So, as great as the win against Miami of Ohio was, we can’t help but feel concerned about Brandon Wimbush’s 7-18, 119 yard performance. Yes, three of those passes were for TD’s, allowing for his QBR to not dovetail into horrendous territory, although a 61.5 will earn no more than a solid “meh”. In fact, Wimbush would agree as he gave himself a “C/C+” when interviewed on the NBCSN postgame show.

With this in mind, I wanted to break down every single pass and try to parse his performance. This means looking at every single passing play, whether it was a scramble, sack, thrown away, drop or a play wiped out by a penalty. Here’s what I charted for Wimbush in the game:

That’s 11 out of 20 passes (55%) that were good throws. Oddly enough, one of his completions was an underthrown at Deon McIntosh’s feet. Needless to say, this is far from encouraging.

I was close to bumping this up to 12 on target passes (60%) and crediting Adams with a drop on the opening drive. The pass went off his finger tips and was eerily similar to the great catch Chris Finke made in the fourth quarter on Ian Book’s bomb. I went ahead and credited Wimbush with the overthrow as I feel it’s more fair to put the onus on Wimbush for a more accurate pass rather than a running back laying out for a catch.

However, with that in mind, and looking at who these passes were being thrown to, I found a rather interesting pattern. Take a look at the below:

To me, it’s clear Wimbush has a lot of trust in both ESB and Claypool. Save for the lone overthrow on a long play action attempt to ESB, everything else was on traget to those two. This includes a 50/50 fade that Wimbush trusted Claypool to make a play on, resulting in a TD.

Boykin is the other lone Irish receiver pulled down a completion on a great Wimbush pass (a long TD bomb). This also stood out a bit as my mind immediately went back to the Blue/Gold game in which Wimbush to Boykin seemed like it was going to be a more regular thing than it is now.

Wimbush also looked to make an effort to get Stepherson going in this game. While the drop was a called screen for Stepherson, the other pass that was completely off target looked to be a total miscommunication between the two as Wimbush threw to a route that Stepherson wasn’t running (and Claypool was running wide open beneath him). This drive resulted in the only three and out for the Irish as Wimbush took a sack the very next play (the fake punt saved the Irish from two on the day).

This leads me to wondering if Wimbush is pressing more on throws to people not named Equanimeous and Chase (and maybe even Miles). While Wimbush certainly is having mechanical issues, I do wonder I Wimbush has a mentality of “make this perfect” to receivers he may not have complete trust in, leading to everything going haywire.

The only thing that I can personally relate to is back when I pitched. If my defense made a brutal errors behind me, more often than not, it led to me pressing–not a good thing for someone that didn’t have good strikeout stuff. Anytime this happened, my mechanics, and therefore my accuracy, went to hell. Before long, I’d get the hook and a seat on the bench for losing control of the game.

Part of me wants to feel better about this theory. On one hand, ESB and Claypool have stepped up to be the clear #1 and #2 threats for the Irish. Plus, this has some signs of Wimbush doing what any other first-year starter does, slowly building trust/timing to his WR corps. On the other hand, there’s the terrifying possibility that Wimbush is in his own head and that’s something that’s very hard to simply coach/break someone out of.

Time, and the rest of the season, will tell which is true. I see the encouraging possibilities and potential for this offense as the season goes on. It’s up to Wimbush to execute, excel, and make the passing game into a deadly weapon for the Irish.

The post Let’s Talk About Wimbush and Accuracy appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

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 numbers equate to almost 9 missed tackles per game. Thinking back to last year, far too often the Irish defense was on the wrong end of a potential game changing defensive stop due to a missed tackle. The Brian VanGorder experiment was proof that a defense built on a foundation of scheme will always crumble. Furthermore, the idea of reverse engineering a defense by emphasizing scheme over fundamentals was a critical miscalculation. Fundamental tackling is at the bedrock of all great defenses.

Breaking Down Tackling Drill Highlights

The kind folks at 247 Sports shared a video of a live tackling drill featuring the defensive backs and wide receivers. Jump ahead to minute mark 1:38 for some actual pad popping fun.

