Wednesday’s announcement by Brian Kelly that both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire would play against Texas led me to think of the lyrics to the Lovin’ Spoonful classic. I further fell into a mental black hole and flashback’d to the early seasons of “Beverly Hills 90210” when Dylan McKay had to choose between one Brenda Walsh or Kelly Taylor. Agree or disagree with Brian Kelly’s decision, it was a tough one to make and one that certainly could not satisfy everyone regardless of the choice. In many ways, Brian Kelly is like a young Dylan McKay – in love with both options, but inclined to choose. Unlike McKay however, Kelly took an option not afforded to the Beverly Hills heartthrob – he went with both choices. McKay would end up in relations with both Brenda and Kelly at separate times, but that’s for another post… this is about Brian’s choice.

There are quotes, recaps, and message board posts that have documented the reactions from fans, writers, and the QBs themselves. I’ve been a Brian Kelly apologist of sorts, so I choose to trust in his decision but I can’t help but think about what factors drove him to the decision, the timing of the announcement, and the potential outcomes. So let’s go about some healthy speculation, shall we?

Keep Texas Guessing – This seems to be the most logical reason for playing two QBs, or at least announcing that you are going to. Keep Strong and Co. guessing and game plan for both. So what if it’s two weeks in advance of game week? It was likely that Texas was already preparing for two QBs in any case…

Comfort via the run game – Perhaps Kelly thinks that regardless of whoever is under center, ND will be able to run the ball effectively – including via the legs of BOTH QBs. Since the Alize Jones news, ND beat writers have been hot/cold on our relatively young receiving corps. Perhaps BK is thinking that we can run the ball and the run will set up easy passes that both Kizer and Zaire can complete.

Test the QBs and gauge their response – This is another plausible reason. I’m surprised at how candid both Kizer and Zaire were when asked about the decision, but I did see both try and keep in line with the “team first” mentality. Brian Kelly is no fool, he wants to see how the two QBs react. If they aren’t separated based on their performance on the field, they will now be tested in the areas of self-drive and leadership. If I am Kizer or Zaire, I’m definitely paying mind to how I am rallying my other teammates post Texas QB decision.

It’s easy to agree that this situation may/can/will evolve over time. I think BK has been dealt with a hand of cards that is both good and bad with the optimist in me leaning towards “good” – but a challenge nonetheless. BK won’t have a Peach Pit to retreat to if it turns out he’s bumbled the QB situation this season, so despite whatever reasons he had let’s hope for favorable results.

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There’s not a lot of downside to the Shamrock Series, in my opinion. If I were to nitpick/speculate a little however, I believe the Shamrock Series could become a drag based on the following:

1) The additional home game (albeit at another location) may be viewed as a negative with the CFP Committee over time. This may be concerning as ND is already perceived as playing from behind without a conference championship to play for.

2) We lose the series’ value proposition if we skew scheduling of the matchups towards ACC opponents. The series is meant to be a modern day barnstorming. If we end up just playing ACC schools, I personally think the allure of the series/game takes a hit. Three of the eight games (including 2016) were against ACC schools. While using the SS game as an ACC match-up might help us in our requirement to schedule an ACC opponent, it seems to help the ACC more than ND.

3) This is baseless speculation. But if we’re moving the kickoff for Texas to a Sunday, what will prevent us from facing pressure to play a Thursday night game at some point? Imagine a scenario where the Shamrock Series is pitched as a Thursday night game against a high profile opponent for a rating boon? As a fan of college football, I would love to see that – but as a highly anxious ND fan scared of playing a premier opponent on a short week of practice? Not so much.

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Here’s a current glimpse into what we have seen/read/heard so far, along with a healthy dose of extrapolation and unrealistic expectations/hope (it’s spring after all) – with specific focus on the Irish wide receivers.

The wide receiver position group has been steadily featured in the Watch ND practice videos this spring, and invites a number of questions that will be intriguing to see answered come the fall. Fortunately, the questions are not of the “OH NOES, WHO WILL CATCH THE BALL?” but more along the lines of our typical, “Who will step up?” variety.

