Fall Camp 2019

[calvegas04]

LOL! It's inarguable because its become a Notre Dame fan truism. But any statistic that shows Toledo's OL as #5 and ND's as #105 in a year ND made the playoffs is a skewed. AND IT IS ADMITTEDLY A DIFFERENT METRIC IN 2018!!!!

In 2012, without HH, we got to the ND at 189 ypg. Not exactly a disaster.
Martin, Watt, Cave, Golic, Lombard. Ed W. had trouble recruiting because ND was coming off the Weis years. He was getting ship turned around, and did a good job with what he had. He did pretty good recruiting to OSU.

HH was a great coach, and did a great job teaching excellent form. While he was here we had mixed results in the run game, for various reasons, many outside of his control. But that is kind of the point. Too much blame, too much praise.

It seemed to me, until the last few years, HH's reputation was a "pro" coach that could really get the most out of the ELITE talent, but didn't pay a ton of attention to the other guys. Over his tenure, he kept Martin and Watt on track, and fine-tuned them for the NFL. Developed Stanley, N. Martin, and McGlinchy very, very nicely, and got front row seats to the Q Nelson experience, which was likely inevitable. No one else is very notable, IMO.

If you go back and look his recruiting was a mixed bag. Great some years, bad other years, and fine some other years. Some of his fine years too, were saved by improbable late commitments like Banks.

In term of rushing ypg, the statistic I prefer, the HH years started slow, looked promising in 2015, seemed to regress in 2016, then amazing 2017 happened and cemented the HH legend:

2013: 151 (#80) Martin, Watt, Hegarty, Elmer, Stanley (better line, worse results)--
Why? overall team talent issues.
2014: 159 (68) Stanley, Hegarty, Martin, Lombard, Elmer (worse line, same results)
2015: 207 (28) Stanley, Nelson, Martin, Elmer, McGlinchy (much better talent, but huge talent boom on offense with Kizer, Fuller, and Procise)
2016: 163 (80) (McGlinchy, Nelson, Mustipher, Kraemer, Bars) offensive skill position issues hurt, but defensive nonsense kills team.
2017: 269 (7) (McGlinchy, Nelson, Mustipher, Kraemer, Bars) - veteran line, great RBs, and a defense

2018: 182 (51) This would have been 3rd best in the HH era. I chalk it up to Chip Long's approach. The line had struggles, but every line does (2017 - UGA and Miami).

So I think he is a great coach, but I think he is getting too much credit for havin McGlinchy and Nelson coming back for that extra year.

I agree HH was a good coach but not the legend everyone made him out to be.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

its been noted by every reporter that besides the 1 practice, javon has been sliding fast down the depth chart

Is it because he has personally struggled or is the feeling that the young guys are progressing?

 

[greyhammer90]

Since the the turn of the century, ND has had 5 first round offensive linemen. Hiestand accounted for 4 of them. His arrival marked a huge change in the culture of our football program as a place that takes the best and gets the best out of elite offensive linemen. He should be up there on the all-time great assistant coaches list.

 

[PANDFAN]

Is it because he has personally struggled or is the feeling that the young guys are progressing?

doesn't do anything really good, subpar speed and the youngins offer much better upside and thus keep increasing their reps

 

[IrishLion]

Since the the turn of the century, ND has had 5 first round offensive linemen. Hiestand accounted for 4 of them. His arrival marked a huge change in the culture of our football program as a place that takes the best and gets the best out of elite offensive linemen. He should be up there on the all-time great assistant coaches list.

I agree with this.

Calling Heistand overrated is crazy to me. Every left tackle he coached ended up as a first-round pick, right?

You can make the argument that ND's OL has *under performed* relative to their recruiting rankings, and they DID have some issues under Heistand that have continued under Quinn, but I think that's more about the offensive scheme from BK and Long than anything... they're willing to sacrifice some unsuccessful and slow-developing stretch plays, which hurt the YPC and success-rate grades, in exchange for hitting a big chunk play every 6th or 7th run.

I also think the stuff-rate grade would be better with a more traditional approach to misdirection and play-action, but I'm not gonna argue with the overall efficiency that we're seeing from Long's offense with Book in charge.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Since the the turn of the century, ND has had 5 first round offensive linemen. Hiestand accounted for 4 of them. His arrival marked a huge change in the culture of our football program as a place that takes the best and gets the best out of elite offensive linemen. He should be up there on the all-time great assistant coaches list.

The excellence of ND's o-lines is consistent with overall program health. It's not like the program was doing really well and just couldn't get its act together with that one group. The program steadily declined from the early 1990s, with a few great years. The line has followed a similar trend. Generally sub-par, with a few great players.

Kelly has slowly righted the ship. Part of that was hiring HH. Part of that was getitng to an NC and making the program attractive. And part of it was getting "lucky" and convincing Zach Martin and Chris Watt to stay and restore the proper balnce to the roster--where a young stud OL didn't play day 1 automatically, and have excellent older players to emulate.

Warriner coached Martin and Watt, went and coached great OLs at OSU. Taylor Decker, for example, committed to him at ND and then ended up getting drafted in the first round from OSU. I'd assume he would have developed Ronnie Stanley too.

I agree with this.

Calling Heistand overrated is crazy to me. Every left tackle he coached ended up as a first-round pick, right?

You can make the argument that ND's OL has *under performed* relative to their recruiting rankings, and they DID have some issues under Heistand that have continued under Quinn, but I think that's more about the offensive scheme from BK and Long than anything... they're willing to sacrifice some unsuccessful and slow-developing stretch plays, which hurt the YPC and success-rate grades, in exchange for hitting a big chunk play every 6th or 7th run.

I also think the stuff-rate grade would be better with a more traditional approach to misdirection and play-action, but I'm not gonna argue with the overall efficiency that we're seeing from Long's offense with Book in charge.

