'23 MA WR Ronan Hanafin (Clemson Verbal)

[Sea Turtle]

Or tradition, NFL presence, depth chart, etc.

We win on any basically any metric but NewSpring Church.

And recent success and the number 1 pick in the draft, of course.
We are going to have to convince him that we could be like Clemson one day.

 

[irishfan]

DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, Sammy Watkins, Amari Rodgers, Cornell Powell, Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud is a lot of WRs recently drafted when we have had…not many.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

And recent success and the number 1 pick in the draft, of course.
We are going to have to convince him that we could be like Clemson one day.

Dabo hired some incredible coordinators, held onto them for a relatively long time, and hit the lottery with a run of elite QB recruits that all panned out. But Lawrence, Elliott and Venables are all gone, and we're basically level with Clemson on BCR now, so they don't even have a present roster advantage over us anymore. He can try to sell those things as if they're still there, but after their offensive debacle in 2021 (84th(!) in OFEI*) I'd be very skeptical that Dabo still has whatever it was that made everything click.

And spare me the "Maybe we can one day aspire to be as good as mighty Clampson" shtick. They're a nouveau riche program with no tradition that's coming off their one and only cycle of success. Dabo is going to have to convince his recruits that Clemson can be like Notre Dame one day, by climbing out of the dumpster and challenging the Big Three again.

*Our offense hasn't had a single year remotely close to that bad since 2007.

 

[WilliamWallace]

Dabo hired some incredible coordinators, held onto them for a relatively long time, and hit the lottery with a run of elite QB recruits that all panned out. But Lawrence, Elliott and Venables are all gone, and we're basically level with Clemson on BCR now, so they don't even have a present roster advantage over us anymore. He can try to sell those things as if they're still there, but after their offensive debacle in 2021 (84th(!) in OFEI*) I'd be very skeptical that Dabo still has whatever it was that made everything click.

And spare me the "Maybe we can one day aspire to be as good as mighty Clampson" shtick. They're a nouveau riche program with no tradition that's coming off their one and only cycle of success. Dabo is going to have to convince his recruits that Clemson can be like Notre Dame one day, by climbing out of the dumpster and challenging the Big Three again.

*Our offense hasn't had a single year remotely close to that bad since 2007.

This^^^, you’re only as good as those you surround yourself by in most cases. Of course there are anomalies, and now he has to prove himself. Is he Sabin 2.0? Time will tell, but now he’s gotta work his way back up.

 

[HouseofPain]

This^^^, you’re only as good as those you surround yourself by in most cases. Of course there are anomalies, and now he has to prove himself. Is he Sabin 2.0? Time will tell, but now he’s gotta work his way back up.

When you have a top pro Qb and top pro RB at the same time, there isnt a whole lot of wrong you can do. Makes a big difference when you dont have it any more. When was the last time ND had remotely close?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

When you have a top pro Qb and top pro RB at the same time, there isnt a whole lot of wrong you can do. Makes a big difference when you dont have it any more. When was the last time ND had remotely close?

But even without elite talent at the offensive skill positions, the worst our offense has ranked in the last decade was 37th (2016). If Clemson is truly an elite program that's still a tier above us talent wise, then how did they manage to fall so low last year? That's not a reload or a rebuild; it's a regression to their historic mediocrity.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Dabo hired some incredible coordinators, held onto them for a relatively long time, and hit the lottery with a run of elite QB recruits that all panned out. But Lawrence, Elliott and Venables are all gone, and we're basically level with Clemson on BCR now, so they don't even have a present roster advantage over us anymore. He can try to sell those things as if they're still there, but after their offensive debacle in 2021 (84th(!) in OFEI*) I'd be very skeptical that Dabo still has whatever it was that made everything click.

And spare me the "Maybe we can one day aspire to be as good as mighty Clampson" shtick. They're a nouveau riche program with no tradition that's coming off their one and only cycle of success. Dabo is going to have to convince his recruits that Clemson can be like Notre Dame one day, by climbing out of the dumpster and challenging the Big Three again.

*Our offense hasn't had a single year remotely close to that bad since 2007.

