Credit: Detroit Free Press

Brian Kelly and his staff have convinced 21 student-athletes with Michigan offers to commit to Notre Dame, while Jim Harbaugh and his group have persuaded the same number to forgo Notre Dame offers and come to Ann Arbor, according to Her Loyal Sons research.

Michigan and Notre Dame have historically battled for outstanding players in midwestern states, although the skirmish has also expanded to the East Coast and California in the past 20 years.

WOLVERINES GRAB HIGHER RATED TALENT

Michigan has swayed 3 five-stars with Notre Dame offers to join their team, while Notre Dame has landed zero. The Irish have grabbed 16 four-stars to Michigan’s 13, while the Wolverines have 1 more three-star than the Irish group.

Credit: Melanie Maxwell / MLive.com

The six best players, according to Scout’s recruiting rankings, have all headed north: defensive tackle Rashan Gary (#1 overall, class of 2016); wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (#22, 2017); running back Kareem Walker (#28, 2016); offensive tackle Ben Bredeson (#36, 2016); cornerback David Long (#64, 2016) and tight end Devin Assisi (#67, 2016).

Bredeson made eight starts at left guard for the Wolverines last year and appeared in all of their games. He allowed five quarterback hurries, three hits and one sack in 256 pass blocking snaps, according to College Football Film Room. He was also given an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team. Gary played in all of Michigan’s games as well, registering 26 tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight hurries, eight quarterback hits and just four missed tackles.

Asiasi played sparingly – being targeted just five times and catching 2 passes for 18 yards. Long appeared in four games, mostly on special teams. A quarterback never threw his way when he was in at cornerback, so he didn’t register any stats. Walker was a redshirt.

WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT SO FAR?

Credit: MICHAEL CATERINA / South Bend Tribune

Besides Bredeson’s and Gary’s notable freshman seasons, the Irish have two players who have made equal or greater impacts on their team so far.

Dexter Williams was the first to spurn the Wolverines in favor of the Irish after Harbaugh’s hiring in Ann Arbor on Dec. 30, 2014. The running back has registered 281 yards rushing on 61 carries over two seasons. Williams has also found the end zone four times. At this point, he has proven himself a capable second back behind fellow rising junior Josh Adams.

Kevin Stepherson, a three-star unranked in Scout’s 300, had a surprisingly good freshman campaign, becoming quarterback DeShone Kizer’s third favorite target last year. Stepherson caught 25 balls for 474 yards, good for 14 first downs and five touchdowns.

WHAT’S AHEAD?

Despite posting a 4-8 season, the Irish have grabbed as many highly-rated recruits for their forthcoming class as Michigan.

Brock Wright / Photo: Scout.com

The two teams have split Scout’s top 100 that received offers from both schools. Besides Peoples-Jones, Michigan will be welcoming four-star wide receiver Tarik Black (#90, 2017) and four-star outside linebacker Drew Singleton (#93) in the summer. Notre Dame has four-star tight end Brock Wright (#76) and four-star inside linebacker David Adams (#88) coming to South Bend instead of heading farther north.

We cannot discount timing, however. The Wolverines, fresh off their Orange Bowl appearance, have the momentum of late, grabbing five of the last six commits. Those all came since the college football season started. Four-star offensive tackle Aaron Banks (#163) is the lone individual to choose the Irish over Michigan recently.

KELLY & HARBAUGH AREN’T IMMUNE TO DECOMMITS

Of course, nothing is final with 2017 or 2018 recruits until they fax or e-mail their national letters of intent. Both schools have already seen commits suddenly change their minds.

Leonard Taylor, a three-star defensive end, initially picked the Wolverines over the Irish, but then de-committed before the season started. (He’s currently undecided.) Three-star running back A.J. Dillon also picked Michigan over Notre Dame, but then committed to Boston College shortly before Christmas.

Four-star outside linebacker Pete Werner chose Ohio State after initially picking the Irish. Most recently, four-star cornerback Elijah Hicks enrolled in Cal instead of honoring his verbal commitment to Notre Dame. Hicks held a Michigan offer, among several others.

