2026 ND Portal Targets

S

sfk324

Well-known member
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
2,270
NDPhilly said:
Spent 10 minutes talking myself into this kid yesterday for nothing
Click to expand...
Too bad, thought he would have been a good fit. Guess he didn't want to take too big a leap in competition so decided to go from AA in CUSA to AAA in the Big12.
 
PolishDomer

PolishDomer

Well-known member
Messages
1,470
Reaction score
2,335
Given the tough pickings at the top for DL...any 1 star Bruce Heggie projects out there?
 
T-Boone

T-Boone

Well-known member
Messages
8,400
Reaction score
4,795
Indiana really could have been clever and announced a couple of their signings during this game as if they are recruiting harder even during games which I think really would have flipped ND lids.
 
ACamp1900

ACamp1900

Counting my ‘bet against ND’ winnings
Messages
48,944
Reaction score
11,225
We’re living in a world where Indiana seems poised to win a natty while ND is getting beaten out for New Mexico State DTackles by Colorado,…
 
TNUtoNotreDame

TNUtoNotreDame

Voted must gracious poster for seven years running
Messages
3,127
Reaction score
2,963
NDPhilly said:
14 pages today boys. Excited to see what numbers we can put up tomorrow
Click to expand...


wolf-of-wall-street-rookie-numbers.gif
 
S

spoonidentity

Well-known member
Messages
332
Reaction score
392
I keep telling myself every day that someone visits on campus and there's no news:

The rules are the player has to leave campus before signing so there is no appearance of coercion. So, maybe the kid left campus and will sign tomorrow - that's when the good news comes... Tomorrow!

I keep telling myself that fact and then I get punched in the face when they sign elsewhere.
 
NDWarrior

NDWarrior

Well-known member
Messages
3,002
Reaction score
2,421
Hey, good news is IU proved what you can do with 3 stars with a strong team culture and top, tenured coaching staff.

ND has a strong culture and a tenured coaching staff, and we had a top 5 HS recruiting class; the missing piece is focused but effective portal acquisition and at this point, based on this week's TP efforts to acquire talent by the ND staff, going after the top P4 players who ND mostly wouldn't have been recruited out of HS, who likely don't value education as much as other players, and who are chasing the highest offer coming from top P4 playoff-contending school is not going to do it for ND's TP needs.

It will take time and effort - hopefully it can still pan out in this early 2026 TP cycle - but I think there needs to be a lot more focus on the guys who are:

1) Solid P4 productive players but have at least some interest in what ND and the MF-built culture are all about and yes, who also want to get paid - They're just not the Marsh, Gilliam, and Smothers top targets who are more mercenary and don't give two shits about "Play Like A Champion
2) The somewhat riskier underclass P4 players lacking solid experience, but with strong potential based on what the staff saw in HS recruiting and based on their measurables and intagibles. (The young P4 DTs and young receivers like Graham who ND is targeting are great examples.
3) At least evaluate some G5 and even D2 players who were highly productive but who are also a RKG that value ND tradition and culture and relish the move to a top, playoff-contending team that ND is.

I'm just thinking out loud but if the staff has reasons they can't throw the bank at any one player AND players need to go to class, you can't just count on pursuing top ego-driven P4 players. Sure we're going to get 1 or 2, but it's just not going be enough to meet our depth needs and these other tiers, supported by a strong team culture and excellent development and coaching, and combined with our highly-rated HS recruits who become our starters and primary depth pieces, can be just as successful and dominating as IU has been this year.

Just my humble, amateur opinion.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top