via Indystar.com

As andrewwinn mentioned in his daily Morning Roundup, some eyebrows were raised with Ben Koyack was the only Notre Dame player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft–and in the seventh round at that. While some within ND fandom grew concerned about what this meant for the current talent in the Brian Kelly era, some outside of it saw a golden opportunity to take a lazy potshot at the Irish as the draft wound down:

More picks than Notre Dame

Chattanooga
Delaware
Delaware State
Hobart
Northern Iowa
Samford
SIU
Tennessee State
Texas Southern
Towson

— College Football by SB Nation ? (@SBNationCFB) May 2, 2015

Now, there’s the obvious retort: Notre Dame is returning practically every single starter from 2014. This is certainly true, but would it then follow that the level of talent on the field is so poor that it is in every Irish player’s best interest to remain in South Bend?

Every year, we see many posts showing which school/conference managed to draft the most players. This year, I wanted to go a bit deeper–compare the draft results to recruiting rankings as well as recording the star ratings for each pick and which recruiting class they came from.

To do this, I used recruiting rankings and ratings from 274 Sports (with exception of 2010 team rankings as they weren’t available on 247–Rivals was used). The classes of 2010-2012 were examined as all but four picks came from these classes.

The end goal was to see if there is really any cause for concern for a poor draft class and if any other interesting data points/patterns could be found.

Let’s start with the top schools in terms of NFL draftees and compare them to their recruiting rankings from 2010-2012:

The obvious outlier here is Louisville and they have an outlier within their draft class as well, a 2014 JUCO transfer, James Sample (who originally started at Washington). Sample went in the fourth round and the Cardinals also claimed Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick of the draft, Gerald Christian. Still, that’s quite an impressive haul for Louisville, even though their draft rankings are by far the lowest out of the teams on this list.

Mississippi State, Oregon State, and Arkansas all found themselves with a ranking average in the mid-thirties and tied teams with top ten average rankings. So it certainly seems that your draft class isn’t dependent on recruiting rankings, let’s see how this works the other way with rankings sorted by average recruiting class:

Why hello there, Notre Dame, good to see you sticking out like a sore thumb. So, the talent should certainly be there according to the recruiting rankings. ND isn’t alone with solid recruiting marks and low return on draft picks either.

So is ND not developing their talent or seeing a high number of busts? Not really.

The 2010 class saw a few people drafted last year: Louis Nix, Prince Shembo, and Bennett Jackson. Last year’s draft also took Aaron Lynch (albeit not a true Irish pick, but explains the ranking boost) and Stephon Tuitt from the class of 2011. And as for the 2012 class, no one left early for the draft, although Ronnie Stanley and Sheldon Day certainly could have (and probably Everett Golson too if he really wanted to roll the dice).

And really, we should talk about people leaving early. A lot is made about the young guns in the draft, but only 40 of the 256 picks (~15%) came from the class of 2012 (not including one JUCO in the class of 2012). The class of 2010, meaning the fifth years, were the most drafted class this year pulling down 98 picks (~38%). The class of 2011, some of whom did have another available year, had 92 total picks (~36%).

So a strong senior/fifth year crop is what tends to boost the number of draft picks. So young teams like the Irish tend to not put together impressive draft classes. There was notable exception to this standard and that was Florida State who had four draftees come from the class of 2012.

And what about star power? Is the lack recruiting/retaining five-stars hurting the Irish in the draft?

Again, that doesn’t seem to be the case. As there are so few five-stars overall, there isn’t a round in which they dominate. Not surprisingly, the first round is where you see the most, and this year saw eight former blue-chippers drafted; however, there was at least one five-star taken in every round, even the seventh.

This year, the majority of five-star talent came from the class of 2012 (15 out of 24), giving more credence to the argument that the recent attrition of five-star plays might just be expected. After all, if these guys are really as good as their ratings, they are looking for the best route to maximize their potential and exposure in the least amount of time.

As far as those diamond-in-the-rough players that also get their fair share of love, they actually take up a sizable portion of the draft. 61 players were drafted with a rating of two stars or less–that’s almost a quarter of all the players taken in the draft (23.8% to be more precise). Normally, I’d say that Notre Dame would get roasted for taking players like that in their draft class, but these also include walk-ons and the Irish just so happen to have a walk-on that might have an outside shot at landing on an NFL team next season in Joe Schmidt.

Three-star selections account for the lion’s share of the picks in the draft (~44%) with the class of 2011 (your seniors and redshirt juniors) taking up the largest piece of that pie. This all points once again to a strong, developed senior class being the ticket to a strong draft class.

So yes, it’s certainly great to have the ability to brag post-draft that the guys you were watching on Saturdays will start playing on Sundays, but it certainly isn’t a solid measuring stick year in and year out. With eight players departing in last year’s draft and six the year before that, there was bound to be a gap year for the Irish in the draft.

