Last night, you watched The Oscars.

This morning, for your consideration and viewing pleasure, we present the Top Fifteen Plays of the Brian Kelly Years.

@SupermanTDJesus helped with this project. I am grateful for his technical abilities and efficiency.

Let’s face it, though. There have been a lot of plays in five seasons of football. And, if we’re being honest, a lot of booze chased away the memory of the bad ones. These are the plays that have remained through it all. Through all the “Tommy NOOOO!” moments and through all the turnovers in 2014. These are the plays we can’t forget. Some were season-changing or -defining. Others were just plain incredible. So without further ado, if will, please:

15. C.J. Prosise versus Georgia Tech, 2015
The scene is a gorgeous sunny day at Notre Dame and the Irish are tangling with the Wrambling Wreck. The game was a defensive clinic by the Irish, but on O, C.J. Prosise was the man. This 91 yard run from scrimmage was one of three touchdowns he would score that day.

14. Jaylon Smith versus U.S.C., 2013
Remember when Jaylon was a freshman? This play was our entrée to his once-in-a-generation talent, as he covered fifteen hectares in four strides.

13. Stephon Tuitt versus Michigan, 2013
This play has everything you could want. A pick-six against Michigan. A diving Stephon Tuitt. A shockingly bad decision by a Michigan quarterback.

12. Tommy Rees to Robby Toma versus Purdue, 2012
Who would have thought the Purdue game would be the epic win that it was? A loss would have landed the Irish outside the Championship. This play, a third-and-ten conversion, set up the win.

11. Everett Golson “Superman” versus Purdue, 2012
Continuing the theme, this touchdown, though initially uncalled, made Rees and Golson to scoring what Lennon and McCarthy were to song-writing.

10. DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller versus USC, 2015
Of all the Kizer-to-Fuller moments, this is one of the brightest. Watch him torch Adorée Jackson. Looks like 4.32 speed to me.

9. Josh Adams versus Wake Forest, 2015
Longest run from scrimmage. True freshman. Fourth on the depth-chart.

8. Tommy Rees to TJ Jones versus Stanford, 2012
Did you think you’d see this much Tommy Rees on this list? It’s TJ Jones who makes the play.

7. Stephon Tuitt versus Navy, 2012
You knew 2012 would be a special season when we handed Navy its worse loss since Savo Island. This play, a scoop and score by Stephon Tuitt, showcased his NFL-caliber talent and set his team up for a run to the Championship.

6. CJ Sanders versus Stanford, 2015
“When the team is up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys…” you look for plays like this. Sure, the Irish ended up losing the game, but this was one for the ages.

5. Dayne Crist to Kyle Rudolph versus Michigan, 2010
There’s a reason Kyle Rudolph plays on Sundays. This is it.

4. Everett Golson to Chris Brown versus Oklahoma, 2012
One of the brightest plays under the brightest lights, this was the moment the relevance returned.

3. DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller versus Virginia, 2015
Rarely does a season turn on one play, but 2015 did. This is that play.

2. The D-line versus Stanford, 2012
“The Stand.”

1. Louis Nix, III versus Notre Dame, 2014
 Best call ever.

The post Top Fifteen Plays of the Kelly Years appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

While the collegiate career of Sheldon Day will conclude on Jan. 1 no matter how much we all might like him to stick around, the other three all have a choice to make about whether to declare for the NFL draft or not. If each wanted to return, they all have a year of eligibility remaining to further their mark in ND history. Along with Smith, Fuller, and Stanley, breakout senior C.J. Prosise will also (theoretically) be making a decision between returning for a 5th year versus taking his chances in the NFL waters. The question I ask is: Who should stay and who should go?

There is a subtle but important distinction to be made on the front end. I am not necessarily making a prediction on whether or not I think they will go but rather from a strict self-interested perspective what the player has to gain and lose by selecting between his options. Let’s take each of the four candidates in order from “definitely should leave” to “definitely should stay”:

Ronnie Stanley (UND.com)

Definitely Should Leave: Ronnie Stanley – This marks a second straight season of ascension for Stanley among the college football lineman rankings.

Stanley had a very strong 2014 season. He was named Notre Dame’s Offensive Lineman of the Year and appeared to gain momentum on a near hourly basis leading up to the deadline to declare for the NFL Draft.

