'13 KY OT Hunter Bivin (Notre Dame Signed LOI)

[IrishLion]

And Kelly keeps intimating there will be a third tackle on the field at times, and he has now elevated that to a tackle eligible!

Where has he hinted at this?

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Where has he hinted at this?

Last Friday between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM, during the 2/5 hoo-ha, and at least once more which I cannot recollect at this time.

Earlier he was talking about getting a third tackle on the field; the last time he was talking about two jerseys, which would indicate he was envisioning a tackle eligible.

 

[IrishLion]

Last Friday between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM, during the 2/5 hoo-ha, and at least once more which I cannot recollect at this time.

Earlier he was talking about getting a third tackle on the field; the last time he was talking about two jerseys, which would indicate he was envisioning a tackle eligible.

Thanks Bogs, I must not be paying enough attention.

 

[ResLife Hero]

Irish A-to-Z: Hunter Bivin | Inside the Irish

While he spent his first year in the program with a redshirt on, Hunter Bivin is another promising offensive line prospect collected by Harry Hiestand. With the size of an offensive tackle and the ability to play both inside and out, Bivin is part of the next generation of lineman that Brian Kelly has been targeting and collecting at a very successful rate.

The wait to get onto the field might not come to an end in 2014, but Bivin has the physical tools and blend of athleticism and size to challenge for the starting center job once Nick Martin departs.

Let’s take a closer look at the soon-to-be sophomore from Owensboro, Kentucky.

HUNTER BIVIN
6’5.5″, 291 lbs.
Sophomore, No. 70

RECRUITING PROFILE

Another blue-chip prospect, Bivin was a consensus top 250 player, with 247 ranked him among the elite in the country. A first-team All-Kentucky offensive lineman, Bivin was also an honorable mention selection on the Parade All-American team as well as a USA Under-18 team and Under Armour All-American.

Bivin collected offers from elite programs, with Florida, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio State giving chase. He committed to Notre Dame early, pledging in March. Bivin was a starter on his high school basketball team that won the Kentucky 3A state title and won a state title in the shot put.



PLAYING CAREER

Freshman Season (2013): Did not see game action.



FUTURE POTENTIAL

Theoretically, Bivin’s ceiling hasn’t been adjusted since he entered Notre Dame with sky high expectations. But where Bivin plays along the offensive line still seems to be up for grabs. Spring ball isn’t always the best indicator for playing time, especially with the Irish needing additional depth to get two full units. So if Bivin struggled a bit at left tackle then that’s to be expected. He was filling a hole, not necessarily competing for time.

It still appears that Bivin’s best position will be on the interior of the offensive line. That gives him some time before he’s needed to contribute, with development still necessary for the raw but promising athlete.

This is the time of year where finding a way to crack the lineup always seems toughest. But as last season showed us, a depth chart is only as good as its weakest position, and Bivin will likely spend some time playing on special teams before getting a chance to compete for a job at center or guard.



CRYSTAL BALL

When it’s all said and done, expect Bivin to be the Irish’s next starting center after Nick Martin. That it means he could wait two more seasons to see the starting lineup is a sign that everything went according to plan.

Athletically, Bivin has everything needed to be an elite college football player. And with no time constraints to see the field, Harry Hiestand can continue to mold Bivin to his liking, taking the athlete impressive enough to win state titles in basketball and shot put and turn him into a gifted player.

The battle up front will be one worth watching over the next few years, especially as Christian Lombard and Martin move on. But Bivin looks like the kind of player who has what it takes to win a starting job… even if it’s not right away.

 

[BobbyMac]

Hunter's on the Spring roster.

Is that a given he's back for a grad year? I didn't see any announcement one way or the other about his plans. Did I miss it?

Could he be working out with the team in the spring and then join a UK, Ville, IU, Purdue, Vandy, maybe Cincy or WKU, then join them in the summer for camp? A lot of schools nearby where he'd get a ton of clock.

If he's business major IU and Vandy would be ok.

Sounds like he'll be back.




.

 

[ulukinatme]

Lol look at Tuitt's response

Really wanted this group to take off together.

 

[BGIF]

BlueandGold.com ‏@BGInews 24m24 minutes ago
More
OL Hunter Bivin is coming back. TE Jacob Matuska is finishing his degree, but won’t return to the team in 2017.

According to B&G, One in; one out.

