'17 FL ILB Drew White (Notre Dame Signee)

[Irish YJ]

Personally I think Bilal should be the Buck and Simon should be Rover. The other option would be to move Coney to Buck, keep Bilal at Rover, and put Bauer as the Mike.

I agree some fits are less than perfect, but I'd prefer to keep Coney doing what he's done. I'm not opposed to Bilal getting moved inside and let Simon play rover. Or, leave Bilal and Coney, and let Bauer play Buck.

 

[NDIrish88]

I agree some fits are less than perfect, but I'd prefer to keep Coney doing what he's done. I'm not opposed to Bilal getting moved inside and let Simon play rover. Or, leave Bilal and Coney, and let Bauer play Buck.

Do you think Bauer can cover like Tranquill can? I feel like Bo is a pure Mike.

 

[Irishman77]

Personally I think Bilal should be the Buck and Simon should be Rover. The other option would be to move Coney to Buck, keep Bilal at Rover, and put Bauer as the Mike.

Totally agree with your first option.

 

[Irish YJ]

Do you think Bauer can cover like Tranquill can? I feel like Bo is a pure Mike.

Bauer's build (6-3, 225) is closer to Bilal and Drue's, than Coney.
His measurables are also pretty damn good (40/shuttle/verticle). He's got a better shuttle than Bilal, the same 40, and a much better vertical. He may be a better MIKE, but he's got physical traits that make him flexible.

 

[Luckylucci]

Bauer's build (6-3, 225) is closer to Bilal and Drue's, than Coney. His measurables are also pretty damn good (40/shuttle/verticle). He's got a better shuttle than Bilal, the same 40, and a much better vertical. He may be a better MIKE, but he's got physical traits that make him flexible.

The only reason his weight is similar to that of Bilal and Tranquill is because he's had less than a full year of S&C. Bauer will not leave ND the same weight as Bilal or Tranquill. He'll be the 240+ Mike LB. He's a very thick kid similar to that of Coney. What Bauer and Coney have in common is they've always been ILB. Tranquill and Bilal were both HS S's turned OLB turned ILB. So, as freshman coming into the program, Bauer is dissimilar to that of Bilal and Tranquill.

Also, when are those measurables taken, recently?

As of today, he's been Mike only. Of all scenarios stated, Bauer playing Buck is the least experienced option at said position. Coney has played Buck, Bauer has played Mike, Bilal buck and rover, Simon Buck and Rover. Drew White played Buck.

 

[BobbyMac]

You guys shouldn't stress about the LB corp's starters and rotation. Coney, JGH & Bilal will be able to handle it w/o worrying about their back-ups because 3 LB's won't get as many snaps as usual. NW is a pass heavy team therefore there will be a lot more Nickel/Dime snaps than average.

*As per Drew White and his Navy performance. Sometimes you play the 3 of Hearts first and keep the face cards in your hand for later when it matters.

 

[Irish YJ]

The only reason his weight is similar to that of Bilal and Tranquill is because he's had less than a full year of S&C. Bauer will not leave ND the same weight as Bilal or Tranquill. He'll be the 240+ Mike LB. He's a very thick kid similar to that of Coney. What Bauer and Coney have in common is they've always been ILB. Tranquill and Bilal were both HS S's turned OLB turned ILB. So, as freshman coming into the program, Bauer is dissimilar to that of Bilal and Tranquill.

Also, when are those measurables taken, recently?

As of today, he's been Mike only. Of all scenarios stated, Bauer playing Buck is the least experienced option at said position. Coney has played Buck, Bauer has played Mike, Bilal buck and rover, Simon Buck and Rover. Drew White played Buck.

247 actually listed Bauer as an OLB. I agree he will likely settle in at Mike, but not because that's all he could do. Bauer was not your typical ILB in HS. Don't forget, he was also a RB. He had tremendous speed and great lateral coverage. He actually looked like a rush DE in a lot of the plays, and even lined up outside some. And his vertical is crazy good for a Mike. Just purely looking at height and weight, Bauer is most similar to Shayne Simon coming in, and has a better vertical than Simon. I think he'd make a crazy good Buck. The measureables I compared were from Hudl for him, and our current guys (comparing how they came in).