As the deadline approached, a visit and talk from Brian Kelly swayed Stanley to return for his senior season to continue to improve. Stanley made a variety of preseason lists and found himself at or near the top of numerous “NFL Prospect” lists for offensive linemen.

He did little throughout the season to diminish his draft stock: another year of health; another season of great pass protection and being part of a line that improved significantly in the rushing game should in no way tarnish his likely position in the top 10 of next year’s draft. Most of the lists put Stanley as the expected second offensive lineman off the board behind Laremy Tunsil of Ole Miss.

There’s nothing left to prove and nowhere left to go for Stanley for draft purposes. To forgo an opportunity to be a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft for a second time goes from loyal and cautious to outright crazy. Stanley can leave Notre Dame with his degree and continue the great lineage of ND offensive lineman at the next level. Stanley’s 15 year NFL career would be over by the time you could come up with a good reason for him to stick around in 2016.

Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith (9) celebrates a big stop in the Wake Forest red zone during the Notre Dame-Wake Forest NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. SBT Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Should Almost Definitely Leave: Jaylon Smith – Look, this hurts to write.

Would I love to see Jaylon stay around one more season to terrorize opposing offenses? Absolutely.

Can I make you the sales pitch that he should stay around to get his degree (one of the major reasons Smith stated he came to ND in the first place) and complete the mission? Sure.

Those are good, noble things that “ND Men” do. If Jaylon comes back for another year, those two things are basically the only reason for doing so. From a football standpoint, he’s ready to move on and probably should.

I’ve seen people make comparisons between Smith and Te’o, which is kind of a silly comparison. They may both play linebacker and give you the feels, but they are quite different players who played in different systems.

From a raw physical standpoint, Smith is far superior to Te’o. In fact, Smith is far superior athletically to the vast majority of people to play the linebacker position. For the past 2 seasons, he’s spent a lot of his time covering up the mistakes of an otherwise unremarkable linebacker group who has also had its share of injuries.

Smith’s consistency, ability to cover half of a field by himself, and health make him a top prospect for the next level. Linebackers rarely go in the top 5-10 of the NFL Draft, but many of the experts think Smith will comfortably find himself drafted that high. He’s also a guy that I think could, if possible, actually enhance his draft stock at the NFL Combine. Wait and watch Smith run a 40-time faster than several of this year’s running back prospects and listen to the effusive praise that will follow for his character.

From a football standpoint, there’s nothing left for him to do. Some people will suggest he could get bigger or stronger, but he can do that just as easily (probably easier in fact) at the next level where he no longer has to concern himself with classes. I get the impression, without knowing him, that Smith genuinely enjoys being a student at Notre Dame. It would not stun me to see him stay, but he certainly doesn’t need to. Like Stanley, there’s really nowhere higher he can go as a draft prospect, and of the 4 guys I’m discussing in this post, he might have the most to lose should an injury befall him given the NFL’s reluctance to draft linebackers high to begin with.

(Photo Credit: AP)

On the Fence: C.J. Prosise – When Greg Bryant was declared ineligible and Tarean Folston tore his ACL, my heart sank quite a bit. It seemed like the chances of Notre Dame finally establishing a dominant rushing attack had been foiled yet again.

Even with the glowing reports from the coaching staff that came out of spring practice regarding C.J. Prosise’s transition to the back field, it was impossible to see the season that Prosise put together coming. Prosise had just the second 1,000 yard rushing season in the Brian Kelly era (Cierre Wood, 2011), and his 6.6 yards per carry ranked 3rd in the Brian Kelly era behind 2015 teammate Josh Adams (7.5) and Jonas Gray in 2011 for backs who had at least 500 net rushing yards. Prosise exceeded expectations in every way imaginable.

The argument for Prosise leaving is straight forward: 1) The 2015-16 expected running back group for the NFL Draft is noticeably weaker than the expected 2016-17 group. Among players likely to declare only Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott and Alabama’s Derrick Henry would clearly be ahead of Prosise. The NFL Combine and pre-draft workouts would help figure out where Prosise might fall among the next group which includes UCLA’s Paul Perkins, Wisconsin’s Corey Clement, and Utah’s Devontae Booker.

The 2016-17 class could potentially include Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffery just for starters. Thus, Prosise may find it easier to gain traction in this year’s draft than in next year’s.

