'25 FL DB Ivan Taylor (Alabama Verbal)

[NDdomer2]

No shit, huh?

i thought that was part of the rebuttle against him not being good at his job. that he received nfl interest last year and its expected he will again this year.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

i thought that was part of the rebuttle against him not being good at his job. that he received nfl interest last year and its expected he will again this year.

This is all certainly flying in the face of some of the opinions about O'Leary I've seen out here, I'll say that much.

 

[benneboy]

This is all certainly flying in the face of some of the opinions about O'Leary I've seen out here, I'll say that much.

Is that still a thing given he coached a guy nobody outside of the ND fan base had ever heard of into an All American?

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Is that still a thing given he coached a guy nobody outside of the ND fan base had ever heard of into an All American?

I am thinking perhaps not. I think the winds have shifted away from O'Leary and Washington directly onto Parker and Stuckey.

There are always going to be at least two lieutenants who are in the message board crosshairs. Meanwhile, the guys they like need to be named "Co-something" and given raises.

Athletic Administration 101, man.

 

[DillonHall]

This is all meaningless until O’Leary closes. Signing day 2025 is a long ways away

 

[AKRowdy]

This is all meaningless until O’Leary closes. Signing day 2025 is a long ways away

So is Watts success on O’Leary or are we putting our heads in the sand and saying it’s someone else? Asking for a friend, cause we can’t have it both ways.

 

[DillonHall]

So is Watts success on O’Leary or are we putting our heads in the sand and saying it’s someone else? Asking for a friend, cause we can’t have it both ways.

What about Brown and the rest of the safeties? It’s obviously a mixed picture

 

[AKRowdy]

What about Brown and the rest of the safeties? It’s obviously a mixed picture

What about Harper? Two can play this game. IMO has been playing at a high level when healthy.

 

[DillonHall]

What about Harper? Two can play this game. IMO has been playing at a high level when healthy.

You are just proving my point that there is both good and bad with O’Leary. It’s sad that you cannot understand that.

 

[irishff1014]

You are just proving my point that there is both good and bad with O’Leary. It’s sad that you cannot understand that.

That’s with every position on the field.

 

[DillonHall]

That’s with every position on the field.

Yeah exactly, it’s always like that. You can’t pick and choose like a buffet and give credit to the coach for good players, and then not criticize him for the weaker players.

 

[dad4aa]

Or maybe the weaker players are just that. Maybe you can coach them up all you want but this is the best they will be.

 

[Luckylucci]

Watts is better than Brown is bad and not sure it’s close. Watts is an elite play maker at the position.

In order for this pass defense to be what it is, you have to give O’Leary a share of that credit.

 

[stlnd01]

Or maybe the weaker players are just that. Maybe you can coach them up all you want but this is the best they will be.

Brown was barely a top 500 recruit and has been good enough to play a lot of football for us for how many seasons? Ramon Henderson, same.
Would we rather they be better? Of course. But sometimes good coaching is making the most of the players you've got. Whether that's those guys or Hamilton and Watts.

 

[DillonHall]

Watts is better than Brown is bad and not sure it’s close. Watts is an elite play maker at the position.

In order for this pass defense to be what it is, you have to give O’Leary a share of that credit.

Watts has played very well down the stretch- the player and O'Leary both deserve credit for his development.

But O'Leary is probably the weakest coach on the defensive side of the ball. Thank God for Watts because there isn't much else on the roster to be excited about.

Especially with safety recruiting the past few years:

Chris O'Leary All Time Recruits

A big part of your job is to go get good players so that's a pretty weak excuse. He hasn't come close to proving he can get top recruits against elite SEC/B1G competition

 

[LSWho?]

Watts has played very well down the stretch- the player and O'Leary both deserve credit for his development.

But O'Leary is probably the weakest coach on the defensive side of the ball. Thank God for Watts because there isn't much else on the roster to be excited about.

Before this year, it didn't seem to us that Xavier Watts was someone to be excited about. We have a strong defensive coaching staff and reason to think that players will keep developing. Definitely not the part of the team I'm worried about.

 

[DillonHall]

Before this year, it didn't seem to us that Xavier Watts was someone to be excited about. We have a strong defensive coaching staff and reason to think that players will keep developing. Definitely not the part of the team I'm worried about.