COMPLETE LIST

The post In Kelly-Harbaugh Recruit Fight, It’s Tied appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

One of your biggest “gets” was the mid-season interview with athletic director Jack Swarbrick this year. Take us behind the scenes a bit. What was your pitch on why Swarbrick should talk to you? Or did he seek you out? 

Simple: I asked him during the bye week if he’d be available to chat about the season. He’s usually pretty accessible, and this case was no different. When it comes to work philosophy, I’m from the Joe Maddon school of thought: Do Simple Better. And this job, at its core, really comes down to one skill: Asking — asking questions, asking for documents, asking for contact information … you name it. The worst that can happen is you get told no.

Swarbrick later said he’d be “much less likely” to speak about a coach’s status midseason because “it came back and bit me in the butt.” What did you make of that? Was there any part of you that thought he was taking an unnecessary risk by speaking to you?

Credit: Associated Press / Joe Raymond

Not really. Like I said, he’s pretty accessible. If you think about it, there was only one way to really answer my question, which Swarbrick did. No sane athletic director is going to publicly put his head football coach on notice via the media when the season is only seven games old. Add in the fact that Brian Kelly and the staff were out recruiting that week, and what other message is there to send to the public? He’s smart enough to know that I’m a reporter and that my antennae might go up if he chooses to ignore me. And that usually does no one any good.

Social media has opened up new avenues of interacting with media. What’s your overall impression of Notre Dame fans? Where do they rank on the spectrum of “awesome” to “annoying”? 

It can be a tough group to gauge for the simple fact that the school itself is small, so the majority of people praising or criticizing your work didn’t attend Notre Dame. That’s not to say that you can’t be a real fan if you didn’t go there — some of my extended family members are proof of that — but the emotional attachment to the place might be a little different for somebody who lived in those dorms and sat in that student section during some of the most important years of his or her life.

Most of the Irish fans I’ve interacted with beyond simple tweets are really, really nice. They’re very hospitable to opposing fans at tailgates — coming from a Big Ten school, I was blown away by that — and they always make me feel welcomed whenever I walk around campus. Of course, after my second game on the beat — that infamous collapse in the Big House’s first-ever night game — another writer shared an email he received from an anti-abortion website saying Notre Dame’s loss at Michigan could only be explained by the Holy Mother exacting her vengeance on the place for having invited that “baby killer” Obama to speak on campus. Somehow, I managed to miss that angle while covering the game.

What’s one thing that you’ll miss about covering the Irish, if you don’t continue in this capacity with another outlet? What’s one thing you won’t miss? What’s one thing that the football staff could do that wouldn’t take a lot of effort, but would help the beat writers considerably?

The last part is easy, and one that anyone who works at Notre Dame has heard me and countless other writers talk about again and again: Make assistant coaches available to the media in-season. I know assistants speak at fewer and fewer places these days, but it wasn’t this way at Notre Dame as recently as 2011. When we do get them, most of the assistants are awesome to talk to and represent the school in a great way.

I’ll never forget Pat Narduzzi’s answer when I sat in his office after he got hired at Pitt and asked him how different it was to be in the head coach’s seat, after so many years as a defensive coordinator at Michigan State. He said it wasn’t too big of an adjustment, citing the fact that Mark Dantonio had prepared him for the moment while at Michigan State by making him face the media often.

Moreover, the simple fact of the matter is that a head coach alone is not qualified to speak in-depth about 100-plus kids on his roster. It’s literally impossible for Kelly, or anyone, to do that intelligently on a weekly basis, and it leads to a few unintentionally awkward moments where he misspeaks at times. (I’ve had at least one starter over the years tell me he had no idea what Kelly was referring to whenever Kelly referenced a play of his, since the two interacted so infrequently on the field.) That’s where assistants come in, since they’re more hands-on with a smaller group of players than a head coach probably ever could be, given the demands of that job.

As for what I’ll miss the most: The people. Some of the nicest and smartest I’ve ever dealt with. But enough about the basketball team. (Kidding!) And the place is never, ever at a shortage for stories or readers, no matter how good or bad things are going.

Why did you get involved with the Football Writers Association of America and what do you see as your role as a director in that organization?

Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner / Charles LeClaire – USA TODAY Sports

My college adviser, Malcolm Moran, was a longtime reporter who still plays a big role with the FWAA and suggested I try to help out wherever I could. Frankly, I owe my career to Malcolm and would jump off a bridge if he told me to, so this was a no-brainer. The organization asked me two years ago to be in charge of its Courage Award — which, as you can imagine, annually goes to college football’s most courageous figure — and I have been tasked with nominating players and coaches weekly during the season, before ultimately choosing a winner. Some of these stories are simply incredible, and they have made for some really tough decisions on our end. Miami offensive lineman Hunter Knighton, who nearly died on the practice field from heatstroke, was last year’s winner. Pitt running back James Conner was this year’s winner, and having gotten to know him and his family before he was diagnosed with cancer and became a national symbol, I’m not surprised by the way he’s handled everything good and bad that’s come his way in the past year.

You’re a Penn State alumnus, who graduated right before the child abuse sex scandal rocked that university. How did you process what you were reading and learning, both as an alumnus and as a sportswriter who recognizes how huge this story was?

As an alumnus, I was infuriated. That grand jury report had my stomach in knots. And while whatever belief you have in institutions or famous people erodes once you’re in this business and you get a front-row seat to some of the politics that go on behind-the-scenes, you also don’t envision being flat-out embarrassed to tell people where you went to school. But that’s the bed Penn State made for itself.

Once that first wave of news hit, I can’t say I was too surprised by much of the fallout. Having covered that program in the two years prior to the scandal, the level of institutional arrogance there at the time was off-putting and you just knew the place would trip all over itself if a day of reckoning ever came. There is certainly a segment of the fanbase that has contributed to the ugly picture being painted there, but most of my college friends are fellow journalists, and we all find ourselves from time to time asking each other: “Wait, this place wasn’t that crazy when we were there, right?” (Most of the remaining crazies there do seem to be non-students — and in many cases even non-alums stationed in Central Pa. — for what it’s worth.)

That said, knowing the circumstances, I’ve been beyond impressed with the jobs both Bill O’Brien and James Franklin have done there. If you were following me on Twitter when Penn State was 2-2 earlier this year amid plenty of hot-seat talk for Franklin, you’d know I felt that that chatter was ridiculous, despite the fact that that noise wasn’t coming from just nowhere. (Though I most certainly did not see PSU winning nine straight games and making the Rose Bowl anytime in the near future. Wow.)

Let’s talk sartorial choices for a moment. You’re not afraid of bright colors and you’ve taken at least two pictures in a “brotop.” Where do you find the courage, sir?

Credit: Matt Fortuna / Instagram

You only found two, huh? Well, I figure if Brian Kelly can wear a crazy plaid jacket to a press conference — and still accuse me of looking like a damn leprechaun — the rest of us can exercise a little creativity. And when you’re working at the same place as Edward Aschoff and Sam Khan, well, a high bar has been set. Having a mother who works at J. Crew has also probably allowed my wardrobe to venture to places I might otherwise avoid. I’m just glad you didn’t ask about the infamous inadvertent mustache episode. (Between that, the Freddie dust-up and my brief moment of fame at Wrigley, I’m pretty sure I’ll at least have a cameo in any remake of “Seinfeld” if this writing thing doesn’t work out.)

Jesus fed 5,000 people with four loaves of bread and two fish. What have you accomplished with Fortuna?

I just made it through a Notre Dame/journalism Q&A without being asked about Manti Te’o’s girlfriend. That has to count for something, no?

Our thanks again to Matt Fortuna. Follow him on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. 

The post Catching Up With Matt Fortuna (Part 2) appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Matt Fortuna / Instagram

Matt Fortuna spent six years covering the Notre Dame football team up close for ESPN. His tenure at the World Wide Leader ended Dec. 31, but the future remains bright for this 2011 Penn State graduate.

We caught up this week with Fortuna to discuss his story so far – and his road ahead in sportswriting. This is the first of a lengthy two-part interview. The second installment will appear tomorrow.

First, tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Where is home nowadays? What do you do when you’re not researching/interviewing/filing stories? What’s your favorite sport to watch live and which teams are your favorite?