 

[BobbyMac]

Sampson reminds everyone that Sanford and Bivin's brother are in Bowling Green waiting for him. Question is does he get a year of his Masters done at ND or go to WKU, work every snap and take a crack at the League? The Hilltoppers just produced Forrest Lamp who went at the top of the 2nd round. Does Pete know something?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish A-to-Z: Hunter Bivin <a href="https://t.co/WwzrQWT5Ef">https://t.co/WwzrQWT5Ef</a> <a href="https://t.co/gZGf843UJc">pic.twitter.com/gZGf843UJc</a></p>— Notre Dame on Scout (@NDonScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDonScout/status/864104051927068674">May 15, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Old Man Mike]

Bivin is a case of a really good OLineman playing behind tackles who are REALLY REALLY good. He could well be a case of a lineman who could be signed by pros even without having started. It has always been my belief that he could have been our transition center following NMart despite his height (I remember the HS AllStar game where they had no center and Bivin volunteered and was the top lineman there.)

BUT ... if it were me, I'd transfer and play and make it no mystery to the pros that I was just as good as anyone.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Bivin is a case of a really good OLineman playing behind tackles who are REALLY REALLY good. He could well be a case of a lineman who could be signed by pros even without having started. It has always been my belief that he could have been our transition center following NMart despite his height (I remember the HS AllStar game where they had no center and Bivin volunteered and was the top lineman there.)

BUT ... if it were me, I'd transfer and play and make it no mystery to the pros that I was just as good as anyone.

I agree with all you wrote OMM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Luckylucci]

Bivin is a case of a really good OLineman playing behind tackles who are REALLY REALLY good. He could well be a case of a lineman who could be signed by pros even without having started. It has always been my belief that he could have been our transition center following NMart despite his height (I remember the HS AllStar game where they had no center and Bivin volunteered and was the top lineman there.)

BUT ... if it were me, I'd transfer and play and make it no mystery to the pros that I was just as good as anyone.

I'm not sure there is much evidence, since he arrived at ND, that we could conclude he is a really good OL. He's struggled in game action and he's struggled in live practices. He might be a good backup OL to have on the roster, but that is quite a step back, from being a really good OL. If he was that good, he'd have beaten out McGovern or Bars, who both had struggled at times last year, hence McGovern transferring.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I'm not sure there is much evidence, since he arrived at ND, that we could conclude he is a really good OL. He's struggled in game action and he's struggled in live practices. He might be a good backup OL to have on the roster, but that is quite a step back, from being a really good OL. If he was that good, he'd have beaten out McGovern or Bars, who both had struggled at times last year, hence McGovern transferring.

True. Really good is probably to high praise. But, I think solid to good OL is accurate. I mean he probably could be starting for at least 50% of power 5 schools at tackle and even more at guard/center.


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[dublinirish]

he really should go to WKU, its a no brainer in my mind. he can always do a masters degree in the future.

 

[beryirish]

Sampson reminds everyone that Sanford and Bivin's brother are in Bowling Green waiting for him. Question is does he get a year of his Masters done at ND or go to WKU, work every snap and take a crack at the League? The Hilltoppers just produced Forrest Lamp who went at the top of the 2nd round. Does Pete know something?

I understand the whole playing time/league talk but if he is currently going for his masters (not throwing in the talk of "he could always go back later") I would find it an extreme mistake.

"I got my masters from Western Kentucky...yeah i know"

or

"You're damn right i got my masters from The University of Notre Dame mother f*"

 

[Old Man Mike]

I would like others to realize that I'm not arguing for the opinion below, just stating what I think could EASILY be true:
1). Bivin has been consistently praised as a very good back-up Olineman by the coaching staff, who now view him as "first-man-in" at almost any position (possibly other than Center --- and maybe, out of pragmatism, at Kraemer's spot since a "psychology" seems to have grown linking Big Tommy and Liam this year.)
2). Bivin blew one very public block in a game and IE went ballistic on him. I've watched other elements of film and he did not consistently "struggle." We tend to be a bit too "one strike and you're out" on IE.
3). Because of his tremendous size and BBall athleticism, Bivin has been looked upon as a tackle first by Saint Harry, who has looked for guards elsewhere. So Bivin has trained largely at Tackle. I do not believe that he was trained in a way that gave him a good shot at guard. Saint Harry thought, as did almost everyone, that McGovern could cut it at guard (seniority and mobility.) He couldn't when the games started for real, as he wasn't anywhere near strong enough. Our OLine had (as we all know painfully) a major hole in it between Center and RG through which the Huns came.
4). In my opinion, Bars didn't particularly struggle at RT, and in fact was far from it. We always have plays where IE blames the RT for errors by the end (when such is (rarely) over there) or (more likely) the RB completely blowing the blocking assignments. We have many plays where the RT blows up the DLine interior by double-teaming the DT area, leaving their DE to be handled by other elements of the play. Elmer was criticized in the same way over there, and so was McGlinchey. Heck, we don't even know what the pre-snap OLine call was in these instances. Bars is REAL good. Not beating him out is no shame. Harry was playing with Nelson-or-Bars?? seriously way back when Q got the nod.
5). Bivin has un-Played behind ZMart, Stanley, Elmer, McGlinchey, and Bars --- man, that's asking a lot to crack. Those monsters don't even get (seriously) injured.

