Background: NCAA v Alston happened. I thought I'd bring still-technically-HLS-staff Moons, an actual lawyer, on the pod with Shane and I to discuss this intelligently. We had a great time. Awesome conversation. I learned some things. I also learned Zoom didn't record a damn thing. I learned this after we finished the episode. We will re-rack again and give the episode another shot. That being said, I know we can't completely re-capture the moment like we did the first time. So, since ...
HLS Podcast: Failure to Receive
After getting to avoid it last week, Shane and I dive into the position group causing the most angst within the Notre Dame fan base: Wide Receiver. You name it, it's gone wrong: horrid injury luck, transfers, and lack of production. With talk of Notre Dame needing to have a more dynamic offense, this position group simply has to step up not just this year, but beyond.With that in mind, I come up with an offensive strategy that might just hide some of the warts of this position group, plus ...
HLS Podcast: Leave the Bye, Take the Independence
Jack Swarbrick has consistently put Notre Dame's football independence above all else. Even when faced with a daunting prospect of playoff expansion, a move that could have forced Notre Dame, yet again, into conference membership, he found an out. Sacrifices have to be made to protect the ND family. A playoff by may have been left at the scene of the crime, but Jack executed any thought that the Irish would need to flock to a conference to preserve title hopes. In doing so, Shane and I see ...
Shop Homefield’s Vintage Notre Dame Collection RIGHT NOW!
Loyal readers, and loyal listeners of the HLS Podcast, our long wait is finally over. The Good Brandâ„¢, Homefield Apparel, has just launched their licensed, vintage Notre Dame collection. You've heard Shane and I gush over this gear on the last couple of HLS Podcast episodes, and now y'all can find out why yourself. For those unfamiliar with Homefield, this Indianapolis-based company specializes in digging deep into the history of all the schools they do business with. This isn't just some ...
HLS Podcast: In the Name of Image, Likeness, and Fair Compensation
Shane and I touched on Name, Image, and Likeness rights in last week's episode, but this week we take the full dive into it. We first examine the broad picture as it stands right now, including a look at how money currently changes hands thanks to a confession by one Johnny Football. With that picture, we throw out how we'd like Notre Dame to approach this fast incoming radical change to the college football landscape. ...
HLS Podcast: The Five Year View
Shane and I have ended our offseason hiatus to kick off our fifth year of podcasting as a duo. To mark this occasion, we decided to take a look at our current expectations of Notre Dame as they are today and how they differ from our thoughts five years ago--both from the on-field performance as well as the recruiting and roster churn. Oh, and we also have a new partner in Homefield Apparel. Perhaps you've heard about the good news about The Good Brand? If not make sure you use that LOYALSONS ...
The Allure of Youth: A 2021 Blue/Gold Game Tale
Tyler Buchner entered 2021's Blue/Gold game carrying all the lofty and unrealistic expectations that the Notre Dame fanbase could muster. The early enrollee hadn't played a snap of football in two years--one due to an ACL injury, another due to a COVID-cancelled season. He carried little more than his four-star recruiting evaluation into Notre Dame stadium, yet the snaps he would take were more anticipated than the two QBs that Brain Kelly named in the battle for starting quarterback. Jordan ...
HLS Sim: Blue/Gold 2021
A new era kicks off for Notre Dame football this Friday as an Ian Book-less Irish take the field for the first time this Saturday. Get your self in the streaming mindset and join the always popular HLS Sim before you try to figure out how to get Peacock by 12:30 PM EDT on Saturday. All eyes will be on the Irish QB situation and the most accurate of all sports prediction methods will give you a preview of what we will all be talking about until fall camp. Don't worry, the HLS Sim still has ...
HLS Sim Returns: Blue/Gold Sim – Thursday, April 29
It's time to break out of our offseason slumber with the best way we know how: video game football with play-by-play and color commentary that is--well--uniquely HLS. Shane and I will be on our Twitch airwaves once again on Thursday, April 29 at our usual, my-kids-better-be-asleep time of 9 PM CDT / 10 PM EDT. As always, the podcast will release the following day once I do a little audio magic. As we did towards the end of last season, we will be rolling with College Football Revamped, an ...
HLS Recap: 2020 Season Finale
It feels like it took forever to get to this point this season, but we've finally arrived at the end of the road for the 2020 college football season. Shane and I take a brief look at Alabama's coronation ceremony against Ohio State this past Monday and what it means for college football as a whole. That, of course, bleeds into talk of where Notre Dame stands among the college football elite and how they are talking the Alabama problem. The second half of the show recaps news from under ...