Quenton Nelson

Miles Boykin makes an all-time one-handed grab to propel the Irish to victory against LSU in the Citrus Bowl. (Screen-grab via ESPN)

There and Back Again: A Citrus Bowl Tale

January 2, 2018 by Ryan Ritter

In Camping World Stadium there lived many a nightmare for Notre Dame fans. Not a nasty, windy, wet monsoon game, filled with questionable play-calling decisions and an all-to-familiar lack of execution, nor a game in Hard Rock Stadium where the mere presence of the Irish brings a blowout; it was the Citrus Bowl, and that means things could be different. Still, a game with rainy conditions, in Florida, on New Year's Day, facing an opponent with a solid defense, especially in the secondary ...

Notre Dame's Cole Luke (1) moves in on 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. Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Morning Roundup: Sept. 16, 2016

September 16, 2016 by andrewwinn

The Morning Roundup is now available as an easy-to-digest e-mail. Sign up at the bottom of this post and be sure to check your spam filter for a confirmation message from newsletter at herloyalsons dot com. Once you're signed up, you'll get all the headlines from Notre Dame athletics delivered to your inbox before breakfast. ...

Photo credit: Irish Sports Daily

Offensive Line: Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy

August 29, 2016 by Bayou Irish

They used to make things in South Bend. Men, alchemists, melted and manipulated the earth's elements. They were gods. They labored under furnaces as big as freight trains to bend, cut, melt, and twist great sheets of steel into the new machines that drove the American Century. Today, the inheritors of that tradition live up the road and toil under the tutelage of Coach Harry Hiestand. For he makes linemen. In this installment of our critically-acclaimed (in Finland) series, Know Thyself, Know ...

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 ...

HLS Review: The 2016 ND Insider Football Preview

July 23, 2016 by andrewwinn

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 ...

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 ...

Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame’s Most Talented Opponents

June 28, 2016 by andrewwinn

Pro Football Focus unveiled its 101 best college players Monday, offering an early glimpse at some of the players that will likely give the Irish fits come this fall. Before we look at Irish opponents, let's look at the two Notre Dame players that made the list: Offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson. Here's what PFF's Steve Palazzolo said about McGlinchey, who he ranked #36 overall. McGlinchey has made great strides since arriving at Notre Dame as a high-upside freshman. ...

(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 ...

Blue Gold Game Preview: Offensive Line

April 11, 2016 by Bayou Irish

This week, we here at HerLoyalSons are previewing your 2016 Fighting Irish in the run-up to Saturday's Blue Gold game. To make the task manageable and add some degree of coherence (I know, you don't come here for coherence), we're evaluating the team by position-group. Today, we start with the offensive line. If the Irish are to surpass the performance of the squad from 2015, they will need to replace massive losses along the offensive line. Gone is Ronnie Stanley at left-tackle, a likely ...

Morning Roundup: March 18, 2015

March 18, 2015 by andrewwinn

Good morning! Here are your headlines: 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 ...