• Rep #1: Devin Studstill lays a solid initial hit on Miles Boykin without leaving his feet awarding a quick whistle from the coaches.
• Rep #2: Nicco Fertitta (personal disclosure: he is quickly becoming my favorite player) breaks down at the point of contact and delivers a textbook tackle with his head correctly on the outer shoulder of Keenan Centlivre. Fertitta is by far one of the best tacklers on the team, and also capable of bringing the boom. Sadly, I must remind you that he will miss the first half of the Temple game due to a bogus targeting call on one of the best CFB hits of the 2016 season (language on the video NSFW).
• Rep #3: Spencer Perry executes a fundamental tackle on Austin Webster. Again, important to note that Perry did not leave his feet and has his head correctly on the outside shoulder of the ballcarrier.
• Rep #4: Captain Drue Tranquil breaks down and utilizes his size to overpower the ever elusive walk-on Chris Finke.
• Rep #5: Spencer Perry breaks down nicely when approaching Kevin Stepherson, but pausing the video at 1:58 shows he commits the cardinal sin of lowering his head, thus rendering him unable to “see what you hit” as the saying goes. This enables the long and talented Stepherson to shrug off the feeble tackle attempt.
• Rep #6: Isaiah Robertson goes low on Mick Assaf and shows good drive with his legs while wrapping up the legs of the ballcarrier. Good work from the early enrollee.
• Rep #7: Donte Vaughn brings down Arion Shinaver in fundamental fashion. Additional promising results from neglecting to lunge and leave his feet.
• Rep #8: Equanimeous St. Brown brushes past a tentative Jimmy Thompson. Thompson engages  St. Brown too high initially and is unable to recover against the more athletic wide receiver.
• Rep #9: DJ Morgan hesitates slightly against Miles Boykin, but is able to wrap up the bigger wide receiver. If you listen closely, you can hear a coach holler, “Don’t stop!”.
• Rep #10: I’m confident that the video captions are incorrect on this one. I highly doubt Brandon Wimbush is participating in live tackling drills. I believe the ball carrier is Chase Claypool, who puts a  shake-and-bake on the would be tackler (I’m guessing it’s Devin Studstill). Studstill commits multiple fatal flaws in lowering his head and leaving his feet. This single rep alone accentuates the fact that live tackling drills need to be performed early and often throughout spring practice.
• Rep #11: Another caption blunder – I’m thinking this is #7 Nick Watkins on defense and Chris Finke carrying the ball. Watkins fails to get his head on the outside shoulder of Finke forcing him to lunge with an unsuccessful arm tackle.
• Rep #12: Julian Love makes the same mistake as Watkins, but is fortunate enough to wrap up his arm tackle on Keenan Centlivre.
• Rep #13: Troy Pride Jr. breaks down too early and gets caught flat footed against Chris Finke, and all it takes is one jab step by Finke to fly by Pride.
• Rep #14: A jersey number 38 showdown of Deon McIntosh and Chris Schilling provides some fireworks with McIntosh opting not to get fancy, but instead lay some lumber as the ballcarrier and smash through Schilling. It will be interesting to see where McIntosh ends up on the depth chart as a high ceiling, versatile, and apparently quite powerful athlete.
• Rep #15: Kevin Stepherson claims another victim in a flatfooted Jalen Elliot.
• Rep #16: In a rematch with Stepherson, Elliot redeems himself by successfully bringing down the ballcarrier in fundamental fashion.
• Rep #17: Equanimeous St. Brown continues his success in the drill – this time against a visibly frustrated Drue Tranquil.
• Rep #18: Nick Coleman, new to the safety position, brings down the much bigger Miles Boykin. Coleman aggressively attacks Boykin’s hips and eventually trips up Boykin proving that the low man usually wins.
• Rep #19: Ashton White’s hesitation allows Chase Claypool to beat him to the the center (red colored) line forcing White to grasp for jersey as Claypool cruises by.
• Rep #20: Nicco Fertitta against Arion Shinaver – “That was textbook” says Coach Lyght…enough said.
• Rep #21: Brian Ball is no match for the more athletic and incredibly intriguing Alize Jones. Brian Kelly commented that Jones is virtually uncover-able in certain areas of the field. Translation – return of the jump ball fade pass in the corner of the end zone.
• Rep #22: Mick Assaf tries to take advantage of the passive technique of Isaiah Robertson, but Robertson again opts to go very low and takes out the legs of Assaf. Robertson will likely need to be more aggressive in the future to take down more elusive and athletic ballcarriers.
• Rep #23: Spencer Perry lacks the proper leg drive to take down Keenan Centlivre.
• Rep #24: Chris Finke does “slippery fox” things and leaves DJ Morgan with his jock in his hand. Against Finke and other agile ballcarriers, Irish defenders need to be as aggressive as possible while not overcommitting and leaving themselves susceptible to a stutter step.
• Rep #25: Deon McIntosh makes an early cut and lowers his shoulder against Devin Studstill who makes great first contact, but McIntosh’s impressive leg drive is able to power through another quick whistle.

Overall the tackling drills are obviously needed and welcomed. From the short, yet revealing, video it is apparent that the Irish defense needs to continue to hammer home fundamental tackling. This includes not leaving your feet, seeing what you hit, being aggressive yet under control, and wrapping up after the initial hit. Hopefully, we get to see another video of similar tackling drills displaying many improvements before spring ball is over. Thanks again to Tom Loy of 247 Sports for sharing the video.

Cheers and Go Irish!