It's kind of like saying Nick Saban is overrated. It's undeniable that if Saban is given the best roster in the country, he can win 11-12 games a year. However, his records at MSU and LSu show that he is not all that different from the other good coaches. The success of most coaches has EVERYTHING to do with the talent they coach.

Where I do think he was overrated as a recruiter. He was very good at getting his top guys, but when he didn't, he often had no backup plan. Also, he seemed to do a great job developing the top talent he recruited, but seemed to almost forget everyone else. If you were a 4-5 star OT recruit, you had good chances of playing. If you were a 3-4 star OG-C recruit, you were probably never going to play.

 

[Irish#1]

Since the the turn of the century, ND has had 5 first round offensive linemen. Hiestand accounted for 4 of them. His arrival marked a huge change in the culture of our football program as a place that takes the best and gets the best out of elite offensive linemen. He should be up there on the all-time great assistant coaches list.

Next to Joe Yonto.

 

[stlnd01]

It's kind of like saying Nick Saban is overrated. It's undeniable that if Saban is given the best roster in the country, he can win 11-12 games a year. However, his records at MSU and LSu show that he is not all that different from the other good coaches. The success of most coaches has EVERYTHING to do with the talent they coach.

I suspect fans of USC, Florida State and Charlie Strong-era Texas might see it differently.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

its been noted by every reporter that besides the 1 practice, javon has been sliding fast down the depth chart

Sampson released a "projected" depth chart article on the Athletic this morning with McKinley at #2 behind Claypool at the W side.

He mentioned that McKinley's lack of competitive reps can mostly be attributed to him being a bit dinged up.

Also noted that Isiah Robertson has looked pretty good behind him, but expects McKinley to get the first crack if anything happens to Claypool.

Of course, this all goes out the window if/when Kevin Austin returns and stays out of trouble.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I suspect fans of USC, Florida State and Charlie Strong-era Texas might see it differently.

Better yet, try to convince the other 120 coaches in college football that you can win the big game without elite talent! Go look at the last 20 NCs. The either have an all-world QB like Deshawn Watson or Vince Young, an insane defense, or both. No exceptions.

But I didn't say every coach with good talent wins, or that character and development and evaluation don't matter. I said the talent is what separates the good coaches. It's why over multiple 12 game seasons, certain coaches average 11-12 wins, and some average 9-10 wins. Some coaches are clearly better than others, but you need elite talent to win.

Saban would not be winning NCs every year without top shelf talent. he is not out scheming anyone. He is not "caoching up" project players. He is taking guys like Rolando McLain and Julio Jones and getting them to do what they do. Like Kelly has done with Eifert and Fuller and Q Nelson. His record at MSU was not in any way superior or materially different than Dantonio's. His record at LSU was not different than Les Miles. Most year he lost big games against higher-ranked opponents, and beat up on lower ranked opponents. Somehow, when he got to Alabama, the floodgates opened and never closed. To the degree that they aren't cheating, that is certainly to his credit. He's a great coach.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Great recruiters are usually really good coaches at worst. If Quinn can continue recruiting at his current clip, which has '21 on pace to potentially be the best OL class of the Kelly era on paper, then I suspect we'll continue to see the OL play ascend.

Last year was an aberration for many reasons and we still went undefeated and took our first run at the playoffs. This year and next will tell us a lot about Quinn. I want to see what he can can do with a bunch of 5th year seniors on the OL (and with mobile QB).

I'm guessing our rushing yards make a sizable jump next season. I just hope we can be in the 180-200 range this year. That should be enough for this offense to really stretch a defense.

 

[Irish#1]

Somehow, when he got to Alabama, the money bags opened and never closed. To the degree that they aren't cheating, that is certainly to his credit. He's a great coach.

FIFY

 

[Whiskeyjack]

New Rakes Report:

If you’re reading this when it arrives Tuesday morning, you’re exactly two weeks from waking up after the first Notre Dame game of the season, which is somewhat crazy to contemplate. As far as news from South Bend, there have been a few tough injures along with the captaincies being announced, but we’ll hit on all that now as we take a quick run through the depth chart.

Quarterback – All the reports on Ian Book are Pretty Good. There aren’t really any signs of concern but he also isn’t completely dominating, which is fine for a guy who’s 9-1 as a starter since his season will be judged on how he does in the big road games and not in August. (Book was also named a captain, the first quarterback to receive that honor since Jimmy Clausen in 2009.) Perhaps the most important development in this section is that Phil Jurkovec has been doing a lot of good stuff and seems like he’d be able to step in against a great chunk of the Irish schedule and give Notre Dame a good chance at winning.

Tight end – Well, Cole Kmet is out until somewhere between the New Mexico game in Week Three to late October with a broken collarbone. He healed quickly from a gruesome ankle injury last year but collarbones are dicey. (More on that just below!) A reminder that Brock Wright was the only tight end ranked above Kmet in their high school class and he’s earned compliments after slimming down from last year’s blocking specialist. Question marks in depth after that with sophomores Tommy Tremble and George Takacs, so hopefully Brock stays upwright (I’m sorry) and Kmet gets back on the field sooner rather than later. (Not that it’s of any help this season but verbal commit Michael Mayer is up to 51st in the 247 Composite while Kevin Bauman is a solid four star at 250th. Just need to survive through Kmet’s absence and things should be okay moving forward.)