There were simply too many gaps to fill with a lot of young talent who needed to make their mark on the depth chart rather than the draft. A handful of players could have left early to boost number, but they didn’t.

All of that talent is coming back to play another year for Brain Kelly and we should be nothing but over-the-moon excited about it. Don’t convince yourself that this is a sign that Kelly failed to develop talent. On the contrary, this program unbelievably healthy and continuing to move in the right direction.

Now, should next year’s draft see only one player drafted, something went terribly wrong and I’ll be the first to start screaming that the sky is falling. But for now, take a deep breath and get ridiculously excited for the potential that the 2015 squad has.

The post Only One Notre Dame Draft Pick–Should We Worry? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

PODCAST

• Irish Illustrated (F): Irish hit spring stride (50:55)
• ND Insider: Podcast: ND Insider recruiting update 4-2 (10:42)

RECRUITING – OFFERED

• Bruin Report Online ($): Video: Lucas at The Opening ( AZ RB Chase Lucas)
• Dawg Post (F): Big get for Dawgs – Price commits ( GA OT E.J. Price)
• Irish247 (F): Robinson, family excited about Notre Dame offer ( KY CB Davonte Robinson)
• Irish Turning Point: The buzz buzz
• Scout (F): Offers coming in for Ulmer, Robinson ( KY CB Davonte Robinson)
• Scout ($): 4-star TE Angeline planning Penn State return (PA Cary Angeline)
• Scout ($): 4-star TE Angeline gets Michigan fill (PA Cary Angeline)
• Scout ($): ND history on, off field impresses 4-star TE (PA Cary Angeline)
• Scout ($): Fulton likes LSU’s DB track record ( LA CB Kristian Fulton)
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame offers ’17 Florida offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons
• USC Football.com: Trevon Sidney steals the show ( CA CB, also CA WRs Tyler Vaughns and Dylan Crawford)

RECRUITING – ND INTERESTED, NO OFFER

• Big Red Report (F): Brendan Scales talks about Nebraska offer ( MO TE)
• Big Red Report (F): D.J. Morgan adds Nebraska offer ( CA S)
• Irish Illustrated ($): LaBruna visits dream school (CA QB Andrew LaBruna, no rating yet)
• Scout ($): Alloway has two on top ( CA WR Damian Alloway)
• Show Me Mizzou ($): Mizzou offer for Scales ( MO TE Brendan Scales)

CURRENT TEAM

• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: Notre Dame won’t be surprised by Will Fuller’s growth
• Inside the Irish: Opportunities await Notre Dame’s running backs
• Inside the Irish: Spring practice breakdown: A look inside (finally!)
• Irish247 ($): Irish staff navigating through quarterback competition
• Irish247 (F): Denbrock: ‘(QB) is going to be a hard decision to make’
• Irish247 (F): Smythe leads the way for Irish at tight end
• Irish Illustrated (F): From a one in a thousand chance to…
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame football – Spring practice recap for April 1
• Rant Sports: 5 questions for Notre Dame football during 2015 spring practice

COACHING

• CBS Sports: Power Five college football coach rankings: The top 25 (Brian Kelly is #13)
• Irish Illustrated (F): The village voice(s)
• Irish Illustrated (F): Sanford scouting style, substance

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Notre Dame football: DaVaris Daniels, Kendall Moore eye NFL careers
• ESPN: Atlanta Falcons waive safety Zeke Motta
• Irish247 (F): Daniels ready for next step
• Irish247 (F): Boosting draft stock was Koyack’s Pro Day focus
• Irish Turning Point: Pro Day results
• State of the Texans (F): Vince Wilfork is “here for Houston” (Louis Nix)

MISC.

• USA Today: College football playoff will keep weekly rankings

The post Morning Roundup: April 3, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

PODCASTS

• Irish Sports Talk: DaVaris at NFL Combine & Notre Dame scholarship at 82 – Feb 23 IST153 (46:45)
• Irish Illustrated: Insider Podcast #166 – Turnover margins (44:55)

VIDEO

• StudentSports: GoPro: Manti Te’o – Hawaii linebacker coach (2:06)
• WatchND: Tire Wars (0:42)

CURRENT TEAM

• Irish Illustrated: Spring questions: Defensive line (Jarron Jones, Isaac Rochell, Romeo Okwara, Andrew Trumbetti, Grant Blankenship, Jhonny Williams, Jonathan Bonner, Jay Hayes, Sheldon Day, Kolin Hill, Daniel Cage, Jacob Matuska, Pete Mokwuah, Jerry Tillery, Micah Dew-Treadway)
• Inside the Irish: Spring solutions: Wide receivers (Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, Chris Brown, C.J. Prosise, Amir Carlisle, Torii Hunter Jr., Corey Holmes, Justin Brent)
• Athlon Sports: College football’s top 20 running backs on the rise for 2015 (Tarean Folston)
• Bleacher Report: 1 thing opponents should fear about every Power 5 college football team in 2015 (“The defense has figured it out”)
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame spring battles: Malik Zaire vs. Everett Golson
• UHND: Where’s the rush for Notre Dame football? (Romeo Okwara, Jhonny Williams, Kolin Hill, Jaylon Smith, Andrew Trumbetti, Grant Blankenship)
• The Observer: Seniors share advice with University freshmen (Matthias Farley)