It almost feels like an annual tradition that we have a good spring season for our WR heir apparent(s) and a number of names surfacing both old and new to keep us guessing into the season. History tells us that BK will settle on 1-2 guys that will be feature dudes in the receiving corps – but damn if it doesn’t feel like we have a fleet of all-Americans now in April!

• Corey Holmes – So word out of camp is this guy is fast as all-get-the-heck-out-of-here. Is he Charlie Weis/Munir Prince “whoosh” fast? That remains to be seen (that was a fall camp reference, but work with me here). BK has already placed a qualifier that Holmes’ speed needs to translate onto the football field, but one has to be optimistic that this isn’t fool’s gold.
• Torii Hunter Jr. – exciting video highlights + positive feedback via BK press conference snippets + word of flexibility (i.e., we shouldn’t expect Hunter Jr. to be relegated to just the slot receiver position) gives many a Notre Dame fan heart palpitations. It sounds like a good problem to have, in that THJr can play anywhere on the field and we have the ability to mix and match guys based on what the defense is giving us. He would be the smart bet on the heir apparent as our go-to receiver for 2016 (if I wasn’t so enamored with E. St. Brown).
• Kevin Stepherson – NEW GUY ALERT! NEW GUY ALERT! Along with the trees that smell weird when they bloom in the spring, we have our annual tradition of naming a freshman who is making major noise within practice…only to never see them during the season. Again, not a bad problem to have and I’m not complaining. But Kevin Stepherson, with your acrobatic/athletic catches and your press conference praises, I hope you like the sidelines.
• Chris Finke – WALK ON ALERT! WALK ON ALERT! Chris Finke, with his speed/hustle/good looks has become the darling of the ND podcast circuit and practice report snippets – even getting video love from the FIDM team. The kid has some skills and if we are to believe the hype, he’ll earn a scholarship before his time is done. Now will he see the field?
• CJ Sanders – had to bow out early for surgery (bummer). Fans will be left wondering if he will be able to display more of the razzle dazzle he brought to the return game, in a WR capacity. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until fall camp for any indication.
• Equilibrium Equidistant Egregious Evangelical Equanimeous St. Brown – I personally have high hopes for this guy heading into 2016 as he showed flashes of brilliance in 2015 and was a Will Fuller away from being able to show his stuff last season. We haven’t seen much by way of glowing practice reports/video/press conference snippets that leads us to think that Elephantine is having a standout spring, but that’s not to say the dude isn’t making plays.
• Corey Robinson – Student body presidente, national anthem singing, entrepreneurial aspiring – the renaissance man that ND fans love to simultaneously brag about and to question. A minor set-back with a concussion, but reports/videos were steady in showing what Robinson was able to do before he suffered the injury (enough to keep the fans continuing to fret about his course load and its impact on his ability to run routes).

So you have a few guys banged up and not necessarily having remarkable springs, and a few names popping up that you expect (Hunter Jr.) and names you don’t (Stepherson). Sprinkle in a name you may have forgotten (Miles Boykin) and it’s a standard spring. Maybe in the B/G game, someone will make a host of plays that will introduce further questions in the mix. But the overall story on WR remains the same heading out of spring 2016. We have a lot of options and guys that can fill the void that was left behind after our featured WR and his veteran counterparts left, and that is a good thing – open questions and all.

The post Blue Gold Game Preview: The Wide Receivers appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Joe Raymond/Associated Press

If you haven’t been dozing off during mass this Lenten season, you may have heard the familiar parable of the lost son recently. It’s a favorite of mine and like a good Catholic, I reflected on the connections between Jesus’ parables and my obsession over Notre Dame football. Let us pray.

