'11 NM OT Matthew Hegarty (Signed Notre Dame LOI)

[Fbolt]

Recently my coaches informed me that they wanted me to change positions. They also explained that with many younger players in the wings, they wanted to develop them more heavily in the rotation -- a need that I understand and appreciate.

A mature and well thought out response to what he was told. I agree with OMM, thanks and best of luck to wherever and whatever you do next. I can only imagine how much intestinal fortitude is developed by overcoming a stroke to continue your dream of playing high level football. As WJ said, a sign of a healthy team.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Really? By far, to boot? I thought for a stretch there that Hegarty was easily ND's 2nd best lineman. Elmer, Lombard, and Martin all reallllllly struggled at times.

I agree that those three struggled at times, but it seemed limited to the occasional missed assignment. No one else on our 2014 OL was physically whipped by opposing DL on a regular basis like Hegarty was.

But my sentiments are similar to OMM's above; I have no desire to speak ill of Matt. He overcame a lot to contribute for us, and despite his struggles last season, who knows what the OL would have looked like without him. I wish him the best.

 

[Johannes]

https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/ou...dez-joshua-jackson-micah-wilson-lincoln-riley

Per a source, Oklahoma is expecting to receive a visit from recent Notre Dame grad transfer, Matt Hegarty. We have been told the now former Irish offensive lineman is expected to visit three schools, one of which will be OU. Hegarty started 11 of 13 games at center and guard for the Irish this past season. – (Brandon)

As long as he doesn't end up at Penn State...

 

[ResLife Hero]

Visiting FSU right now?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Potential grad transfer Matt Hegarty would provide veteran help on the Oline giving the young guys time to develop <a href="http://t.co/PJkzx2FuXM">http://t.co/PJkzx2FuXM</a></p>— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshnewberg247/status/578568295944626176">March 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That would make it hard to root for him.

 

[GoldenToTheGrave]

Visiting FSU right now?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Potential grad transfer Matt Hegarty would provide veteran help on the Oline giving the young guys time to develop <a href="http://t.co/PJkzx2FuXM">http://t.co/PJkzx2FuXM</a></p>— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshnewberg247/status/578568295944626176">March 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That would make it hard to root for him.

 

[BGIF]

Visiting FSU right now?


That would make it hard to root for him.

Hard?

 

[Bubbles]

Fuck FSU, right in their o-line.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Matt left with his degree in hand. He made what I presume was a difficult decision to pass on his 5Y at ND because he needed to be a guaranteed starter to maximize his chances of being drafted; and with our depth at OL, I can't say he made the wrong decision.

I'd hate to see him finish his college career as a Criminole, but starting for a high-profile program like FSU would definitely boost his draft stock.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

From Tomahawk Nation:

With Florida State sitting at only 80 scholarships, and taking on Hegarty not impacting any recruiting numbers due to his being available for only one season, there seems like little downside to pursuing him. And indeed Tom Loy of Irish 247 is reporting that Hegarty will visit the Seminoles this weekend.

Not only is there little downside, but there is potential upside as well if he chooses Florida State. Hegarty is not a star player or a likely NFL-bound prospect, but FSU's center competition between RSo. Ryan Hoefeld, RFr. Alec Eberle and RFr. Corey Martinez is wide open, and none of those players project to be great in what is looking like a rebuilding year for an FSU program that has seen 30 or so players leave over the last three seasons to the draft. There's a reasonable chance Hegarty could start for Florida State, and at the very worst, he'd make the competition that much more fierce.

 

[ShawneeIrish]

Pretty lame if he goes to FSU only to have to also compete for a job there.

 

[dublinirish]

he should go to Michigan, they are thin at interior OL

 

[BGIF]

Pretty lame if he goes to FSU only to have to also compete for a job there.

At FSU he'd be competing for the position where he was a veteran starter. He was removed from that position at ND and told to compete for another position.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

At FSU he'd be competing for the position where he was a veteran starter. He was removed from that position at ND and told to compete for another position.

I thought Kelly offered him to come back and he declined. That's what I got from the press conference yesterday.


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[Whiskeyjack]

I thought Kelly offered him to come back and he declined. That's what I got from the press conference yesterday.

Seems like our staff wanted to move him to OG and compete for a spot there. And given what we're hearing about Nelson, he probably would have ended up as the first-man-in at OG instead of a starter somewhere on the OL.

 

[BGIF]

I thought Kelly offered him to come back and he declined. That's what I got from the press conference yesterday.

So which part of my post was incorrect?

1. At FSU he'd be competing for the position where he was a veteran starter.

2. He was removed from that position at ND and told to compete for another position.

He was told he wouldn't be the center, where he started last year, but he could try for a job at OG. He did decline the OG slot after they demoted him to a different position.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

So which part of my post was incorrect?







He was told he wouldn't be the center, where he started last year, but he could try for a job at OG. He did decline the OG slot after they demoted him to a different position.

Yeah you are correct. I misread your post, my apologies.


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[CanadalovesND]

Arizona, FSU potential landing spots for transferring ex-Irish center | CollegeFootballTalk

 

[NDRock]

Arizona, FSU potential landing spots for transferring ex-Irish center | CollegeFootballTalk

Not a bad college career. Started and graduated from ND, now gets to spend a year in a warm weather school with a ton of hot chicks. Best of both worlds.

 

[ndfi78]

Pick Arizona please, fuck fsu

 

[ab2cmiller]

Visiting Oregon today

 

[NDPhilly]

Our OL is seriously supposed be that good that he could start at Oregon but not ND?

 

[GoIrish41]

Our OL is seriously supposed be that good that he could start at Oregon but not ND?

It may well be.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Our OL is seriously supposed be that good that he could start at Oregon but not ND?