Wide receiver – A real “Tale of Two Cities”-type situation here. In the best of times section, beat writers are now openly comparing Chase Claypool to Michael Floyd after the Canadian has dominated all camp and Chris Finke is still doing Chris Finke Things, which is a high compliment. (Finke has also been named a captain.) Unfortunately, the guy who’d been impressing and set to start alongside the seniors, Michael Young, went down on Saturday with a broken collarbone. (I love finding out there are new college football elder gods that Notre Dame can offend. Who knew there was a vengeful deity focused solely on the clavicle?) Kevin Austin, the blue chippy sophomore, is still set for some kind of suspension that will keep him out for an indeterminate amount of games. On the bright side, there are a slow of sophomores — led by Lawrence Keys, but also including Braden Lenzy and Joe Wilkins, Jr. — who’ve earned some praise. (When Young went down, it was Keys who took his place with the starters.) Senior Javon McKinley has also shown flashes at times and there’s pedigree (114th in the composite) if experience and health are where they need to be.

Runningback – It seems like Jafar Armstrong has come in below some of the Theo Riddick-esque offseason expectations but is still playing well while Tony Jones, Jr. is on the rise, marking the potential for a timeshare at the top of the depth chart. Everyone is speaking very highly of Kyren Williams, the Doug Martin-esque freshman who’s also a threat in the passing game. Jahmir Smith is powering through a broken hand to provide depth. With the injuries to Kmet and Young, expect to see plenty of formations featuring two or more of these guys. Likely bet: This group is really productive but without the home run ability of a Dexter Williams or Josh Adams. If they start ripping off big plays, this offense could be elite.

Offensive line – Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem haven’t maimed anyone yet, which I count as a positive. A number of the starters have earned various accolades this summer, with Tommy Kraemer showing up as a first-team All-American guard on some lists, Liam Eichenberg being listed as the fourth best left tackle in The Athletic’s draft analysis and Pro Football Focus loving them some Robert Hainsey, who was named a captain. Depth could be an issue here for this year only if these guys start to get banged up — the top two reserves are Josh Lugg, the four-star junior, and fifth-year senior Trevor Ruhland, who was considered a potential medical retirement a few months ago — but the starting five should make strides over last year when they were solid in pass protection but struggled in the run game. For all of our mental and emotional health, it would be nice if these young men were blowing holes in the defensive fronts of Louisville and New Mexico to start the season.

Defensive line – Well, Okwara looks like he might be a top ten pick, so that’s good. There is an absurd amount of depth at defensive end, as we’d probably be cool with Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji starting on most of the Irish teams of the 21st century and then there are the deeper reserves: Justin Ademilola, Ovie Oghoufo, Jamir Jones, incoming freshman Isaiah Foskey. On the interior, we had concern most of the offseason about depth but so far so good as MTA, Kurt Hinish and Jayson Ademilola are healthy while Jacob Lacey is looking the part of a freshman who can take snaps. For bonus points inside, freshman Howard Cross looks like he might be able to pitch in a bit as well as we wait for Ja’Mion Franklin and Hunter Spears to work their way to full health later in the season. Also, as far as interior line depth goes, there are going to be a lot of passing downs where one (or maybe two!?) of the defensive ends move inside to help soak up some snaps. If you want to feel good about this team, you should feel that way because of this group and the two captains leading the charge in Okwara and Kareem.

Linebacker – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has excelled at rover so we needn’t worry about that.* There are still questions at linebacker but it’s starting to look like the answer at beginning of the season will be Asmar Bilal (who started at rover last year) and Drew White opening games with Shayne Simon and Jack Lamb behind them (Lamb has earned raves for his pass defense so expect to see him in nickel situations). I still contend linebacker is not going to be a problem this year and am somewhat confused by the people who predicted that Notre Dame would have different linebacker combinations over the course of the season but were also worried that there was a lot of experimenting in the opening weeks of camp.

* Report Style Guide Update: I think from this point on it’s going to be JOK on first reference and Wu on second reference. If he has the season (and future seasons) we now expect there are going to be a lot of references so we might as well get familiar.

Safety – Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott are still really good and now both captains while incoming freshman Kyle Hamilton has perhaps exceeded his five-star billing so far. After that? Well, Derrik Allen transferred to Georgia Tech and D.J. Brown moved over from corner and has been banged up but fifth-year senior Shaun Crawford has been cross-training at the position and looking good, although concerns will linger about his ability to avoid injury all season. In summation: Tremendous at the top but potentially perilous descent should injuries occur.

Corner – Not bad! Troy Pride is getting beasted on by Claypool but that’s going to happen to everybody this season. Sophomore TaRiq Bracy is making strides after an up-and-down freshman campaign while Donte Vaughn has been playing well but needs to stay healthy. Freshman K.J. Wallace is doing some nice work while Crawford can also put some reps in here if his legs hold up. Hadn’t heard much from Houston Griffith until he returned from injury Saturday and then worked with the starters on Monday, which seems like a positive development. Walk-on Temitope Agoro, who you might remember from shining a little in the Blue-Gold Game, could get in the rotation here. There’s a lot of “Probably…?” here but not much in the way of sure things outside Pride.

Specialists – Jonathan Doerer has been solid on field goals as of late and Jay Bramblett is getting hang time on his punts. We will see how they do in live action when the stakes are a bit higher.

So, looking at all of that I have a couple of questions: a) What is the ceiling of a defense that is elite at defensive end and safety but somewhere between fine-to-good everywhere else and b) What’s the ceiling of an offense where everything is solid but perhaps nothing is elite? Now there is a chance that I’m underselling a lot of the team with those questions (Book, Claypool, Wu, MTA, Pride and parts or the entirety of the offensive line could all be great, for example) but if I’m not then we will find out what happens when you put a team with a high floor but potentially limited ceiling into a schedule with three tough road games and three home games against teams that could end up in the top 20.

~

If you aren’t subscribed to the Report podcast I think you should try it because we’ve really had some very cool and smart people as guests over the last couple weeks. Among the voices and topics you will get to hear, in reverse chronological order:

* Jess Smetana of Sports Illustrated on one final tribute to last season’s 12-1 run before turning our attention to our hopes and fears for the 2019 season. (This one went live Tuesday morning so is fresh off the audio content truck.)