Wouldn't call him super thick.

 

[Irish#1]

You guys shouldn't stress about the LB corp's starters and rotation. Coney, JGH & Bilal will be able to handle it w/o worrying about their back-ups because 3 LB's won't get as many snaps as usual. NW is a pass heavy team therefore there will be a lot more Nickel/Dime snaps than average.

*As per Drew White and his Navy performance. Sometimes you play the 3 of Hearts first and keep the face cards in your hand for later when it matters.

Good point. That was also mentioned when possibly moving Bilal in temporarily.

Lucky, not disagreeing on projecting who ends up where later because of changes in build, it really doesn't matter now as this is just for this game and not projecting future roles.

 

[Irish YJ]

Here's a blurb from Simon on him about him playing both ways, spending time at both RB and WR. There's another article I remember reading about his attributes/athleticism/versatility on D that I will try to find.

What many Notre Dame fans may not know incoming freshman Bo Bauer is that he was a talented two-way player in high school. He played running back and receiver at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania. Standing at 6’3, 220 pounds, Bauer was used by Cathedral as a goal-line back and was very effective. In a small amount of carries, Bauer scored five touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he is even more impressive. In his senior season Bauer notched 106 tackles and nine sacks. For a middle linebacker, those numbers are outstanding and will surely have Coach Clark Lea excited to see more.

 

[Luckylucci]

247 actually listed Bauer as an OLB. I agree he will likely settle in at Mike, but not because that's all he could do. Bauer was not your typical ILB in HS. Don't forget, he was also a RB. He had tremendous speed and great lateral coverage. He actually looked like a rush DE in a lot of the plays, and even lined up outside some. And his vertical is crazy good for a Mike. Just purely looking at height and weight, Bauer is most similar to Shayne Simon coming in, and has a better vertical than Simon. I think he'd make a crazy good Buck. The measureables I compared were from Hudl for him, and our current guys (comparing how they came in).

Wouldn't call him super thick.

I like Bo, liked him as a sophomore more than David Adams as a Junior. Read about every camp he ever went to. Some of the bolded statements were literally never said by anyone who watched him workout. Or it's going off of something nobody has any confirmation of. Even at II by ND analysts. Tremendous speed? Great Lateral Coverage? No. He's playing because he's physically mature (he's a thick 18 year old) and he understands the defense. It's not because he's some crazy athlete.

https://247sports.com/Article/Rankings-update-The-Opening-Cleveland-52345344/
(the last Rivals camp performance he did) Not sure where you see that, his recruiting profile is at ILB. This is the camp where they basically said he's an ILB only.

https://247sports.com/Article/Irish-A-to-Z-Bo-Bauer-118102756/
Pete Sampson on Bauer

https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/2872/bauer-takes-part-in-second-invasion
His interview post II, he mentions he has a lot to work on with his movement ability.

 

[BobbyMac]

I loved Bauer from the beginning but briefly wanted to jump off the Bauer Express when he turned in a 4.85ish/40 and an equally so-so shuttle. The fact was, his film looked very athletic, even when he wasn't. Recognition/reaction are good for a couple of ticks off your 40 time. Overall, Bo's not track fast, he's tight in the hips and MANY noted that he has struggled in coverage. (one of the reasons why Jack Lamb was pursued even though Bo was already committed). What Bo does well is what Nyles Morgan did well in HS and early in their ND careers... They read, quickly react, shoot gaps and blow stuff up at the LOS or behind... and they do it with bodies that were ahead of the curve as compared to other LB's near their ages.

Bo may be star Mike someday if his coverage skills increase or he may share/back-up the spot with others, not sure. What I do expect is for him to be apart of a meaningful rotation as long as he's at ND going forward.

 

[Irish YJ]

I like Bo, liked him as a sophomore more than David Adams as a Junior. Read about every camp he ever went to. Some of the bolded statements were literally never said by anyone who watched him workout. Or it's going off of something nobody has any confirmation of. Even at II by ND analysts. Tremendous speed? Great Lateral Coverage? No. He's playing because he's physically mature (he's a thick 18 year old) and he understands the offense. It's not because he's some crazy athlete.

https://247sports.com/Article/Rankings-update-The-Opening-Cleveland-52345344/
(the last Rivals camp performance he did) Not sure where you see that, his recruiting profile is at ILB. This is the camp where they basically said he's an ILB only.

https://247sports.com/Article/Irish-A-to-Z-Bo-Bauer-118102756/
Pete Sampson on Bauer

https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/2872/bauer-takes-part-in-second-invasion
His interview post II, he mentions he has a lot to work on with his movement ability.