The post Spring Ball Miracle – Tackling Becomes A Priority appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Detroit Free Press

Brian Kelly and his staff have convinced 21 student-athletes with Michigan offers to commit to Notre Dame, while Jim Harbaugh and his group have persuaded the same number to forgo Notre Dame offers and come to Ann Arbor, according to Her Loyal Sons research.

Michigan and Notre Dame have historically battled for outstanding players in midwestern states, although the skirmish has also expanded to the East Coast and California in the past 20 years.

WOLVERINES GRAB HIGHER RATED TALENT

Michigan has swayed 3 five-stars with Notre Dame offers to join their team, while Notre Dame has landed zero. The Irish have grabbed 16 four-stars to Michigan’s 13, while the Wolverines have 1 more three-star than the Irish group.

Credit: Melanie Maxwell / MLive.com

The six best players, according to Scout’s recruiting rankings, have all headed north: defensive tackle Rashan Gary (#1 overall, class of 2016); wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (#22, 2017); running back Kareem Walker (#28, 2016); offensive tackle Ben Bredeson (#36, 2016); cornerback David Long (#64, 2016) and tight end Devin Assisi (#67, 2016).

Bredeson made eight starts at left guard for the Wolverines last year and appeared in all of their games. He allowed five quarterback hurries, three hits and one sack in 256 pass blocking snaps, according to College Football Film Room. He was also given an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team. Gary played in all of Michigan’s games as well, registering 26 tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight hurries, eight quarterback hits and just four missed tackles.

Asiasi played sparingly – being targeted just five times and catching 2 passes for 18 yards. Long appeared in four games, mostly on special teams. A quarterback never threw his way when he was in at cornerback, so he didn’t register any stats. Walker was a redshirt.

WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT SO FAR?

Credit: MICHAEL CATERINA / South Bend Tribune

Besides Bredeson’s and Gary’s notable freshman seasons, the Irish have two players who have made equal or greater impacts on their team so far.

Dexter Williams was the first to spurn the Wolverines in favor of the Irish after Harbaugh’s hiring in Ann Arbor on Dec. 30, 2014. The running back has registered 281 yards rushing on 61 carries over two seasons. Williams has also found the end zone four times. At this point, he has proven himself a capable second back behind fellow rising junior Josh Adams.

Kevin Stepherson, a three-star unranked in Scout’s 300, had a surprisingly good freshman campaign, becoming quarterback DeShone Kizer’s third favorite target last year. Stepherson caught 25 balls for 474 yards, good for 14 first downs and five touchdowns.

WHAT’S AHEAD?

Despite posting a 4-8 season, the Irish have grabbed as many highly-rated recruits for their forthcoming class as Michigan.

Brock Wright / Photo: Scout.com

The two teams have split Scout’s top 100 that received offers from both schools. Besides Peoples-Jones, Michigan will be welcoming four-star wide receiver Tarik Black (#90, 2017) and four-star outside linebacker Drew Singleton (#93) in the summer. Notre Dame has four-star tight end Brock Wright (#76) and four-star inside linebacker David Adams (#88) coming to South Bend instead of heading farther north.

We cannot discount timing, however. The Wolverines, fresh off their Orange Bowl appearance, have the momentum of late, grabbing five of the last six commits. Those all came since the college football season started. Four-star offensive tackle Aaron Banks (#163) is the lone individual to choose the Irish over Michigan recently.

KELLY & HARBAUGH AREN’T IMMUNE TO DECOMMITS

Of course, nothing is final with 2017 or 2018 recruits until they fax or e-mail their national letters of intent. Both schools have already seen commits suddenly change their minds.

Leonard Taylor, a three-star defensive end, initially picked the Wolverines over the Irish, but then de-committed before the season started. (He’s currently undecided.) Three-star running back A.J. Dillon also picked Michigan over Notre Dame, but then committed to Boston College shortly before Christmas.

Four-star outside linebacker Pete Werner chose Ohio State after initially picking the Irish. Most recently, four-star cornerback Elijah Hicks enrolled in Cal instead of honoring his verbal commitment to Notre Dame. Hicks held a Michigan offer, among several others.

