General team info

[PANDFAN]

Not sure I agree that the O-line will be better, we just had two guys picked in the first and second round.

well big mike actually graded out better than stanley last year....mustipher seems to be legit...martin had suspect play at times so i think it is def possible

 

[PANDFAN]

I like this. Who's saying it?

Also, I owe Sharpley an apology about Stanley.

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check the title of my post

 

[zelezo vlk]

check the title of my post

Sorry. Doesn't show up on Tapatalk. I'll check it later.

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[PANDFAN]

Sorry. Doesn't show up on Tapatalk. I'll check it later.

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no prob...2 sources from inside the gug that wiltfong spoke to

 

[NDPhilly]

Dexter is our most physically talented RB. Hope he gets a good amount of carries.

 

[zelezo vlk]

no prob...2 sources from inside the gug that wiltfong spoke to

Thanks. Will rep later when I'm off mobile.

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[koonja]

Dexter is our most physically talented RB. Hope he gets a good amount of carries.

I think he'll be better than Adams unless Adams really puts on size and keeps his speed. Adams probably understood the offense better as a true frosh and was more trusted. Dexter will probably gain that with the extra year.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Two things :

Dexter and Josh are opposite sides of the same coin. Both will be great, but something really special can happen with them playing together for the Irish.

The O-line has gotten better every year under Harry; and that is the point!
PA has it exactly right. If left tackle were given out every game by playing consistency and grade, Mike would have started every game past Virginia.

Obviously Stanly coming back trumped everything else. But just to keep it in perspective, Big Mike may be 0.3 seconds faster than Ronnie in the forty, is taller, with a longer reach, heavier, and certainly seems to be much meaner. The two at left tackle is kind of like deciding who is your favorite superhero!

The interior center and right is going to be the fastest, strongest and most athletic since Harry has been at South Bend.

 

[BobbyMac]

well big mike actually graded out better than stanley last year....mustipher seems to be legit...martin had suspect play at times so i think it is def possible

The O-line has gotten better every year under Harry; and that is the point!
PA has it exactly right. If left tackle were given out every game by playing consistency and grade, Mike would have started every game past Virginia.

To be fair, Stanley was lining up against better DE's than McG AND protecting Kizer's blind side. Two factors that made McG's job the easier task. That has to be entered into the metric.

 

[PANDFAN]

SI'S TOO EARLY TOP

SI'S TOO EARLY TOP

9
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

RECORD: 10–3
While much of the attention around Notre Dame focuses on the high-profile QB battle between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, both quarterbacks’ track records suggest whoever wins the competition will be up for the job. The biggest concerns for the Fighting Irish are the number of elite players they lose at other positions, like left tackle Ronnie Stanley, linebackers Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt and wide receiver Will Fuller. Notre Dame has the talent to offset those losses, but coach Brian Kelly must identify the right replacements and get them ready to fill some big shoes.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

9
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

RECORD: 10–3
While much of the attention around Notre Dame focuses on the high-profile QB battle between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, both quarterbacks’ track records suggest whoever wins the competition will be up for the job. The biggest concerns for the Fighting Irish are the number of elite players they lose at other positions, like left tackle Ronnie Stanley, linebackers Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt and wide receiver Will Fuller. Notre Dame has the talent to offset those losses, but coach Brian Kelly must identify the right replacements and get them ready to fill some big shoes.

Stanley - discussed enough. McGlinchey is a better but less experienced athlete. Which is saying a whole bunch.

Smith - Cannot replace as a player. Leadership, hopefully.

Joe Schmidt - Kidding me? And I think Morgan has actually developed a lunch bucket, mean mentality that will affect the defense (for the better) more than any player since Manti and and Kappy.

Will Fuller There is no replacement for this kind of productivity, but there are plenty of rounds in the magazine that have the potential for this kind of ceiling. Please note that three receivers all a little less than Will could wreak havoc in a new and unusual way for the Irish this fall, much like Fuller will with DeAndre Hopkins this fall in Houston!

 

[Whiskeyjack]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Via <a href="https://twitter.com/RedditCFB">@RedditCFB</a>, the highest concentration of Notre Dame fans in the country is in Cook County/Chicago. <a href="https://t.co/QGuNDvj4Bo">pic.twitter.com/QGuNDvj4Bo</a></p>— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJStankevitz/status/728636440473677825">May 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[ACamp1900]

My neck of the woods doesn't do that bad either... where the hell are all these supposed ND fans tho?? I NEVER see any

 

[GBdomer]

I use to live in Arlington heights in the burbs of Chicago and holy shit there is a lot of ND fans.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Lucas County shows Buckeyes, where Wood County shows BG Falcons; no love for the Rockets!