It was reported last week that our very own prodigal son, Everett Golson was contemplating a return to South Bend for Notre Dame’s Pro Day on March 31st (and later confirmed).  There isn’t much out there outside of these general reports but that won’t stop us (me) from speculating – so if you will humor me for a bit:

• The fact that Everett Golson even considered returning for ND’s Pro Day has to mean that Brian Kelly and the gang are on board.
• You have to wonder, how icy did things get at FSU between EG and the coaching staff towards the end of last season? If anything, the season proves that when you’re the new guy (grad transfer) and you don’t outright win the job – the team won’t follow (and the coaching staff will be quick to pull the hook). All things remaining equal, it would appear that EG’s stint at Florida State made his final days in South Bend seem less dramatic.
• I immediately asked, “What’s in it for Brian Kelly?” I don’t think ND owes anything to Everett, and vice versa. My hunch? BK is a believer in CFB karma, and he wouldn’t put one of his players (current or former) out in the cold.  Eric Hansen reports that transfers returning for Pro Day isn’t unprecedented (e.g., Hendrix came back for Pro Day after his season at Miami of Ohio) so maybe the door isn’t really closed on our former players who want to come back to work out.
• So BK, like the father in the parable, is asking everyone to gather around Everett Golson – who was once lost, but has now been found. Instead of a fattened calf, EG will have Will Fuller and others (Breezy!) to throw to during Pro Day, which isn’t too shabby. Maybe it will be like riding a bike, and EG will pick up on his chemistry with the Irish receivers as it was when he left us the “Dear John” letter in May 2015 (no, I’m not bitter).

That leaves us with one final question in this analogy between Everett Golson returning to South Bend and the parable of the lost son – who is the other son? Well, it’s probably the collective Notre Dame fan base scratching its head at Brian Kelly even contemplating EG’s participation in Pro Day at Notre Dame – but like the parable states, it doesn’t matter what we think, BK is still going to cook up some fattened calf.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Arike Ogunbowale (2) shoots the ball around Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Ariel Stephenson (25) in the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Notre Dame defeated Wake Forest 86-52. (Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports)

Our Notre Dame women’s basketball team is set to start a three game swing to wrap up February, before heading into the ACC tournament.

Monday’s matchup against 10th/9th ranked Florida State will be televised on ESPN2 (7PM ET) as part of its Big Monday lineup. This will be the only meeting this season between the Irish and the Seminoles and the first time since the Notre Dame beat Florida State in the ACC tourney championship last year. The Irish have played eight ranked opponents this season, with the Seminoles serving as the ninth (the third ranked opponent in the last four games). With a healthy dose of tough competition heading into the ACC Tournament, we can expect Muffet McGraw’s team sharpened and primed heading into postseason play.

I personally think that we have taken for granted what Coach McGraw has been able to do with the Irish program and this year is no exception. It almost seems under-the-radar, but the team has really put together an impressive resume despite the sole loss to Geno’s squad in Storrs back in December. The Irish are getting a lot of production out of its squad and the points are coming from younger players/first time starters (sophomore Kathryn Westbeld, my pick as an impact player when she signed for 2014, has put together an impressive season). Freshman guards Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey further add to the offensive production off the bench and I have to think Muffet McGraw feels like Hannibal from the A-Team with such a balanced and talented squad.

This three game swing isn’t going to tell us much about our Irish squad that we already don’t know, but it represents an opportunity to hone in on playing competitively to head into the postseason (ND has already secured a double bye in the ACC Tournament).  I’m looking forward to what Notre Dame brings to this year’s tourney as a sure fire #1 seed.

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I’m admittedly a fan of prospects out of California that go on to become great college football players. I especially love it when they buck the trend and go out of state, and take a chance on Notre Dame. From my days of cheering on Kory Minor, I have always had a soft spot for guys on our roster from the Golden State.

Fresh off signing day 2016 and the anticlimactic Caleb Kelly announcement, I wanted to know how Brian Kelly has fared recruiting wise compared to his predecessor, Charlie Weis. My fuzzy memory tells me that Weis had better success in CA and landed a good number of kids from the state.  With the help of my HLS compatriot, @andrewinn, I looked at the data. Here are some summary points:

Charlie Weis in California

• Through Weis’ years (2005-2009) Notre Dame targeted 45 prospects in CA.
• Weis had 12 commits during this period, representing a 27% hit rate on pulling guys from out west.
• 11% of Weis’ commits transferred or left Notre Dame, guys of note – Joe Fauria and Shaq Evans who went on to become good players at UCLA (note that Evans left after Weis was fired, and it seemed he never was in the good graces of the new coaching staff)
• Notable misses from CA: honestly? Looking at the guys we didn’t get and looking at star ratings and what they went on to become – the only guy that could be a ‘miss’ was Mark Sanchez.