RECRUITING

• Scout: Ohio QB still adding offers (Messiah deWeaver)
• Scout: Pylon 7v7: Auston Robertson
• iSportsWeb: Michigan State football recruiting: Auston Robertson names leader
• The Patriot-News: Penn State 2016 recruiting: ‘All-wish list’ offense includes commits Jake Zembiec, Miles Sanders (Cary Angeline)
• Bleacher Report: 2016 college football recruits who could change a program instantly (Dwayne Haskins, Rashan Gary)
• NJ.com: Cedar Creek’s Ahmir Mitchell, N.J.’s top wide receiver, to visit Rutgers Monday
• Eleven Warriors: Defensive line options abound in 2016, Buckeyes searching for new bullets (Naquan Jones, Rashan Gary, Kyree Campbell, Auston Robertson, Austin Mack)
• TigerNet: 5-star DB: “I love Clemson with all my heart,” commits to LSU (Savion Smith)
• Irish Turning Point: Dwayne Haskins
• Irish Turning Point: Woody Barrett
• UHND: Notre Dame recruiting ’16 needs: Defense (Auston Robertson, Josh King, Damar Hamlin, Eric Monroe, Craig Watts, Devin Studstill, Lokeni Toailoa, Jaquan Yulee and Curtis Robinson)
• Irish Sports Daily: Gicewicz enjoys Irish brotherhood on visit (Paul Gicewicz)

COACHING

• Inside the Irish: All signs (still) point to Keith Gilmore as defensive line coach
• UConn Huskies: Strong coaching ties have influenced Verducci
• ND Insider: Archive photos: Todd Lyght at Notre Dame

IRISH IN THE NFL

• ESPN: Fantasy football combine review: Maxx Williams most likely to succeed in weak tight end class (Ben Koyack)
• Awful Announcing: Fox’s Brady Quinn making a comeback bid?

SCHEDULING

• Official Notre Dame Athletic Blog: Where will the 2015 Blue-Gold Game be played?
• FB Schedules: BYU A.D. talks future football games with Utah & Notre Dame
• Anderson Independent Mail: 2015 lookahead: Pre-spring Clemson football projections

MISC.

• Sportsnet: Greatest uniforms in Sports, No. 8: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• NewsOK: Media report: Oklahoma State receiver Ra’Shaad Samples to transfer

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 25, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Deeyung Entertainment concept helmet

Good morning! Here are your headlines:

FROM OUR SITE

• Two Notre Dame sons return home

VIDEO

• Scout: Williams bringing a lot to South Bend (Dexter Williams) (5:46)
• Eastbay: Kyle Brindza – Notre Dame (0:15)
• MGoDrone: College stadiums of the midwest! (2:14)

PODCAST

• Irish Sports Daily: 2-23-2015 Power Hour (1:08:52)

RECRUITING

• Scout: Mitchell updates recruitment (Shon Mitchell)
• Scout: Core 6 unites top recruits (Hunter Johnson, Jared Mayden, Byron Murphy and Julian Love)
• Irish Sports Daily: 2016 CA WR hoping to hear more (Grant Porter)
• One Foot Down: 2016 Notre Dame recruiting big board: Wide receiver & athlete (Ervin Barrett, Marquez Calloway, Jordan Fuller, Ahmir Mitchell, Julian Love, Donnie Corley, Dylan Crawford, Divine Deablo, Devin Duvernay, Josh Hammond, Brad Hawkins, Justin Layne, Austin Mack, Javon McKinley, Tre Nixon, Darian Owens, Darnell Salomon, Trevon Sidney, Dredrick Snelson, Eli Stove, Tyler Vaughns, Benjimen Victor, Cameron Chambers and Dillon Mitchell)
• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Notre Dame football recruiting offers of the week (Daniel Bituli and Julian Okwara)
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame Junior Day visitors (Tommy Kraemer, Brad Hawkins, Josh King, Ron Johnson, Michael Jordan, Brandon Peters)
• MLive: Could Lansing Catholic QB Tony Poljan be the next Ben Roethlisberger? Some MAC schools think so

CURRENT TEAM

• Irish Illustrated: Spring questions: Offensive line (Nick Martin, Matt Hegarty, Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Bars, Steve Elmer, Hunter Bivin, Colin McGovern, John Montelus, Sam Mustipher, Mark Harrell, Jimmy Byrne, Jerry Tillery, Tristen Hoge, Trevor Ruhland)
• Inside the Irish: Spring solutions: Offensive line
• Bleacher Report (Arnold): How Brian Kelly and Notre Dame distracted attention from the QB battle
• Bleacher Report: 10 college football programs with the most compelling QB controversies (#8 Notre Dame)