But there is a big current of Irish fans all across NWO.

What is that area in Southern Cali that shows Irish?

 

[calvegas04]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quick trip to Stadio Penzo in Venice, Italy for a Shamrock Series site visit.<br><br>Am I kidding? You be the judge. <a href="https://t.co/tnVDdxeEWt">pic.twitter.com/tnVDdxeEWt</a></p>— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrianKelly/status/729757814894252035">May 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[zelezo vlk]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quick trip to Stadio Penzo in Venice, Italy for a Shamrock Series site visit.<br><br>Am I kidding? You be the judge. <a href="https://t.co/tnVDdxeEWt">pic.twitter.com/tnVDdxeEWt</a></p>— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrianKelly/status/729757814894252035">May 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Yes. Put it in Milan or Rome before Venice.

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[NorthDakota]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quick trip to Stadio Penzo in Venice, Italy for a Shamrock Series site visit.<br><br>Am I kidding? You be the judge. <a href="https://t.co/tnVDdxeEWt">pic.twitter.com/tnVDdxeEWt</a></p>— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrianKelly/status/729757814894252035">May 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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0% chance. Capacity of 7500.

 

[ACamp1900]

0% chance. Capacity of 7500.

On top of that it's not even a nice 7,500 seat stadium...

 

[EddytoNow]

Lucas County shows Buckeyes, where Wood County shows BG Falcons; no love for the Rockets!

But there is a big current of Irish fans all across NWO.

What is that area in Southern Cali that shows Irish?

Although enrollment is down from what it was in the 1960's and 1970's, Northwest Ohio is home to several Catholic High Schools. A lot of locals grew up Notre Dame fans because of loyalty to the Catholic faith. There was a time when you had to take an entrance exam to get into one of the Catholic High Schools. If you didn't score high enough, you looked elsewhere.

Central Catholic, St. Francis de Sales, St. John's, Notre Dame, St. Ursula, Cardinal Stritch, and several others just outside of Toledo, including Fostoria St. Wendelin, Fremont St. Joseph, and Monroe St. Mary's Catholic Central. That's where almost all the Catholic kids went to high school. Many of today's Catholics continue to feed these schools, but tuition is so high that most Catholics are sending their kids to public schools and enrollment isn't what it used to be. When my son was in the 8th grade he wanted to go to St. John's High School to play basketball. Needless to say, he played for the local public high school in Southeast Michigan. Tuition at St. John's at that time was $10,000 per year. Four years later my son enrolled at Central Michigan University where tuition was then $11,000 per year.

The Catholic High Schools remained very competitive in athletics by giving out scholarships to local athletes based upon the family's financial needs. If you could play football or basketball at a high level, there was a financial need scholarship waiting to pay your tuition. However, if you had average athletic ability no scholarship was forthcoming. The Toledo City League was dominated for years by the Catholic High Schools. The Catholic Schools left the City League a few years back because the Public Schools were forced to make some cuts to athletics, primarily at the lower levels. The Catholic Schools joined with a few other suburban or non-Catholic schools to form a new league that would continue to offer athletics programs at the lower levels.

The bottom line is that allegiance to the University of Notre Dame is still pretty strong among those over 50 years old. This dates back to the days when large numbers of Catholics attended the Catholic High Schools. Younger generations tend to favor Ohio State or Michigan these days. However, Notre Dame supporters probably still make up the third largest contingent of Northwestern Ohio athletic fans.

 

[calvegas04]

What is that area in Southern Cali that shows Irish?

Orange County is strong with the Irish

 

[BobbyMac]

What is that area in Southern Cali that shows Irish?

The map above shows LA County.

Orange County is strong with the Irish

I'd have guessed OC has the highest % of Irish fans (in SoCal). You see so much ND gear on people when you're out and about. Catholic school football is such a huge part of the culture in OC and the demographic is right up ND's alley south of Anaheim.

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Notre Dame announces that both Michigan State and Stanford will be night games this fall <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereComeTheIrish?src=hash">#HereComeTheIrish</a></p>— Days to ND Football (@daystondfootbal) <a href="https://twitter.com/daystondfootbal/status/730791020800118785">May 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Because of the two home night games this fall, the Shamrock Series game vs. Army in San Antonio will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.</p>— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJStankevitz/status/730790513243127808">May 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[koonja]

Correct me if I'm wrong, 2 night games is new, correct? We had only been doing 1 the past 2 seasons?