* Andrew Smith and Alex Herrmann of Notre Dame Our Blogger dot com broke down all twelve opponents the Irish are set to face this fall.

* Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic talked about surviving in a Clemson/Bama world and how blue bloods are attempting to keep the stands full on Saturdays. Matt and I also talk the future of the secondary, general camp thoughts and “Hobbs & Shaw.”

* Carter Karels of the South Bend Tribune on Cole Kmet’s injury (which occurred a few hours before we recorded) and his general thoughts after attending the first few practices available to the media.

Listen on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. (I use Pocket Casts on my Android and it shows up there.)

~

In previous years I would do a run through of how Notre Dame could defeat or fall victim to every team on the schedule. I’m not sure how necessary that is after 2016 because I think you all can now visualize things breaking bad while after 2012 and 2018 I hope you have the joy in your hearts to imagine everything going right.

However, I do think it’s worth going through the schedule so folks have an idea of what to expect. This is condensed and edited from the end of the podcast episode with the Notre Dame Our Blogger gentlemen and I highly recommend listening to that in full, but if you’re pressed for time, here are the Irish’s 2019 opponents broken down by tier.

TIER 1

@ Georgia – The Bulldogs might have the best left tackle, running back and kicker in the nation. They sport a Kirby Smart defense loaded with elite prospects projected to be near the top of the S&P+. They lost all their receivers but the guys they replaced them with are five-star recruits and they’re being thrown to by likely first-round pick Jake Fromm. Also, it’s a night game on the road, the biggest home contest of Smart’s tenure.

But other than that, not much to worry about.

TIER 2

@ Michigan – The hype for the Wolverines as a potential Big Ten title and playoff contender is based on two theories. The first is that the offense, which returns Shea Patterson, most of his receivers and most of the offensive line will take a big leap under new coordinator Josh Gattis, who’s never called plays before and will have Jim Harbaugh over his shoulder. The second is that the defense will continue to be great under Don Brown despite losing the engines of that unit (Chase Winovich and Devin Bush) and giving up 103 points in the last two games of last season because they can’t defend crossing routes.

On the positive side, Michigan travels to Happy Valley the week before they host the Irish. On the negative, Notre Dame is 1-7 in their last eight trips to Ann Arbor.

@ Stanford – Some smart football people tell me not to worry about this game because the Cardinal have depth issues and the Irish potentially broke them in the fourth quarter of last year’s game but I will believe Brian Kelly can win in Palo Alto when Brian Kelly wins in Palo Alto. They have potential stars at left tackle (Walker Little), quarterback (K.J. Costello) and corner (Paulson Adebo) along with O Street and a bunch of tall guys to serve as targets for Costello. Notre Dame hasn’t won their regular season finale in consecutive years since 2000-2001 and that was only because the Purude game got rescheduled to December because of 9/11. (They lost the scheduled finale in Palo Alto to Ty Willingham.) You can make the case this should be down a tier but due to the psychological abuse this series has caused I’m keeping it here.

TIER 3

Virginia – Remember how annoying those old Bronco Mendenhall BYU teams were to play? Well guess what it’s that kind of defense combined with a legit dual threat quarterback in Bryce Perkins, who a few ACC writers actually picked over Trevor Lawrence to finish as their league’s Player of the Year. The Cavaliers are projected to win the Coastal Division and this game being the week after Georgia is just a perfect nightmare storm.

Southern Cal – Well, on the one hand, they have all kinds of talent (particularly at receiver with A Street and Tyler Vaughns, as we saw last year) and a hip new offensive coordinator in Graham Harrell to attempt to utilize it. On the other hand, their schedule is a ton of coin flip games and while they could be 5-1 coming to South Bend off a bye they also might have an interim head coach for the third time in the last four trips and be in total disarray. Thankfully the Irish have this wedged between a functional bye and a real bye.

Virginia Tech – The Hokies bring many people back from last season’s youthful disappointment. Some folks might suggest this go down a tier but between this being defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s farewell tour and my general belief (despite some mounting evidence to the contrary…) that Justin Fuente is a good coach I will retain concern. If they can win a trip to Miami there’s a decent chance they’re 7-0 when they come to South Bend, off a bye, seven days after Notre Dame’s Michigan trip. A potentially dangerous cocktail.

TIER 4

@ Duke – You wouldn’t think a David Cutcliffe team would be led by its defense but that will be the case here. The offense has to replace Daniel Jones and almost every receiver of note, but at least we’ll know whether they have figured that out or not by the time Notre Dame travels to Durham, where the Blue Devils are coming off a bye.

Boston College – On one hand, it’s the Eagles, with star tailback A.J. Dillon coming off a bye (surprise!) to attempt to ruin someone else’s senior day, the sort of thing this program which doesn’t have the juice to serve as its own protagonist must do in order to justify its existence in the college football world. On the other, this team wins seven games every year, lost a bunch off last year’s team and has been knocked around for most of the Kelly Era.

TIER 5

@ Louisville – The Cardinals will be hyped up for the debut of new coach Scott Satterfield, who actually likes his players, a jarring reversal from the previous administration. But there is a talent deficit and I assume an early Irish surge will be able to shake the faith of all involved. Still, a road night game against a team that won eight games in 2017, so it could prove it belongs a tier higher if things are still dicey midway through the third quarter.

Navy – The Midshipmen are always annoying but they were 3-10 last year and it looks like things are starting to fall apart for Kenny N in Annapolis as he is going to attempt to diversify his offense, an act of either innovation or desperation. They’re also, surprise, coming off a bye. (Well, two byes if you consider they play Randy Edsall’s UConn before their off week.)

