Devin Studstill

Notre Dame's Nick Coleman (24) brings down Nevada's Hasaan Henderson (12) during the Notre Dame-Nevada NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Spring Ball Miracle – Tackling Becomes A Priority

March 30, 2017 by BJ Konkle

Spring football is often a time for acclimating young players to the intricacies of a division I playbook. It's also a good time to emphasize and tweak countless position-specific techniques. New defensive coordinator, Mike Elko, has chosen to allocate a chunk of spring ball to teaching some of the fundamentals. To be more specific - teaching proper tackling. Missed Tackles According to College Football Film Room, the Irish missed a total of 106 tackles in 2016 and 112 tackles in 2015. These ...

Credit: Matt Cashore / Irish Illustrated

Morning Roundup: Sept. 11, 2016

September 11, 2016 by andrewwinn

The Irish trounce Nevada. Cornerback Shaun Crawford is lost to a season-ending injury. Michigan State awaits next week. These stories & more from the past 24 hours below. ...

Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick wings a pass during a game at Notre Dame in 2009. Nevada lost, 35-0. (Michael Conroy/AP file)

Morning Roundup: Sept. 10, 2016

September 10, 2016 by andrewwinn

Torii Hunter Jr. is ruled out for today's game due to ongoing recovery from a concussion. This story and much more from the past 24 hours of Notre Dame football. ...

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder yells from the sideline during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring football game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Defensive “Change” Must Come, One Way Or Another

September 8, 2016 by BJ Konkle

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill. Much has been discussed, written, and analyzed of the 50-47 loss Texas handed Notre Dame this past Sunday. Many have called for change among the defensive coaching staff as it relates to the 50 points a young Texas team hung on the Irish defense. Ironically, the change that is being clamored for is due to the inability to do just that - change. In the ever evolving landscape of today's college football, ...

Cowherd: In punishments, ND & Bama no different

August 24, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Monday on the popular sports radio show The Herd, host Colin Cowherd addressed Notre Dame's most recent unfortunate events involving Irish football players and their frustrating and saddening run in with law enforcement. Cowherd likened the differing punishments handed down by Brian Kelly - the dismissal of Max Redfield and indefinitely suspended Devin Butler juxtaposed to the internal discipline of Te'von Coney, Kevin Stepherson, Dexter Williams, and Ashton White - to the way Nick Saban and ...

Analyzing the Fall Camp Depth Chart

August 11, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Fall camp produces the perfect mix for any college football junkie - immeasurable aspirations coupled with unlimited potential. The 2016 Fighting Irish are no exception. Many positional battles follow #NDFB into fall camp and understandably so with the solid depth at all positions. Let's do a quick rundown of what to expect. Depth, baby! Everything this fall will revolve around the exceptional depth that has slowly been built year over year. The coaching staff has recruited exceptionally well ...

Credit: Gameface Media

Four Irish Footballers Turning 21 During Fall Camp

July 20, 2016 by andrewwinn

Perhaps you've heard of the "beer mile," where participants drink a full-sized beer and then run a quarter mile four times over. It's a competitive event, sure, but not one I'd suggest doing during the hot August heat in South Bend, Ind. Fall camp under Brian Kelly usually opens in the first week of August, which is great if you're not happening to reach legal drinking age soon thereafter. So let's pour one out for senior TE Durham Smythe, junior RB Justin Brent, junior S Drue Tranquill and ...

Freshman Reveal Jersey Numbers

June 20, 2016 by andrewwinn

With Notre Dame's summer classes commencing last Monday, 18 freshman have now officially joined the Irish football team. All have already picked their numbers, with some announcing them through social media. Here's the rundown: #12 QB IAN BOOK: Book sported #11 in high school, which is currently sported by redshirt sophomore running back Justin Brent. Book said last Tuesday that he'll be wearing #12, which was most recently worn by fellow quarterback Brandon Wimbush. Wimbush, a sophomore, ...

(Photo: Eddie Burch, Greenville News)

Notre Dame Football’s Most Promising “Rookies”

June 6, 2016 by andrewwinn

The Irish Illustrated staff collectively ranked the top Irish "rookies" based on who they felt would have the best Notre Dame careers. My top 10 list differed from theirs, so let's take a closer look: 1. Brandon Wimbush (II Staff: #2) If you consider the question, you'll notice it's a little tricky. "Who among the three dozen will have the best careers at Notre Dame?" Brandon Wimbush is a quarterback with all the tools: strong arm, fleet of foot and accurate. I'm not certain that ...

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Will Redfield Prove Five-Star Talent?

June 1, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Welcome to a series of posts we’re calling “Five Question Marks.” In his third entry, BJ Konkle answers a question on the minds of many Notre Dame fans: Is this the year Max Redfield demonstrates a talent worthy of five stars? Max Redfield’s three years at Notre Dame has been an absolute rollercoaster ride. The highly treasured 5 star 247 sports composite ranked recruit from sexy recruiting hotbed Mission Viejo, Calif. was originally committed to play football at the University of ...