Clemson is who we are trying to aspire to be. We sure arent going to get to Alabama and Ohio State territory.
ND hasn't had a run like them since 88-93. After that, we were in the dumpster for almost 20 years.
We haven't won a New Year's bowl in almost 30 years!
Let's drop the arrogance talk. You sound like Oklahoma fans in the 1980s when Miami was skull dragging everyone.

Sometimes you get passed up by new money. The good news is that all we have to do to close the gap, going forward, is to add elite QB's and RB's to our current recruiting efforts.

 

[notredomer23]

DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, Sammy Watkins, Amari Rodgers, Cornell Powell, Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud is a lot of WRs recently drafted when we have had…not many.

ND had 8 receivers selected in that same time frame. While not as impressive NFL career wise, it’s not like ND isn’t churning out some quality.

 

[INLaw]

Clemson is who we are trying to aspire to be. We sure arent going to get to Alabama and Ohio State territory.
ND hasn't had a run like them since 88-93. After that, we were in the dumpster for almost 20 years.
We haven't won a New Year's bowl in almost 30 years!
Let's drop the arrogance talk. You sound like Oklahoma fans in the 1980s when Miami was skull dragging everyone.

Sometimes you get passed up by new money. The good news is that all we have to do to close the gap, going forward, is to add elite QB's and RB's to our current recruiting efforts.

Who are you? and what have you done with our Sea Turtle. This you (now named Land Tortoise) is like your bi polar alter ego and it gives me the sads

 

[PutuporShutup]

I had put you in the camp of, "highly suspect, probably won't last long, kind of annoying....sort of Kuhn'ish" but now........now I feel comfortable stating it outright

I don't think you're actually kuhn but the only thing I've agreed with you is on Logan Diggs. I think he's a middling back on a loaded roster. I think each of the backs we now have can produce when given touches.

I don't think anyone is strongly advocating Braden Lenzy as Will Fuller pt. deux. Who said Deion Colzie is going to be amazing? Almost every update suggests he's not taken the step needed to be competitive. What do you think of Tobias Merriweather? Most of those on the beat are suggesting early returns are that he'll play a significant role this fall. Unless he hits the freshman wall, i'm going to expect 400+ yds and 4+ TDs.

Please post links to where people suggest Deion Colzie is going to be amazing.

Ha, not koon…

I’ve watched this site for over 10 years, not sure why all of a sudden I decided to join.

The lenzy and colzie comments weren’t from recent posts, but now that I joined I’ll post links to anything I reference more recent.

Im high on Tobias. I think he and styles are next nd nfl wrs. I think one more year would have really helped Austin and ND.

As for Tobias, I would be disappointed if he’s healthy and only gets around 400 and 4. To me that would mean either I’m wrong about his abilities, he’s not mentally ready or our passing offense isn’t good. All 3 options would not be good for this years team. Tobias needs to be in two deep and rotation right away for nd to have a good passing offense with our depth issues. I’m targeting more yards like 600-700, maybe tds don’t come
But 6 to me could happen if we throw it in the red zone.

 

[irishfan]

ND had 8 receivers selected in that same time frame. While not as impressive NFL career wise, it’s not like ND isn’t churning out some quality.

Stovall (2006) is our 8th most recent.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Clemson is who we are trying to aspire to be. We sure arent going to get to Alabama and Ohio State territory.

Have some pride. You sound fucking pathetic saying that Notre Dame should aspire to what Clemson is. There's nothing stopping us from dominating the sport again someday.

ND hasn't had a run like them since 88-93. After that, we were in the dumpster for almost 20 years.

CFB is cyclical. NDFB is 135 years old, and is the bluest of the blue bloods. 20 years in the wilderness sucks, but it doesn't define the program. 'Bama went through a similar spell before hiring Saban.

We haven't won a New Year's bowl in almost 30 years!
Let's drop the arrogance talk. You sound like Oklahoma fans in the 1980s when Miami was skull dragging everyone.

I'm not being arrogant. I simply know and appreciate the history, and don't project my insecurities onto the team like you do.

Sometimes you get passed up by new money.

