General team info

[IrishFaninTX]

https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/Article/Whos-Next-Notre-Dame-And-The-2020-NFL-Draft-131607456/

This was a really good article but it's startling how much talent will be going to the NFL next season.

Two things immediately come to mind:

1. We really need to win a natty this year.

2. Our team better be good enough to blow out teams so we can get a lot of minutes for our young guys.

We could see 7-9 guys drafted next year, compared to 5 this past year. That would be the highest # of draftees under Kelly and would be competing for most from any school in that draft class.

Wow, my expectations are slowly growing for the season. Keep that koolaid away.

7 wouldn't be a stretch. We actually had 6 drafted this year (Tillery, Boykin, Love, Tranquill, Dexter, and Mack). But yeah the team will probably be pretty young in 2020.

 

[IrishFaninTX]

Hayes, Gilman, Elliott, Finke, Book were the others listed as possibilities with strong senior seasons. I fully expect Gilman to have a strong senior season, but with a good year for the rest of them, they could get drafted. Not saying that they will or even that it could be high, but they could be a 6th round pick.

Sidenote: of the article's top 4 prospects, I could see Okwara, Kareem, or Pride all being 1st round picks. Okwara has the best shot, but Kareem is a very good D lineman and they always have a chance. Pride is going to wreck the combine, which is always important for good corners (sorry Love).

I think Hayes could play his way into a draft pick. He has the measurables and would be a starter on most Power 5 teams. I'm expecting him to have a good season.

 

[IrishFaninTX]

I would add Jafar Armstrong to the list of possibles.

I was going to say that if Lance Taylor is as good as advertised, we might see guys like Jones and Armstrong take their games to another level. I really liked what I saw during the spring game

 

[Dizzyphil]

All four of the returning OLinemen are "close" now.

Watch.

O-Line = Foundation

"It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time" - David Allan Coe

Mike - how about these 'Trees' ????


Jarrett Patterson - 6'-5" -- 300 lbs.
Aaron Banks - 6'-6' -- 325 lbs.
Tommy Kramer - 6'-6" -- 319 lbs.
Liam Eichenberg - 6'-6" -- 309 lbs.
Robert Hainsey - 6'-5'" -- 300 lbs.
Josh Lugg - 6'-7" -- 310 lbs.
John Dirksen - 6'-5" 308 lbs.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Some of the heights might be a tiny touch off, but they are close. Coach Long was smiling all over when he talked about this size, saying it's where we have been trying to get to.

It's going to be interesting also to see if the entire bunch decides to play the following year as well --- I may well be wrong about this due to not paying real close attention, but I think that all of them would still have eligibility --- even Kraemer and Eichenberg.

If they are eligible and do play, no one in the country will have anything like it.

 

[IrishLion]

At the Spring Game, I was really surprised at how big Patterson is.

I anticipated that he would be a bit slim based on what he looked like as a senior in high school, but one year in the S&C program has already transformed that kid.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Some of the heights might be a tiny touch off, but they are close. Coach Long was smiling all over when he talked about this size, saying it's where we have been trying to get to.

It's going to be interesting also to see if the entire bunch decides to play the following year as well --- I may well be wrong about this due to not paying real close attention, but I think that all of them would still have eligibility --- even Kraemer and Eichenberg.

If they are eligible and do play, no one in the country will have anything like it.

My HS (circa 1982).... Basketball Coach wouldn't let the trainer measure us barefoot. And then he still added 1" to each of our heights...... Our point guard was truly 5' 5" barefoot



Listed in the gamebook as 5' 10"

 

[irishtrain]

I was at the spring game they look like Clydesdales and move like dancers they are the most impressive group on the field-and they are not fat.

 

[Dizzyphil]

I was at the spring game they look like Clydesdales and move like dancers they are the most impressive group on the field-and they are not fat.

You are among a few that have expressed (somewhat) the same idea about the O-Line I've heard. I hope the Irish own the trenches this year.



I really thought losing Heistand was going to put the Irish in a spiral but.......



Kudos to Quinn.


Anxious to see what Taylor does with the RBs

 

[NorthDakota]

My HS (circa 1982).... Basketball Coach wouldn't let the trainer measure us barefoot. And then he still added 1" to each of our heights...... Our point guard was truly 5' 5" barefoot



Listed in the gamebook as 5' 10"

According to our program for high school football I was 5' 11" and 170 lbs. My wrestling coach called my dad when he saw that to make sure it wasnt true.

Your boy was a cool 5' 9" 150 lbs. I dont like when coaches lie. You arent doing the kid any favors.

 

[rtrn2glory]

https://247sports.com/LongFormArtic...dictions-2019-schedule-131988132/#131988132_1

not a big fan of #10, but it's possible.

 

[Wingman Ray]

https://247sports.com/LongFormArtic...dictions-2019-schedule-131988132/#131988132_1

not a big fan of #10, but it's possible.

Man whoever wrote that article is either completely incompetent or drunk. Possibly both. Completely fishing

 

[KizerWilhelm]

https://247sports.com/LongFormArtic...dictions-2019-schedule-131988132/#131988132_1

not a big fan of #10, but it's possible.

9-3 wouldn't be much of a "flop" considering our Vegas O/U is sitting at 9.5. His "bold prediction" is that we'll do slightly worse than expected.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

The funny thing is that most "experts" didn't really seem too concerned about Boykin's departure until after he tested at the combine.

I still think Boykin leaving early can be a sort of "blessing in disguise." Not that we won't miss him or he isn't very talented because both those things are true. But he and Claypool are very similar in skill set, and I'm really excited to see what we can do with more speed on the outside.