IRISH IN THE NFL

• One Foot Down: A recap of the 2015 NFL Combine (DaVaris Daniels, Ben Koyack, Kyle Brindza)
• ND Insider: NFL Combine results for former Notre Dame players
• The Landry Hat: Dallas Cowboys: Zack Martin provides valuable draft lesson

COACHING

• Tampa Bay Times: USF Bulls start spring football drills (Autry Denson)
• KWCH: Wichita Sports HOF announces 2015 inductees (Kirk Doll)
• 247 Sports: Gilmore expected to leave UNC (Keith Gilmore)
• Go UTSA: UTSA hires Mike Markuson as assistant coach
• Irish Turning Point: Fresh in the Gug: Todd Lyght

SCHEDULING

• Bleacher Report: 25 biggest trap games for 2015 college football season (12. Notre Dame at Pitt)
• Inside the ACC: Top 10 non-conference games for the ACC in 2015 (Notre Dame at Clemson is #7; Notre Dame/BC at Fenway is #2)

MISC.

• ND Insider: Megan Whitt leaving Notre Dame recruiting operations
• 247 Sports: Megan Whitt leaving Notre Dame for job in the NFL
• AL.com: Notre Dame apparently sent recruiting letter to current Rutgers football player
• Yahoo Sports: Rutgers lineman receives recruiting letter from Notre Dame
• UHND: Do Notre Dame’s football facilities measure up to competition?
• Fox Sports: Photos: Awesome helmet designs for UF, Ohio State, LSU & more
• ESPN: The 2015 ACC Oscars (Best picture: The fourth down play(s) in Notre Dame at Florida State)

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 24, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Ben Koyack, Kyle Brindza, and DaVaris Daniels are Notre Dame’s representatives at the 2015 NFL Combine being held in Indianapolis. As it was last year, the League’s coverage is so comprehensive it borders on the creepy. For example, did you know that Kyle Bridnza (10″) has bigger hands than DaVaris Daniels (9″)? And you know what they say about guys with big hands.

Thus far, and the Combine wraps tomorrow, DaVaris has had a rough go of it, with one commentator remarking that he “was too lethargic [and] looked stiff coming out of his breaks on the intermediate routes.” With questions about his academic record and a complete lack of 2014 tape, poor performance in drills, like 4.62 and 4.65 in the 40, could doom him to be a late-round selection, if he gets picked at all.  Koyack is projected to be the first Notre Dame player picked, though none are thought to be destined for a first- or second-day pick.

Despite this, the 2015 Combine, along with Notre Dame’s 2014 football season, should go down as an anomaly. Slotted into context, 3 invitees this year doesn’t seem all that bad when you look at the twenty invites Notre Dame received since 2013 and the number who should go next year. In fact, Notre Dame’s total in the last three years puts them fifth-best in the country, behind Florida (27), LSU (30), Alabama (33), and Florida State (34).

The Irish currently have eighty-seven scholarship players on the roster, a number that must fall to eighty-five when Fall practice begins. This means that the coaches will have their hands full trying to figure out who gets offered a fifth year and who does not. Those in the know seem to agree on Matthias Farley, Amir Carlisle, Nick Martin, Matt Hegarty, Joe Schmidt, Ishaq Williams, Everett Golson, and Jarrett Grace all coming back.

Of those eight, I would have to think Golson is the least certain to return. Weighing in favor of a return is a natural need to compete and erase the disappointment of last season wearing the blue and gold. But I discount that chance, now that the competition with Malik Zaire is clearly wide-open, if not already running against Everett. With rumors of a transfer to LSU quickly popping up in the flotsam of the Music City Bowl, it would not surprise me at all if Golson got his degree at Notre Dame and finished his playing career in Baton Rouge. If OSU’s Braxton Miller decides to pull chocks too, expect Golson to go where Miller does not.

Ishaq Williams is another uncertainty, but not keeping him would be a bad move on a number of levels. Williams has been more than serviceable as a defensive player, though he has not lived up to his ten-star recruiting rating. Given last season’s injuries, turning away veteran talent would tempt trouble, but to a lesser degree as the defense is now blooded up and down the roster. With Joe Schmidt a lock to come back, he can form part of a deep line-backing corps.

While the 2015 NFL Draft likely won’t go down in Notre Dame lore, it should take its place as a blip between big classes. There is so much talent, on both sides of the football, returning to Notre Dame that I don’t think it’s out-of-the-question for a number of records to fall next season.