TIER 6

New Mexico – How is Bob Davie still coaching this team, which has gone 3-9 the last two seasons? They’re also going to try and incorporate more passing into the offense. Good luck!

Bowling Green – Brian VanGorder is the defensive coordinator.

~

I believe that is it. If you’re wondering where our annual Freshman Orientation podcasts are with Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily, fear not: They’ll be dropping at the end of next week after Jamie gets done scouting the new guys in person. Barring news of either the unbelievably good or bad variety, there will probably be one more edition between now and kickoff in Louisville. In the meantime, here’s the link to the Rakes store and here’s another plug for the pod.

Go Irish, Beat Cardinals. Getting to be about that time.

 

[Domina Nostra]

FIFY

Much obliged. I hate to sound like a sore loser, but when the custom made suit fits...

 

[KizerWilhelm]

(Book was also named a captain, the first quarterback to receive that honor since Jimmy Clausen in 2009.)

Well, teeeeeechnically...

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Bowling Green: Brian VanGorder is the defensive coordinator

I lol'd.

What a good read, thanks for sharing.

 

[stlnd01]

Better yet, try to convince the other 120 coaches in college football that you can win the big game without elite talent! Go look at the last 20 NCs. The either have an all-world QB like Deshawn Watson or Vince Young, an insane defense, or both. No exceptions.

But I didn't say every coach with good talent wins, or that character and development and evaluation don't matter. I said the talent is what separates the good coaches. It's why over multiple 12 game seasons, certain coaches average 11-12 wins, and some average 9-10 wins. Some coaches are clearly better than others, but you need elite talent to win.

Saban would not be winning NCs every year without top shelf talent. he is not out scheming anyone. He is not "caoching up" project players. He is taking guys like Rolando McLain and Julio Jones and getting them to do what they do. Like Kelly has done with Eifert and Fuller and Q Nelson. His record at MSU was not in any way superior or materially different than Dantonio's. His record at LSU was not different than Les Miles. Most year he lost big games against higher-ranked opponents, and beat up on lower ranked opponents. Somehow, when he got to Alabama, the floodgates opened and never closed. To the degree that they aren't cheating, that is certainly to his credit. He's a great coach.

Fair. I’d agree a good coach can take a B program to a B+, maybe even an A-. Like what, say, Matt Campbell has done at Iowa State, or Babers is doing at Syracuse. To win a title, you need a good coach at an A- (or higher) program. Like Saban or Dabo.
But all the talent in the world doesn’t matter if you have the wrong coach. Like USC lately.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Fair. I’d agree a good coach can take a B program to a B+, maybe even an A-. Like what, say, Matt Campbell has done at Iowa State, or Babers is doing at Syracuse. To win a title, you need a good coach at an A- (or higher) program. Like Saban or Dabo.
But all the talent in the world doesn’t matter if you have the wrong coach. Like USC lately.

Exactly. The wrong coach can kill you. The right coach can get a talented team over the top.

IMO, HH's a great, great coach whose strength is getting NFL-level talent to play the game the right way. My point is only that he got too much blame when the o-line looked mediocre, and may also get too much credit when Q Nelson mauled DEs, or Stanley and Martin gave up 0 zacks per year.

Quinn's first line, IMO, did not regress so much it was clearly outside 2013-2017 ND standards.

 

[irishtrain]

Better yet, try to convince the other 120 coaches in college football that you can win the big game without elite talent! Go look at the last 20 NCs. The either have an all-world QB like Deshawn Watson or Vince Young, an insane defense, or both. No exceptions.

But I didn't say every coach with good talent wins, or that character and development and evaluation don't matter. I said the talent is what separates the good coaches. It's why over multiple 12 game seasons, certain coaches average 11-12 wins, and some average 9-10 wins. Some coaches are clearly better than others, but you need elite talent to win.

Saban would not be winning NCs every year without top shelf talent. he is not out scheming anyone. He is not "caoching up" project players. He is taking guys like Rolando McLain and Julio Jones and getting them to do what they do. Like Kelly has done with Eifert and Fuller and Q Nelson. His record at MSU was not in any way superior or materially different than Dantonio's. His record at LSU was not different than Les Miles. Most year he lost big games against higher-ranked opponents, and beat up on lower ranked opponents. Somehow, when he got to Alabama, the floodgates opened and never closed. To the degree that they aren't cheating, that is certainly to his credit. He's a great coach.

Very good coach yes-great coach not in my opinion-the real hero is Ala adm desiring football capitol and making him the instrument of their desires-he would never win a National Championship at Notre Dame under the present culture-a culture based much differently and correctly in my opinion than where he s at. He s playing pro football at Ala. Ditto for Jabbo/Dabbo.

 

[Irish#1]

Pretty good article from indystar.com

https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...defense-captains-2019-brian-kelly/1986959001/

SOUTH BEND – Jalen Elliott has been around long enough to remember when the “safety” position was a misnomer at Notre Dame.

It wasn’t just the lack of interceptions that caused this widespread concern in 2016 and 2017, Elliott’s first two years on campus. It was the number of big plays down the middle of the field, the kind of plays safeties are supposed to prevent.

“We definitely took that personal,” Elliott says. “We were tired of the days where it was like, ‘All right, we got to get to the quarterback up front because we know our back end isn’t going to do it.’"

A team-leading four interceptions last season increased Elliott’s national profile and vaulted the senior into a leadership role that was formalized with his recent selection as one of seven team captains.

Joining him in that distinction is fellow safety and close friend Alohi Gilman, who enjoyed a two-pick game in last year’s win over Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and added a 19-tackle performance in the Cotton Bowl loss to Clemson.

“Having two captains in the room is just unbelievable,” Elliott says. “It’s an unbelievable honor, but our work is just beginning. We have to continue to push.”