2) Assuming health (which given the last couple of season’s seems like an awfully big assumption), it seems unlikely Prosise would be able to match his volume of production next season. Tarean Folston should be back to full health by the time next fall rolls around. Josh Adams has done everything and more to demand an expanded role in the offense, and the team still needs to find a way to get Dexter Williams more touches. It’s a nice problem for Brian Kelly’s staff to have in terms of trying to find touches for so many talented players, but it might also be enough to convince Prosise that his best move is to leave following this year.

It’s a pretty strong argument. If Prosise decided to leave, I’m not sure I would blame him. However, I’m less convinced than others that Prosise is just naturally a NFL back. Prosise does not possess the downhill skills of a Gurley, Fournette, Chubb, Elliott, Henry, etc. that make NFL teams lose their mind. Prosise is a deceptive back with better than average speed and runs more physical than you think, but he also showed a tendency to get nicked up at times. That injury trouble may raise a few red flags for NFL teams about spending a high draft pick on him no matter how weak the draft class is. It’s just hard to envision the team that would want to use even a second round pick on Prosise and slot him prominently into their immediate running plans.

I think the skills that Prosise will bring to the NFL that is most desirable is his athletic versatility. The same skill that let him be recruited as a defensive back, show flashes of greatness at slot receiver, return kicks, and eventually break out at running back is what I think NFL teams will like him the most for. That skill, along with demonstrating just a little more durability, can only be enhanced by returning for one more season where his role will almost certainly evolve one more time. Yes, I do think his touches in the back field might diminish, but I do not think his role would diminish. Given his 2015, it will just be up to Mike Sanford and Brian Kelly to determine how they want to utilize the Irish’s near limitless Swiss army knife. Whether that’s enticing enough for Prosise to stay remains to be seen.

Virginia fans react as Notre Dame’s Will Fuller (7) scores on a touchdown pass with UVA’s Maurica Canady (26) falling after attempting to stop the play during an NCAA college football game in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. (P. Kevin Morley/AP)

Needs to Stay: Will Fuller – It’s strange to think that Notre Dame’s biggest playmaker, record-setter, and second team All-American is the most in need of another year. And yet, that’s the state as things stand now.

Over the past two seasons no one has made more important catches than Will Fuller. How important is Fuller to the offense? Go back and watch the last 2 seasons. No one’s played a greater percentage of offensive snaps (I’m estimating here) than Fuller who rarely comes off the field. His speed and ability to create space have made him an invaluable asset to the Kelly offense. He’s a hard worker who may not be the best blocker on the team but is more than willing to help finish plays.

The issue – and this is kind of important for a receiver – has been his hands. For every big, game-changing catch on Fuller’s highlight reel, there seems to be a complimentary inexplicable drop on the routine catches.

Simply put: Fuller’s hands need work in order for him to succeed at the next level. The skill most coveted at the NFL level for receivers is the ability to make catches in traffic, and that’s by far Fuller’s biggest weakness. Whether this is something he can change over the course of one more season might be a bigger question, but Fuller’s got the most to gain by coming back and showing greater consistency on the ordinary. Fuller’s already pointed towards a return next season, and that’s a good thing. His pocket book and NFL future might thank him for that deferred decision down the line.

The post Should He Stay or Should He Go? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Photo Credit: David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

It was far from pretty. The Irish needed a late touchdown yet again from DeShone Kizer and Will Fuller to avoid a loss that would have felt like a nightmare. On a night know for tricks and treats, it felt for much of the evening like the Irish were playing a trick on themselves. The result is fine: Notre Dame proved victorious over the Temple Owls 24-20. If this game were measured as a type of candy, it was far from being a Reese’s Cup. In fact, it’s insulting to mention Reese’s with that performance. It was better than candy corn. I’ll give the Irish that as well. Let’s settle somewhere around the Three Musketeers range of candy – it’s chocolate (a win) but lacks the substance and filling to fully satisfy the Irish faithful.

There was some stuff that happened on the sidelines between Brian Kelly and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach David Grimes that will draw some attention from pundits, and we’ll likely circle around to it later this week, but given that it had zero impact on the game that occurred on the field, I shall waste no more words on it here.

