This preseason series highlights Notre Dame's 2016 stars by personnel grouping and identifies who to watch on opposing teams. Today's position group: the linebackers. ...
Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)
Joe Schmidt
HLS Review: The 2016 ND Insider Football Preview
The South Bend Tribune's 96-page preview of Notre Dame's football team is an invaluable resource for the Irish fan looking to get informed before the 2016 football season kicks off Sept. 4. Mike Vorel wrote the magazine's cover story, "Avoiding A Split Decision," on the quarterback competition between redshirt sophomore DeShone Kizer and redshirt senior Malik Zaire. Vorel interviewed former Texas head coach Mack Brown, former Notre Dame quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Brady Quinn and ESPN's ...
Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)
Expert: Nyles Morgan Scapegoated To Cover Coach’s Weakness
Notre Dame coaches "undersold" sophomore linebacker Nyles Morgan last year in an effort to conceal a significant weakness in Brian VanGorder's defensive scheme. Blue & Gold Illustrated's Bryan Driskell criticized VanGorder, the Irish's defensive coordinator, for being too faithful to scheme and sticking with Joe Schmidt - although he graded out as one of the worst linebackers last year. "Why did you run a defense that required you to put such an inferior player on the field in order ...
Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)
Will The Irish Defense Improve Its Pass Rush?
Welcome to a series of posts we’re calling “Five Question Marks.” In this entry - the second on a series - BJ Konkle answers a question on the minds of many Notre Dame fans: Will Brian VanGorder and the Notre Dame defense have a disruptive pass rush this season? It has been no secret that the Irish defense has significantly lacked a strong and consistent pass rush the past few seasons under Brian VanGorder’s defensive system. Yes, there have been flashes of well-designed blitzes and ...
Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) in the second quarter. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Debate This: Jaylon Smith Was Right To Play In Fiesta Bowl
Debate This is a recurring series on HerLoyalSons in which two writers take opposing sides on a hot topic. Today and tomorrow, we will debate whether or not Jaylon Smith should have played in the Fiesta Bowl. Yesterday, IrishJimmy led us through the "he should have skipped it" argument. Today, andrewwinn takes the other side. Jaylon Smith was right to play in the Fiesta Bowl because it's what he wanted to do, because devastating injuries can happen at any time and because playing tentative or ...
Photo courtesy of Student Sports
Jonathan Jones Saved ND’s Class of 2016
Jonathan Jones, the three-star linebacker from Florida, became the key to Brain Kelly’s 2016 recruiting class. I doubt that anyone who followed this class would’ve have said that before Signing Day. But given that Caleb Kelly committed to Oklahoma - despite the Irish pushing hard until the end - and Ben Davis signing with Alabama, Jones “saved” the class, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Daelin Hayes, a 247sports composite four-star OLB and early enrollee, is certainly the ...
Credit: Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
Ishaq’s Back (in School)
Last Friday, Notre Dame received the expected news that KeiVarae Russell was back with the Irish. Yesterday, another one of the Frozen Five had their fate become a little clearer: https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/605454318037180416 The important thing to note here is that Ishaq is back only academically at this point. His status on the football team is up in the air. The reason? It's one that we've mentioned several times this offseason. Scholarship numbers are tight and a fifth ...
Matt Hegarty to Transfer, The Fifth Year Dominoes Begin to Fall
As I mentioned in my post regarding the transfer of Avery Sebastian, the Irish sat at 94 total scholarships, with 12 of those belonging to current Notre Dame players with a potential fifth year. At some point, tough decisions would need to be made in regards to these players and one has already been made. Matt Hegarty has decided to transfer from Notre Dame citing a desire for as much playing time as possible, which he wouldn't get in 2015 with the Irish: Recently my coaches informed me that ...
Morning Roundup: Feb. 19, 2015
Good morning! Here are your headlines: 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: ...
Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Finding the Bottom
I'm not even sure where exactly to start with the mess that was Notre Dame's loss to Northwestern. Typing "Notre Dame's loss to Northwestern" doesn't even make sense to me. The Irish lost and gave up 43 points to a team that hasn't even cracked 30 all season. Iowa blew these guys out. But here we are in what I consider the worst loss since I walked on to campus in 2003. Oh sure, we've lost to worse teams, but those ND teams were objectively terrible. While this team isn't ...