Does this mean that Hunter has NFL talent? Heck no. But it also means that he MIGHT WELL have it and might have started for a very large number of teams. This is not impossible for ND. It almost happened when NMart was senior center and our previous year's center had to transfer to Oregon, where the coach called him his best lineman. So, give the big man a break. There is NOTHING that would ensure Saint Harry's and ND's OLine reputation more than having a NON-starter make the league (as long as the guys in front of him did too.)

 

[Luckylucci]

I would like others to realize that I'm not arguing for the opinion below, just stating what I think could EASILY be true:
1). Bivin has been consistently praised as a very good back-up Olineman by the coaching staff, who now view him as "first-man-in" at almost any position (possibly other than Center --- and maybe, out of pragmatism, at Kraemer's spot since a "psychology" seems to have grown linking Big Tommy and Liam this year.)
2). Bivin blew one very public block in a game and IE went ballistic on him. I've watched other elements of film and he did not consistently "struggle." We tend to be a bit too "one strike and you're out" on IE.
3). Because of his tremendous size and BBall athleticism, Bivin has been looked upon as a tackle first by Saint Harry, who has looked for guards elsewhere. So Bivin has trained largely at Tackle. I do not believe that he was trained in a way that gave him a good shot at guard. Saint Harry thought, as did almost everyone, that McGovern could cut it at guard (seniority and mobility.) He couldn't when the games started for real, as he wasn't anywhere near strong enough. Our OLine had (as we all know painfully) a major hole in it between Center and RG through which the Huns came.
4). In my opinion, Bars didn't particularly struggle at RT, and in fact was far from it. We always have plays where IE blames the RT for errors by the end (when such is (rarely) over there) or (more likely) the RB completely blowing the blocking assignments. We have many plays where the RT blows up the DLine interior by double-teaming the DT area, leaving their DE to be handled by other elements of the play. Elmer was criticized in the same way over there, and so was McGlinchey. Heck, we don't even know what the pre-snap OLine call was in these instances. Bars is REAL good. Not beating him out is no shame. Harry was playing with Nelson-or-Bars?? seriously way back when Q got the nod.
5). Bivin has un-Played behind ZMart, Stanley, Elmer, McGlinchey, and Bars --- man, that's asking a lot to crack. Those monsters don't even get (seriously) injured.

Does this mean that Hunter has NFL talent? Heck no. But it also means that he MIGHT WELL have it and might have started for a very large number of teams. This is not impossible for ND. It almost happened when NMart was senior center and our previous year's center had to transfer to Oregon, where the coach called him his best lineman. So, give the big man a break. There is NOTHING that would ensure Saint Harry's and ND's OLine reputation more than having a NON-starter make the league (as long as the guys in front of him did too.)

OMM, it would seem you have hard time when people disagree with you, hence this overreaction to what has been posted. After your post, there isn't one post where anyone is bashing Hunter, I was simply saying he's not a "really good OL". Which is fairly obvious, nor is it a dig at him, in anyway.

So there is no need to tell people to give the big man a break, when nobody was busting his balls to begin with.

Is there value in Hunter Bivin on the roster, YES. Does that make him a "really good" OL, no. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.

To address the rest of the post:

1. Yes he is a good backup OL to have, as I agreed with before. But that doesn't make him a really good OL. One gets drafted in the first two days and one has a very successful career doing something else, hopefully.

2. This is simply not true. He's had more than just one missed block. He's a lifetime backup because he's had more struggles than one missed block.

3. Whatever the reason may be, he couldn't beat out McGovern, who wasn't playing very well, for the RG spot. I think it's fair to say, a really good OL would've been able to beat out a guy that should've also been a backup.

