Drew Mentock
@AndrewMentock
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I write about Notre Dame Football for @irishillustratd | Bylines: @BleacherReport , @Suntimes , @SBNation , @IndyMonthly , @AP | @DEPAULJOUR
South Bend, IN
Joined April 2014
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Pinned Tweet
Freshman
@AnthonieKnapp55
represents Notre Dame's likely answer to Charles Jagusah's season-ending injury at left tackle.
My latest for
@irishillustratd
details his rise and why his high school OL coach
@VinceVance6
believes Knapp will surprise doubters.
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QB Steve Angeli spoke to the media.
He discussed the addition of Riley Leonard:
“The staff has been upfront with me through everything that's gone on, and I knew it was coming. I'm ready to compete when that time comes, but right now, I'm just focused on winning the Sun Bowl.”
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Sam Hartman sees Xavier Watts walk into the press room after the safety forced three turnovers against No. 10 USC:
“Hey, that guy’s really good at football.”
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Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts says he will play in the Sun Bowl.
"I kind of just want to play football regardless."
He leads the nation with seven interceptions.
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The Notre Dame offense is 1 of 8 on third down against Louisville thus far.
That means the Irish are 4 of 23 on third down in the last two games.
That might be the most damning stat for offensive coordinator Gerad Parker at this point in the season.
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Notre Dame OC Mike Denbrock addresses why he left LSU:
"I was thinking about that because I knew I'd probably get asked about it, and I felt like I was in a really good place, had a really good job, enjoyed what I was doing, enjoyed living in Louisiana.
"But it's Notre Dame."
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Tyler Buchner bonded with Sam Hartman and prioritized being a great teammate, despite a QB competition.
"That will make life better for both of us, right? Or I can choose to totally block out the guy... We spend probably six hours a day with each other. That would be miserable.”
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Isaiah Foskey — Notre Dame’s all-time sack leader — on why Jordan Botelho is ready to fill his shoes in 2023.
Botelho sacked South Carolina's Spencer Rattler twice in the Gator Bowl, with Foskey sitting out to prepare for the NFL Draft.
@ISDUpdate
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Notre Dame will receive "somewhere in the $50 million range annually" in the university's extension with NBC, per Front Office Sports.
That's a projection based on a source telling the outlet that the new deal "about" doubled previous payouts.
Notre Dame and NBC have inked an extension until 2029. The deal will help the Irish maintain their football independence.
The new media rights agreement will roughly double the current rights fees, sources told
@MMcCarthyREV
.
Our story for
@FOS
:
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"You kind of look around and you see the tradition, you see the football history, you see the old national championship trophies, the gold helmets, the Golden Dome, Touchdown Jesus, and then you see an opportunity to play football again."
— Sam Hartman on picking Notre Dame
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Chris Tyree has verified 4.3 speed.
He's gotten faster since switching to wideout.
“[It’s] similar to a track practice. There's so much running, so much volume, so you have no choice but to work that technique and get back into that speed training.”
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Brian Kelly on ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum saying Cole Kmet isn't fast enough to be a factor as a pass-catcher in the
@NFL
:
"I don't remember Mike being at any of our practices as he ran down the field."
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Notre Dame ran 13 plays on the last four drives for 24 yards (1.9 yards per play) and a holding penalty.
That's all occurred while trailing by one possession in the second half.
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I’m excited to share that I’m back on the
@NDFootball
beat this fall. I’ll be covering the team for
@ISDUpdate
and writing features for the
@Suntimes
.
#NotreDame
#CollegeFootball
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Braden Lenzy finishes with a total of 96 yards and a touchdown, which leads all
#NotreDame
players in terms of yards.
The redshirt freshman has had a strong finish to the season and will be fun to watch in the spring and next year.
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Marcus Freeman says wide receiver Jordan Faison, who initially committed to Notre Dame to play lacrosse, will be on a football scholarship going forward.
He scored a 36-yard touchdown against Louisville on Saturday.
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Notre Dame gets its first red zone stop of the season on a Benjamin Morrison pick-six with a 96-yard return.
Irish 28, Clemson 0
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“I’m a football player. So if they want me to go catch some passes, I’ll go catch some passes and make some plays. If they want me to go lock some people down, I can go do that, too. I feel pretty confident in both.”
