre Dame to the win. He never looked back. Joe Montana led the Irish to 10 straight wins, including a win over Southern California in South Bend donning the green jerseys and a 38-10 win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl, which secured the national championship for the Irish.

The next year, Notre Dame made it to the Cotton Bowl once again, and Joe Montana gave us the most famous performance in Notre Dame sports history. In the Cotton Bowl, Notre Dame was down 20-12 at halftime, but the score was not the story. Joe Montana had hypothermia with his body temperature at 96. To recover, Joe Montana had multiple bowls of chicken soup and stayed under warm blankets. With just under 8 minutes left in the game, Notre Dame was trailing by 22. Joe Montana led the comeback, capped with a touchdown pass to Kris Haines with no time on the clock. Notre Dame won the game 35-34, and Joe Montana was immortalized. After his Hall of Fame career in the NFL where he won 4 Super Bowls, Joe Montana became the face of winning quarterbacks. If one thing is for sure about Joe Montana's career: If he played today, he would have a Campbell's endorsement.

7. George Connor/OT/1946-47: Like Montana, George Connor played only 2 years for the Irish, but he made the most of it. After World War II, Connor transferred from Holy Cross to Notre Dame, and he made an immediate impact. He was the anchor of the Notre Dame line that went undefeated in 1946 and 1947. He won the first Outland Trophy, and he went on to be an all-time great linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Connor was the first post-war dominant tackle. He was the main reason Notre Dame became a 1940s dynasty.

6. Johnny Lujack/QB & DB/1943-44, 46-47: Even after 60 years, Johnny Lujack is the only quarterback who had led his team to 3 national championships. Johnny Lujack may have been a Heisman-winning quarterback (1947), but he is probably most well-known for his game-saving tackle against Army in 1946, which locked up a national championship.

5. Paul Hornung/QB, RB, DB, & K/1954-56: Paul Hornung was actually on a winning team (9-1) as a sophomore in 1954, but his team's worst season was definitely his best. In 1956, Notre Dame went 2-8, but he finished second in the nation in offense and had 55 tackles. The controversial win over Jim Brown still had social impact. No matter how I feel about it (Paul Hornung was the best player in the nation and Brown was only considered years later when he became the greatest NFL player in history), this win started controversy that seemed to follow Hornung around wherever he went. He was banned for a year by the NFL for gambling, and he made insensitive comments about blacks a few years back. However, that won't take away his Heisman or keep him off this list.

4. Leon Hart/E/1946-49: Leon Hart was the last lineman to win the Heisman Trophy. However, the line was a bit different under Frank Leahy than it was today. Hart played end, which would be considered wide receiver or tight end. Nevertheless, he was phenominal. He never lost one game in his college career, and he had 13 touchdowns on 49 receptions. He was a force on defense, and he was also a great blocker for the T-formation runners that played for Leahy. He did it all over his career.

3. Ross Browner/DE/1973, 75-77: Browner is the greatest defensive player not named Hugh in college football history. He had 77 tackles for losses and 340 total tackles. Remember, sacks were not stats when Browner played, so we don't know for sure how many sacks he did have out of the 77. All we know is, he was the overall greatest defensive player in NFL history. He could stop the run and get to the quarterback. To top it off, he had 2 national championships.

2. Raghib Ismail/WR & RS/1988-90: Raghib Ismail was the most explosive player in football history. He could change the game on one play. Imagine Devin Hester times ten plus the fact that he could also catch the ball. He had over 1000 career yards in rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is very underrated over all-time because he did not win a Heisman due to the fact that pass-happy offenses were still respected at the time and he did not start his pro career in the NFL. He played in the CFL for the most expensive contract in football history. Even though he started his career in the CFL, he ended his NFL career with 5295 yards receiving in nine years-an amazing stat when analyzed deeper. He was what Ted Ginn Jr. would be considered today. He was an all-time great and my favorite player.

1. George Gipp/RB, DB, & K/1917-20: This one is obvious. A pass thrown to the receiver he was covering was never completed. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry and he had 6 interceptions. He averaged 40 yards per punt and had 20 PATs. He died prematurely, but that may be what he is most known for. He gave his "Win One for the Gipper" speech to Coach Rockne on his deathbed, which ended up being immortalized in the movie Knute Rockne: All-American. Gipp is as famous as a running back can get. He was the first great running back in the history of American football. His impact cannot be overlooked.