4. Bars struggled enough at RT that he was moved to RG. If he was keeping pace at RT, with the likes of his predecessors Stanley and McGlinchey, he'd still be playing there. At this point going forward, Bars will never be an OT at ND, barring injury.

5. I realize we've had some good OL over the years, so competition is stiff. That's why nobody said he was bad. However, if he was really good, then he'd have been able to beat out some of the guys in front of him or at the very least, behind him. At one point or another, a majority of football player have to beat out another player to step on the field, the good ones do and hold onto that spot. The average ones, don't, and they serve as serviceable backups. Just the way it is.

Look, I love ND football as much as the next guy and I wish we could have 85 All Americans every year. But we don't and that's not reality. So, some players won't get to the spot, of being really good, Hunter happens to be one of them. At least at this time.

 

[PANDFAN]

Hunter Bivin also saw time here(RG) and is also a 5th year candidate. He is more likely to return but hasn’t shown that he is a starting caliber player. http://www.onefootdown.com/2017/1/1...mike-mcglinchey-quentin-nelson-heistand-irish


THE BAD

The Other Offensive Linemen (Sam Mustipher, Hunter Bivin, and Alex Bars): Let’s leave snapping out of this for a moment. Sam Mustipher’s challenges weren’t just making sure his shotgun snaps hit their targets. Mustipher gave up a sack and also struggled terribly in run blocking, the interior of the offensive line having zero answers for Stanford’s Solomon Thomas.

Bivin was no better. He was flagged for two penalties, he struggled with both run and pass blocking, and the senior hardly looking like the answer as the first man in for injured guard Colin McGovern, who sat out with a concussion.
The good, the bad, the ugly: Notre Dame vs. Stanford | Inside the Irish

Hunter Bivin struggled badly at right guard—the second really tough game in a row he’s played. Miami | Inside the Irish

that was a quick google search that coincides with what my untrained eye saw

 

[BobbyMac]

OMM, it would seem you have hard time when people disagree with you, hence this overreaction to what has been posted. After your post, there isn't one post where anyone is bashing Hunter, I was simply saying he's not a "really good OL". Which is fairly obvious, nor is it a dig at him, in anyway.

So there is no need to tell people to give the big man a break, when nobody was busting his balls to begin with.

Is there value in Hunter Bivin on the roster, YES. Does that make him a "really good" OL, no. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.

To address the rest of the post:

1. Yes he is a good backup OL to have, as I agreed with before. But that doesn't make him a really good OL. One gets drafted in the first two days and one has a very successful career doing something else, hopefully.

2. This is simply not true. He's had more than just one missed block. He's a lifetime backup because he's had more struggles than one missed block.

3. Whatever the reason may be, he couldn't beat out McGovern, who wasn't playing very well, for the RG spot. I think it's fair to say, a really good OL would've been able to beat out a guy that should've also been a backup.

4. Bars struggled enough at RT that he was moved to RG. If he was keeping pace at RT, with the likes of his predecessors Stanley and McGlinchey, he'd still be playing there. At this point going forward, Bars will never be an OT at ND, barring injury.

5. I realize we've had some good OL over the years, so competition is stiff. That's why nobody said he was bad. However, if he was really good, then he'd have been able to beat out some of the guys in front of him or at the very least, behind him. At one point or another, a majority of football player have to beat out another player to step on the field, the good ones do and hold onto that spot. The average ones, don't, and they serve as serviceable backups. Just the way it is.

Look, I love ND football as much as the next guy and I wish we could have 85 All Americans every year. But we don't and that's not reality. So, some players won't get to the spot, of being really good, Hunter happens to be one of them. At least at this time.

The poster could have read the exchange below in the Josh Barajas thread this morning.

I'd like to remind everyone of the concept of relativity when it comes to labeling a player good, bad or average.

By deduction, you called Bivin an average player. I'm not going to argue that as an absolute but i will agree he's an average player at ND. There is a chance Hunter would have been an NFL caliber player at:

Auburn
Clemson
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
LSU
Miami
Michigan
Ohio St
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Penn St
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Wisconsin

What makes good or real good players in college and then the NFL is the right player choosing the right school. ND isn't always the right school for a high 4 star OT when it comes to football development. There is a good chance that you can get buried. It's a very real possibility that Hunter would have been a star at say Indiana... a school that has already produced a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick (Spriggs and Feeney) out of Hunter's HS class.

I dont know guys but seems like a pretty common theme for ND to get well ranked players out of HS and they completely fizzle. Amazing how teams like MSU, Wisconsin, South Carolina (Spurrier years) recruit like crap most the years and still get a ton of results out of a lot lower players.