Bar and Nelson are studs. Who else would he be able to start over?


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[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Our OL is seriously supposed be that good that he could start at Oregon but not ND?

It may well be.

Bar and Nelson are studs. Who else would he be able to start over?


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Sign me up for the group who: "never thought they'd see the day"

It's incredible what Kelly and Hiestand are doing and I believe HH deserves a monster bonus. I seriously don't want to imagine life without him. Kelly and Hiestand are the most indispensable people in the program (and I'm not sure which order that is). Swarbrick is the most indispensable outside the program.

 

[IrishLax]

Our OL is seriously supposed be that good that he could start at Oregon but not ND?

Oregon is also super soft with a blocking scheme that is rather unique. I don't know enough about Matt's athleticism but Oregon seems to prize that over everything else. There are very few plays where they're actually asked to block someone for more than 2-Mississippi.

 

[Riddickulous]

Oregon would be a good landing spot. Their offense is pretty simple. It'd be an easy transition.

 

[Old Man Mike]

As to Matt and possible success at Oregon:

1). Matt is a good center but a finesse one with good feet, but not great power. This fits Oregon's general "go fast" and "be mobile" sort of scheme;

2). Matt is not better than NMart, and particularly not better for the typically bruiser schedule [with bruiser DTs] that we play. One might ask would NMart start at Oregon?, and that answer might also be "yes";

3). Matt will be [probably] a center where he ends up, whereas he was not going to be a center here [unless NMart went down.] He was going to go up against both Nelson and Bars, who are the future of the offensive line, and he knew the likely outcome of that;

4). PURE speculation: I get a gut feeling that Coach wanted to find a way to give Matt a chance for football success but not at Notre Dame, and thus rather "engineered" this in an extremely clever way. Matt's only real chance to start here was NOT at center, because Coach and Coach Harry obviously did not see him as powerful enough to play there against our competition [they said this without naming names at the waning of the season, and spoke all year about the interior not being forceful enough.] Kelly's brilliant, and honest, solution was to tell Matt flat that he was not going to be a center at ND, and then putting the nearly impossible guard challenge in front of him. Was Coach being a bad guy? He DID need the scholarship count afterall. I don't think he was a bad guy at all. This "engineered solution" gave a player, WHO WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY MUCH, a chance to shine elsewhere [Kelly liked Matt as a person], and at the same time allowed Harry to build his line the way he wanted to.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

As to Matt and possible success at Oregon:

1). Matt is a good center but a finesse one with good feet, but not great power. This fits Oregon's general "go fast" and "be mobile" sort of scheme;

2). Matt is not better than NMart, and particularly not better for the typically bruiser schedule [with bruiser DTs] that we play. One might ask would NMart start at Oregon?, and that answer might also be "yes";

3). Matt will be [probably] a center where he ends up, whereas he was not going to be a center here [unless NMart went down.] He was going to go up against both Nelson and Bars, who are the future of the offensive line, and he knew the likely outcome of that;

4). PURE speculation: I get a gut feeling that Coach wanted to find a way to give Matt a chance for football success but not at Notre Dame, and thus rather "engineered" this in an extremely clever way. Matt's only real chance to start here was NOT at center, because Coach and Coach Harry obviously did not see him as powerful enough to play there against our competition [they said this without naming names at the waning of the season, and spoke all year about the interior not being forceful enough.] Kelly's brilliant, and honest, solution was to tell Matt flat that he was not going to be a center at ND, and then putting the nearly impossible guard challenge in front of him. Was Coach being a bad guy? He DID need the scholarship count afterall. I don't think he was a bad guy at all. This "engineered solution" gave a player, WHO WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY MUCH, a chance to shine elsewhere [Kelly liked Matt as a person], and at the same time allowed Harry to build his line the way he wanted to.

I wonder if Matt was told he wouldn't even backup at center. I could see Matt staying for 1 guard, and 2 center. But if he was also put behind Mustipher, etc., that may well have made the difference . . .

 

[ThePiombino]

As to Matt and possible success at Oregon:

1). Matt is a good center but a finesse one with good feet, but not great power. This fits Oregon's general "go fast" and "be mobile" sort of scheme;

2). Matt is not better than NMart, and particularly not better for the typically bruiser schedule [with bruiser DTs] that we play. One might ask would NMart start at Oregon?, and that answer might also be "yes";

3). Matt will be [probably] a center where he ends up, whereas he was not going to be a center here [unless NMart went down.] He was going to go up against both Nelson and Bars, who are the future of the offensive line, and he knew the likely outcome of that;

4). PURE speculation: I get a gut feeling that Coach wanted to find a way to give Matt a chance for football success but not at Notre Dame, and thus rather "engineered" this in an extremely clever way. Matt's only real chance to start here was NOT at center, because Coach and Coach Harry obviously did not see him as powerful enough to play there against our competition [they said this without naming names at the waning of the season, and spoke all year about the interior not being forceful enough.] Kelly's brilliant, and honest, solution was to tell Matt flat that he was not going to be a center at ND, and then putting the nearly impossible guard challenge in front of him. Was Coach being a bad guy? He DID need the scholarship count afterall. I don't think he was a bad guy at all. This "engineered solution" gave a player, WHO WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY MUCH, a chance to shine elsewhere [Kelly liked Matt as a person], and at the same time allowed Harry to build his line the way he wanted to.

This is not aimed soley at you, OMM, BUT:

At Bama it's unethically forcing kids out, but at ND it's engineering a clever way to allow a kid to find football success? Got it.

 

[Old Man Mike]

With respect: NO COMPARISON.

Hegarty has his degree.

Why in the he!l can't people see that difference?

p.s. the "got it" WAS insulting, but I assume that was the point.