COMPLETE LIST

The post In Kelly-Harbaugh Recruit Fight, It’s Tied appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

LAST GAME: NOTRE DAME 39, NEVADA 10

• AP: Kizer leads No. 18 Notre Dame to 39-10 win over Nevada
• ASAP Sports: Brian Polian press conference
• Bleacher Report: Nevada vs. Notre Dame: Game grades, analysis for Irish
• College Football News: Florida, Alabama, USC, Notre Dame, Wisconsin: 5 things that matter
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford out for the season with reporter torn Achilles
• CSN Chicago: On day of upsets and scares, Notre Dame cruises past Nevada
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame’s defense gains momentum with Michigan State looming
• Goshen News: Notre Dame rebounds to take care of Nevada, 39-10
• Inside the Irish: Five things we learned: Notre Dame 39, Nevada 10
• Irish Illustrated: Player reaction: Kizer, Luke, Jones and Adams
• Irish Illustrated ($): Snap judgments: Nevada vs. Notre Dame
• Irish Illustrated: Video: Kelly high on Kizer, Adams
• Irish Illustrated: Gallery: Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• Irish Illustrated ($): Instant analysis: Watch and learn
• Irish Illustrated: Irish rebound, hammer Nevada
• Irish Sports Daily: Irish bounce back in home opener
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Instant reaction: Notre Dame 39, Nevada 10
• Irish Sports Daily ($): BK notebook: Nevada
• Irish Sports Daily: Video: Post Nevada
• Irish247 ($): Sharpley’s halftime adjustments
• Irish247: Watch: Dexter Williams finds the end zone for the Irish
• Irish247 ($): Sharpley’s snap judgments: Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• Irish247 ($): Witfong: ND gets exactly the performance needed in win
• Irish247: Impressions: Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• Irish247: Shaun Crawford comments on his injury
• MLive: Notre Dame overcomes sloppy start, rolls Nevada to set up Michigan State showdown
• ND Insider: Photos: ND vs. Nevada pregame photos
• ND Insider: Photos: Notre Dame vs. Nevada (first half)
• ND Insider: Notre Dame runs away from Nevada in home opener
• ND Insider: Scoring summary: Notre Dame 39, Nevada 10
• ND Insider: Notre Dame’s Jarron Jones dedicates his interception to his mother, No. 944
• ND Insider: Notre Dame running backs not looking out for No. 1
• ND Insider: Notre Dame defense finds footing in bounce-back win over Nevada
• One Foot Down: Cole Luke wearing No. 1, Studstill, Coney, Holmes and Sanders make first starts for Notre Dame
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame’s Shaun Crawford injures Achilles, leaves field on crutches
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame’s Jarron Jones interception leads to Stepherson’s first TD
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame vs. Nevada: Game recap
• Slap the Sign: Notre Dame thumps Nevada, 39-10, for first win of the season
• Sporting News: Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford out for season with torn Achilles
• UHND: Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford injury update: Torn Achilles
• UHND: Watch: Notre Dame NT Jarron Jones interception
• UHND: Notre Dame-Nevada ’16 highlights
• UHND: Notre Dame v. Nevada ’16: Post game six pack
• UND: Balanced attack dooms Nevada
• UND: Postgame quotes
• UND: Notre Dame-Nevada 2016: What the Irish learned in their home opener

NEXT GAME: vs. MICHIGAN STATE (7:30 p.m. ET SATURDAY, NBC)

• Chicago Tribune: Beating Nevada is nice, but can Notre Dame take down Michigan State?
• ND Insider: Lesar: Is this Notre Dame team good enough for Michigan State?

2016 TEAM

• College Football Talk: Brian Kelly talks Notre Dame, QBs and playoffs
• Inside the Irish: Behind the Irish: Playing for Notre Dame
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Youth movement shows progress

DEFENSE

• ND Insider: Notebook: Notre Dame defense must adjust again after losing CB Shaun Crawford

RECRUITING

• Irish247 ($): Notre Dame commits bond during visit

MISC.

• WNDU: Officer involved in altercation with ND football player removed from street patrol

The post Morning Roundup: Sept. 11, 2016 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

FROM OUR SITE

• Defensive “change” must come, one way or another

PODCAST

• CSN Chicago: Where does Notre Dame’s defense go from here?
• Irish Illustrated: How will Irish bounce back?
• Irish Sports Daily: Power Hour loaded

NEXT GAME: vs. Nevada (3:30 ET Saturday, NBC)

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame vs. Nevada: On paper
• AP: Irish looking to rebound, fix mistakes vs. Nevada
• Irish Sports Daily: Breaking down Nevada’s offense
• Irish247 ($): Tale of the tape
• Irish247: Polian prepared for Notre Dame homecoming
• NBC Sports: Notre Dame among heavy favorites in Week 2 college football odds
• ND Insider ($): Nevada’s Brian Polian returns to Notre Dame as opposing head coach
• ND Insider: More story: Nevada coach Brian Polian returns to Notre Dame
• Reno Gazette Journal: The odd link between Nevada and Notre Dame
• Slap the Sign: Throwback Thursday: Notre Dame’s lone romp over Nevada
• UHND: Nevada ’16: Notre Dame offense vs. Nevada defense
• USA Today: NBC’s Mike Tirico gets a first this weekend