I'm Goin' To Vegas

I was on it yesterday. The seer inside of me predicted that Notre Dame was going to win easily over Villanova with Kyle McAlarney being the leading scorer. I was a little off on Luke Harangody. I said that he wasn't going to get a double-double, but I was wrong on that one. However, I also said that Tyrone Nash was going to get into the game. I also said Tim Abromaitis would play, but I'm not hung up on "details". For the most part, I was right, and that's all that matters.

Branching out from Notre Dame, I also predicted Connecticut over Indiana. Indiana is one of the most overrated teams in the country because they have a good freshman. Here's the truth: Gordon is overrated. Sure, he puts up 30 points on Chicago State and whoever else IU played in their joke of a non-conference, but he never shows up in big games, and he gets fatigued way too fast for a shooting guard. He is not on the same level as Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose. They were ranked at number 8, but all that proves is how college basketball rankings are a joke. Good thing they don't mean anything. IU is 1-2 versus the RPI Top 50, and that one win is over Illinois State. Their best win over a major program is over Georgia Tech. IU has lost to all of the good teams they have played. I expect a first round exit for the Hoosiers. Good thing they play in the pathetic Big Ten to boost their record and give them a better seed in the Tourney.

A Chance We Cannot Mess Up

If there is a must win game in January, this is it. Notre Dame is 0-2 on the road, of course those losses are to Georgetown and Marquette. Villanova is not on their level, but they haven't lost at home this season, and like all Big East teams, they have a great crowd. Villanova is also on a cold-streak, so this game may be as important for the Wildcats as it is for the Irish. Let's see what the stats show.

Starting Lineups

ND
G-Tory Jackson (5-11)
G-Kyle McAlarney (6-0)
F-Ryan Ayers (6-7)
F-Rob Kurz (6-9)
C-Luke Harangody (6-8)
6th man-F Zach Hillesland (6-9)

Nova
G-Corey Fisher (6-1)
G-Scottie Reynolds (6-2)
F-Dante Cunningham (6-8)
F-Shane Clark (6-7)
C-Casiem Drummond (6-10)
6th man-G Malcolm Grant (6-0)

Key Matchups

C Luke Harangody versus C Casiem Drummond

Harangody has been the best player in the Big East this season. He is leading the Big East in points per game and is second in rebounding. He is the early leader for Big East player of the year, and if he gets going, he cannot be stopped. Drummond, however, has the size advantage in this matchup. We've seen Harangody struggle against UConn and Georgetown, who both have big centers. Drummond will need to play stronger than Harangody to stop him, and if he gets into foul trouble, this game is over.

SG Kyle McAlarney versus SG Scottie Reynolds

This one should be interesting. Kyle McAlarney is third in 3-point shooting and Reynolds is 12th. Neither of them is known for their defense, so this could be a scoring-fest from beyond the arc. Whoever can get hot first will have a major advantage.

Team Overviews (Rankings are in Big East and Leaders are in bold)

Record: NOVA (13-4) ND (13-4)
PPG: NOVA (8th, 77.5) ND (5th, 78.6)
Scoring D: NOVA (11th, 69.8) ND (6th, 65.1)
Scoring Margin: NOVA (8th, +7.6) ND (5th, +13.5)
FT %: NOVA (5th, .701) ND (1st, .731)
FG %: NOVA (12th, .444) ND (8th, .451)
FG% Against: NOVA (13th, .443) ND (4th, .394)
3 point FG%: NOVA (7th, .360) ND (1st, .406)
3 point FG% Against: NOVA (15th, .393) ND (8th, .338)
Rebounding Margin: NOVA (5th, +4.6) ND (1st, +9.8)
Blocks Per Game: NOVA (15th, 2.88) ND (11st, 3.59)
Assists Per Game: NOVA (12th, 13.9) ND (1st, 18.7)
Steals Per Game: NOVA (3rd, 8.5) ND (12th, 7.0)
Turnover Margin: NOVA (3rd, +3.88) ND (10, +.1)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: NOVA (13th, 1.0) ND (3rd, 1.4)

Advantage: Notre Dame (12-2-1) over Villanova (2-12-1)

Prediction: Notre Dame blows out Villanova on the road 84-66. Harangody will be held to 15 points and 8 rebounds, but McAlarney will make 6 threes and score 27 points. Notre Dame will have 21 turnovers, but they will still win easily due to Villanova's lack of big men on the bench. I expect to see Tyrone Nash and Tim Abromaitis get playing time in this game as they work their way into the rotation.