Most of the time new money is just a flash in the pan. We'll see if Dabo can bring Clemson back again. I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[du Lac]

Have some pride. You sound fucking pathetic saying that Notre Dame should aspire to what Clemson is. There's nothing stopping us from dominating the sport again someday.

CFB is cyclical. NDFB is 135 years old, and is the bluest of the blue bloods. 20 years in the wilderness sucks, but it doesn't define the program. 'Bama went through a similar spell before hiring Saban.

I'm not being arrogant. I simply know and appreciate the history, and don't project my insecurities onto the team like you do.

Most of the time new money is just a flash in the pan. We'll see if Dabo can bring Clemson back again. I wouldn't bet on it.

This. I see Clemson in a similar light as Stanford in terms of football pedigree. Coach makes them good. Coach eventually leaves and they’re no longer good. When said coach leaves, there’s not a huge reason they’d ever rise again.

ND is ND. They’ll always be a bigger brand than Clemson. ND is a blue blood. They will win a NC again. It’s just a matter of when. Dabo is a good coach. He might have them relevant for a while, but it won’t last forever.

On the other hand, as much as I hate them, a program like Michigan will rise again someday. As will Miami, USC, and Texas.

 

[notredomer23]

Stovall (2006) is our 8th most recent.

Tate, Floyd, TJ Jones, Will Fuller, Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool, St Brown, Ben Skowronek

 

[317Irish]

Tate, Floyd, TJ Jones, Will Fuller, Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool, St Brown, Ben Skowronek

Jalen Guyton?

 

[HouseofPain]

But even without elite talent at the offensive skill positions, the worst our offense has ranked in the last decade was 37th (2016). If Clemson is truly an elite program that's still a tier above us talent wise, then how did they manage to fall so low last year? That's not a reload or a rebuild; it's a regression to their historic mediocrity.

I agree. Not arguing that Clemson is a better program because they arent. They had elite elite talent and when it left to go pro, they dropped like a hot potato. Forever Clemson was the stepchild of S Carolina who would skulldrag them yearly. A couple of good years doesnt make a franchise.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I agree. Not arguing that Clemson is a better program because they arent. They had elite elite talent and when it left to go pro, they dropped like a hot potato. Forever Clemson was the stepchild of S Carolina who would skulldrag them yearly. A couple of good years doesnt make a franchise.

A couple of good years? 2 National Championships and 6 ACC championships between 2011-2021

I agree with the assistant coach stuff, but they had an incredible run.

 

[Valpodoc85]

I for one would like the Irish Guard to go back to the skulldragging days

 

[irishfan]

Tate, Floyd, TJ Jones, Will Fuller, Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool, St Brown, Ben Skowronek

Damn Wikipedia doesn’t give us credit for Skowronek.

 

[WilliamWallace]

Clemson is who we are trying to aspire to be. We sure arent going to get to Alabama and Ohio State territory.
ND hasn't had a run like them since 88-93. After that, we were in the dumpster for almost 20 years.
We haven't won a New Year's bowl in almost 30 years!
Let's drop the arrogance talk. You sound like Oklahoma fans in the 1980s when Miami was skull dragging everyone.

Sometimes you get passed up by new money. The good news is that all we have to do to close the gap, going forward, is to add elite QB's and RB's to our current recruiting efforts.

😂 What the hell are you talking about? We are ND! Period! We “were” talking about Clemson falling off a cliff and attempting to recover.

ND has never left the conversation of relevance. We are and continue to be who made this sport, and are and will be who other institutions strive to be. There’s no way around it. It’s fans like you and I, and our team who continue to make ND a priority for anyone that matters.

Yep, we’ve been down (for way too long), but here we come again. We don’t have to compare to anyone else. We are who we are. There’s no further discussion necessary. If we don’t accept less, there won’t be less!

 

[Irish du Nord]

Dabo hired some incredible coordinators, held onto them for a relatively long time, and hit the lottery with a run of elite QB recruits that all panned out. But Lawrence, Elliott and Venables are all gone, and we're basically level with Clemson on BCR now, so they don't even have a present roster advantage over us anymore. He can try to sell those things as if they're still there, but after their offensive debacle in 2021 (84th(!) in OFEI*) I'd be very skeptical that Dabo still has whatever it was that made everything click.