2016 TEAM

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: BGI video: Brian Kelly post-practice, Sept. 8
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Brian Kelly, post practice
• Irish Illustrated ($): Prister’s Thursday thoughts
• Irish Sports Daily: From the cheap seats
• Irish Sports Daily: Kelly post practice
• Irish Sports Daily ($): BK notebook 9/8
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Seeing the field
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Six (late night) thoughts on a Thursday

OFFENSE

• AP: St. Brown shows calm demeanor in bigger role for Notre Dame
• Blue & Gold Illlustrated: Kelly wants more from Notre Dame’s left side
• CSN Chicago: DeShone Kizer stays the same leader for new group of Notre Dame teammates
• Irish Illustrated: Open season for young Irish WR corps
• Irish247 ($): Holmes, Stepherson, McKinley propelled into significant role
• ND Insider: Video: C.J. Sanders: I’m able to be a difference maker
• ND Insider: Malik Zaire’s father cools after angry Facebook posts
• News-Sentinel: Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly was the problem, now DeShone Kizer is the solution
• SB Nation: Why DeShone Kizer is (finally) the right choice to lead Notre Dame’s offense
• Sporting News: DeShone Kizer named Notre Dame starting QB

DEFENSE

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame aiming to cleaning up tackling problems
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Freshman Devin Studstill could make first at Notre Dame
• Irish Illustrated ($): Irish have hope in secondary
• Irish Illustrated: Video: Kelly keeps faith in Coleman
• Irish Sports Daily: Hopefully Nyles Morgan’s defense learns quickly
• Irish Sports Daily: Luke ready to right ship
• ND Insider ($): CB Cole Luke finds his voice with young secondary
• ND Insider: Notebook: Brian Kelly praises safety Drue Tranquill for pushing forward

RECRUITING

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Four-star safety Chaz Ah You still weighing his options
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2017 Rivals150 OL Aaron Banks will return to Notre Dame for official visit
• Irish Sports Daily ($): In the film room: Salvon Ahmed
• Irish Sports Daily: 2018 TX S sets Notre Dame visit
• Irish Sports Daily: Recruiting week in review
• Irish247 ($): Tunnel vision
• Irish247 ($): Four star OL Aaron Banks sets visits to Notre Dame, Oregon
• Irish247 ($): Finn Dirstine visiting Notre Dame this weekend
• ND Insider ($): New official visit rule has Notre Dame thinking of more changes
• ND Insider ($): Notre Dame LB commit Pete Werner healthy, hungry in senior season
• ND Insider ($): Notre Dame commit recap: Jordan Pouncey takes advantage of running back opportunity

LAST GAME: Texas 50, Notre Dame 47

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame vs. Texas: Defensive breakdown – 3-3-5 issues
• Burt Orange Nation: Quandre Diggs talks big Texas win over Notre Dame (Golden Tate)
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame chat: Looking back at Texas, looking forward to Nevada
• ESPN ($): Texas win does wonders for recruiting

MISC.

• CBS Sports: Our fantasy football team with Tebow and MLB players who would be good at football
• Chicago Tribune: NBC’s Mike Tirico has favorite school, but – hey Irish fans – it’s not Michigan
• Irish247: Remembering Greg Bryant’s untimely death
• ND Insider: Throwback Thursday: Notre Dame Stadium history in photos
• ND Insider: Hard work leads D.J. Harvey to Notre Dame visit (basketball)
• Slap the Sign: Is it time for Notre Dame to join the ACC?
• UND: Irish sellout streak reaches 250 mark

The post Morning Roundup: Sept. 9, 2016 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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 over the past few years (the 2017 class aka #IRISHEL17E and the 2018 class aka #IrishBouND18 are stacking up quite nicely as well) especially addressing specific positional needs.

The depth is far and above where it has been in years past. The offense returns multiple assets at every position. Proven running backs Tarean Folston and Josh Adams will lead the ground game along with Dexter Williams guaranteed to be fighting for carries.

The offensive line depth is nothing short of incredible considering it lost two future NFL starters from last year in Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin. Junior guard Quenton Nelson has been named a Sports Illustrated preseason All-American and senior tackle Mike McGlinchey is garnering elite status as the 64th best player in the nation – according to ESPN. These two woolly mammoths will anchor the left side of the offensive line, and the right side anticipates a battle between junior Alex Bars and seniors Hunter Bivin and Colin McGovern.

Tight end, once a surging position of depth, took a hit in the academic ineligibility ruling against Alize Jones. As reported, Jones will miss the entire 2016 season. The return of transferring/not transferring Tyler Luatua provides the group with a huge (255 lbs. pun intended) veteran h-back, and his decision to not transfer now proves to be vital to the position group. Nic Weishar and Durham Smythe are both capable and consistent targets from a three point stance and split wide – this groups presence and overall utility within the red zone should not be understated.