Freshman Outlook: Tyrone Nash and Tim Abromaitis are stuck on the depth chart behind Ryan Ayers, Zach Hillesland, and Luke Zeller. Next year, they will get much more playing time as Zach Hillesland will most likely be the starter at power forward. Carleton Scott has been redshirted to give him time to develop his raw talent. He could be phenominal and give Notre Dame a great power forward which they haven't had in a very long time (Troy Murphy was a center).

Looking Way Too Far Ahead

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are known to play ridiculously tough schedules. Sure, they normally play at least one academy a year, but didn't two academies make it to a bowl game this year? Here, I will post Notre Dame's future opponents in football up to 2013 and grade the schedules. Note that only 2008 is finalized and only 2008 and 2009 have 12 opponents. The ones that do not a date are in italics with possible dates listed. Other possible opponents will be listed as well. They are in order. My source is nationalchamps.net.

2008

v. San Diego State
v. Michigan
@ Michigan State
v. Purdue
v. Stanford
@ North Carolina
@ Washington
v. Pittsburgh
@ Boston College
v. Navy in Baltimore
v. Syracuse
@ Southern California


Grade: 7/10-Notre Dame plays USC, Michigan, Purdue, and Boston College, all who won a bowl game last year. However, they get San Diego State, Syracuse, and Washington, all of whom are very weak opponents. Navy will definitely suffer after Paul Johnson left for Georgia Tech, so they will become a much easier team to face. North Carolina, Stanford, Michigan State, and Pittsburgh all will be better than they were last year, so look out for them. Overall, there are some cupcakes and questionable teams. Notre Dame added North Carolina, Syracuse, Washington, Pittsburgh, and San Diego State while dropping UCLA, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Duke, and Air Force. That's a major drop off.


2009

v. Nevada
@ Michigan
v. Michigan State
@ Purdue
v. Washington
v. Southern California
v. Washington State in San Antonio
v. Navy
@ Pittsburgh
@ Stanford
v. Boston College 10-10, 10-24, 11-21 (most likely)
@ Army 10-10 (most likely), 10-24, 11-21

Grade-8/10: I like this schedule. Nevada is definitely better than San Diego State. Washington State is also a better option than North Carolina. Army is also better than Syrcause. Washington should be fairly good in 2009 if Ty Willingham is fired. Pittsburgh and Stanford should also be contenders in their respective conferences.

2010

v. Purdue
@ Michigan State
v. Stanford
v. Navy in Baltimore
v. Pittsburgh
@ Southern California
v. Michigan 9-11 (most likely), 10-2, 10-9, 10-16, 10-30, 11-20
@ Boston College 9-11, 10-2, 10-9, 10-16, 10-30 (most likely), 11-20
v. Rutgers 9-11, 10-2, 10-9, 10-16, 10-30, 11-20 (most likely)
Other possible opponents: They need a neutral site game, which may be played in Tampa, Dallas, Indianapolis, Chicago, or New Jersey. Teams that may want to play a neutral site are Miami, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State, or Army. I would like to see Notre Dame play Illinois in Chicago at Soldier Field. Opponents that may set up a home and home against Notre Dame are Notre Dame are Air Force, LSU, Georgia Tech, South Florida, Northwestern, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

Grade-6/10: So far, Notre Dame does not have a great non-traditional opponent yet. In fact, all of these teams have been regular on the recent schedule. However, LSU and Notre Dame have been negotiating for a home and home for years, and teams like South Florida and Air Force may find their way on the schedule. For now, the schedule is bad, but it could be great.

2011

@ Purdue
v. Michigan State
@ Pittsburgh
v. South Florida
v. Southern California 9-10, 10-1, 10-8, 10-15, 10-22 (most likely), 10-29, 11-5 11-12
v. Navy 9-10, 10-1, 10-8, 10-15 (most likely), 10-22, 10-29, 11-5, 11-12
v. Boston College 9-10, 10-1, 10-8, 10-15, 10-22, 10-29, 11-5, 11-12
@ Michigan 9-10 (most likely), 10-1, 10-8, 10-15, 10-22, 10-29, 11-5, 11-12
v. Rutgers 9-10, 10-1, 10-8, 10-15, 10-22, 10-29, 11-5, 11-12 (most likely)
Other Possible Opponents: Stanford will definitely make its way onto the schedule at 11-26. Some other opponents may be Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Air Force, Army, or Alabama. The neutral site game I would like to see is Army in New York in the New Yankee Stadium or Citi Field or New Jersey in the New Meadowlands Stadium.