The refs….oh boy. They were worse than Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, and that’s saying something. If you have no idea what I mean by the reference, consider yourself lucky. Elijah Shumate was ejected on a second half targeting call that would have required either or both players to possess the ability to fly to avoid the contact. The evidence against the targeting rule in its current form continues to grow, gif by gif, vine by vine, of completely absurd plays that result in a player being ejected. That may be a topic later this week too.

For now, let’s go a little deeper on some things from the game that stuck out to me:

DeShone Kizer: Kizer fell just one yard shy of 300 passing yards. He set career highs in passing attempts, rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. With the inability to get CJ Prosise going, the entire offense fell on Kizer’s shoulders. Kizer alone accounted for nearly 95% of Notre Dame’s offensive yards. His 143 rushing yards fell a mere 3 yards short of the ND quarterback single-game record (Bill Etter, 146 yards, 1969 v. Navy. Stat courtesy of Michael Bertsch). This was already Kizer’s third game leading a fourth quarter comeback for a victory. Despite all of these successes, this also felt like Kizer’s worst game in several respects. For the first time in Kizer’s career, he had a multi-interception game. The interceptions were magnified by the fact that both came in the opponent’s red zone. The second quarter interception in particular came on a terrible decision to try to force a pass when a simple throw away would have led to a chip shot field goal attempt. Kizer acknowledged as much after the game that that decision was on him and a “rookie” mistake.

The learning curve with Kizer is understandable. Thrust into the starter position, he’s handled adversity extremely well. In interviews, his maturity and intelligence shine. He’s big. He’s got a big arm. And as Temple learned last night, he’s got some wheels. That said, Kizer’s decision-making needs to become more consistent. He now has 6 interceptions in 6 starts. He’s thrown at least one interception in 5 of 6 starts. It’s just a half season, and marks just the first 6 starts of Kizer’s career, but consider this facial comparison on interception rate:

Kizer’s performance has certainly been better than 2014 Golson or 2013 Rees. I don’t want anyone to confuse my concern with reality. He’s also got less game experience. 2014 Golson and 2013 Rees were both seniors whereas Kizer is just a sophomore. So, while there’s plenty of room for optimism, ball security and decision-making need to get better for the Irish to progress throughout the rest of the season. Winning games while losing the turnover battle has been an exception in the Kelly era and one the team will not want to make a habit of testing.

Temple’s Defense:  It would be unfair not to give credit to Temple’s defense. Prior to the game I was critical on whether they were in fact good or whether they’d just played bad teams. Using Football Outsider’s S&P rankings (#SportsMath!) as the guide, prior to the game last night the best offense the Owls had faced was Cincinnati who ranked 46th nationally prior to yesterday’s game. They’d also faced 3 of the 9 worst offenses in the FBS ranks. Notre Dame went into the game ranked 6th, and I fully expected Notre Dame to expose the Owls.

Matt Rhule’s group had different ideas. It was obvious their goal was to take away CJ Prosise. Temple consistently loaded the box and aggressively pursued anything that remotely looked like a run to Prosise. This over-pursuit helped open up the 79 yard Kizer touchdown run, but all and all, the Owls won the day as it related to Prosise. The Irish offensive line never got rolling, and while I’m sure it happened some, it seemed like you never saw the linemen making it to the second level of the Temple defense. Prosise finished with just 25 yards on 14 carries. His 14 carries were the only carries by an ND running back all game.

I hope Irish fans could appreciate Temple’s effort. The game should have felt like a vintage Bob Diaco performance. Temple for the most part was willing to concede smaller chunks of yardage to avoid big plays down field. Their secondary was extremely physical (and yes, overly physical on more than one occasion…some that were called for penalties, others that could/should have been penalties). Will Fuller’s long reception of the night was the 17 yard touchdown pass. He finished with just 46 receiving yards on 5 catches. Deep in their own territory, Temple continued to scratch, claw, and force the Irish to work for every inch. They were rewarded with the two red zone turnovers.

Temple’s defense has surrendered more yards to their opponent than their offense has gained numerous times this year, and yet they now rank 7th nationally in points per game allowed (15.8). Their red zone scoring percentage surrendered is 9th nationally at 70%. Think about that: 3 out of every 10 times an opponent has made it to Temple’s red zone, they’ve come away with 0 points. They rank 9th nationally in yards per point as well giving up 1 point for every 20.8 yards their opponents get. For comparison – Notre Dame ranks 31st nationally giving up a point for every 16 yards they surrender.