— Lorenzo Styles
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“That’s what I expected. When we went out to look for a transfer portal quarterback, you don’t look for the second, third or fourth best. You look for the best player in the country that will fit in your locker room."
— Marcus Freeman on Sam Hartman
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JD Price immediately one-ups Branch with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, easily outrunning the USC kicker.
ND 38, USC 20
USC's Zachariah Branch returns a punt for 60 yards to the Notre Dame 18-yard line, giving the struggling Trojan offense a much-needed break.
Five plays later, QB Caleb Williams hits Brenden Rice for a 7-yard touchdown with 9:04 left in the game.
ND 31, USC 20
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"They played much better today than they did last week against Cal. Give them credit. That’s one of the best teams we’ve played since we’ve been here.”
— UNC head coach Mack Brown
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Michael Mayer explains what traits will make Gerad Parker a successful offensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
He's confident the offense will be just fine without him in 2023.
"They've got some weapons there, that's for sure, and it's going to be fun watching them next season."
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Fighting Irish nose tackle Jason Onye checked in this spring at 292 pounds and 12% body fat.
"Now I'm a junior. I have to come in and play.”
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A few fun facts about Romeo:
- His mom dropped him off at Notre Dame when he was still 16 years old (he turned 17 a few days later).
- He went undrafted in 2016 but still earned $36.8 million playing in the NFL, per Spotrac.
- He was once called the "NFL's Resident Deadhead"
Former
@NDFootball
DL
@RomeoND45
announced his retirement today.
Okwara played for Notre Dame from 2012-2016 and recorded 12.5 career sacks and 20.5 TFL.
Okwara went on to play in the
@NFL
for 8 years, spending two years with the Giants and 6 with the Lions.
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Irish linebacker
@JDBertrand1
discusses why playing under three different defensive coordinators at Notre Dame prepares him for the NFL and how Al Golden’s pro scheme elevated his game.
“I think that’s why Notre Dame is going to pay him so much money to stay there.”
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Marcus Freeman says Tyler Buchner and Sam Hartman are both playing at a high level.
“We’ll name a starting quarterback when I’m fully confident we have one starting quarterback. I think they both could be starting quarterbacks for us right now.”
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The admiration between Sam Hartman and Tyler Buchner is mutual.
"Tyler and I have a great relationship brewing, and it's been fun to get to know him. His athletic ability combined with his arm is — I envy it. He's a really great player. You see it every single day."
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At No. 40 overall, Foskey is the highest drafted defensive end out of Notre Dane since Renaldo Wynn went in the first round in 1997.
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“Kevin Austin is going to be a star. I’ve been saying it all along, he’s a super good player.”
— Chase Claypool
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ESPN commentator Greg McElroy just compared Notre Dame freshman running back Jeremiyah Love to a young Darren McFadden.
👀
The Arkansas great finished second in Heisman voting in 2006.
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Hunter Greene, the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, throwing a bullpen. Taking it easy. Scout said he was only throwing about 81 MPH. Hit 100 MPH in a game earlier this year.
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Notre Dame held Williams to fewer than 200 passing yards, picked him off 3 times (the first that's happened in his career) and sacked him 6 times.
My story from Thursday.
Oops.
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Recent Notre Dame defensive linemen are all in on Vyper Jordan Botelho in 2023.
“Jordan Botelho, he’s going to be one of those 10-sack guys this year.”
- DE Justin Ademilola
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Against N.C. State, Notre Dame averaged at least 7.5 yards for the third straight game to open the season.
The Irish accomplished this feat just once in 2022.
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A string of unfortunate lower-body injuries limited Gi'Bran Payne in each of the last three seasons.
Now, the former blue-chip prospect is back to 100% health and receiving a heavy workload with the Fighting Irish this spring.
@ISDUpdate
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Notre Dame DL coach Al Washington believes Junior Tuihalamaka is thriving after officially moving from linebacker to Vyper this spring.
“He’s taking off. I think he’s progressing really nice, and I have a high level of faith in him, trust in him."
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"Gi'Bran's another guy who's going to come in and push you. We've all got ballers in the room. Iron sharpens iron and Gi'Bran's iron. He's definitely making me better, and I'm definitely making him better.”