First things first: I was born and raised on the mean streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. As you can imagine, despite being in the shadow of future Big Ten power Rutgers, college football wasn’t exactly the most popular sport in the area.

Credit: Associated Press

I was spoiled as hell as a Yankees fan, and much later on with the Giants. But the sport I fell in love with — and still am, really — was basketball, both college and pro. My dad had some close friends from Syracuse, and I got hooked on the college game during John Wallace and the gang’s memorable run to the title game in 1996. That would eventually lead to far too many missed school days to check out matinee Big East tournament games at the Garden, which doubled as the site of my first real — and scarring — in-person sports memory as a kindergartener: Patrick Ewing’s missed finger roll in Game 7 of the 1995 Eastern semifinals against the Pacers, which later became the impetus for a “30 for 30” on the rivalry. Go figure.

To make matters worse, we were sitting behind that basket. I ended up practically living at the Garden while growing up, and my heart was inevitably broken year after year despite promising Knicks runs. Throw in the fact that my mother was from Chicago and Michael Jordan owned the Knicks (and everyone else) back then, and I guess I had a pretty tortured childhood.

How’s this circle back to now? Well, long story short, my mother’s mother was an Irish Catholic in Chicago who more or less demanded I watch and go to Notre Dame. (Despite, of course, having no family connections to the school.) The first part was easy, as I began to love college football by the time I got to Xavier High School and was surrounded by even more Irish Catholics. (I’m half-Irish, but my dad was born in Italy.)

As for the second part, when my grandmother sent me a blank check to apply to Notre Dame, I sent her back my report card and told her to save her money. (We’ll just blame the academic shortcomings on the aforementioned Big East games.) When I got the job at ESPN covering the Irish, it was, in some ways, even better in my grandmother’s eyes than attending the place. (Although, naturally, she didn’t have a computer and only read Brian Hamilton in the Tribune.)

I’m in Chicago now, but my dad and both my brothers are still in New York and I try to get back as much as possible. Sports in some way, shape or form consumes most of my professional and social life, but I absolutely love traveling, am always reading something and, fairly recently, began coaching youth basketball on the side, which is a blast. I’m also a dog lover. Oh, and my family is in the restaurant business, and while you’ll never see me Yelping, I do try to hit as many different spots in as many different cities as possible. (Until the fateful day when I finally learn how to actually cook a decent Italian meal. Maybe Bob Diaco can lend me a hand.)

I think a lot of our readers will know you from your coverage of Notre Dame. But you were also responsible for covering ACC football for ESPN. How was your week broken down? Did ESPN prefer you spent time covering one over the other?

Credit: Matt Fortuna / Instagram

Every week was unique, depending on what happened the previous weekend and which matchups were coming up. I was lucky to have the absolute best group of colleagues on the ACC beat in Andrea Adelson, David Hale and Jared Shanker, whom I actually lived above during my senior year of college. The four of us are very, very close. There was no real directive in terms of covering one thing over the other, but reporting on programs both big and small proved beneficial, as you’re able to cover the best of the best while also building deeper relationships with important figures at programs that don’t get as much media attention. Was it hectic at times? Sure, but I loved it. And the more programs you cover, the better perspective you get of what works and what doesn’t in terms of coaching philosophies, media access and other matters.

There was no real directive in terms of covering one thing over the other, but reporting on programs both big and small proved beneficial, as you’re able to cover the best of the best while also building deeper relationships with important figures at programs that don’t get as much media attention. Was it hectic at times? Sure, but I loved it. And the more programs you cover, the better perspective you get of what works and what doesn’t in terms of coaching philosophies, media access and other matters.

We were all caught off guard by your ESPN departure, mostly because I think the consensus among our group was that you were working the beat very well. What was your reaction?

Appreciate that, gang. Perhaps I’ve had pieces of humanity sucked out of me over the years from listening to the same football coaches preach the same cliche over and over again: “You can only control what you can control.” But for me, that simply meant busting my behind every day at a job I loved despite knowing nothing was ever really guaranteed in this business — which, as you all know, is changing by the day.