Brian Kelly in California

• Obviously Brian Kelly has a few extra years on Weis, but if you just consider his first five years – ND offered 70 prospects. If you include through 2016’s class – a whopping 123 total prospects offered.
• Unlike Weis, we didn’t land as many guys out of our targeted prospects. BK only signed 13% through his first five years, overall through 2016 ND has signed 11% of its CA targets.
• Not a lot of transfers out of ND for CA guys – one guy of note, Tee Shepherd (only for the drama), and most recently Tyler Luatua. Not a transfer but kind of a bummer – Troy Niklas leaving early for the NFL.
• The guys we missed on reads like an all-star roster (or the starting roster for USC): George Farmer, Robert Woods, Anthony Barr (still irks me that we couldn’t get him), Arik Armstead, Eddie Vanderdoes, Deontay Greenberry, Su’a Cravens, Matt Dickerson. It would be an understatement to say that the recruitment of these guys (and others from CA) were eventful and came down to the wire, and then some.

So what can we say about ND’s presence in CA? It would appear that Weis had better success from a bottom line perspective, targeting fewer guys but landing all of our top targets in the state. I mean, the guy called Jimmy Clausen on day one of the kid’s recruitment. Weis had Brian Polian running CA for the most part if I recall, and Polian really worked hard in the state for the most part.

Brian Kelly, although not as successful, is targeting more guys in the state, and going toe to toe against USC, UCLA, and Stanford to a certain extent, for a lot of the in-state talent. We hear of Denbrock running recruiting for CA, which at first seemed iffy. But he’s had a good run in the state and the addition of Mike Sanford is a good sign for CA recruiting.

I’m a believer in hitting to win – and you can’t get guys from CA if you’re not offering. It’s a good sign that we are offering as many guys over time in California; if anything to keep our traditional opponents on their toes (USC, Stanford).  I think as painful as these long recruitment sagas can go, I appreciate that ND is in it for a lot of guys late in the game. I think an energetic guy like Sanford could move the needle a bit for CA recruiting and we can have the best of Weis and Brian Kelly with regards to success out west.

The post Does Notre Dame Have a California Problem? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

A truck rumbles past – the road trembles and speaks over the low idle of my car as I feel the chariot nod in the direction of the truck in approval. Perhaps she’s thinking about the boys in ND1, taking a rogue trip to see D. Rob (as I like to call him). A good boys trip, but I’m guessing they avoided Waffle Houses (Mikey Sanford can be a picky eater) – all the reason why I do these alone. Well, not exactly alone. WIth a co-pilot and all the classic rock of the Georgia radio frequencies at my disposal – we plot a course to Thunderbolt, GA. An apt name for an apt prospect. DRob is an important fella, no doubt – he’s key to what we want to do in the near term, but I’ve always been a man about the distant future, and in my caffeinated haze, that future is living and breathing in THUNDERBOLT. The media is salivating over the fact that we’re sending a truck over to Savannah – even calling it dirty tactics, but for me and Roberto, it’s a smokescreen. Brian the Boss has inked another deal to ensure that this wild ride continues into the foreseeable future, and I’m in it to win it, whiny fans be damned.  When Brian tells me that he wants to get the meanest, nicest, smartest, most injury resistant young men out there – we know we have our work cut out for us. Not everyone can fit the bill, not everyone can understand my playbook, not everyone can understand the Allegory of the Cave – but when you can find a kid that can check at least two of those boxes, well….. have recruit will travel.

When the sun peeks over the horizon I punch into gear and we zoom off onto the highway, Thunderbolt in our sights.

The post Tales from the Trail appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

We are hearing that the primary complaint is with regards to the lack of (cereal brand at SDH) and (any random sundry item at the Huddle) and that (transferring player) is not excited about (any story arc from the current season of Arrow) heading into the spring. He would ideally like to leave before spring practice and not follow along the footsteps of (Catholic martyr) who went through spring practice and decided to leave afterwards, robbing (90s boy band) of valuable reps.