— Audric Estimé on RB Gi'Bran Payne
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“If they fail, fail up and do it again. We're not going to be an operation that says, 'get him out' because he didn't make one play. We have to let these guys play. We have to let them make mistakes."
— Parker on developing the Irish wideouts during camp
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“He understands what it takes to be great.”
— Irish wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey on Tobias Merriweather
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Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart praises his former position coach, Mike Mickens, who will now also be in charge of the safeties as the team’s defensive backs coach.
“I think it’ll be better for them.”
Watch Hart explain why.
@irishillustratd
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In a 28-20 win over No. 16 BYU, Drew Pyne finished 22-28 for 262 yards, 3 TDs and a pick on a deflected pass.
When asked after the game about his accuracy:
"I don't really worry about stats, I just worry about winning."
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Are there more accomplished running backs in Fighting Irish history?
Sure, but there’s never been a Notre Dame rushing duo to play together in back-to-back seasons quite like this.
@ISDUpdate
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All-American tight end Michael Mayer had the chance to catch passes from new Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman at Friday’s Pro Day.
“Sam’s a great quarterback. He’s going to do great things here.”
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“I’ve just got to be perfect and earn their trust so my playing time can increase.”
@ISDUpdate
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Audric Estime scored his 10th rushing touchdown of the season with this 15-yard run.
But check out the block from WR Jayden Thomas (No. 83 at the top of the screen), who levels a defender to free up Estime in the second level.
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Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame went the extra mile to keep DC Al Golden and RB coach Deland McCullough in South Bend amid college football's coaching carousel this offseason.
My latest for
@irishillustratd
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I don't think most analysts would've expected Joe Alt to be rated as more athletic than Penn State's Olu Fashanu, but here we are.
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It took longer than expected but Notre Dame gets its quarterback in 2023.
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Durham Smythe doesn't garner as much fanfare as other former Notre Dame tight ends, but the 2018 fourth-round pick has carved out a nice career in Miami.
He started 54 games over the last four seasons and made $8.47 million prior to signing his recent two-year extension.
The
#Dolphins
are signing TE Durham Smythe to a 2 year extension for $7.750M, with $5.5M fully guaranteed, per source. The deal includes a raise to $4.5M for 2023. Max value of $8.75M.
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Javontae Jean-Baptiste had food poisoning last night.
That comes after he ran a fever of 105 degrees Fahrenheit in January and lost 20 pounds.
It's been a tough month for the former Irish DE, but that makes his 10-5 broad jump and 4.66 (unofficial) 40 even more impressive.
Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste spent last night and this morning dealing with food poisoning, throwing up until 10 am. He hydrated all morning, and ate at noon after going 24 hours without food. Yet wanted to be out here testing.
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2K
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This is a little late, but I officially joined
@irishillustratd
on Friday. I'm thrilled to work alongside
@timprister
,
@timomalleyND
,
@KevinSinclair_
,
@TomLoy247
,
@JohnDBrice1
,
@TomZwiller
and the rest of the team.
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"You won’t find any offensive line experience around the country like Notre Dame.”
— Notre Dame OL Jarrett Patterson
@ISDUpdate
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"Recruiting is one of the things that makes you the most excited about coaching. You have the opportunity to bring in guys for you to coach. That fires me up."
— Notre Dame OL Coach Joe Rudolph
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I just canceled my free trial with Fubo TV.
In case anyone needs it, my story from this week includes a breakdown of how to cancel.
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Linebacker Bo Bauer showing off his long snapping at Notre Dame’s Pro Day on Friday.
It’s good work if you can get it. In 15 seasons, former Irish long snapper J.J. Jansen has made $13.8 million and counting.
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Today's release from Notre Dame regarding the promotion of Max Bullough to linebackers coach also notes that Mike Mickens now owns the title of defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator.
He'll now be responsible for the entire Fighting Irish secondary.
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Marcus Freeman on this weekend’s matchup with No. 5 Clemson:
“It’s not David vs. Goliath. It’s a heavyweight fight…
“It’s Notre Dame vs. Clemson, two powerhouse programs.”
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Marcus Freeman on the mood of the team since the loss to Marshall:
“The last 36 hours has been a reality check to all of us.”
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The CFB landscape has changed drastically since Marcus Freeman became Notre Dame's coach, yet he remains optimistic.