And spare me the "Maybe we can one day aspire to be as good as mighty Clampson" shtick. They're a nouveau riche program with no tradition that's coming off their one and only cycle of success. Dabo is going to have to convince his recruits that Clemson can be like Notre Dame one day, by climbing out of the dumpster and challenging the Big Three again.

*Our offense hasn't had a single year remotely close to that bad since 2007.

Isn’t Bama-ND really more of a Big Two? If we’re talking historic greatness

 

[Sea Turtle]

😂 What the hell are you talking about? We are ND! Period! We “were” talking about Clemson falling off a cliff and attempting to recover.

ND has never left the conversation of relevance. We are and continue to be who made this sport, and are and will be who other institutions strive to be. There’s no way around it. It’s fans like you and I, and our team who continue to make ND a priority for anyone that matters.

Yep, we’ve been down (for way too long), but here we come again. We don’t have to compare to anyone else. We are who we are. There’s no further discussion necessary. If we don’t accept less, there won’t be less!

We will always be relevant in college football from a historical context.
We just haven't been relevant on the field in quite some time.
I hope you're right and we are on the way back.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Have some pride. You sound fucking pathetic saying that Notre Dame should aspire to what Clemson is. There's nothing stopping us from dominating the sport again someday.

CFB is cyclical. NDFB is 135 years old, and is the bluest of the blue bloods. 20 years in the wilderness sucks, but it doesn't define the program. 'Bama went through a similar spell before hiring Saban.

I'm not being arrogant. I simply know and appreciate the history, and don't project my insecurities onto the team like you do.

Most of the time new money is just a flash in the pan. We'll see if Dabo can bring Clemson back again. I wouldn't bet on it.

We haven't won a New Year's Bowl game in 30 years and you are downplaying them winning two titles, 6 conference titles, and like 7 playoff games recently?

Maybe Clemson is too unrealistic to try to aspire too be. Maybe we can be like Oklahoma State and actually win a New Year's Day Bowl this century.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Or tradition, NFL presence, depth chart, etc.

We win on any basically any metric but NewSpring Church.

 

[TorontoGold]

We will always be relevant in college football from a historical context.
We just haven't been relevant on the field in quite some time.
I hope you're right and we are on the way back.

Are there only like 5/6 relevant teams then?

 

[Sea Turtle]

I agree. Not arguing that Clemson is a better program because they arent. They had elite elite talent and when it left to go pro, they dropped like a hot potato. Forever Clemson was the stepchild of S Carolina who would skulldrag them yearly. A couple of good years doesnt make a franchise.

Historically, no they aren't a better program.

This century, they have been a better program.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Dabo hired some incredible coordinators, held onto them for a relatively long time, and hit the lottery with a run of elite QB recruits that all panned out. But Lawrence, Elliott and Venables are all gone, and we're basically level with Clemson on BCR now, so they don't even have a present roster advantage over us anymore. He can try to sell those things as if they're still there, but after their offensive debacle in 2021 (84th(!) in OFEI*) I'd be very skeptical that Dabo still has whatever it was that made everything click.

True, but at least they don't have Tommy Rees. Lucky bastards

 

[du Lac]

We haven't won a New Year's Bowl game in 30 years and you are downplaying them winning two titles, 6 conference titles, and like 7 playoff games recently?

Maybe Clemson is too unrealistic to try to aspire too be. Maybe we can be like Oklahoma State and actually win a New Year's Day Bowl this century.

This is why we are recruiting better. Should change that. I consider this year 2 of the Freeman recruiting effect. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[Irishdrunk]

1. Kids don't care about old history. GMAFB!
2. ND does not have a QB in the class. "Who is going to throw to me?" (Dabo: "Ronan, you remember Chris Vizzina from our camps, right?")

As it stands now, why would Ronan pick ND? The loss of Moore and the uncertainty of 2023 QB recruiting has set in.

He is gone.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

Who is going to throw to him? Just because we don't get a QB for '23 doesn't mean we don't have QBs. Buchner will throw to him, Carr will throw to him.