The post Combine-ing the Options: The NFL Draft and the 2015 Roster appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

VIDEO

• Varsity Sports: Brandon Wimbush 2014 highlights (Notre Dame commit 2015) (6:11)
• Stephen Barnett: 1990 Orange Bowl: #1 Colorado vs. #4 Notre Dame (3:04:50)
• Stephen Barnett: 1995 Fiesta Bowl: #4 Colorado vs. Notre Dame (2:59:00)

RECRUITING

• Irish Illustrated: Pacific Northwest OL visits (Paul Gicewicz)
• eDuck: Alloway on Oregon (Damian Alloway)
• Fansided 150: 2015 Recruiting Recap: Number 12 Notre Dame
• Herald-News: Providence boys basketball completes journey to Chicago Catholic League title (Miles Boykin)
• Chicago Tribune: Miles Boykin, Providence make CCL statement with title win
• NJ.com: Oops! Notre Dame sends recruiting letter to Rutgers junior Chris Muller

CURRENT TEAM

• UHND: A pre-spring ranking of Notre Dame’s starting defense
• Irish Sports Daily: Fuller’s dominant 2014 season in perspective – NFL Combine style

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Atlanta Journal Constitution: Falcons to keep character on draft picks (Prince Shembo)
• Steelers Depot: 2015 NFL Combine: Offensive linemen and tight end notes (Ben Koyack)
• 247 Sports: Saturday NFL Combine update: Daniels runs 40-yard dash
• NFL Mocks: NFL Scouting Combine: Phillip Dorsett fails to topple Chris Johnson (DaVaris Daniels)
• Paint by Numbers: Cleveland Browns: 2015 complete mock draft (Kyle Brindza)

SCHEDULE

• Eye on Annapolis: Navy football home opener scheduled for Sept. 5 against Colgate (Oct. 10 vs. Notre Dame)
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame spring practice dates

MISC.

• Official Notre Dame Athletics Blog: Rivalry renewed
• WKRN: Joe Biddle: Sunday notes: Feb. 22, 2015
• Civitas Media: New coach sees potential to build a winner at Shawnee (Jon Carpenter)
• The State: Oldest McDonald’s in SC operates in new building in Anderson (Dick Frankel)
• Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel: 2015 NFL Draft outlook (Tom Carter)

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 22, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

VIDEO

• Irish Illustrated: NFL Combine interview: DaVaris Daniels (5:23)
• Scout: Scout spotlight: Bo Wallace (00:54)
• Irish Illustrated: NFL Combine interview: Ben Koyack (5:10)

RECRUITING

• Scout: The No. 1 center in Florida will visit Auburn (Brett Heggie, brother of Bruce Heggie)
• Scout: Noah Davis finding recruiting surreal (Notre Dame has not offered)
• Irish Sports Daily: Recruiting week in review (Chauncey Gardner & Tre Nixon)
• Fox Sports: Miami football: Hurricanes are absolutely crushing with their 2016 recruiting class (ND is currently #40)
• Washington Post: Freedom-Woodbridge’s Kyree Campbell makes up for lost time
• NJ.com: Jordan Fuller, N.J.’s top athlete, on Rutgers: “They’re pretty high for me.”
• Scout: Kraemer flattered by attention being shown

COACHING

• Slap the Sign: Autry Denson is a slam-dunk hire for Notre Dame
• 247 Sports: Getherall: “Irish lucky to have Denson”
• 247 Sports: Bob Davie: Denson would be a home run hire
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucs hire Duke Preston as director of PD
• Tampa Bay Times: Bucs hire Preston as new director of player development (Duke Preston)
• Athlon Sports: Ranking the ACC’s football-basketball coaching tandems (Kelly-Brey are #3)

CURRENT TEAM

• Inside the Irish: Spring solutions: Tight ends
• Irish Illustrated: Spring questions: Wide receivers
• Irish Illustrated: Regan seizes walk-on opportunity
• One Foot Down: May the Road Rise Up to Meet You: Elijah Shumate
• News-Sentinel: Notre Dame adds defensive depth with Pac-12 transfer
• UHND: The growing game of Corey Robinson

IRISH IN THE NFL

• UND.com: Three former Irish players invited to NFL Combine
• CSN Chicago: DaVaris Daniels not bitter about how Notre Dame career ended
• Chicago Tribune: DaVaris Daniels seeks to explain Notre Dame departure
• Chicago Sun-Times: After Notre Dame suspension, DaVaris Daniels seeks NFL job
• ESPN: Receiver DaVaris Daniels eager to move on from Notre Dame ordeal
• CBS Sports: 2015 NFL Combine 5 things to know: DGB passes the eye test (DaVaris Daniels)
• Chicago Tribune: Finishing kick boosts Kyle Brindza
• ESPN: Five things learned at the Combine: Falcons (Prince Shembo)

MISC.