“I don't think there's a better time for Notre Dame, and especially Notre Dame football to thrive than right now."
@irishillustratd
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Irish freshman CB Benjamin Morrison picks off Spencer Rattler for his sixth interception of the season, which ties him for third in the nation.
All six of his picks came in the last five games of the season.
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Marcus Freeman clearly isn't satisfied with a 14-0 halftime lead.
During a quick interview, the Notre Dame head coach told the sideline reporter:
"I want to attack. I want to be relentless."
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Coach Marcus Freeman says he didn't have any discussions with either Tyler Buchner or Drew Pyne on returning to campus as students.
"What I do love about it is its two guys coming back to get their Notre Dame degrees."
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Xavier Watts picks off Caleb Williams for the second time this season and returns it to the USC 1-yard line.
Defenders to pick off Williams this season:
Watts: 2
The rest of the FBS: 1
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Here's what Marcus Freeman said about QB Riley Leonard prior to a Sept. 30 matchup at Duke:
"He is a talented individual... He’s a big, physical, tough runner too. He’s accurate in the pass game for what they need him to do."
Leonard announced he'll play for the Irish in 2024.
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Will Estimé go undrafted after running a 4.71-second 40-yard dash?
My guess is he was too productive in college for that to happen, but he'll have to become the first halfback to run the 40 in slower than 4.67 seconds and still get drafted since 2015.
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Notre Dame holds on to defeat No. 16 BYU, 28-20.
It's head coach Marcus Freeman's first win against a ranked opponent.
He's 1-2 overall against top-25 teams, with losses to No. 7 Oklahoma St. in the Fiesta Bowl and No. 2 Ohio State to open the 2022 season.
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One thing I learned today is that Deland McCullough is much better at updating his title/job changes than I am.
ICYMI, Notre Dame's running backs coach now also boasts the title of associate head coach.
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Want an even more impressive stat?
In 2019, the seven different players to start along the
#NotreDame
offensive line allowed a total of two sacks in a combined 2,512 pass blocking snaps.
Penei Sewell career at Oregon
Pass block snaps: 678
QB sacks allowed: 1
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There are no hard feelings between Angeli and former Notre Dame OC Gerad Parker, who recently accepted the head coach position at Troy:
“I love Coach Parker. I want to wish him the best. I think it's a great opportunity. I'm so happy for him.”
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USC quarterback Caleb Williams cemented his 2022 Heisman Trophy campaign against Notre Dame.
Last night, the Irish likely ruined his chance of becoming the award’s first back-to-back winner since OSU running back Archie Griffin in 1975.
@ISDUpdate
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Some personal news! As of last week, I have moved on from Blue and Gold Illustrated. I’m grateful for my time with
@BGINews
and appreciate the people I had the privilege to work with, especially the late Lou Somogyi.
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USC had the ball on 4th-and-1 at the Notre Dame 29-yard line.
Linebacker JD Bertrand shot up the middle on a blitz and tackled both RB running Jones and QB Caleb Williams during the exchange for a 4-yard loss.
That's not a play you see every day.
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The Irish have outgained BYU by 221 yards.
It's almost hard to believe Notre Dame is only up 8 with 6:07 remaining.
But I suppose that can happen when drives of 68, 49 and 62 yards result in a turnover on downs, an interception and a field goal from the 1-yard line.
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Notre Dame RB
@AudricEstime
bragged about his singing abilities at the NFL Combine, so of course a reporter put him on the spot.
Reluctant at first, Estime sang the first line of the chorus for “Sweet Caroline” with a few members of the media joining him.
🎶
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It's been 112 days since Tyler Buchner last suited up for Notre Dame. Despite missing so much time, the sophomore QB has progressed quickly during bowl prep.
“He's ready to roll,” Marcus Freeman said. “He's been magnificent in practice.”
@ISDUpdate
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Notre Dame boasts No. 3 and No. 10. on this list.
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Even against Marshall, Notre Dame is still struggling to get much production on the ground from its running backs. We're halfway through the first quarter, and the backs have a combined six carries for 11 yards.
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At least according to mock drafts, Michael Mayer is falling down NFL Draft boards as teams question his athleticism.
Former Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph, who covered Mayer in practice, doesn’t seem to think speed will be an issue.