 

[IrishLion]

Stanford game should've been noon. #BodyClock

 

[PANDFAN]

Correct me if I'm wrong, 2 night games is new, correct? We had only been doing 1 the past 2 seasons?

correct, they had previously only wanted to do 1 night game at HOME

 

[PANDFAN]

2017 not this season

2017 not this season

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Also notable, Notre Dame formalizes its ’17 schedule. Bye week after six games, which means two weeks to prepare for USC at home.</p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/730799337047883776">May 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[DomeX2 eNVy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Also notable, Notre Dame formalizes its ’17 schedule. Bye week after six games, which means two weeks to prepare for USC at home.</p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/730799337047883776">May 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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This excites me. There is not much I enjoy more than dominating USC.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Up for some pre-season hype? SBNation's Bill Connolly just published an excellent preview of our 2016 season. It includes lots of charts and tables, so I can't recreate the whole thing here; but I'll post a couple of my favorite parts:

1. Brian Kelly's best coaching job

Kelly's Fighting Irish suffered a little bit of bad turnovers luck, lost their starting running back in the first week of the season, lost their quarterback in the second week, and dealt with a secondary that was banged up all year. They were adapting on the fly, from fall camp through November.

But in the regular season, they lost only in the final minute, on the road, to the teams that finished second and third in the final AP poll.

That Clemson's Dabo Swinney won the AP's coach of the year award made sense -- he did, after all, lead the Tigers to the national title game. That Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Michigan State's Mark Dantonio, Houston's Tom Herman, and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops got more votes than Kelly was fine. They did great jobs.

Kelly deserved more votes than the one of 60 he received. His squad took on more adversity than almost any other and handled it with aplomb.

With a redshirt freshman at quarterback and a wide receiver at running back, Notre Dame ranked seventh in Off. S&P+. And while the defense ranked only 35th in Def. S&P+ -- even with injuries in the secondary, a unit with this recruiting should produce better results -- it still held nine opponents under 30 points, typically good enough when you've got a top-10 offense. And even with iffy defense, Notre Dame had one of the most consistent teams in the country, which is remarkable considering the youth at quarterback.

This was Kelly's best coaching job; this might have been Kelly's best team, even better than the one that made the 2012 BCS Championship. (S&P+ says 2012 was slightly better, but only slightly.)

So how does he follow up? Notre Dame returns just enough talent to talk yourself into the Fighting Irish but has just enough "ifs" to give you pause.

With two returning starters for one spot, they must figure out their quarterback situation. They must replace uniquely explosive weapons in receiver Will Fuller and running back C.J. Prosise. Though there's a world of potential on both lines, they must replace two particularly disruptive defenders and three OL starters who had combined for 106 career starts. And they must replace a guy who was, according to the Butkus Award voters, the best linebacker in the country.

Still, Notre Dame features more exciting sophomores and juniors than almost any team in the country: quarterbacks DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, running back Josh Adams, tight end Alizé Jones, safety Drue Tranquill, etc. If Kelly can keep his troops rallied, Notre Dame will have a serious shot at a Playoff bid, especially considering the schedule might ease up. And if the defense plays to its recruiting rankings, this team's ceiling is as high as anyone's outside of Tuscaloosa.

...

10. If they're successful in close games again...

...then Kelly's Irish will be a national title contender in 2016.

With only one projected top-15 opponent on the schedule, thanks to projected regression for Stanford and Michigan State, the Irish could follow last year's "only lose to top-10 teams" recipe into the Playoff.

Still, the home-road splits and a conservative No. 11 projection suggest this will be another season of heartburn and close games. Five Notre Dame contests are projected to finish with a one-possession margin.

There isn't a sure loss on the schedule. In fact, there's only one game in which Notre Dame has a worse than 59 percent chance of winning. But operating in close games will be critical. That means finding go-to receivers for the quarterback in times of need, continued quality from Yoon, and a defense that improves up front despite turnover and holds steady in the back despite freshmen on the two-deep.

All of the "ifs" are realistic, and while the defense still has plenty to prove, I'm not going to doubt Kelly after last year. If I had a poll vote -- and thank goodness I don't -- I would seriously consider Notre Dame in the preseason top five.

Read the whole thing if you have time.

 

[BobbyMac]

Up for some pre-season hype? SBNation's Bill Connolly just published an excellent preview of our 2016 season. It includes lots of charts and tables, so I can't recreate the whole thing here; but I'll post a couple of my favorite parts:



Read the whole thing if you have time.

I said back at the end of 2014 that 2017 was my target year for a NC. That was until last year when it became obvious that ND would be able to outscore anyone in the country with a team that has two top tier QB's that were going to get even better as they gained experience. Injury cannot derail what the Irish will do in '16, the NFL draft could not derail what ND will do next year because the schedule is lining up with the right teams at the right times - all have new QB's after losing longterm starters... 2016 is now the year.