2025 Master Thread

calvegas04

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Hope they slow down on recruiting too, we do have Texas on the schedule in a few years
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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If you were able to sit down with the ND staff, what REAL solutions or ideas would the IE faithful offer up?
My first thought is additional administrative support staff for Powlus, Peloquin and Bowden. More eyes and ears out there looking for the rough diamonds. Apart from that, I'm not one of these people that wants to just start throwing money at high school prospects. The more of a sample size we get, the more we're going to start to see some of this blow up in the faces of the programs who are practicing this kind of behavior. I'm all for it.

At the end of the day, they're not going to play the way these other program play with throwing stupid millions of dollars around to flip HS QBs 30 minutes from campus. That's reality, and in all honesty, I'm not sure I would want them to. I'm probably in the minority there. Digging in and finding more guys who would relish the opportunity, be able to pass through admissions and the coaches project to being contributors seems like the easiest place to start.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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I wish we recruited Texas more.
Same. They can cast the net wider for sure. Visits would be paramount. That's really the only way a kid down there is going to know if he thinks it's a fit. I'm sure a lot of the dudes out here would pant piss about three star players, but consider what a three star player from certain programs in Texas is probably going to look like versus a three star kid from the Chicago suburbs. Dude is probably going to be very well coached and used to putting in a certain amount of work at the HS level. The big programs down there are serious about ball.

One other problem there is that the schools down there have bag men with money and time to burn. TAMU, Tech, SMU have ambition. And oil money.

Then with that said, Dave Campbell's Top 10 players in the 2025 class are verballed as follows: Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, OU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon. That all seems to fit a certain mold.
 

irishff1014

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Same. They can cast the net wider for sure. Visits would be paramount. That's really the only way a kid down there is going to know if he thinks it's a fit. I'm sure a lot of the dudes out here would pant piss about three star players, but consider what a three star player from certain programs in Texas is probably going to look like versus a three star kid from the Chicago suburbs. Dude is probably going to be very well coached and used to putting in a certain amount of work at the HS level. The big programs down there are serious about ball.

One other problem there is that the schools down there have bag men with money and time to burn. TAMU, Tech, SMU have ambition. And oil money.

Then with that said, Dave Campbell's Top 10 players in the 2025 class are verballed as follows: Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, OU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon. That all seems to fit a certain mold.

You are 100% correct.

I know people think I am against three stars and thats 100% not the case. You can find gems everywhere but you cannot consistently bank on three star players becoming high four stars and game changers. You have to take the high four stars and get some five stars in the mix if you want to consistently compete with the big dogs.
 

NDMatt91

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Some quotes on the 2025 class from the latest II podcast:

Prister: "I'm higher on this class than some, but there are a lot of guys who are small."
Prister: "The defensive line recruiting is not good enough, so that's why the transfer portal is so important."
O'Malley: "It's not a good class for me from ND's perspective. In the 2023 class there were 18 guys that I liked. There are maybe 9 or 10 guys in this class I like."
Brice: "This is by far the shallowest class that Freeman has assembled. You're betting on a lot of guys to hit. I think there will be fewer and fewer players in this Freshman class that you like moving forward, because I think it will be more about making shrewd moves in the transfer portal."

This is the 2nd or 3rd time in the last few weeks that Prister has called out Al Washington's recruiting. I can't help but wonder if he knows something that we don't, such as next year being a put-up or shut-up year for him on the recruiting trail.
 

NDFAN2008

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Some quotes on the 2025 class from the latest II podcast:

Prister: "I'm higher on this class than some, but there are a lot of guys who are small."
Prister: "The defensive line recruiting is not good enough, so that's why the transfer portal is so important."
O'Malley: "It's not a good class for me from ND's perspective. In the 2023 class there were 18 guys that I liked. There are maybe 9 or 10 guys in this class I like."
Brice: "This is by far the shallowest class that Freeman has assembled. You're betting on a lot of guys to hit. I think there will be fewer and fewer players in this Freshman class that you like moving forward, because I think it will be more about making shrewd moves in the transfer portal."

This is the 2nd or 3rd time in the last few weeks that Prister has called out Al Washington's recruiting. I can't help but wonder if he knows something that we don't, such as next year being a put-up or shut-up year for him on the recruiting trail.
The DL recruiting isn’t gonna do it going forward you gotta land some
Studs going forward. The DE recruiting hasn’t been horrible Young is gonna be a stud and Thomas I think will have an impact next year. DT recruiting has been awful. Burgess I think will be playing by his Sophmore year. Reiff I thought I saw somewhere looks great on film I doubt Sulfsted sees the field ever. I actually think Dixon is gonna be a good player but might take 2 years
 

CanadalovesND

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Some quotes on the 2025 class from the latest II podcast:

Prister: "I'm higher on this class than some, but there are a lot of guys who are small."
Prister: "The defensive line recruiting is not good enough, so that's why the transfer portal is so important."
O'Malley: "It's not a good class for me from ND's perspective. In the 2023 class there were 18 guys that I liked. There are maybe 9 or 10 guys in this class I like."
Brice: "This is by far the shallowest class that Freeman has assembled. You're betting on a lot of guys to hit. I think there will be fewer and fewer players in this Freshman class that you like moving forward, because I think it will be more about making shrewd moves in the transfer portal."