Credit: Matt Cashore

The wide receiver cupboard is full – yet unproven. The only shoe-in to start is senior Torii Hunter Jr. Behind him will be an intriguing battle between Equanimeous St. Brown, Corey Holmes, Miles Boykin, C.J. Sanders, and potentially true freshman/early enrollee Kevin Stepherson. Finishing on the offensive side of the ball, who could forget the quarterback situation, in which the Irish arguably have the most collective talent at the position in the entire nation (including Brandon Wimbush)? *Insert your own opinions about the QB situation* and find my own here.

The defensive line (also unfortunately known as the Irish’s Achilles heel in recent years) is loaded with talent and (FINALLY) depth. Isaac Rochell, Jarron Jones and Daniel Cage are battle tested veterans while Andrew Trumbetti, Jay Hayes, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bonner, Micah Dew-Treadway and Elijah Taylor all look to make significant impacts and potentially break out. Also, look for the word “sub packages” to be thrown around as highly talented true freshman defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem could be utilized as pass rushers in such schemes.

Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)

Nyles Morgan is an automatic upgrade at the Mike linebacker position, and while replacing the “once in a century” freakish athleticism of Jaylon Smith is no small task, the linebacker corps is well stocked with young talent. Te’von Coney saw limited action last year and is reported to be fully recovered from a shoulder injury suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. His classmates and other blue chip linebacker recruits, Asmar Bilal (2015 defensive scout team player of the year) and Josh Barajas redshirted last year. This young talent will push upperclassmen, Greer Martini and James Onwaulu for reps.

The secondary returns Jekyll and Hyde aka Max Redfield along with sixth year Cal transfer Avery Sebastian and fan favorite Drue Tranquil – all at safety. Garnering spring ball notoriety was true freshman and early enrollee Devin Studstill, who was my “most likely to make an immediate impact” of the 2016 recruiting class.

Rounding out the secondary at cornerback is senior multi year starter Cole Luke along with juniors Nick Watkins and Devin Butler. They are surrounded by younger talent in sophomore Nick Coleman and Shaun Crawford, who was slated to be the team’s starting nickel back last year until suffering a torn ACL in fall camp. Crawford drew incredibly high praise during the 2015 fall camp before his injury, and his return provides a massive athletic boost to the secondary.

Credit: UHND.com

Over the past few years the Notre Dame special teams have often been regarded as the “not-so-special teams.” Last year, however, the group made great strides and improvements. Returning “The Big Three” key specialists in kicker Justin Yoon, punter Tyler Newsome, and long snapper Scott Daly should pay dividends for the special teams in 2016. DeShone Kizer has been relieved of his holding duties and he will be replaced by Montgomery VanGorder. The Irish also have the luxury of Sanders’ electric and ever-elusive return skills. As a true freshman, Sanders returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown last season. The special teams should continue to build off of last year’s success.

With the well-rounded depth in place, #NDFB is primed for an entertaining fall. Don’t forget that it is your civic duty as a Domer to recite one Hail Mary each day of camp for the shake of keeping this vital depth healthy!

Cheers and Go Irish!

The post Analyzing the Fall Camp Depth Chart appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Gameface Media

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 junior DE Jay Hayes who will be turning 21 between Aug. 9 and Aug. 16 this year. (Incidentally, Smythe was born on the day Jerry Garcia died.)

Here are some other facts about the Notre Dame football team, some stranger than others:

• The most popular day to be born among scholarship players is Wednesday. The least popular day is Sunday.
• The most popular month to be born was October – 11 players. The least popular was February, May and November – three each.
• Four of the players born in October were born on a Wednesday – junior OL Jimmy Byrne, sophomore NG Brandon Tiassum, sophomore S Nicco Fertitta and freshman WR Kevin Stepherson.
• Six players will have game this year on their birthdays: OL Hunter Bivin & LB James Onwualu (vs. Texas); Stepherson (vs. Syracuse); OL Colin McGovern & RB Josh Adams (vs. Miami); and TE Jacob Matuska (vs. Navy).
• The Notre Dame football team went 5-0 on days their players were born, beating Washington twice and Vanderbilt, Navy and Michigan once apiece.
• There’s a whopping 2,025 days difference between the team’s oldest player (OL Mark Harrell, 23) and its youngest (LB Jonathan Jones, 17).
• Harrell is the team’s lone 23 year old. There are three 22-year-olds, 16 21-year-olds, 17 20-year-olds, 21 19-year-olds, 21 18-year-olds and 2 17-year-olds.
• 

  Credit: C’est La Vie Cakes

  Freshman DE Ade Ogundeji is likely the only player on the team whose shoe size (18) is higher than his age (17).