This bit of information helps to further support other rumblings we are hearing out of the (any storefront within the University Park Mall) re: (transferring player)’s popularity among his teammates and his qualities as a (old timey vocation). We are told of stories of (“nude” + board game) and lashing out at (any local trade Union chapter) in the locker room, leaving abruptly during (any latter part of the order of Mass except for the Eucharistic prayer), and is the sole source of team (any contraband item not allowed on airplanes) on an otherwise congenial team. The coaching staff is quite concerned with these developments and is striving to keep the peace heading into the spring. More details as we gather them, but it’s safe to say we here at HLS are on the edge of our (home appliance).

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So, halfway through January, how are your New Year’s resolutions holding up?  Personally, I like resolutions that are easy to keep (e.g., continue with my commitment to procrastinating with everything in life) or just unachieveable/undesirable (e.g., run a marathon).  

What about our beloved Irish?  What is going on in the mind of Brian Kelly – a few weeks removed from the Phoenix-Battle-Fiesta-Frog Bowl and near the finish line for signing day 2016?  The loss to Ohio State left many with a sour taste in the mouth. Thoughts turned to what changes BK and Co. need to make heading into the long offseason of 2016.  

So what is the history of changes/tweaks that Coach Kelly has made, all in the name of improving our team’s chances, year over year?  I’ve taken a high level (read: lazy) look back and have made a list of my favorite adjustments/changes implemented by Kelly throughout the last five seasons.  None of these are grounded in fact, some of which can only be attributed to comments Kelly has made in public, few of which can be evidenced by on-field results, and the majority of which are from my fanboy fantasies and conspiracy theories:

• 2010/2011 – Kelly docks the riverboat and sets aside his gambling ways.  Molnar and Warriner move on to other opportunities, allowing Kelly to move Chaz Martin closer to the offensive side of the ball and bring in H. Hiestand (unheralded at the time).
• 2012 – Close wins, fake girlfriends, Eddie Lacy – OH MY. After picking ourselves off of the field in Miami, Kelly goes on the mic and states that the program needs to build depth in order to compete with the (much) bigger boys.  At the time it sounds like coach speak – but little did we know, Kelly was all-in on depth.
• 2013 – With the departure of Roberto Diaco, Kelly decides to bring in another former colleague from his GVSU days with Brian Van Gorder.  With this move, Kelly acknowledged that perhaps it was time to disrupt things on defense while keeping tradition of defensive coordinators with great hair (head and facial, in the case of BVG)
• 2014 – Better late than never, Kelly decides to throw Malik Zaire into the fray – and an emotional MZ rallies the Irish to a momentum-inducing win over Le Smiles and the LSU Tigers.  Sure the Tigers were having an off year, who cares (don’t be such a jerk).  With the win – Kelly realizes that with this OL coming together thanks to the quiet work of Harold the Hiestand, he may have something in Malik Zaire and an offense that can keep defenses guessing by having an extra runner to account for.
• 2015 – Riding atop the crest of 2014 into 2015 – the chips were lined up.  Kelly, not to rest on his laurels brought in Mike Sanford (my fave adjustment/change) and sold the fan base on an offensive triumvirate.  In parallel – Bob Elliott was driving an RV across the country and interviewing recluse HS and college coaches still employing the triple/wishbone/veer option offense and putting together the SWAG team – ND’s own IMF squad.

So what does Kelly do now heading into 2016?  Some of you reading this may balk at 2013’s introduction of BVG but on paper the intention was there, Kelly wanted to #disrupt.  The most likely adjustment we should expect this offseason is with the defense under Brian Van Gorder .  It remains to be seen whether BVG is a cat that can change his stripes a bit – or if we will see more of the same in 2015 with our defense.  There will be a lot of talk about another run at the playoff in 2016 – so any changes will need to yield immediate results and Kelly won’t have too much time to plant seeds for future harvests (a la his statements re: depth in 2012).  I remain optimistic given what we have seen in Kelly’s moves over time and the results we have seen but 2016 will be telling, that’s for sure.

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