2012

v. Pittsburgh
v. Purdue Any Saturday from 9-1 to 11-24 besides 9-22 (9-29)
@ Boston College (10-13)
@ Southern California (10-20)
v. Navy in Dublin (9-1)
@ Rutgers (11-10)
@ Oklahoma (10-27)
v. Michigan (9-8)
Other Possible Opponents: The neutral site game I would want to see is in Green Bay versus Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. The history of Lambeau and Notre Dame go hand in hand. Curly Lambeau, a former Notre Dame player, founded the Green Bay Packers, giving them the colors of Notre Dame, blue and gold, before being changed to green and gold when Vince Lombardi arrived. Notre Dame has to play a game in the stadium named after their most favorite football-related graduate. Notre Dame will play Stanford, and the others I expect to see scheduled are Arizona State, Michigan State, and Penn State.

Grade: 9/10-I like this schedule a lot. USC, Michigan, and Oklahoma all have played in a BCS Bowl game in the past two years, and they have all played in a national championship since Notre Dame last won one. They will all be great come 2012. I added on a point for the game in Dublin. That's awesome.

2013

v. Oklahoma
@ Pittsburgh
v. Southern California On any Saturday from 9-14 to 11-23 besides 11-9 (10-19)
v. Navy (10-12)
Boston College (10-26)
@ Purdue (9-21)
v. Rutgers (11-2)
@ Michigan (9-14)
Other Possible Opponents: The neutral site game I want to see is versus Air Force in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The other opponents I expect to see scheduled are Army, Michigan State, Arizona State, and Pittsburgh.

Grade: 8/10-This is the same schedule as 2012. Same grade minus the extra point for Dublin.

Too Much Lost, Too Little Received

Derrell Hand has been diagnosed with a hereditary spinal cord disease, and his career is over. This is very bad news for everyone involved. Hand has lost his career, but he is lucky in a few ways for things leading up to this illness. Hand was arrested for propositioning a prostitute last spring and was suspended for 3 games. We saw Kyle McAlarney, the junior point guard on the b-ball team, get booted for a semester for marijuana possession. Hand is lucky that Charlie had faith in Hand and let him stay. Now he will have a degree to fall back on. Speaking of that...

When Hand was being recruited, he was looking at colleges (Miami of Florida for instance) that have much lower academic standards than Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, he will get a real degree, not whatever you would get at Florida State while playing football. This is why Notre Dame holds players to higher standards. They need a fall back career.

Bartley Webb, an offensive lineman, also has a career ending injury. He hurt his shoulder and is done. To go along with Pat Kuntz disappearing and being found at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Notre Dame is losing too many players.

With Omar Hunter's decommitment, they may not have enough experience or talent to replace them. The defensive line is already very thin. Dwight Stephenson and Trevor Laws have graduated. Justin Brown and Ian Williams are the main players left. Hopefully Pat Kuntz can come back and play this year so the weakness is reduced.

Shake Down The Thunder (And Lightning)

Heresy. That's not good. That was in the Church says not to commit. They are a super sin. Well, ESPN First Take host Dana Jacobson just committed one at the Mike and Mike roast. According to sources, a drunk as a skunk Jacobson came onto the stage and said

"F*** Notre Dame, F*** Touchdown Jesus, F*** Jesus."

That is outrageous. How drunk do you have to be to say that? 20 beers? 20 bottles of vodka? Either way, she should be out of a job. Here is my take on the situation (can be seen at irishbandofbrothers.blogspot.com)

I could care less about the Notre Dame part. I get it every day. However, Jesus is proclaimed as the Son of God by over 1 billion people, not to mention he is considered a prophet by about every other religion, including Judaism. That is unacceptable.

This was an ESPN sponsored event. What if someone came into work drunk and said F*** Jesus? I know drinking was allowed, but you have to know your limits, especially when the cameras are rolling.

The worst excuse by people who are trying to blow this off as nothing is...

"It's a roast. It's suppose to insult people."

Yeah. The person who is getting roasted! Either they are saying that Mike and Mike are the sons of God or they have no idea what they are talking about. As a Catholic, I was offended by this. I worship Jesus as Christ, and damning him is about as nasty as it can get.

Dana Jacobson should not have a job with ESPN. She should not be on vacation. She should be looking for a job at a bad news station in Kalamazoo. This was ridiculous.