Gilman, a fourth-year junior who transferred after one season at Navy, has been paired with Elliott for just 13 games. But in that time their bond has become strong enough they joked about rejecting the captaincy if the other couldn’t share in the experience.

“Jalen said the same thing, ‘If I didn’t get captain, he’s not going to get captain,’“ Gilman says. “He would decline it or whatever. We love being out there with each other. It’s good to see my brother next to me.”

TOP BILLING
Gaze across the Power 5 landscape, and you’ll find some impressive safety combinations.

In Xavier McKinney and Shyheim Carter, Alabama has two of the top four NFL draft prospects at the position, according to WalterFootball.com. That same site lists Ohio State’s Shaun Wade (No. 5) and Jordan Fuller (No. 12) among the most draftable safeties next spring, although Wade has split time at slot corner.

In Khaleke Hudson (No. 6) and Josh Metellus (No. 20), Michigan seemingly has a pair of future pros at safety as well. Elliott and Gilman clock in at Nos. 13 and 16, respectively, on the highly subjective rankings.

Ask the Notre Dame teammates if there’s a better safety combo in the country, and they won’t hesitate.

“I don’t think so,” says Gilman, who missed all of spring practice with a hip strain. “Having a year of experience has been a huge factor in how we play and how we anticipate. Being able to build on that is the biggest thing going from here. We’re just continuing to evolve and get better.”

Elliott says he believes the Fighting Irish safety combo is the nation’s best.

“We have a great chemistry,” he says. “We have a great coaching staff that puts us in the right positions, and then our love for each other and our competitiveness to make a play allows us to go out and just compete. Not against the other team but against each other. We’re trying to go make plays for each other and against each other.”

Communication on ninth-ranked Notre Dame’s last line of defense has reached the point where a simple nod or a single word means everything.


Those able to view a Notre Dame practice from close range will hear the unmistakable sounds of Elliott’s rasp and Gilman’s chirp as each play unfolds. “Oh, it’s on point,” Gilman says. “Every little thing. We’re communicating constantly: pre-snap, post-snap, after the play, on the sideline, in the dorm room, anywhere. It’s huge. If you want to be good tandem, a good secondary, a good team in general, you’ve got to have that. That’s the biggest thing.”

“Talking,” Elliott says. “Got to talk. I think it’s being comfortable in the system and being comfortable with who you’re playing with; knowing that, when I get a bump call from ‘Lo, ‘OK, I can fall off because I know he’s going to be there.’"

All secondaries talk, but there’s a fine line between jibber-jabber and effective communication.

“We’re just making sure it’s a lot of communication but it’s not nonsense,” Elliott says. “It’s not a lot of communication for nothing. We’re making sure that we’re talking about the right things and really just putting ourselves in the right position.”

Even during the spring, which Gilman compared to his redshirt season in terms of frustration, the two interchangeable starting safeties made sure to sit down together and talk their way through film sessions. Passing game coordinator Terry Joseph, who coaches the safeties as well, would leave the room and allow his two foremost technicians to weave their way through challenges that were still months away from becoming reality.

“It definitely helps us because we kind of see it from each other’s perspective,” Elliott says. “He’ll watch me, and I’ll watch him. We play both positions (strong and free safety), so we’ll see it and we’ll say, ‘Hey, we could have shot that faster’ or ‘Hey, your eyes got bad here. Make sure when you see that, you go.’"

Such sessions might only last a few minutes between classes or they could stretch on for hours.

“It’s constructive criticism and it’s what we need to get better in our room,” Elliott says. “The guy is such a competitor. It helps our room. When he competes, we all compete.”

PASSION AND CONSCIENCE
Gilman’s ability to galvanize showed itself again last month when he convinced the entire football team to join a social media protest he endorsed back home in Hawaii.

A team picture was taken at the LaBar Practice Complex in which the Fighting Irish flashed the hand symbol for Mauna Kea, the dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii where construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope has sparked a long-running controversy.

Opponents say Mauna Kea is sacred ground. Its peak is 4,207 meters among sea level, marking the highest point in the state. Measured from its underwater base, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world.

A deal was brokered this week between state authorities and protesters who had blocked astronomers from accessing the $1.4 billion TMT project, which broke ground in 2014 on the largest telescope in the Northern Hemisphere.

“I’m a passionate player,” Gilman says. “To see (teammates) ignite the same passion I have for my culture and be able to share the same love I have for my culture as well as others around me, that’s the biggest thing. It encompasses who we are as a team.”

Irish players held up a Hawaiian flag in the photo as well as a sign with the rallying cry of Ku Kia’I Mauna, which means “guardians of the mountain” in Hawaiian.

Alohi Gilman
✔
@alohigilman
If you understand pain you will always fight for what’s right! Grateful for my brothers here at ND for standing with me in this fight to protect Mauna Kea and Hawaiian Culture! A’ole TMT! Ku Kia’i Mauna!#LoveFromND #alohaaina #StandwithMe

“For me, I’m (of) Hawaiian descent, that land is special to me and my people,” Gilman says. “That’s a way to set a ground of where we come from because that’s important to us. I put together that movement and that support system here.

“That Instagram photo was just to educate people and educate people of my culture about what’s going on in the world and show my love for my culture, what it means to me and whatever I can do to show that to others.” Gilman says his parents and two of his older sisters traveled to Mauna Kea from their home on Oahu to participate in protests for a day or two.

“They’ve come back with a soft heart, being able to learn from that experience,” he says. “That was cool to see. I’ve obviously learned from those experiences and learned from what they’ve shared with me. It’s just about being able to represent us as Hawaiians and protect (Mauna Kea).”

'PEOPLE HEAR HIM'
With the season opener at Louisville less than three weeks away, Gilman’s full attention is on football and fulfilling his captain’s responsibilities.