• Harrell, a fifth year senior, is older than 6th year safety Avery Sebastian.
• DL John Montelus is the youngest senior on the team. He won’t be 21 until September. Sophomore K Justin Yoon is 29 days younger than Montelus.
• WR Corey Holmes is the oldest junior on the team. He’s already 21. TE Tyler Luatua is the youngest junior; there are nine sophomores older than him.
• DT Micah Dew-Treadway is the youngest sophomore. He’s 18 and there are six freshman older than him.
• S Spencer Perry is the oldest freshman. He’s 19.
• Players who share the same exact birthdate (day, month & year): Bivin & Onwualu; junior OL Alex Bars & Montelus; junior OL Quenton Nelson & NG Peter Mokwuah; Luatua and sophomore CB Nick Coleman; sophomore QB Brandon Wimbush & long snapper John Shannon; freshmen WR Chase Claypool & S Jalen Elliott.
• Yoon was born four days after O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of double murder.
• Freshman S Donte Vaughn was born on the same day that musician John Denver died.
• Wimbush and Shannon lived on the same Earth as comedian Chris Farley for just one day.
• The Drudge Report gains national notoriety after breaking news of President Bill Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. The Eichenberg family welcomes their son Liam the following day.
• Freshman S Devin Studstill and J.K. Rowling’s second Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets” emerged on the same day.

Thanks to Blue & Gold Illustrated’s fall preview for the birthdates of most Notre Dame players.

The post Four Irish Footballers Turning 21 During Fall Camp appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver William Fuller (7) catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Stanford Cardinal cornerback Terrence Alexander (11) in the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to a series of posts we’re calling “Five Question Marks.” In this inaugural entry, BJ Konkle answers a question on the minds of many Notre Dame fans: Is there another star wide receiver waiting to emerge?

Notre Dame football has recruited, developed and ultimately produced extraordinary college football wide receivers. Some of these athletes – Jeff Samardzija, Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, T.J. Jones, and most recently Will Fuller – have gone on to successful (and lucrative) professional careers.

While Irish fans are proud to celebrate these “Domers,” it’s human nature to wonder: “Who’s next?”

Thankfully for the Irish fandom – and for quarterbacks Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer – Notre Dame currently has an embarrassment of riches in regards to talented wide receivers. The position is probably the most well recruited of any in the recent past (with offensive line nipping at its heels.)

Here’s the talent currently on the roster, with their 247sports.com composite rankings:

• Recruiting class of 2013: Torii Hunter Jr., 4 stars; Corey Robinson, 3 stars
• Class of 2014: Justin Brent and Corey Holmes, both 4 stars.
• Class of 2015: Equanimeous St. Brown, Miles Boykin and C.J. Sanders, all 4 stars
• Class of 2016: Javon McKinley and Chase Claypool, both 4 stars; Kevin “K.J.” Stepherson, 3 stars

This provides 9 scholarship wide receivers to potentially pick from – 10 if you throw in talented walk-on Chris Finke, who I believe is likely to earn a scholarship.

K.J. Stepherson

As talented as this group is, they lack experience as Fuller, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle took the lion’s share of snaps in 2015. Among those remaining, three are realistically poised and positioned to be the next potential standout wide receiver (and I’m going to throw in a dark horse candidate). It will be difficult for the incoming freshman – even one as impressive early as Stepherson – to be physically and mentally able to crack the depth chart and contribute meaningful snaps. With that being said: Purchase a nice pair of shades, because the future is bright.

Robinson’s current health concern – multiple concussions within a year – likely removes him from this conversation. Sanders introduced his slippery elusiveness in the return game last year with a punt return against UMass and a huge kickoff return against Stanford. The possibility of Sanders’ distinct threat in special teams being converted to an offensive threat makes any Irish fan grin, but he will likely remain a return specialist with the current talent that is in front of him. Brent is now fighting for carries at running back. This leaves us with a diversely talented foursome.

Torii Hunter Jr.

Here’s the case for senior Torii Hunter Jr.: He has the most game time experience and possesses the unique mental and physical ability to play all three wide receiver positions. Playing all three wide receiver positions is nothing when you consider Hunter also found himself on defense last year, contributing as a situational defensive back. He also makes time to run down fly balls in the outfield for the Notre Dame Baseball program (#NDBB). Torii’s versatility oozes out of him and is unmistakably his most attractive attribute. After graduating three seniors, Hunter finds himself in a leadership role among the wide receivers. In a candid interview on WatchND, he elaborates on this role, his ability to play multiple sports, his versatility, and his expectations entering 2016. For these many reasons, he may be the next great wide receiver to emerge from Notre Dame.

Credit: Matt Cashore

The praise that Corey Holmes has received from coaches this spring has been a pleasant surprise to many Irish faithful. The decision to redshirt Holmes last year (his sophomore season) raised questions about his ability to contribute in the future. Holmes credits his father for helping him work through the frustrations of redshirting as a sophomore. “It wasn’t until halfway during the season when I finally stopped worrying about other people and worried about my own game,” Holmes explained. This mindset paid off and the questions were answered when Holmes posted a spring 40 yard dash time of 4.39 – officially making him the fastest player on the roster. Confidence will be key for the Florida wide out as he continues to progress into fall camp. If he can translate his raw speed into football speed – similar to Will Fuller’s path to success – he may become a go-to threat and poised for a breakout junior season.