Also, I think I need a joke in here somewhere. Here we go--Jacobson had a bad break. If she would have done this on her show, she wouldn't have gotten in as much trouble because we all know, nobody would have been watching. ZING!

Notre Dame Signs Another, Looks For More

Today was a big day for all of the elite programs in the nation. Because of the All-American games, most of the great undecided players commit to a school today. Pittsburgh got linebacker Shayne Hale. Star running back Ryan Williams picked Virginia Tech. Even the Minnesota Golden Gophers got some good news, signing QB MarQueis Gray. Notre Dame also got some news, but it wasn't necessarily good.

Athlete Gerrell Robinson picked Arizona State over Notre Dame and Oregon. Gerrell Robinson has played quarterback and defensive back in high school but will most likely play wide receiver for the Sun Devils. Arizona State got a big signing today. Robinson is the best recruit that they have signed all year, and it gives them another wide receiver in this class, the third to commit. Arizona State has just got a great player, and I'm sure all Notre Dame fans wish him luck. However, he was the only wide receiver to pass on Notre Dame today.

Deion Walker committed to Notre Dame after the ESPN Under Armour All-American Game. Walker is a four star wide receiver coming out of Christchurch High School in Virginia. He is 6-4 and runs a 4.43 forty yard dash. Penn State and Notre Dame were his final two schools, but most Notre Dame fans were confident in him coming to South Bend. He is the third wide receiver to commit to Notre Dame for this class, giving them one of the best receiving corps in the nation. They did not lose one scholarship receiver from last year's squad, and there is only one scholarship player who will be a senior next year. With the addition of John Goodman, Michael Floyd, and Walker, Notre Dame has given Jimmy Clausen some great targets for next year.

With Deion Walker committed, it's time to look at the other recruits that Notre Dame is going after. Here are the three prospects that Notre Dame could get.

Cyrus Gray, RB-Another Gray. Yes, it would get confusing with two Grays in the backfield, but his addition would give Notre Dame another great running back. Cyrus Gray is the fifth ranked running back by Rivals this year, and he compiled 1975 rushing yards in his senior year. He is also considering California, Florida, Kansas, and Louisville. Notre Dame has a chance to get him, but I would put my money on California. California has had a recent history of a good running game, and he would play almost immediately. Florida rarely uses a running back. Kansas is a little bit surprising since they play in a pass-oriented offense. Louisville has some young running backs, much like Notre Dame. With Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, James Aldridge, and Jonas Gray, Cyrus may rather play at a school where could get more early playing time.

Kenneth Page, OG-Notre Dame has four offensive linemen in this class. Page is the most likely target out of the four. He is a four star offensive guard from South Carolina. His speed is amazing for a guard. He runs a 5.08 forty! He is just under 300 pounds, so his size is fairly good for a guard. The other teams in contention for Kenneth are Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina. Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and North Carolina are long shots, so Notre Dame, Clemson, and South Carolina are the most probable targets. Clemson and South Carolina have become the most talked-about schools, but I think the academics at Notre Dame may swing him towards ND. He has a 3.8 GPA and has said multiple times that academics are very important to him. He also knows that he could play immediately at guard or at tackle. I feel good about Kenneth Page, although most Notre Dame fans do not share the same feeling.

Mike Martin, DT-Martin is committed to Michigan, but he is making a visit to South Bend. If Michigan pulls his contract like what Notre Dame did to Omar Hunter, he is Irish. Martin seriously started thinking about checking out some other schools when Rich Rodriguez was hired as the next Michigan head coach. Martin is not very big (6-1, 285), but he makes up for it with his amazing strength. He benches 420 lbs and squats 520. He also won the state wrestling championship in his first year of organized wrestling. Martin is only considering Notre Dame for now, so Notre Dame also has a good chance with him. Now that Omar Hunter is in Gainesville, Martin could get playing time right away at nose tackle or defensive end. He could make Notre Dame fans forget about Omar Hunter.

So, to wrap it up, I believe that Kenneth Page and Mike Martin will both be attending Notre Dame in 2008. The Irish did lose Omar Hunter and just missed on Gerrell Robinson, but Kenneth Page and Mike Martin would ease the hurt. Notre Dame's two biggest weaknesses of last year were the defensive line and offensive line, so Page and Martin would be two of the biggest signings for Notre Dame. This class is already great. Adding these two would solidify it as the number one in the nation. Notre Dame would accept Page and Martin with open arms. Let's see if they feel the same way.