Plain and simple – Temple’s defense put in the work to compensate for allowing nearly double the yards of the Irish defense. Sure, opportunity and luck played a role in that. But Irish fans love to harken back to the good ‘ole days of 2012, and well, I can think of few defenses that were more opportunistic than that one.

Red Zone Offense: Speaking of those two red zone turnovers…Notre Dame now ranks 73rd nationally scoring points on 82.14% of red zone possessions. This comes on the heels of the 2014 season when the Irish finished 79th nationally in red zone scoring percentage. Last year’s was particularly difficult because Notre Dame saw the 14th most red zone attempts per game. This year, they’re closer to the middle of the pack getting to the opponent’s red zone about 3.5 times per game.

In the Brian Kelly era, the best the Irish have finished in red zone scoring percentage was 2010 when they finished 51st nationally. The ability to finish drives in the red zone has been a nearly endless source of frustration for both the team (I’m sure) as well as fans. If we consider the percentage of red zone attempts ending in a touchdown, it gets worse.

Notre Dame now sits 85th nationally converting just 57.58% of red zone attempts into touchdowns.

This has been a historically terrible area for Kelly’s Irish teams:

Red Zone Attempts Ending in Touchdowns

Four of six seasons (including this year to date), Kelly’s offense has been ranked 80th or worse at converting red zone attempts to touchdowns. I’m sure many will have theories about “man ball” and fullbacks and whatever else, but whatever the reason, the result has been missed opportunities. Last night’s was just the most recent. Two fewer red zone turnovers and two more red zone touchdowns and that is not a close game.

The Irish get a Pitt team coming off a disappointing loss next and then face two pretty terrible teams in Wake Forest and Boston College. This is a good time to get the team’s head on straight to hopefully set up a game of massive importance with Stanford to end the regular season. It could go without saying, but let’s say it anyways, the offense, for as good as it’s been, needs to clean up these deficiencies if the Irish hope to up end Stanford at the end of the season. For now, let’s get ready for a Narduzzi of an upcoming game.

The post Irish Survive Their Owl of Discontent appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The junior running back has officially been ruled out due to a torn right ACL for the rest of the season following his Sunday MRI. The injury occurred during Notre Dame’s second offensive possession and the 2014 leading rusher never returned to the field.

While one of the many bright spots in Saturday’s dominant performance on both sides of the ball included the performances of red-shirt junior CJ Prosise and true freshman Josh Adams, the backfield is now officially a thinned area of the Irish depth chart with the loss of Folston adding in with Greg Bryant’s season-long suspension.

Prosise (98 yards on 20 carries) and Adams (49 yards on 5 carries) thrilled the home crowd with smart, explosive and sound runs against the Longhorns, but the injury to Folston begs the question: Can they continue to be productive for an entire season?

We saw last year that Prosise could switch between a running option and a slot receiver as a speedy, elusive, yet big body. It’s unknown whether Prosise was going to be used mainly in the run game before the injury but now it’s certainty. Luckily, for the Irish, the wide receiver position is about as deep and as talented as it has been in recent memory; the spot left open in the passing game will certainly be filled by a capable next man in.  That said, Prosise will now see far more consistent contact and wear as the season progresses. It’s imperative for Notre Dame’s playoff chances that he not only stays healthy, but that he stays fresh.

That second part will be largely in the hands of the young Adams. Josh Adams only got five carries Saturday, but it should be a pretty safe bet that his touches will increase as the season moves on. Head Coach Brian Kelly has often praised the freshman’s maturity and intelligence, citing his ability to pick up the playbook not only in regards to running plays but also in the pass game with routes and protection schemes. It’s this maturity that will allow Kelly to trust in the young player to give Prosise more spells on the sidelines in order to keep his legs fresh.

As Adams feels more confident and stable on the field as a runner, Kelly may also look to speed up the progression of fellow rookie Dexter Williams. Williams is the speedy, “exciting” back for the Irish, but, unlike Adams, Kelly has spoken of Williams’s need to develop schematically. He should get more looks in earlier parts of the game just to aid in the rest of the two top running backs, but likely will not be getting many meaningful playing time until he can prove he is trustworthy within the playbook and not just athletically.