@ISDUpdate
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Notre Dame desperately needed some speed on the outside with a depleted wide receiver room.
What do they do? Insert freshman walk-on wideout Jordan Faison for a 12-yard reception followed by a 36-yard touchdown where he beat his man deep.
ND 7, Louisville 7
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My first football tweet of the season.
Notre Dame kicks off in less than an hour.
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I'm not sure No. 18 Notre Dame could've played much worse in the first half:
3 turnovers
3 penalties for 40 yards
2 plays of 49+ yards allowed
And... the Irish head into the locker room leading, 28-16.
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Audric Estimé knew he'd have a big game at Stanford after he was snubbed by the Doak Walker Award.
“It definitely fueled me. I feel like I'm one of the best running backs in the country, if not the best.”
He ran for 238 yards and 4 TDs in the win.
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In case there's still any doubt Notre Dame will host a legit quarterback battle this spring:
"I don't think Tyler Buchner is going to take a back seat to anybody. Tyler Buchner is going to go out here to compete for the starting quarterback position."
— QB coach Gino Guidugli
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“We want to recruit this state. I grew up and I've coached all over this state. We're going to find some guys that can play here. There are guys that can play at Notre Dame from the state, and we're going to recruit them.”
– Coach Micah Shrewsberry
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Marcus Freeman says he hasn’t second guessed his decision to name Tyler Buchner over Drew Pyne the starter in camp.
“Results can put a mask over your eyes, clouding the process to get to that decision…
“Tyler Buchner earned the right to be the starter through preparation.”
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I expected this to be a defensive battle but I'm still surprised Notre Dame held Clemson to just 71 yards of total offense in the first half.
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Notre Dame goes on an 11-play, 78-yard drive with 67 yards coming on the ground against the nation's No. 7 rush defense.
ND 14, Clemson 0.
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Coach Marcus Freeman says he talked about incoming transfer defensive end R.J. Oben with All-American OT Joe Alt.
Alt told him that Oben, who's played at Duke, was probably the best defense end he faced this season.
“Joe Alt saying that, it confirms what I saw on film.”
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Notre Dame adds a safety who will bring a ton of experience and past production to South Bend.
Rod Heard II is the third defensive transfer the program acquired this offseason and eighth overall, surpassing last year's total.
BREAKING | Notre Dame Lands Northwestern DB Transfer Rod Heard II
Heard tallied 85 tackles and one interception in 2023 and brings 2,270 career snaps to the Irish secondary.
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Notre Dame officially names former GA Max Bullough linebackers coach.
A job earned.
He’s ready to keep rolling,
@Bullough40
has been named Linebackers Coach ☘️
🔗
#GoIrish
☘️
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When Drayk Bowen was still in high school, I wrote about how he may have been a blue-chip football recruit, but his combination of size, strength and speed is far more rare on the baseball field.
That man is flying at 6-2 and 244 pounds.
THAT'S WHAT SPEED DO.
@DraykBowen
makes a STATEMENT in his first appearance for the Irish and we take the lead!
☘️ 8
🦉 7
#GoIrish
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Audric Estimé scores a 25-yard touchdown, his fourth of the day and 18th on the season.
He's now the sole owner of Notre Dame's single-season rush touchdown record.
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It only took the safety from Cody, Wyoming, one semester to earn a scholarship.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman says safety Luke Talich is no longer a walk-on:
"He is on a scholarship."
"It was actually one semester, and we put him on scholarship. He’s earned that right. He’ll be in competition with Adon (Shuler).”
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That's true freshman safety Kyle Hamilton's fourth pick of the season. No one else on
#NotreDame
's roster has more than two.
#BCvsND
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Ian Book's 185 passing yards in the first half represents a lot of empty calories when you consider 75 came on a tunnel screen to running back Kyren Williams.
This has been a weird offseason, and I'm curious to see how Book responds in the first half.
#GoIrish
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While difficult, it's still possible for third and fourth-year players to transfer to Notre Dame as an undergraduate.
In 2022, safety Brandon Joseph did so from Northwestern — another top-tier academic school — without having graduated.
Of note.....Former Duke QB Riley Leonard has a do not contact tag listed on his profile in the Transfer Portal and he is not listed as a graduate transfer.
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