Notre Dame’s Josh Equanimeous St. Brown celebrates a touchdown during the Fighting Irish’s game against the University of Massachusetts. (SBT Photo/ Becky Malewitz)

Holmes may be the fastest player for the Irish, but Equanimeous St. Brown may be the most polished receiver on the team. “EQ” played sparingly as a freshman as a back-up to Fuller, a future first round NFL Draft pick. The sophomore is listed at 6’4 and weighs 205 lbs. Brian Kelly alluded to the California blue chip’s athleticism stating, “(He) runs like a deer!” Kelly continued his praise during the 2015 season, “I think (St. Brown) would start for a number of power five teams. He’s ready to play right now. I’m just not taking Will (Fuller) off the field unless I have to.” “EQ” has the size and athletic abilities to become a transcendent wide receiver and 2016 may be the year the country learns how to correctly pronounce “Eq-uan-i-me-ous.”

Consider Miles Boykin the dark horse candidate to break out in 2016. Boykin is listed at 6’3 and an overpowering 225 lbs. He has been linked to lapses of inconsistency, whether that is drops or mistaken routes. But the sheer girth Boykin adds to the receiving corps is apparent in his frame. Boykin referred to his size in a recent interview, saying, “Knowing how to use (size) is the difference between knowing how to use it in the high school level, and knowing how to use it in college. People are stronger and you just have to fight through that, like running through friction and going up and getting balls and being physical with them.” Stepping up to the learning curve has been a process. If the consistency can begin to shine through, Boykin could immediately become a red zone threat, utilizing his size to essentially box out defenders in the end zone. Boykin has the summer and fall camp to convince position coach Mike Denbrock and ultimately Coach Kelly that he belongs on the field come game time.

The talent, especially young talent that #NDFB has at its disposal entering the 2016 season is second to none. The question still remains: Who will Zaire or Kizer turn to when the game is on the line…?

The post Will Another Star Receiver Emerge In ’16? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

TORII HUNTER JR. showed off his dual-sport talent with an incredible over-the-shoulder slash one-handed-grab which emulated his father’s stellar defensive play on the professional baseball field. The catch was by far the most impressive and exciting play of the day. It was also a very welcome sight for Irish fans, who are a tiny bit nervous about replacing the all-time great Will Fuller. With 28 receptions and 2 touchdowns last year, Hunter Jr. is the top returning receiver and he will be expected to fill Fuller’s shoes.

ALIZE JONES also had a good showing during the Blue Gold Game with a few 20+ yard grabs. The former 5-star recruit is a dynamic athlete with enough skill to line up as an extra-large wide receiver or in the slot as a traditional tight end. However, so far, Irish fans have only seen glimpses of Alize’s potential (10 catches last year). Like many Loyal Sons, I am eager to witness more offensive production from the tight-end position in this upcoming season. After all, Notre Dame has been correctly dubbed “Tight End University.” With a healthy Durham Smythe and a more experienced Alize Jones, this can easily be a comeback year for Irish tight ends.

KEVIN STEPHERSON (a freshman) was targeted more than any other wide receiver on the field during the spring game. Since his arrival, the early enrollee has received many compliments from the coaching staff and players alike. When asked for a new receiver who has grabbed their attention, Mike Denbrock, DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire all chose early enrollee Kevin Stepherson. Even Brian Kelly praised Stepherson saying, “I don’t know that we have a player on our team in KJ Stepherson that can catch the ball at full speed as he cuts across the field, a very unique trait.” Arguably the nicest surprise for the Irish thus far, Stepherson will add well to the depth at wide receiver and certainly has the potential to break into stardom. I love these early-enrollees!

DEVIN STUDSTILL (another freshman) looks like a stud…still. Despite playing an entirely different position Studstill’s play during the spring scrimmage reminded me a bit of the wonderful Jaylon Smith. Twice the highly recruited safety ended up making tackles-for-loss, showing off his great speed. What’s more, on one of those tackles I could have sworn the Stud did that ol’ Jaylon Smith ‘glide the grass’ celebration! We will need more examples to make sure. Overall, Devin looked great out there and may already be considered the best Irish safety available – which is saying a lot considering Max Redfield, Drue Tranquill and Avery Sebastian have much more football experience.

PS: JAC COLLINSWORTH also made an impressive debut at the Blue Gold Game. He had well prepared questions for his interviews AND that patented Collinsworth voice was music to my ears!

Here! We! Go! IRISH!

The post Notre Dame Football: Who’s Breaking Out in 2016? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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.

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