Bivens is a great example. This guy at Wisconsin would have been a roadgrinder. At ND, a career benchwarmer. I know you guys are thinking that is subjective and negative but seriously, there is a TON of talent wasted every year by this coaching staff. I bet the new DC hasnt had one LB rated as high as Barajas in his coaching career and he made things happen.

I dont know what is in the water up in SB but it isnt great football or great development.

No offense but that is possibly the worst comparative example you could bring up.

Bivin has been behind 3 1st round caliber OT's during his tenure ('13-'17). Next year's draft will see ND in the running for the title of OLine U in that same time period.

Bivins not producing and Barajas not producing up to this point are completely different animals.

 

[Irishman77]

it would been cool to have seen him get a shot at RG when Elmer was getting blown backwards

 

[Luckylucci]

The poster could have read the exchange below in the Josh Barajas thread this morning.

I'd like to remind everyone of the concept of relativity when it comes to labeling a player good, bad or average.

By deduction, you called Bivin an average player. I'm not going to argue that as an absolute but i will agree he's an average player at ND. There is a chance Hunter would have been an NFL caliber player at:

Auburn
Clemson
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
LSU
Miami
Michigan
Ohio St
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Penn St
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Wisconsin

What makes good or real good players in college and then the NFL is the right player choosing the right school. ND isn't always the right school for a high 4 star OT when it comes to football development. There is a good chance that you can get buried. It's a very real possibility that Hunter would have been a star at say Indiana... a school that has already produced a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick (Spriggs and Feeney) out of Hunter's HS class.

The first bolded part of my post was a generality. Less about Bivin, specifically, but more about competition. A large majority of "really good" players will find there way onto the field, regardless of school, over the course of 5 years.

I would agree that the concept of relativity is important, but that doesn't really apply here. After 4 years, he couldn't beat out an OG that is no longer on the roster, because he wasn't going to play this year. And he couldn't beat out a RT, that is now at RG. I'm not saying he isn't good because he couldn't be out McGlinchey or Stanley or Nelson, I'm saying he's not "really good", because he couldn't beat out the worst OL we had last year, arguably the worst we've had in the last few years. And almost everyone who actually follows ND football and is willing to be somewhat critical of the product on the field, would say that last years OL, was below standard OL play for ND. So there was room for improvement, and if he was that guy, he would've played more. When he did, he did not instill confidence for more reps.

 

[IrishLax]

Good interview on Power Hour, worth a listen -- https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/6275/hunter-bivin-joins-power-hour-5-7-18/1

 

[SoIll]

I may be the only one who didn't know this, but when did he become Director of Player Development for ND?

 

[PANDFAN]

I may be the only one who didn't know this, but when did he become Director of Player Development for ND?

discovered this yesterday myself ....count me in

 

[ndfi78]

Had no idea either. What all does that entail?

 

[dublinirish]

Per his linkedin page - October 2018.
I remember in that ISD interview he had said he had just moved to Chicago

Director of Player Development
Company NameUniversity of Notre Dame Football Program
Dates EmployedOct 2018 – Present
Employment Duration5 mos
LocationNotre Dame, IN
Responsible for oversight of the Notre Dame Football Player Development Program - reporting directly to the Football Associate Athletics Director, Ron Powlus.

The mission of the University of Notre Dame is to develop disciplined habits of mind, body, and spirit within the student body that characterize educated, skilled, and free human beings. The focus of the Notre Dame Football Player Development program is to fuse this mission with Notre Dame Football's mission of excellence to graduate 100% of our players & win National Championships.

In collaboration with the Notre Dame Football coaching staff, various resourceful entities on campus, our neighbors within the local South Bend/Mishawaka community, and the Notre Dame Alumni Network - the Notre Dame Player Development program provides a centralized, focused avenue to develop the necessary traits required to ensure success both on and off the football field for our student-athletes

 

[fightingirish26]

One of the last words that comes to mind with a composite top 100 player who never started is development

 

[BobbyMac]

One of the last words that comes to mind with a composite top 100 player who never started is development

Don't hide behind italics. Thumbs down.

 

[shortynd01]

What is Ron Powlus doing at ND then? What's his role?

 

[PANDFAN]

What is Ron Powlus doing at ND then? What's his role?

Associate Athletics Director - Football Operations

 

[NDPhilly]

One of the last words that comes to mind with a composite top 100 player who never started is development

I laughed