LOL,, LL, it's seeming more and more that you just don't want have anyone challenge your opinions.

here's the 247 profile that listed him as an OLB
https://247sports.com/Player/Bo-Bauer-85271/

per your bolded...

Here's the hudl that with measurables
https://www.hudl.com/profile/4007239/Matthew-Bauer

4.59 40 / 4.13 shuttle / 38.5 vertical
4.59 is faster than Kevin Austin's 40
4.13 is faster than Troy Prides shuttle
38.5 is a better vertical than any of our starting DBs or WRs. 4inches better than Simon

Not tremendous speed for a LB? Not a crazy good vertical for a Mike? You can say hudl is wrong, but are you going to tell me he played WR and RB and is not a crazy good athlete? Even if his hudl stats are a little off, he's still crazy athletic. Take a look his first film on hudl. The guy is fast, and was all over the field. Even Tranquill said he was 20-30 yards away making plays and reminded him of himself. Said he was the "future of ND's defense"..

On the Simmons article you linked about the opening, couldn't disagree more. Watch the film. Not saying he's a rover type, but his film would suggest he's more than capable of playing Buck (which is what I suggested)

On Sampson's article, not sure how much stock to put into it.... He forecasted Jones over Bauer. That will be, or is already is wrong. Actually, it's been wrong since the spring game.

On the ISD article... not sure what you expect him to say? Even Drue mentioned he was humble, hardworking, and reminded him of himself. Bauer even says he's a perfectionist, so he's definitely not going to say "I'm doing everything well".

Not sure what your definition of thick is, but his lower section in every picture i saw is not thick. 6-3 and 220 is not that thick. If you look at Shayne Simon and Bauer side by side, they look very similar. The picture I posted, his lower half does not look thick at all.

 

[Irish YJ]

from ISD

Recruitment Rundown: Bauer worked out at Irish Invasion the summer before his junior season. He wasn’t offered by Notre Dame on the spot, but returned to South Bend a couple months later, when an offer was extended. Bauer wasted little time accepting. Brian Kelly had barely finished talking a minute later when Bauer informed him he was accepting the offer. Bauer also had offers from schools like Penn State, Michigan State, Virginia and West Virginia among others.Cathedral Prep head coach Mike Mischler: “Obviously he has all of the measureables. He’s big, he’s tall, he’s strong, he’s extremely explosive, quick feet. He’s got great lateral movement, straight-ahead speed, he get into his drops. For me though, he loves the game and he plays it like he loves it. He plays with passion and he brings everybody around him up a couple notches with his attitude and how he plays the game. He’s a great teammate.

“In high school, he’s probably better-suited outside, but we made that move last year…He could probably outside as well, but he can move. I think they’re going to be able to put about 25, 30 pounds on him and still not really miss much as far as quickness and explosiveness is concerned.”

https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/4981/signing-day-capsule-lb-bo-bauer
Lot's of differing opinions out there.

 

[Luckylucci]

from ISD


https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/4981/signing-day-capsule-lb-bo-bauer
Lot's of differing opinions out there.

Ha, classic. That's from his coach, what else is he going to say. Cherry picking info from the article. Did you miss the part where Jaime from ISD says basically the opposite.

 

[Luckylucci]

LOL,, LL, it's seeming more and more that you just don't want have anyone challenge your opinions.
here's the 247 profile that listed him as an OLB
https://247sports.com/Player/Bo-Bauer-85271/

per your bolded...