My reaction to the news? Twenty-seven years ago I was on life support after emergency open-heart surgery and given little chance to live. That — and the seemingly eternal aftermath — was tough. Right now I’m just excited about the new challenges ahead after a great run at ESPN, who took a chance on a recent college graduate six years ago and gave him a huge platform, a vast audience and amazing colleagues to work with. For me both personally and professionally, it is time for a change.

One of your strengths is that you’re diversified. People can read your stuff on a couple of different sites. For the short term, where can people find your work?

I appeared on CLTV’s SportsFeed this week talking about the title game, the Big Ten’s bowl struggles and Notre Dame’s wild 2016. I also wrote a title-game preview piece for The New York Times, a place that I have freelanced for in the past. I should have some college basketball stories coming shortly for a number of outlets as well. 

What’s the long term plan? Have you given any consideration to covering a different team? A different sport? You spent some time covering Yankees and Pirates baseball and we know you can rock a Cubs hat and a beer with the best of them.

Credit: Matt Fortuna / Instagram

Funny story behind that Cubs photo: Before the game I was texting with Pete Toma, an excellent producer for the Pirates whom I got to know during my time in Pittsburgh. He asked where I was sitting and, thinking he wanted to come say hello, I told him I was at a rooftop and would probably have to wait until after the game to meet up.

A few minutes later, he texted me that photo, saying: “This rooftop?” As for my plan, I’m hesitant to make any long-term statements given the nature of this business. College sports is my bread-and-butter and I absolutely love it, but I certainly am open to a change if the opportunity presents itself. I will say that covering the NBA has always been appealing to me.

Not a lot of beat writers have to stand in front of a camera and talk to anchors on “Outside the Lines” or “Sportscenter.” Did you relish those opportunities? Are you at all interested in pursuing a television career instead of online print or newspaper?

Credit: Matt Fortuna / Instagram

As a writer at heart, I’m in favor of anything positive that can direct more eyeballs to my written work. There are few better places to do that than on-camera for ESPN. TV hits were rewarding, despite the fact they usually happened in light of a player arrest or some other misgiving. You always hear from people you hadn’t spoken to in years after you go on. More importantly, you gain legitimacy in the eyes of the people you cover. I’m not saying that’s how it should be, but that’s how it is, even if I was no smarter after an appearance than I was before. Players, coaches and administrators just seemed more forthcoming.

As for pursuing a TV career, we’ll see. I’d imagine I’d need much more on-air experience to have a full-time TV gig, though most of the TV pros started as writers anyway. It’s important to be able to do both to some degree in this climate. That said, I absolutely love writing, even if I know a potential article of mine is going to get buried by other content on a page and won’t be well-read. I don’t care. I was the nerd in school who looked forward to writing assigned essays and, at least at this stage of my career, I can never see myself giving that up in full.

There’s no lack of Notre Dame football coverage nowadays. Some of the writers have spent years cultivating sources within the program. How difficult was it to get a toehold? What was your “I made it” moment? 

My “I made it” moment was obviously getting ethered by Freddie Prinze Jr. on Twitter before the 2016 spring game. You don’t know how many times I saw some of his movies growing up. (Or how many times he still tweets me over random football stuff. Seriously.)

To your first question, though: It takes a lot of time and effort, for sure. My first day on the beat came the week of the USF opener in 2011, and I’d be lying to you if I said that season didn’t feel like drinking water from a fire hydrant to some degree. Once I got a full year under my belt, though, the team also happened to be really good, and that memorable 2012 run put everyone in a bright mood and made things easier from a relationship standpoint.

And that’s really what this is all about at the end of the day: Relationships. Can I be trusted with sensitive information? Can I ask the difficult questions that need to be asked while also being respectful? Do I look like I’m doing this job to get to the truth, or do I look like I’m just there to enjoy the free games, free meals and befriend high-profile people? At the end of the day, your work and credibility speak for itself, and that is what ultimately attracts the people you cover to you. With so many other voices out there via social media, I feel like now more than ever the opportunity is there to get rewarded for showing up and putting in an honest day’s work.