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Temple’s football schedule released (Oct. 31 vs. Notre Dame)
• Navy Sports: American Athletic Conference releases 2015 football schedule (Oct. 10 vs. Notre Dame)
• Chicago Tribune: Customer gets grandfather’s Green Bay Packers pic he spotted at a Grafton, Wisc. Rosati’s (Fred “Ojay” Larson)
• Go Game Cocks: Georgia to play North Carolina in Atlanta in 2016
• Athens Banner Herald: Georgia football will play North Carolina in Atlanta in 2016 season
• Naples Daily News: College football: Lou Holtz thinks Jameis Winston can succeed with right team

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 20, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

VIDEO

• Irish Illustrated: NFL combine interview: Kyle Brindza (5:12)

RECRUITING

• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Position-by-position grades for 2015 recruiting class
• Irish Sports Daily: Eifler wants to hear more from Irish
• HooNation: Scouting 2016: Tight ends – Virginia (Cary Angeline)
• Scout: District of Columbia: Top 5 2016 prospects (Abdul Adams)
• Scout: East notes: Commitments, offers, etc. (Cary Angeline & Jordan Fuller)
• Fox Sports: East recruiting notes (Cary Angeline & Jordan fuller)
• Post Standard: 2016 4-star RB Robert Washington has Syracuse in Top 6, plans to commit in April
• Scout: 4-star RB gets huge offer, will decide soon (Robert Washington)
• Scout: Derek Dorsey picks up two offers
• Hoosier State Preps: 2016 profile: Ben Skowronek
• Detroit Free Press: Recruiting: More, better football prospects in Michigan in 2016 (Donnie Corley & Michael Jordan)
• Arizona Desert Storm: Arizona football recruiting: Rich Rodriguez bolstering the defense, offers two linebackers (Curtis Robinson)
• NJ.com: Top quarterback Dwayne Haskins recaps Monday’s Rutgers visit, plans to announce in April
• Bleacher Report: Dwayne Haskins sets decision plans: Which team has the best shot to land 4-star QB?
• Maize & Brew: 2016 defensive back JJ Givens reacts to Michigan offer
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Canadian underclassman has ND interest (Luiji Vilain)
• Bucknuts: Antwaun Jackson talks Ohio State visit, young RB on board (Antwaun Jackson & Ravon Bonner)

COACHING

• Inside the Irish: With smoke circling Gilmore and Denson, coaching staff coming into focus
• Tampa Tribune: Bulls Beat: Spring football a welcome sight (Autry Denson)
• USFNation: Autry Denson leaves for Notre Dame
• 247 Sports: Sanchez recounts Todd Lyght’s time as Bishop Gorman coach
• AP: UConn’s Diaco has a long history with newest assistant (Bob Diaco & Frank Verducci)
• CTPress: Brian Koonz: As UConn’s new offensive coordinator, Verducci plans to accentuate the positive
• Register Citizen: UConn offensive coordinator Frank Verducci already familiar with Bob Diaco
• Hartford Courant: UConn’s new offensive coordinator Verducci, Diaco go way back
• Hartford Courant: UConn new assistant coordinator Frank Verducci ready to take charge
• Daily Lobo: UNM football team brings low ticket revenue (Bob Davie)
• Bleacher Report: College football coaches who aren’t living up to their school’s expectations (Bob Davie)
• College Football Talk: Boise State stays in-house for new OC (Mike Sanford)
• Irish Turning Point: Fresh in the Gug: Mike Sanford

CURRENT TEAM

• One Foot Down: What makes Joe Schmidt so good?
• UND.com: Former Cal defensive back Avery Sebastian commits to Notre Dame
• Irish Sports Daily: Sebastian to Notre Dame is official
• Inside the Irish: Notre Dame announces graduate transfer of Avery Sebastian
• ND Insider: Notre Dame officially adds former Cal safety Avery Sebastian
• Irish Illustrated: Kelly likes Sebastian’s versatility
• Rant Sports: Notre Dame bolsters safety depth with Cal transfer Avery Sebastian
• 247 Sports: Notre Dame announces Avery Sebastian transfer
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame announces addition of Cal transfer Avery Sebastian
• Chicago Tribune: Cal’s Avery Sebastian to play for Notre Dame next season
• AP: Sebastian to play at Notre Dame after graduating from Cal
• ESPN: Avery Sebastian to play final year for Notre Dame Fighting Irish after graduating from California Golden Bears
• Sporting News: Former Cal DB Avery Sebastian transfers to Notre Dame
• Sports Illustrated: Avery Sebastian to Notre Dame: Cal safety transfers to Irish
• CBS Sports: Notre Dame announces addition of Cal transfer S Avery Sebastian
• College Football Talk: Notre Dame officially add former Cal DB Avery Sebastian
• Irish Illustrated: Spring questions: Quarterbacks
• Athlon Sports: College football’s top 10 quarterbacks on the rise for 2015 (Malik Zaire)

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Bleacher Report (Arnold): Tracking 2015 NFL Combine results for former Irish stars
• The DA Show: Brady Quinn: “Combine not close to playing football”
• New England Patriots: Tight ends provide backup plan (Ben Koyack)
• Steelers Depot: Steelers 2015 draft: Top 50 big board 4.0 (Ben Koyack)
• Predominately Orange: Denver Broncos 7-round mock draft (Ben Koyack)

MISC.