A group that includes quarterback Ian Book, wide receiver Chris Finke, offensive tackle Robert Hainsey and defensive ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara is in some ways capped off by the fiery and reliable safety combo of Gilman and Elliott.

“We both are leaders in different ways,” Gilman says. “Jalen’s a loud guy. He pops off. People hear him a lot. You notice him. I’m kind of the quiet guy. I lead by example. Passionate guy, fiery when I step on the field, but it’s a good combination.”

Elliott, who played quarterback at Bird High School in Richmond, Va., came to his leadership naturally.

“I feel like I’ve always been a vocal leader,” he says. “I always say safety is like the quarterback of the defense. So being able to elaborate on what I wanted to say and being able to put guys in right places is something I did at quarterback and I think it translated to safety.”

Now his ever-hoarse voice must carry beyond the positional meeting room. “As far as talking in front of the team, I feel that’s something that has to be earned,” Elliott says. “I feel like the guys have come to me and said I’ve earned that. To just continue to make sure I earn that is going to be big for me.”

Irish coach Brian Kelly likes to tell the story of a defensive meeting on the Friday night before last year’s pivotal home win over Stanford. Defensive coordinator Clark Lea went around the room quizzing his players on various assignments, and it was Elliott who stepped in at one point and corrected one of the defensive tackles. Sure enough, Elliott broke down his teammate’s responsibility with intricate detail.

“It’s amazing, his depth of knowledge of our entire defense,” Kelly says. “We had two mistakes that led to scores (against Stanford), and he was trying to get them fixed while they were occurring. He’s got a strong mental game because he’s a high-strung person, very energetic person by nature. We love him as part of our defense.” And now, along with Gilman, as one of the leaders of the team.

Follow Notre Dame Insider Mike Berardino on Twitter @MikeBerardino. His email is mberardino@gannett.com.

 

[Irish#1]

From indystar.com

Weekend with the Mannings could push Notre Dame's Ian Book to the next level

CULVER – As an aspiring quarterback growing up in northern California, Ian Book had heard for years about the Manning Passing Academy.

Five weeks ago, in the blazing summer heat at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., Book found himself among three dozen college quarterbacks invited to participate as camp counselors. That meant working with some of the nation’s most promising high school quarterbacks.

For Notre Dame’s redshirt junior quarterback, it also meant swapping three days’ worth of greetings and stories with family patriarch Archie Manning and his Super Bowl-winning sons, Peyton and Eli, along with contemporaries across the land.

“It was an awesome experience,” Book says. “I really enjoyed it. The Manning family is such a great family to take the time and really mentor all of us for those three days.”

The wonder in Book’s voice remains as he recounts his Louisiana weekend after the first day of fall mini-camp for the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish. As humbling as the whole experience was, Book couldn’t help but feel a measure of validation as well.

Nowhere was that emotional mixture more evident than during the 90-minute classroom session those 35 college quarterbacks spent with Peyton Manning.

“You can’t really ask for anything more as a quarterback,” Book says.

Highlights? “Gosh, he said a lot,” Book says. “I wrote down everything he said.”

While many in the room sat wide-eyed and rapt in the presence of a future Hall of Famer, Book felt comfortable enough to venture a question to the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos great. “I was actually able to ask him a question,” Book says. “I remember asking him if he had any mentors or anybody he looked up to when he was going through the league and in college that might have maybe given him some pointers.”

Not surprisingly, Manning mentioned his family first.

“I think he might have had the best mentorship,” Book says. “He had a father who was pretty talented as well and some great coaches; that was his answer. It was good to hear that and just to get some pointers.”

As Manning, 43, shared some of the secrets that helped him pass for nearly 72,000 yards and 539 touchdowns in his 17 NFL seasons, he flashed plenty of the trademark sense of humor that made him such an endearing teammate and TV pitchman.

He also pulled back the curtain on a typical day in the life of an NFL quarterback. A dedicated watcher of game film in his own right, Book came away amazed by the level of preparation that drove Manning to the top of his profession.

“His work ethic is unbelievable,” Book says. “That’s what I took from it. To see what he does, he’s always studying. He knew what the defense was doing before he even got out there on Sundays. I think everyone knows that’s why he was such a good quarterback.”

Book shook his head. “Just to be able to hear from him, it was a pretty special moment,” Book says. “That whole entire family (was great), honestly -- Eli as well. I hope to get back there. It was awesome. I really had a good time.”

'They knew who I was'
It took Book 10 college starts to suffer his first loss at Notre Dame, a 30-3 defeat to eventual national champion Clemson in last year’s national semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

Along the way Book broke Jimmy Clausen’s school record for completion percentage.

Peyton Manning replaced Todd Helton as Tennessee’s starting quarterback five games into his freshman season, but it took Manning only three starts to suffer his first loss: 17-13 at home to Alabama.

Archie Manning’s first college loss came four weeks into his Ole Miss career -- on the road at Georgia by two touchdowns. That was way back in 1968 but venturing between the hedges at Sanford Stadium hasn’t gotten much easier in the ensuing half century.

Next month, Book will get to experience it for himself as the Irish visit the third-ranked Bulldogs in prime time. In the meantime, he might use 70-year-old Archie’s cell number to text a question or two in the event he’d like to pick one of those famed Manning football brains on the subject.

“I definitely have numbers with Archie Manning; he’s the one who invited me to camp,” Book says. “They always said, ‘Reach out if you’ve got any questions. It was cool to go there and have them say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ before you even knew anything.”

Southern Hospitality is one thing. Manning Hospitality, it turns out, is an even sweeter deal. “They knew I was coming,” Book says. “They knew who I was. That meant a lot. They also taught me a lot, even actually some drills.”