You are never, ever done making contacts on a beat like this one, whether they come from places obvious or not-so-obvious. And you must always vet everything, even when it comes from credible sources. You’d be surprised how casual some misinformation can get around and be fed to you from very important people. That’s not necessarily by design to fool you; they just have a lot less on the line when their bylines aren’t the ones attached to it and are simply passing things along that they hear. 

In part two, we’ll discuss Matt’s mid-season interview with Jack Swarbrick, his relationship with Irish fans, and some bold sartorial picks.

The post Catching Up With Matt Fortuna appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: ND Insider

“If Brian Kelly lets Mike Denbrock slip through his hands, it’s going to be a huge, huge mistake,” the football insider for the South Bend Tribune told Weekday Sportsbeat 96.1 FM / 960 AM listeners.

Hansen said Denbrock would not be given an opportunity to call plays for the Irish offense in 2017 and said the assistant’s hand would be “forced” if Kelly did not “rethink” his position.

It appears the head coach did not relent, as Denbrock reportedly accepted the Bearcats’ offer Thursday.

Hansen surmised that the most immediate impact of Denbrock’s departure may be in recruiting.

“I don’t think Jordan Pouncey will be the last decommit if Mike Denbrock ends up walking out the door,” the sportswriter said. “You’re also trying to recruit Jamire Calvin, Oliver Martin. There’s recent offers to Gavin Holmes and Michael Smith. I don’t know if Notre Dame gets any of those guys if Denbrock isn’t around. I just think Brian Kelly started this offseason with some really, really needed and good changes. And I think this would be a really bad change.”

Hansen said Denbrock’s “measured” demeanor was a good counterbalance to Kelly’s “intense” persona and suggested fans may not have given Denbrock sufficient credit for the offensive numbers posted in 2015 and 2016.

COMMENTS FROM INSIDER

via SouthBendTribune.com

Here are Hansen’s Wednesday comments, which you can listen to here:

“If Brian Kelly lets Mike Denbrock slip through his hands, it’s going to be a huge, huge mistake. There are a lot of things wrong with this 4-8 team. In the small picture, you could try to make a case that the offense was one of those things. And certainly, there’s room for improvement there.

“But under Mike Denbrock’s leadership, Notre Dame had its – by far – best numbers in the Brian Kelly era last year with a first year quarterback who was pressed into emergency duty, a lot of injured players – and some pretty good players that went on to the NFL. In a rebuilding year, they still were a pretty high scoring team. And again, everybody goes back to that hurricane game when they want to dislodge what the defense did in the second eight games of the season. But if you’re going to do that, you need to take the hurricane game out for the offense. And the numbers jump significantly across the board in terms of what Notre Dame’s offense did in the other 11 games this season. Playing against seven top 36 defenses this year, last year they accomplished those very good numbers against nine top 43 defenses including three in the top 10 – No. 1, No. 9 and No. 10. They saw all three of those last year.

‘GLUE GUY’

“Mike Denbrock is a glue guy. And usually a lot of times when you have glue guys, they are guys that are a little bit farther down the totem pole in terms of responsibility. But he’s a guy that’s very unassuming, very humble and willing to let others have the spotlight when things are going good and the credit. He is a guy that I think, personality wise, balances out Brian Kelly very well. On the sideline and in the meeting room, Brian Kelly’s intensity Mike Denbrock is a little more measured. Not that he can’t be a little more intense as well. He’s also one of Notre Dame’s best recruiters. And I don’t think Jordan Pouncey will be the last decommit if Mike Denbrock ends up walking out the door. You’re also trying to recruit Jamire Calvin, Oliver Martin. There’s recent offers to Gavin Holmes and Michael Smith. I don’t know if Notre Dame gets any of those guys if Denbrock isn’t around. I just think Brian Kelly started this offseason with some really, really needed and good changes. And I think this would be a really bad change.”

NOT A ‘LATERAL MOVE’

“Why would a guy that was calling plays and running the offense at Notre Dame leave for a Group of 5 offensive coordinator job? And the answer, without being too terribly cryptic is: His role would change. I can’t get into complete specifics about how his role would change at this point, but I think it’s safe to assume he would not be calling the plays.”