This is the 2nd or 3rd time in the last few weeks that Prister has called out Al Washington's recruiting. I can't help but wonder if he knows something that we don't, such as next year being a put-up or shut-up year for him on the recruiting trail.

Who is small? All the O lineman besides one are 6’6+. LBs are 6’2” or taller. A lot of length with the DBs. DL… besides Dixon all over 6’3”
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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You are 100% correct.

I know people think I am against three stars and thats 100% not the case. You can find gems everywhere but you cannot consistently bank on three star players becoming high four stars and game changers. You have to take the high four stars and get some five stars in the mix if you want to consistently compete with the big dogs.
I think a lot of people out here need to touch a bit more grass rather than devote thought and energy to ND Football Recruiting.

I was there myself a long time ago. It's not worth it.
 

Irish du Nord

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Who is small? All the O lineman besides one are 6’6+. LBs are 6’2” or taller. A lot of length with the DBs. DL… besides Dixon all over 6’3”
Are they talking weight? I thought the same thing. Flanigan is 6'6, son of an NFL d-lineman, and one of the top throwers in the country in T&F. Bettis is 6'2-6'3, Burress is listed at 6'1.

The only guys that strike me as actually small may be Zackery and Herron but both are superb athletes so no complaints there
 

NDPhilly

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Honestly expected this class to be worse than 2023-2024 just because of the seasons we were coming off of. Basically are missing 2 top 150 guys to be in the same spot as the previous cycles. Hardly a massive gap. And the places we missed the most are where we did well last year (WR, RB, LB).

I'd be very very surprised if we arent in the top 10 next year.
 

IrishTusker

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Didn't the MBB team just sign a top 5 class? Why is that if its all NIL? That doesn't make sense. I would prefer if the problem were all NIL, because it is easier to address than location/weather/academics.

I guess it could be the number of players/amount of money basketball players command compared to football players? Thoughts?
 

Rockin’Irish

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Didn't the MBB team just sign a top 5 class? Why is that if its all NIL? That doesn't make sense. I would prefer if the problem were all NIL, because it is easier to address than location/weather/academics.

I guess it could be the number of players/amount of money basketball players command compared to football players? Thoughts?
I would also guess it is partly due to the payroll involved with a roster of 12 vs. 85+. In addition, maybe the market hasn’t reached the peaks we’ve already seen in CFB (plus CFB generates a lot more revenue overall). BTW, that top 5 class isn’t the final standing when all is said and done.
 

NDPhilly

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This class is going to end up at like a 267 composite score and a 90.8 avg player rating using 247. Basically we’re one top 150 kid away from the 2022-2024 classes. Not bad considering the 2022 & 2023 seasons leading up to this.

Don’t expect us to sign class around 300 but for 2026, 280 and a 92 avg player rating is a fair goal coming off of the year we’ve had. If we don’t take a jump after this year, its not going to happen.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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From Singer

Early enrollees would be:

QB Blake Hebert
RB Nolan James
WR Elijah Burress
WR Jerome Bettis, Jr
WR Antavious Richardson
OL Owen Strebig
OL Matty Augustine
OL Cameron Herron
DL Davion Dixon
CB Cree Thomas
S Jadon Blair
S Ethan Long

** Both Madden Faraimo & Jalen Wiggins would be EEs **
I see what you did here.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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Some quotes on the 2025 class from the latest II podcast:

Prister: "I'm higher on this class than some, but there are a lot of guys who are small."
Prister: "The defensive line recruiting is not good enough, so that's why the transfer portal is so important."
O'Malley: "It's not a good class for me from ND's perspective. In the 2023 class there were 18 guys that I liked. There are maybe 9 or 10 guys in this class I like."
Brice: "This is by far the shallowest class that Freeman has assembled. You're betting on a lot of guys to hit. I think there will be fewer and fewer players in this Freshman class that you like moving forward, because I think it will be more about making shrewd moves in the transfer portal."

This is the 2nd or 3rd time in the last few weeks that Prister has called out Al Washington's recruiting. I can't help but wonder if he knows something that we don't, such as next year being a put-up or shut-up year for him on the recruiting trail.
He nearly got the BC job. I'm wondering if he is in line for a DC job before Mickens. He's coached DL, LB, ST and RB in his career so far.

I think AW is going a good job coaching what he's got from what I can gather, but that's for MF and Golden to decide ultimately. Wonder if the kids like him in the locker room?

Whatever happens, call Harland Bower at Duke for the next DL coach. He was already a grad assistant at ND under BK.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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I know the Mom Huggers and Hot Pocket guzzlers can't say it is a Saban-like class, but a lot of the pant pissing over the last few months has been hyperbole and then some.

Wouldn't trade places with Miami, USC, FSU or Penn State right now.
 
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