• UHND: Notre Dame’s unusual 2015 football schedule
• Reign of Troy: USC football ranked as 2nd best college football program (Notre Dame is #13)
• Bleacher Report: Ranking college football’s 25 hardest schedules for 2015 (Notre Dame is #6)
• Seattle Seahawks: Maxx Williams utilizing lessons learned from NFL father at 2015 NFL Combine (Robert Williams)

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 19, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

FROM OUR SITE

• Fat Tuesday, indeed…of ND coaching news

COACHING

• Irish Illustrated: Gilmore: No comment on ND move
• ND Insider: Reports: Notre Dame to add Autry Denson, Keith Gilmore to football staff
• CBS Sports: Report: Notre Dame to hire Autry Denson (RB), Keith Gilmore (DL)
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame rounds out new coaching staff
• Subway Domer: Notre Dame coaching staff: Achievement unlocked
• Irish Illustrated: Denson returning to alma mater
• Irish Illustrated: Elliott reassigned on staff
• Sports Illustrated: Notre Dame’s Bob Elliott expected to take off-field role
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame coaching shuffle reportedly lands Autry Denson
• Sports Illustrated: Notre Dame football: Autry Denson expected to coach RBs
• 247 Sports: Tony Driver: Notre Dame ‘perfect fit’ for Denson
• Tampa Bay Times: USF Bulls lose Autry Denson as spring football nears
• Tampa Tribune: USF RB coach Autry Denson leaving for Notre Dame
• Slap the Sign: Brian Kelly finalizes Notre Dame football staff
• UHND: How can Notre Dame replace Alford and Cooks on the recruiting staff?
• The UConn Blog: Offensive coordinator Frank Verducci highlights changes in coaching staff
• Sports Illustrated: Boise State TEs coach Eliah Drinkwitz promoted to OC (Mike Sanford)
• Times-News: Straight from the horse’s mouth: Boise State makes Sanford Jr. departure, Drinkwitz promotion official
• Idaho Statesman: Boise State football promotes Drinkwitz to offensive coordinator (Mike Sanford)
• Idaho Statesman: New offensive coordinator a fresh “Drink” for Boise State (Mike Sanford)
• Talking 12: Oklahoma Sooners make football coaching additions, changes (Kerry Cooks)

RECRUITING

• One Foot Down: 2016 Notre Dame recruiting big board: Quarterback & running back
• Slap the Sign: 2016 Notre Dame football recruiting big board 1.0
• Scout: Huskies are right in the mix for Sidney (Trevon Sidney)
• Scout: Four-star DB is in no hurry this time around (Chauncey Gardner)
• Scout: Miami is the front-runner for 6-foot-5 WR (Freddie Pinder)
• 247 Sports: 5-star QB Shea Patterson commits to Ole Miss
• Sporting News: Shea Patterson commits to Ole Miss over LSU, others
• College Football Talk: Ole Miss lands verbal commitment from 5-star Shea Patterson
• Rivals: Five-star commits to Ole Miss (Shea Patterson)
• California Golden Blogs: Cal football recruiting: Rahssan Thornton, Oluwole Betiku, D.J. Morgan,  CJ Pollard, early offers
• FishDuck.com: 2016 football and basketball commit is “100 percent” for Ducks (Dillon Mitchell)
• STLToday: Soldan’s Bohannon raises his profile; Tatum’s first visit is Duke (A.J. Epenesa)
• Eleven Warriors: At quarterback for 2016: If not Guarantano then who? (Woody Barrett, Brandon Peters, Messiah deWeaver and Tristen Wallace)
• 247 Sports: Best of the midwest combine: Top performers (Hunter Johnson & Quinton Baker)
• News-Sentinel: National recruits Robertson and Mack to commit on the same day
• The Oregonian: Damian Alloway, nation’s top all-purpose back, hopes to visit Oregon Ducks, likes UCLA Bruins

CURRENT TEAM

• Irish Illustrated: Controlling scrimmage
• One Foot Down: Explaining Notre Dame linebacker responsibilities in Brian VanGorder’s defense
• Inside the Irish: Spring solutions: Running backs
• Bleacher Report: Every Power 5 college football team’s most important returning player for 2015 (Malik Zaire)

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Irish Illustrated: Three Notre Damers get shot at combine (Ben Koyack, Kyle Brindza & DaVaris Daniels)
• Detroit News: Local contingent set to impress at NFL combine (Kyle Brindza)
• SB Nation: The 22 most intriguing playmakers at the 2015 NFL Combine (DaVaris Daniels)
• DNAInfo: Darius Fleming returns to St. Rita High School as a Super Bowl champion
• 247 Sports: Three former Irish players at NFL Combine
• Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel: First draft: Will TE Maxx Williams leap over NFL defenders, too? (Ben Koyack)
• Pittsburgh Sporting News: NFL Combine preview: Offensive line and tight ends (Ben Koyack)
• Jamestown Sun: Injury-prone Rudolph wants to kick the rep
• Latino Post: Jimmy Clausen news: Hot girlfriend Jess Gysin now his wife [Photos]
• Hustle Belt: 2015 NFL Draft bio: Andrew Hendrix – QB, Miami Red Hawks

MISC.