All things said, Notre Dame fans saw plenty against Texas to keep them optimistic for now. It was about as dominating a performance from all eleven positions on the offense as they’ve seen, and the running backs were just as much a part of that as anyone. As long as Prosise and Adams continue to develop and perform, Irish eyes should continue smiling .

The post Tarean Folston Tears ACL, Out For Season 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.

FROM OUR SITE

• Step one: Northeastern

VIDEO

• WatchND: Brian Kelly press conference – March 17, 2015 (42:18)
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Video: Kelly previews spring ball (3:03)
• Irish247: Video: Kelly previews spring practice (3:08)
• Irish Illustrated: Video: Kelly welcomes QB battle (3:03)
• Irish Sports Daily: ISD video: Brian Kelly press conference (3:16)

PODCAST

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: The Irish Huddle (28:15)

RECRUITING (2016 offers / 2017 offers)

• Irish Sports Daily: Oden defines determination (Tylin Oden)
• Rivals: Rivals 100: 61-80 updates (Donnie Corley, Dwayne Haskins, Javon McKinley)
• Scout: Scout 300: Big West movers (Jack Jones, Curtis Robinson, Brandon Burton and N’Keal Harry)
• Scout: South 2016 rankings: 10 big moves (Brandon Hill, Keyshon Camp, Devin White, Patrick Bethel)
• Scout: Midwest recruiting notebook (Brandon Peters, Sean Foster and Donnie Corley)
• Scout: West moves outside the Scout 300 (Troy Warner)
• Scout: New 4-star DL in Florida (Keyshon Camp)
• Scout: Gators impress 4-star RB (Elijah Holyfield)
• Scout: Commitment analysis: WR Theo Howard
• Scout: 5-star Calif. LB wowed by Michigan (Part 1 – Caleb Kelly)
• Scout: 5-star Calif. LB wowed by Michigan (Part 2)
• Scout: No. 1 safety talks recruiting (Brandon Jones, although Notre Dame is not in his top 10)
• Scout: Lewis has special feeling in Baton Rouge (Cameron Lewis)
• Scout: Holmes takes Big 12 swing (Darnay Holmes)
• Scout: Week in review: Chicago area (Julian Love)
• Scout: Houston recruiting notebook (3/18/15 – Eric Monroe, Dontavious Jackson, Deontay Anderson and Devwah Whaley)