 

[Irish#1]

9-3 wouldn't be much of a "flop" considering our Vegas O/U is sitting at 9.5. His "bold prediction" is that we'll do slightly worse than expected.

SI also had an article that was somewhat similar.

 

[fightingirish26]

As someone who's earliest ND memories involve Ty Willingham, I for one welcome these flop seasons of 9-3.

 

[IrishLax]

I'll honestly be shocked if we win more than 9 games. I think @Georgia is almost certainly an L. Then you have @Michigan, @Stanford, USC, and a bunch of mediocre teams... including 7 total games where our opponent is coming off an open date the week before.

There's a scenario where ND's offense is so good that the talent + leadership losses don't matter, but I'll believe that when I see it. Otherwise put me down for 9 wins.

 

[dad4aa]

I’m in for 10. Don’t think we will beat Georgia. We will either beat everyone we should and lose to scUM or we will beat scUM but have a let down game. Not sure which but I prefer the latter.

 

[IrishLion]

I'll honestly be shocked if we win more than 9 games. I think @Georgia is almost certainly an L. Then you have @Michigan, @Stanford, USC, and a bunch of mediocre teams... including 7 total games where our opponent is coming off an open date the week before.

There's a scenario where ND's offense is so good that the talent + leadership losses don't matter, but I'll believe that when I see it. Otherwise put me down for 9 wins.

9-3, but playing competitively in the losses and loading up on experience on the offensive side of the ball for '20, would be a success.

Not only is the schedule tougher, but it's also likely that ND's turnover luck in one-score games isn't as favorable as it was in '18.

 

[ThePiombino]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

 

[stpeteirish]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

Yeah really. Media seems to think Mich is almost unbeatable at home and there's nothing to support it.

And 9-3 is not a "flop". Are we even a preseason top 10 team? I've seen as many predictions in the 11-14 range as top ten.

 

[NorthDakota]

10 regular season wins. 11 total wins.

Close loss to UGA. Typical disappointment in Palo Alto

 

[IrishLion]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

I'm not, but for some reason everyone has them favored over ND, and a lot of preseason polls have them ranked higher.

I told everyone last offseason that I didn't understand the scUM love prior to '18, or at least why they were being hyped and ND wasn't. Similar returning production between both teams, both teams recruiting well... the difference was that ND was much better in '17, so it didn't make sense that people seemed to think scUM would make a much bigger jump than ND in '18.

Same exact shit is playing out prior to '19. The only difference is that *some* national folks are giving a bit more credit to ND this time.

 

[Riddickulous]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

We haven't won in the Big House since 2005 and the last time we visited we got manhandled by a 7-6 Michigan team. It's a tough venue.

 

[stpeteirish]

I'll honestly be shocked if we win more than 9 games. I think @Georgia is almost certainly an L. Then you have @Michigan, @Stanford, USC, and a bunch of mediocre teams... including 7 total games where our opponent is coming off an open date the week before.

There's a scenario where ND's offense is so good that the talent + leadership losses don't matter, but I'll believe that when I see it. Otherwise put me down for 9 wins.

the thing with 7 teams coming off an open date is strange, 3 of the 4 ACC teams (L'ville doesn't count) seems like a planned thing. USC's one of the 7. I can't think of them ever being open before us.

OTOH Michigan plays Penn St before us and we're open. Very smart piece of sequencing there as USC is the week before the open date, and the mid semester break is when we're off.

 

[Irish#1]

We haven't won in the Big House since 2005 and the last time we visited we got manhandled by a 7-6 Michigan team. It's a tough venue.

Last year this team showed the mental makeup of championship teams. I believe it will carry over. I picked 10 or 11 wins lat year and believe 10 or 11 is doable this year as well.

 

[KizerWilhelm]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

Notre Dame is 1-7 in the Big House in the post-Holtz era. Harbaugh is 24-4 at home, and two of those losses are Ohio State. It's an insanely tough atmosphere. And how does the narrative that Kelly had overcome the problem with big away games last year look after VT collapsed and the Clemson game?

It's a winnable game, but at absolute BEST it's a coin flip.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

the thing with 7 teams coming off an open date is strange, 3 of the 4 ACC teams (L'ville doesn't count) seems like a planned thing. USC's one of the 7. I can't think of them ever being open before us.

OTOH Michigan plays Penn St before us and we're open. Very smart piece of sequencing there as USC is the week before the open date, and the mid semester break is when we're off.

Due to the calendar everyone is getting two bye weeks in 2019.

I don't think the ACC games are just random chance, though.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Why are we suddenly scared of Michigan? We beat them last year without our #1 QB and #1 RB. Also, they just lost a shit-ton of defensive talent. Someone explain this to me.

I don't know if scared is the right term, how about uncertain? We beat up on Michigan last year but that does not carry over to this year. They lost a ton of defensive talent but they've recruited very well. They have a very good defensive coordinator and their offensive coordinator is brand new.

That uncertainty alone is worth a few points for them, 5-7. Can we stress their defense enough and can our OL sustain the run game? Those are my biggest questions.

I expect our defense will give up some points but also, hopefully, create pressure/turnover(s).

As others have said, it'll be a battle. We have no idea about the character of the 2019 Irish.

 

[condoms SUCk]

This season I feel like it’s either going to be 12-0 or 9-3, no in between.
IMO this season hinges on the UGA game. Win that game (I have it as a 30/70 game at the moment) and 12-0 is extremely possible. The team would have confidence that they can do into a hostile environment and win, so the the UM games goes from a 50/50 to a 60/40 or so.
Lose the UGA game then I think 9-3 will be more likely, I will then count the UM game as a loss, and then the third loss will be a WTF game (USC/Stanford/Virginia?).