• 247 Sports: Michigan tops college football’s winningest teams
• 247 Sports: How can we fix assistant coaches leaving after Signing Day?
• LimaOhio.com: Carpenter new football coach at Shawnee
• Gwinett Daily Post: Wesleyan’s Jones ready for prime time as big baseball future awaits (T.J. Jones)
• ABC 10 (Upper Peninsula): February 18th, Pasty Central day in history (George Gipp)
• Inside NoVa: Alex Carter finds comfort in his father’s counsel as NFL Combine begins (Tom Carter)

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 18, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

PODCASTS

• Irish Sports Daily: 2-16-15 Power Hour (1:06:27)

RECRUITING

• Irish Sports Daily: In the film room: Donnie Corley
• Irish Illustrated: Irish offer 2017 four-star (Maleik Gray)
• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Notre Dame football recruiting offers of the week (Cary Angeline, Maleik Gray and E.J. Price)
• UW Dawg Pound: 2016 UW football recruiting: The rest of the West (Devin Duvernay, Byron Murphy and Chase Lucas)
• USA Today: Nation’s No. 3 player in Class of 2016 set to commit; Ole Miss seems to be the favorite (Shea Patterson)
• Shreveport Times: Calvary QB Shea Patterson to pick college Tuesday
• WLOX: Ole Miss could make biggest catch on Fat Tuesday: Blue chip quarterback Shea Patterson
• Northeast Ohio Media Group: Gregory Little, Jaylon Jones and T.J. Vasher – looking at Ohio State’s recent scholarship offers (Little, Patrick Bethel and Khalid Kareem)
• The Patriot News: Pennsylvania’s top 2016 football recruits; Pittsburgh C.C. corner Damar Hamlin
• Victory Bell Rings: Penn State football recruiting: Top 10 2016 recruits – Pennsylvania (Damar Hamlin & Cary Angeline)
• Burnt Orange Nation: Texas offers Florida QB Xavier Gaines
• 247 Sports: Best of the Midwest Combo MVPs (Quinton Baker)
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame football recruiting class: Defensive grades

CURRENT TEAM

• Inside the Irish: Spring solutions: Quarterbacks
• UHND: At long last, depth for Notre Dame football
• St. Paul Pioneer Press: Twinsights: Torii Hunter Jr. returns to baseball at Notre Dame

COACHING

• Irish Illustrated: Piecing together assistant coaching puzzle
• Slap the Sign: Something new for 2015, a six-year coach at Notre Dame
• Bleacher Report (Arnold): Projecting Brian Kelly’s 2015 coaching staff
• Idaho Statesmen: Boise State football coaches Harsin, Yates up for new contracts (Mike Sanford)
• Mountain West Connection: Broncos extend Bryan Harsin to a new five-year, $7.35 million deal (Mike Sanford)
• Fansided: Boise State, Bryan Harsin agree on 5-year extension (Mike Sanford)
• ESPN: Roquan Smith got it right by waiting (Charlie Weis)
• Eleven Warriors: After coaching turnover, familiarity might correlate with stability for Ohio State (Tony Alford)
• Vavel: Charlie Weis on coaching again: ‘Highly doubtful’

IRISH IN THE NFL

• St. Paul Pioneer Press: Vikings’ Rudolph eyeing a full season
• The Times-Picayune: 2015 NFL draft: Brandon Scherff could be great tackle or all-pro at guard, says Mike Mayock (Zack Martin)
• Heavy: Jess Gysin, Jimmy Clausen’s wife: 5 fast facts
• Steelers Depot: Jerome Bettis says it’s too early for Browns to give up on Johnny Football
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ray Fittipaldo’s Steelers chat (Ben Koyack)
• Carolina Panthers: Panthers name Steve Wilks assistant head coach
• The Republican: Patriots NFL Draft 2015 position preview: Looking for Rob Gronkowski insurance (Ben Koyack)
• News-Sentinel: NFL Combine brings annual scrutiny to Indy (Ben Koyack, Kyle Brindza and DaVaris Daniels)

HISTORY

• Chicago Tribune: How Michigan State’s Duffy Daugherty helped integrate college football (1966 & Ara Parseghian)

MISC.

• Inside the Irish: Mailbag: What to expect from defense
• TigerNet.com: Clemson announces 2015 football game designations, spring game date (Notre Dame game is IPTAY Day)
• Addicted to Quack: Roundtable: Oregon’s out of conference football games
• USA Today: Examining college basketball’s scheduling conundrum
• Bleacher Report: Meet college football’s most inexperienced head coach (Gerry Faust)
• EDSBS: The presidents assigned to their proper schools (Abraham Lincoln assigned to ND)
• ESPN: Ultimate ESPN 300: 15 things to know

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 17, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.