Here's the hudl that with measurables
https://www.hudl.com/profile/4007239/Matthew-Bauer

4.59 40 / 4.13 shuttle / 38.5 vertical
4.59 is faster than Kevin Austin's 40
4.13 is faster than Troy Prides shuttle
38.5 is a better vertical than any of our starting DBs or WRs. 4inches better than Simon

Not tremendous speed for a LB? Not a crazy good vertical for a Mike? You can say hudl is wrong, but are you going to tell me he played WR and RB and is not a crazy good athlete? Even if his hudl stats are a little off, he's still crazy athletic. Take a look his first film on hudl. The guy is fast, and was all over the field. Even Tranquill said he was 20-30 yards away making plays and reminded him of himself. Said he was the "future of ND's defense"..

On the Simmons article you linked about the opening, couldn't disagree more. Watch the film. Not saying he's a rover type, but his film would suggest he's more than capable of playing Buck (which is what I suggested)

On Sampson's article, not sure how much stock to put into it.... He forecasted Jones over Bauer. That will be, or is already is wrong. Actually, it's been wrong since the spring game.

On the ISD article... not sure what you expect him to say? Even Drue mentioned he was humble, hardworking, and reminded him of himself. Bauer even says he's a perfectionist, so he's definitely not going to say "I'm doing everything well".

Not sure what your definition of thick is, but his lower section in every picture i saw is not thick. 6-3 and 220 is not that thick. If you look at Shayne Simon and Bauer side by side, they look very similar. The picture I posted, his lower half does not look thick at all.

Not at all, I'm just not going to devalue every single analyst/writer that's ever watched him play in-person because of some stated measurables on his hudl page.

This is where I'll stop the conversation.

I'll bet you real money that Bo Bauer will not run a faster 40 than Kevin Austin at a combine. A faster shuttle than Pride. Or have a higher vertical than everyone of our current WR's or DB's. You seem super confident in your eval of his tape and believe his measurables as stated as such, this is easy money for you.

PS, I really like Bauer.

 

[Irish YJ]

Not at all, I'm just not going to devalue every single analyst/writer that's ever watched him play in-person because of some stated measurables on his hudl page.

This is where I'll stop the conversation.

I'll bet you real money that Bo Bauer will not run a faster 40 than Kevin Austin at a combine. A faster shuttle than Pride. Or have a higher vertical than everyone of our current WR's or DB's. You seem super confident in your eval of his tape and believe his measurables as stated as such, this is easy money for you.

PS, I really like Bauer.

I'm not saying all the numbers are correct. But do you think they are that far off? Do you really think a guy who plays both ways, including WR and RB on O is not athletic? I just linked an ISD article that evaluates him as "extremely explosive, quick feet. He’s got great lateral movement, straight-ahead speed, he get into his drops" and also says he might be better suited on the outside?.

Forget the hudle numbers for a minute. Did ISD not say just about everything I said?

 

[Luckylucci]

I'm not saying all the numbers are correct. But do you think they are that far off? Do you really think a guy who plays both ways, including WR and RB on O is not athletic? I just linked an ISD article that evaluates him as "extremely explosive, quick feet. He’s got great lateral movement, straight-ahead speed, he get into his drops" and also says he might be better suited on the outside?.

Forget the hudle numbers for a minute. Did ISD not say just about everything I said?

From his coach, then below that, an unbias ND analyst says the opposite. So, no, no they did not say that.

 

[zelezo vlk]

In fact, ISD said they were shocked by his ability in the spring and in fall camp. They would not have pegged him as a guy that would play early, and I don't think they're anointing him the next Kuechly, but they do think he'll be in the mix. Mainly because he's physically ready now

 

[Irish YJ]

From his coach, then below that, an unbias ND analyst says the opposite. So, no, no they did not say that.

So the catholic prep coach (who won state the last 3 years), who has spent more time with him than anyone, is automatically wrong because Jamie doesn't think he's a natural athlete even though he plays both ways, and at two skill positions on the O side.. OK.

 

[Irish YJ]

In fact, ISD said they were shocked by his ability in the spring and in fall camp. They would not have pegged him as a guy that would play early, and I don't think they're anointing him the next Kuechly, but they do think he'll be in the mix. Mainly because he's physically ready now

There are a ton of articles out there saying 1) he won't play early, and 2) that Jones will be the heir apparent to Mike, and/or 3) Bauer will likely RS........ They are all wrong. He's played in almost every game if memory serves. He's got better stats than Jones. And... our leader on D (Drue) said he reminds him of himself, and is the future of the ND defense.