“Brian Kelly does not want his assistants to make lateral moves. If he’s not calling the plays, then an offensive coordinator job where he’s in charge of the offense and calling plays would not be looked upon as a lateral move in that sense. Because then you are a guy who’s certainly not as attractive on the job market. Look: Mike Denbrock has been a loyal assistant for a lot of coaches over the years. This is his second time at Notre Dame. He’s been here 10 years, seven years this tour of duty. And he’s 52 years old and he’d like to be a head coach some day. I think if he had a certain role at Notre Dame he would be happy fulfilling that. But if you have head coaching aspirations, which a lot of assistant coaches do, you’ve 52 years old. The clock is ticking. And you’re not calling plays. Then how marketable are you. You have to think about yourself and your family. The thing I know about Mike Denbrock is he loves Notre Dame. I don’t think he wants to leave. But if his hand is kind of forced, this may happen.”

NEW YEAR’S SIX BID IN JEOPARDY?

“It will be exponentially harder for Brian Kelly to get to a New Year’s Six bowl in 2017 without Mike Denbrock. Even if he brings in somebody that’s really big time, big name, then everybody’s got to learn a new offense completely. And you’re not going to get that probably get that great offensive mind and that great recruiter in one package, especially when you’re on a short leash with your administration in terms of wins and losses in 2017. I just don’t see that as a reality.”

“You’re throwing the baby out with the bath water. I think this would be a big, big mistake in Brian Kelly’s career. I don’t think he gets to 10 and 2 or better next year without Mike Denbrock on his staff. And I don’t think this recruiting class stays together. I think you have more defections.”

The post Expert: Letting Denbrock Go Is “Huge, Huge Mistake” appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Max Redfield / Twitter

Max Redfield is pissing away a promising future by continuing to use illegal drugs. It’s time for some tough love – a mentor who will focus the 21-year-old on what is truly important and what is not.

A Fulton County judge today rejected a plea agreement made on Redfield’s behalf after the prosecution revealed the former Irish safety had failed a drug screening. Redfield had pleaded guilty Nov. 10 to misdemeanor gun and marijuana possession charges.

Redfield will be re-sentenced in January. It’s unclear, at this point, whether he’ll be subject to additional screenings or enhanced penalties for failing this test.

Redfield marks his 8,000th day on this earth today but is sadly best remembered at this point for what happened during his last 120 days. Redfield and four teammates – Te’von Coney, Kevin Stepherson and Ashton White, Dexter Williams – were stopped by police Aug. 22 for a broken taillight and speeding. During a subsequent search, police found Redfield’s handgun and a stash of marijuana.

Redfield was 12 credits from graduating from the University of Notre Dame in just 3 1/2 years with a philosophy degree and minors in both business economics and Mandarin Chinese. Redfield, who was sent home from the Fiesta Bowl for repeated curfew violations, was dismissed immediately from the football team. He was later separated from the university.

Clearly, the former five-star prep All-American does not have an influential person in his life that can convince him that his use of drugs has robbed him of everything he’s worked so hard to achieve: a Notre Dame degree, a college football career and a possible NFL future. I don’t know who is out there that Max trusts. But Max needs a family member, someone from his hometown of Mission Viejo or from the Mendoza College of Business or from the university to start riding his butt. He needs some tough love to refocus his energy and regain his priorities.

He’s already squandered his football career. Hopefully, someone will get through to him before a promising career goes up in smoke.

The post Max Redfield Needs A Mentor appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

It’s time to confront this problem head on by contributing to a cause that seeks to eradicate this scourge once and for all.

There is a group of well-intentioned Notre Dame alumni and fans of the football program who are raising funds for this important cause. I’ve donated – and I want you to too.

Credit: Center for the Homeless, Inc.

I am, of course, referring to the pervasiveness of homelessness in South Bend. (Donate here.) Oh, did you think I was talking about something else?

The Center for the Homeless is a registered nonprofit organization that has a threefold mission:

1. Break the cycle of homelessness.
2. Bring people together to discover the worth, dignity and potential of one another.
3. Pioneer a service model worthy of replication.