Going through those drills with three dozen college quarterbacks, all of them trying to reach the elite level as well, gave Book another batch of memories and validation. His dorm roommates were USC’s JT Daniels, Stanford’s K.J. Costello and Hunter Johnson, the Clemson transfer now at Northwestern.

Book beat all three of those schools last year while guiding the Irish to a 12-0 regular season. Johnson was sitting out his transfer year, but Book got the best of Daniels and Costello and will see those two again this fall.

“We’re all in the same position, so to be in the same room with them, that’s the coolest part,” Book says. “It was great being able to talk to them and just being able to chew their ears off a little bit and see we’re all doing the same thing, just at different places.”

Hang with anybody
Seemingly a lock to be named among Notre Dame’s 2019 captains when those are announced as soon as this weekend, Book has left a strong impression on his teammates and coaches throughout the offseason.

Irish coach Brian Kelly has noted Book’s leadership skills and increased willingness to be more vocal when the situation warrants it. Kelly also suggested the chance to attend the Manning Passing Academy could only increase the confidence Book carries with him, on and off the field.

“I think just exposure amongst elite players,” Kelly says. “I think you come back, and there's kind of a self-realization that, ‘I'm pretty good. I can hang with anybody in the country, and I've got to do these things as well.’ “

Going back to the start of the offseason, which began with predecessor Brandon Wimbush’s move to Central Florida as a graduate transfer, Book has put in the necessary work to build on his gains of last season.

He worked with strength coach Matt Balis to pack another eight to 10 pounds onto his 6-foot frame. “I took pride in wanting to gain some weight,” Book says. “I feel a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger this offseason. I feel good about it. I feel strong. Hat’s off to coach Balis for that one.”

Book also hunkered down in the film room with quarterbacks coach Tom Rees and offensive coordinator Chip Long and threw thousands of passes on the practice field to a youthful receiving corps that no longer includes security blanket Miles Boykin.

Rather than feel critiqued by Long’s insistence he work the ball downfield more, Book tweaked his game and sharpened his footwork to make that possible. That included his time in Thibodaux.

“The great thing about it is being aware – self-awareness,” Kelly says. “He came back, and he knows the things that he needs to work on, but he also knows the things that he's really good at. When you're exposed to elite players, that's always a positive thing journalism and get unlimited digital access today!.”

Having launched himself into the national conversation with a 2018 season that saw him take over for Wimbush in Week 4, Book is determined to make sure “the ceiling is the floor” this fall. Not just for himself, but for a program that has gone 22-4 the past two seasons.

“We made it to the playoffs,” Book says. “We know what that feels like, but we didn’t win in the playoffs. Now we know what it takes to get there. It’s time to get there and actually win it this time. Everyone on the team understands that.”

If that sounds like an experienced leader talking, well, there’s a good reason for that. “This is the first time where he’s been the guy at camp,” wide receiver Chris Finke says. “I think you can really see the confidence in some of the throws he’s making and just the way he’s handled himself.”

And should any of those inevitable hurdles pop up along the way, Book knows he can always Text-A-Manning to get the answers he needs.

 

[Irish YJ]

Good stuff #1. thanks for sharing and reps
Really hope he got some pointers on the deep ball from PM.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Today is media day, fyi.

 

[BabyIrish]

https://247sports.com/college/notre...ame-They-Should-Win-10-If-Not-More-134601481/

Interesting note in here from BQ, prior to Saturday's open practice, he was told by a coach that Hamilton had 13 INT's heading into Saturday with 2 more making it 15. If so, that is some insane production.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

https://247sports.com/college/notre...ame-They-Should-Win-10-If-Not-More-134601481/

Interesting note in here from BQ, prior to Saturday's open practice, he was told by a coach that Hamilton had 13 INT's heading into Saturday with 2 more making it 15. If so, that is some insane production.

Yeah, I don't think we've seen anything like this. Assuming he doesn't get injured, he should see at least 300-400 snaps this season. That is too much production to be on the sidelines.

It's hard to not let expectations sore with a guy like this. Even though we love our hidden gems, more high character 5 stars please.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It's hard to not let expectations sore with a guy like this. Even though we love our hidden gems, more high character 5 stars please.

My expectations are already agonizing.

The single season interception record was set by Louisville's Gerod Holliman at 14 a few years ago. Yet Hamilton has already broken that before the start of the 2019 season. At this point, I'm wondering if opposing QBs will throw a single pass that doesn't get intercepted by Kyle.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

My expectations are already agonizing.

The single season interception record was set by Louisville's Gerod Holliman at 14 a few years ago. Yet Hamilton has already broken that before the start of the 2019 season. At this point, I'm wondering if opposing QBs will throw a single pass that doesn't get intercepted by Kyle.

Lol, good catch. Soar with the eagles and leave the other guys sore with resentment.

Hamilton is seriously being touted more than any other freshman I can remember. This includes Aaron Lynch, Te'o, Tuitt, etc.

None have had this high of expectations openly published by media and staff alike.

 

[Irish#1]

Yeah, I don't think we've seen anything like this. Assuming he doesn't get injured, he should see at least 300-400 snaps this season. That is too much production to be on the sidelines.

It's hard to not let expectations sore with a guy like this. Even though we love our hidden gems, more high character 5 stars please.

Let's hope he remembers his lines once he steps on the big stage.

 

[arrowryan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Walking out of Notre Dame’s final open practice. Not much to take away other than this:<br><br>That difference-making quarterback that Notre Dame needs in Ian Book? That guy showed up today. He was absolutely dealing.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1164219789977501698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irish YJ]

Let's hope he remembers his lines once he steps on the big stage.

Heard he left practice today. Jerry Jones' private plane was there to fly him to Big D to help arbitrate the Zeke situation. Stopping off in KY on the way back to advise the President on foreign trade policy. Will be back in time though for practice tomorrow.