I'll take Drue's eval

 

[Luckylucci]

So the catholic prep coach (who won state the last 3 years), who has spent more time with him than anyone, is automatically wrong because Jamie doesn't think he's a natural athlete even though he plays both ways, and at two skill positions on the O side.. OK.

You didn't even realize who the quote was from. You wanted it to be ISD, lol.

Of all the people that have watched him play in person he's hands down the most bias of the group. I remember when Pete Mokwuah's coach talked about how great he was.

A lot of players play both ways, doesn't make them exceptional athletes, with tremendous speed, and incredible lateral coverage. If he's such a great athlete than lets bet on it. I would assume a dollar amount that fits your confidence in the matter, plus it being a multi year bet.

 

[T-Boone]

Come on, we should get Drew White's thread back to who it is meant to be about, Jack Lamb.

 

[Irish YJ]

You didn't even realize who the quote was from. You wanted it to be ISD, lol.

Of all the people that have watched him play in person he's hands down the most bias of the group. I remember when Pete Mokwuah's coach talked about how great he was.

A lot of players play both ways, doesn't make them exceptional athletes, with tremendous speed, and incredible lateral coverage. If he's such a great athlete than lets bet on it. I would assume a dollar amount that fits your confidence in the matter, plus it being a multi year bet.

wut... the quote I posted says it's from the coach.
so what's the bet? how about a grand that he's a starting LB at some point next year?
i mean, you have to be athletic to start as LB at ND, right?

Edit... as long as he's not injured...

 

[Luckylucci]

I'm not saying all the numbers are correct. But do you think they are that far off? Do you really think a guy who plays both ways, including WR and RB on O is not athletic? I just linked an ISD article that evaluates him as "extremely explosive, quick feet. He’s got great lateral movement, straight-ahead speed, he get into his drops" and also says he might be better suited on the outside?.

Forget the hudle numbers for a minute. Did ISD not say just about everything I said?

This is what you thought you posted.

 

[Luckylucci]

wut... the quote I posted says it's from the coach.
so what's the bet? how about a grand that he's a starting LB at some point next year?i mean, you have to be athletic to start as LB at ND, right?
Edit... as long as he's not injured...

This literally has nothing to do with what we talked about. Sounds like you don't actually believe he has a better shuttle than Troy Pride. A better 40 than Kevin Austin. And a higher vertical than all of our current WR's and DB's. I rest my case.

 

[Irish YJ]

This literally has nothing to do with what we talked about. Sounds like you don't actually believe he has a better shuttle than Troy Pride. A better 40 than Kevin Austin. And a higher vertical than all of our current WR's and DB's. I rest my case.

I don't care about the hudl numbers. his film to me is very athletic which is why I made the original post (about him being capable of playing buck), which you jumped on. did you even watch the top highlights?

like i said before, forget about hudl. if you want, discount the coach... by the way, he's won the past two state titles and more before that...., and has won multiple national coach of the year awards... and the team has been ranked nationally by USA today... but sure, he's probably just a winning catholic that feels the need to puff up his kids even after they already locked in. I think he also coached Bob Sanders, so it's not like he's seen talent or anything.. And discount that he played WR and RB even those are typical positions one considers "athletic". and discount Drue's "future of ND defense comment"....

Anyway, discount all that.. back to the original point.. i still say he's capable of playing either Mike or Buck.. and I think he's athletic. those are the things i'm happy to bet on..

 

[KizerWilhelm]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish LB Drew White to miss about 4 mos. with surgery on his shoulder (tomorrow).</p>— Tim O'Malley (@timomalleyND) <a href="https://twitter.com/timomalleyND/status/1108731568594604032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Riddickulous]

Just wanted to point that out after all the shit he took from everyone after Louisville, he made a huge TFL when we needed it the most to go along with several other good plays throughout the game. Proud of the improvement he's shown.

 

[irishff1014]

He grew up tonight and played like a rock star.

 

[Junkhead]

Just wanted to point that out after all the shit he took from everyone after Louisville, he made a huge TFL when we needed it the most to go along with several other good plays throughout the game. Proud of the improvement he's shown.

I admit I don't re-watch games, but Drew has been a positive in what I've seen.