The center doesn’t just provide emergency shelter for South Bend’s homeless population. It creates a game plan for the individual in need, including counseling, education, job training, transitional housing and finally, placement within the community.

If everyone reading this donated just $1, we’d make our modest goal within one hour. 

We don’t care if you want to keep Brian Kelly as coach or fire him. We don’t care if you want to run Jack Swarbrick out of town or give him a lifetime contract. We care about putting our money towards an organization that can make a positive impact in the lives of those less fortunate, instead of pissing it away on billboards and newspaper advertisements that will bring lots of ridicule from those outside our community and be ignored by those in positions of power.

Team Billboard has already raised $2,515 from 49 individuals who thought their money was better spent on a “call for change” than giving to effect real change. I challenge all of you reading this to help show the country what Notre Dame really fights for.

Donate.

All contributions are tax deductible.

Donate.

You were going to spend this money either watching or attending the bowl game anyway.

Donate.

Thank you.

The post Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#HLSrecap

Good morning! I was thinking today again about Saturday. Boy, that was fun! We haven’t been able to experience that winning feeling two weeks in a row. Virginia Tech is a good team, but they certainly struggled against Georgia Tech’s option offense last Saturday. But before we jump ahead, let’s look back one more time at the tweets that made us laugh, cheer and think, written by Notre Dame fans and media members during the blowout win over Army.

Irish fans are treated to a rarity in 2016: A beatdown of an inferior opponent where the outcome is never in doubt.

https://storify.com/HLSrecap/notre-dame-vs-army-16-a-twitter-summary

The post ND vs. Army ’16: A Twitter Summary (#HLSRecap) appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#HLSrecap

When the Irish lost yesterday, something sort of strange happened. I didn’t feel shaken, depressed and inconsolable as I had in that moment after C.J. Sanders bobbled that punt return against Miami.

I just questioned my sanity. Why do I continue to dedicate four hours on a Saturday to watching this team when I know they have the ability to affect my happiness? It’s a sickness, man. It’s a weird dedication that makes both no sense and perfect sense, depending on who you’re talking to.

I’m glad Irish fans are continuing to tweet during games. It’s strangely comforting to know I’m not alone in feeling the way I do. Hopefully, you’ll feel the same way reading this recap.

The Irish drop a heartbreaker in Jacksonsville, Fla. to the Midshipmen, 28-27, when a gamble on the defense doesn’t pay off.

https://storify.com/HLSrecap/notre-dame-vs-navy-16-a-twitter-summary

The post #HLSRecap: ND vs. Navy ’16: A Twitter Summary appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#HLSrecap

The #HLSRecap will never die.* It’s just sometimes a little later than its author would prefer.

Relive all the joyous – and then horrifying – then joyous moments of the Notre Dame – Miami game from this past Saturday, as witnessed by the Notre Dame fans who were watching and tweeting during the back-and-forth tilt.

(*I can’t actually guarantee that. I’m just a caretaker here.)

The Irish jump to a big, early lead and then find a way to win in a 30-27 victory over the ‘Canes.

https://storify.com/HLSrecap/notre-dame-vs-miami-16-a-twitter-summary

The post Notre Dame vs. Miami ’16: A Twitter Summary appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#HLSrecap

As the whistle blew dead the last gasp effort of DeShone Kizer and the Notre Dame Irish, my wife must have seen the blood drain out of my face. She put her face in between mine and the television and said, “I’m sorry about your team. But your boys still love you. And I still love you.” And I knew she was giving me a sense of perspective, but I still needed time to be bummed.

It’s a week later. I’m less depressed today than I was that night, but I’m also relieved I don’t have to sit through another agonizing Irish game. I was finally spiritually ready to revisit that night a week ago and curate the most insightful, cutest and funniest tweets from that night. Here it is, dear readers: The #HLSRecap for the 2016 Notre Dame-Stanford game.

The struggling Irish blow a 10-0 lead and drop their fifth game of the year, 17-10, against a Stanford team without Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffrey.

https://storify.com/HLSrecap/notre-dame-vs-stanford-a-twitter-summary

The post #HLSRecap: Notre Dame vs. Stanford – A Twitter Summary appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.