I don't know about the other sites, but a quick search shows Rivals and II had him as the #13 player on the ND roster prior to the season

Here's the II summary of his preseason expectations:

"The time has arrived for the talented, physical athlete to begin reaching his peek as Notre Dame’s most gifted safety. He is expected to ascend to the top of the depth chart in terms of snaps and plays made with DJ Brown, Ramon Henderson and Antonio Carter II mixing in."​

 

[NDMatt91]

O’Leary is a good coach but an inconsistent recruiter. He struck out at Safety in the 2022 class, we were 1-2 players short at the position in the 2023 class, and the 2024 Safety class is pretty meh. I don’t give him too much credit for Tae because he would’ve come to ND regardless of who was recruiting him. I actually think Urlacher is a quality player, but I’m not completely sold on him as a Safety.

 

[LSWho?]

I don't know about the other sites, but a quick search shows Rivals and II had him as the #13 player on the ND roster prior to the season

Here's the II summary of his preseason expectations:

"The time has arrived for the talented, physical athlete to begin reaching his peek as Notre Dame’s most gifted safety. He is expected to ascend to the top of the depth chart in terms of snaps and plays made with DJ Brown, Ramon Henderson and Antonio Carter II mixing in."​

Watts didn't just become our best safety this year, he became our best player. Only Alt will be drafted higher than him, because of positional importance.

 

[DillonHall]

Watts didn't just become our best safety this year, he became our best player. Only Alt will be drafted higher than him, because of positional importance.

That's highly debatable. He's made a lot of plays in pass defense, but he's been inconsistent as a tackler. I think guys like Cross, Mills, Hart, and Morrison have had as much positive impact as Watts.

I agree he's beaten his top 13 prediction, but my point stands- Watts didn't just come out of left field, at least if you were paying attention

 

[T-Boone]

I’d be fine with DJ Brown this year but for that one critical play which I cannot forgive. 😃

 

[DillonHall]

I’d be fine with DJ Brown this year but for that one critical play which I cannot forgive. 😃

Honestly not sure if you're kidding or not.

He's dropped numerous interceptions, including the one that would have probably clinched the Ohio State game. And he was the main culprit in long TD runs in our other two losses

 

[Giddyup]

If you want to bitch about someone, our secondary coaches are the last place you should look. They’ve been phenomenal this year.

 

[DillonHall]

LOL Giddyup you're literally the only person in the world except Parker's wife who thinks he's doing a good job

This is a 7-3 team with three of those wins coming against Navy, Tennessee State, and Central Michigan. Every aspect of this team should be under scrutiny

 

[lcaps20]

LOL Giddyup you're literally the only person in the world except Parker's wife who thinks he's doing a good job

This is a 7-3 team with three of those wins coming against Navy, Tennessee State, and Central Michigan. Every aspect of this team should be under scrutiny

"If you want to bitch about someone, our secondary coaches are the last place you should look. They’ve been phenomenal this year."

I can't tell if you didn't read what he said or just chose to ignore it. Our secondary has been great this year and hasn't been a culprit in us losing any of those games as far as I can remember.

 

[Giddyup]

I don’t think he’s doing a good job, I think he’s doing a fair job but definitely not good enough. He’s not going anywhere before the end of the year so let’s see what he’s got and go 10-3 and then make changes if necessary.

 

[DillonHall]

"If you want to bitch about someone, our secondary coaches are the last place you should look. They’ve been phenomenal this year."

I can't tell if you didn't read what he said or just chose to ignore it. Our secondary has been great this year and hasn't been a culprit in us losing any of those games as far as I can remember.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. The weakest part of the defense is the safety group IMO- definitely still good overall but not immune from criticism.

Again, we're 7-3 with no ranked wins. We need upgrades everywhere, even our strengths

 

[PutuporShutup]

I’d be fine with DJ Brown this year but for that one critical play which I cannot forgive. 😃

One?

 

[Giddyup]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. The weakest part of the defense is the safety group IMO

According to what data?

 

[DillonHall]

According to what data?

Eye test. DJ Brown is single-handedly bringing down the position and guys like Henderson and Carter haven't been able to help. I wouldn't classify Harper as a safety- he's a hybrid CB/S

Which defensive position group is weaker? LBs? Maybe but it's definitely debatable