CURRENT TEAM

• AP: Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly unsure on starting QB
• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Notre Dame football: What to expect at the start of spring ball
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notebook: ND ready for spring ball (Everett Golson, Malik Zaire, Nick Martin, Matt Hegarty, Colin McGovern, Hunter Bivin, CJ Prosise, Matthias Farley, John Turner, Doug Randolph, Chase Hounshell, Jalen Brown and Ishaq Williams)
• Chicago Tribune: Notre Dame enters spring with no clear No. 1 at QB
• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: With depth up front, Notre Dame eyes physical practices (Greer Martini, James Onwualu, Jarrett Grace, Nyles Morgan, Jaylon Smith, Te’von Coney, John Turner, Max Redfield, Elijah Shumate, Nicky Baratti, C.J. Prosise, Tarean Folston, Greg Bryant, Matt Hegarty, Quenton Nelson, Alex Bars, Ronnie Stanley, Nick Martin, Sam Mustipher, Mark Harrell and Chase Hounshell)
• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: Notre Dame LB Jarrett Grace cleared for spring practice
• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: Ishaq Williams not guaranteed to return to Notre Dame
• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: Notre Dame hits the reset button on quarterback competition
• Elkhart Truth: Notre Dame football spring storylines: Wide receivers have top-tier potential; tight ends a mystery
• Elkhart Truth: Brian Kelly believes Notre Dame has great opportunity with Golson, Zaire at QB
• Goshen News: Notre Dame football: Irish start spring practice, quarterback battle between Everett Golson and Malik Zaire
• Inside the Irish: Irish open spring: Five quick updates from BK (Ben Councell, Jalen Brown, Alex Bars, Quenton Nelson, Nick Martin, Matt Hegarty, Amir Carlisle, C.J. Prosise, Tarean Folston, Greg Bryant, Josh Adams, Dexter Williams, Chase Hounshell, Durham Smythe, Tyler Luatua, Everett Golson, Malik Zaire)
• Irish247: Defensive line tandem highlights players to watch (Jonathan Bonner, Jhonny Williams, Jerry Tillery, Jaylon Smith, Max Redfield, Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston)
• Irish247: Irish247 extra points (KeiVarae Russell, Ishaq Williams, James Onwualu, Greer Martini, Joe Schmidt, Nyles Morgan, Jarrett Grace, Joe Schmidt, Josh Atkinson, Jalen Brown, Ben Councell, Anthony Rabasa, Drue Tranquill)
• Irish247: Kelly talks depth chart, position moves, QB timetable (Everett Golson, Malik Zaire, Matt Hegarty, Alex Bars, Quenton Nelson, Sam Mustipher, Tristen Hoge, John Turner, Elijah Shumate, Max Redfield, Chase Hounshell, Mike Heuerman, Durham Smythe, Nic Weishar, Tyler Luatua, Doug Randolph, C.J. Prosise and Amir Carlisle)
• Irish247: Notre Dame releases spring football roster
• Irish Illustrated: From second to first? (Jaylon Smith, Max Redfield)
• Irish Illustrated: Spring finally suits Kelly (Matt Hegarty, Mike McGlinchey, Nick Martin, Alex Bars, Quenton Nelson, Colin McGovern, Hunter Bivin, John Montelus, Jarron Jones, Sheldon Day, Isaac Rochell, Jay Hayes, Kolin Hill, Daniel Cage, Pete Mokwuah, Andrew Trumbetti, Jhonny Williams, Grant Blankenship, Doug Randolph, Jerry Tillery, Ishaq Williams and KeiVarae Russell)
• Irish Illustrated: Of graduates, nuts and realigned roles (Avery Sebastian, KeiVarae Russell, Ishaq Williams, Amir Carlisle, Connor Cavalaris, Matthias Farley, Everett Golson, Jarrett Grace, Chase Hounshell, Nick Martin, and Joe Schmidt, Montgomery VanGorder, Ben Councell, Jalen Brown, Matt Hegarty, Jarron Jones, Joe Schmidt, Drue Tranquill, Nicky Baratti, Will Fuller, James Onwualu, Nyles Morgan, Greer Martini, Te’von Coney, C.J. Prosise, John Turner, Doug Randolph, Jonathan Bonner and Jerry Tillery)
• Irish Turning Point: Brian Kelly spring presser recap (Ben Councell, Jalen Brown, KeiVarae Russell, Chase Hounshell, John Turner, Doug Randolph, Greer Martini, CJ Prosise, Jonathan Bonner, Nick Martin, Will Fuller, Drue Tranquill, Jarrett Grace, Jerry Tillery, Te’von Coney, James Onwualu, Quenton Nelson and Alex Bars)
• Journal Gazette: Brian Kelly: Need basketball team’s unselfishness
• ND Insider: No room for excuses for Notre Dame football (Everett Golson and Brian Kelly)
• ND Insider: Brian Kelly opens Notre Dame spring practice with QB questions
• ND Insider: Notebook: Jerry Tillery, Te’von Coney stir interest for Notre Dame’s spring (Charlie Weis Jr.)
• One Foot Down: CTTCS: Brian Kelly’s pre-spring update
• UHND: Return of Ishaq Williams to Notre Dame in doubt (Jarrett Grace, Ishaq Williams, KeiVarae Russell, Matt Hegarty and Ben Councell)
• UHND: Notre Dame’s Jarrett Grace cleared for spring football (Joe Schmidt, Nyles Morgan, Greer Martini and Jaylon Smith)
• UHND: CJ Prosise cross-training at RB for Notre Dame

COACHING

• AL.com: Alabama adds football staff member with a famous name (Charlie Weis Jr.)
• Irish Sports Daily: Irish begin spring practice with eye on leadership and development

SCHEDULE

• College Football Talk: Notre Dame, Ball State to meet in football for first time in 2018
• UHND: Ball State added to 2018 Notre Dame football schedule

MISC.

• One Foot Down: Crossroads construction progress 3/17/15
• Reign of Troy: USC Football: Paying homage to St. Patrick’s Day (Trojans vs. green jerseys)
• WNDU: Kelly Cares Foundation raises more than $750,000 from gala in New York City

The post Morning Roundup: March 18, 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.