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NDpendent

NDpendent

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Old Man Mike said:
What-the-heck, everybody has an uninformed opinion on how next season will go, so why not me?

I think (with deep knowledge and conviction :)) that:

A. We roll out an offense that other teams don't want to play because it has the best RBs they'll see all year AND a bunch of violent monsters on the O Line, who get better all season and enjoy inflicting damaging acts on other people in opposing uniforms despite being in Notre Dame's wonderful culture. Because of that, all opponents (as usual) have to stack the box (even though that doesn't work as well as it should given people like Jagusah actually occasionally lifting and throwing someone into the D backfields and Love turning circles in the air to avoid LBs, and, well, smaller opponents not really wanting to throw themselves in there all game.

We re-create our ND history of being TE-U, and field 3 or more good ones at that position. Our WRs turn out to be way better than even our IE negativists think (I'm using the word "think" loosely), and get open all the time because the opponents all have to be within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. That leaves QB. I believe that Steve Angeli is good, Ian Book good. And he might not start. Minchey, who I really don't know anything about, nor Carr actually, BUT if either of them can beat Angeli out, we have a MUCH BETTER THAN AVERAGE QB. If it's Angeli (and Book 2.0) we're pretty good.

B. Defense: If Golden was still here, I'd just say rewind the last few shows ... but I don't quite have the confidence. Personnel-wise I believe, from my IE in-the-know observers, that we're still pretty solid (for next year and barring too many injuries) at all three layers of defense, and maybe still ELITE in the D Backfield (Moore will be the best in the country, and it's hard to overvalue a shutdown side of the field). When you're elite in the D Backfield in today's ball, you're 80% of the way to being elite anyway. AND if people like Kingston is as good as he might be, this might not be a fantasy. Our running blaster-and-time-dominating offense should give our D Line a help-out. Optimism is possible.

SO ... pessimism that our great "bridesmaid" season may be a fluke or a waste is, I assert, wrong-headed. I'm Koolaid rich until proven wrong.
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I'm drinking all the Kool aid this off-season and into the season. I'm extremely optimistic about next year.
 
Veritate Duce Progredi

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Terry Jillery said:
I’m not usually negative about much bc I generally think we do a good job with most things. That said, I’m displeased by the lack of urgency for 2025.

We just came 1 game short of a championship and are returning a lot of guys. We lost a really good quarterback that had a big role in getting us there.

Our recruiting class coming in was mediocre and the transfer portal class was nothing overly special. If we had a chance in the past 30 years to actually win a title it was 2025 or 2026. I personally would’ve saw this as a once in decades chance. A do whatever it takes time in ND history. I feel like this off season, portal, and class was less than needed. Could they have actually done more? IDK. Maybe they did the best they could. Either way, I don’t think it was enough.
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I wouldn't be too worried. Most of us weren't expecting the 42nd ranked CB to become the freshman DPOY nor did we expect him to rack up multiple freshman All-American awards.

We also didn't think the ~60th ranked OT would've started 15 games as a true freshman while helping us get to the national championship.

There is strong competition for every position on offense and defense with NFL talent at every level. The 25 class may not seem as top-end loaded but there are already very positive rumblings for the early enrollees (Faraimo, Blair, Herron and to a smaller extent Hebert) and that's only a month post playoffs. Countless non-EEs have been too good to wait.

2022 - the senior class has 9 -12 players either locked-in to a starting spot or competing for the job
Sneed, Raridon, Burnham, Wagner, Price, Schrauth, Tuihalamaka, Payne, Craig, Hinish, Angeli - all have played meaningful minutes but some will cede their spots.
2023 - an excellent class that is reaching maturity and has some monster talent. 13 players competing or already locked-in for their position:
Jagusah, Love, Traore, Minchey, Mukam, Gray, Bowen, Absher, Ausberry, Otting, Greathouse, Shuler, K.K. Smith - didn't include anyone that hasn't played or received glowing reports at some point last year.
2024 - rising soph class could be argued to have 13-19 players in strong competition given the early reports and playing time last year.
B. Young, KVA, Carr, Lambert, K Young, Tae Johnson, L Thomas, Gilbert, Aneyas W, Saldate, Sevillano, Larsen, Hobbs, Knapp, Urlacher, Mullins ~ some of these players will work to be rotational players, some will be stars as sophomores
2025 - we don't NEED anyone to be a day 1 starter. They can develop at their natural pace but we'll probably have at least a handful emerge as serious contributors. Those freshman will have to be exceptional because there is no shortage of talent.
Likely contributors - Faraimo, Blair, one of (Cree Thomas, Dallas Golden or Mark Zackery), James Flanigan, Will Black maybe in spot duty?, Chris Burgess.
Surprises? - Richardson, Herron, N James, Dixon, Sacca, Ko'o Kia, B. Logan, Burress

Transfer class - looks like we'll have 3 immediate starters (Fields, Smith, Burnette) and 4-5 challenging for minutes/timeshare/potential starter (Dawson, Stroman, Hughes, Pauling, Washington).

It'd be nice to pick up one more, can't miss prospect on the interior DL but this is the healthiest roster we've had in a LONG time. We are 2-3 deep at almost every position. Some rooms are so stacked (RB), we're worried how snaps will be distributed.

Even if we take the lowest number from each class and if we don't have anyone emerge that hasn't already shown something on the field or to the staff, we'd have 38 players fighting for 23-29 positions. Again, that doesn't include any players who emerge unexpectedly and it doesn't have any freshman in those numbers. That's a helluva spot to be in going into spring ball.

***Edit - forgot to look at 21 class - Rubio, Onye and K. Kia. Add at least 2 of those to the competition.
 
Rockin’Irish

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calvegas04 said:
Couldn't think of anywhere to put this

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I saw this and it reminded me of something back in grade school. When I was in grade school in a suburb of Chicago (Lombard/Villa Park area), our PE teacher would allow students to settle their differences by fighting in the gym after school. He had a ring set up on the basketball court and the fighters would get headgear and boxing gloves. This was for kids in 4th, 5th and 6th grade and the PE teacher would referee the fights, they generally didn’t last very long before he would stop them but there were bloody noses and bruises. I’m guessing that a parental consent form had to be signed but I don’t remember that for sure, I could imagine a PE teacher trying to do that now, might create just a little negative social media attention…….
 
Some Irish Bloke

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Rockin’Irish said:
I saw this and it reminded me of something back in grade school. When I was in grade school in a suburb of Chicago (Lombard/Villa Park area), our PE teacher would allow students to settle their differences by fighting in the gym after school. He had a ring set up on the basketball court and the fighters would get headgear and boxing gloves. This was for kids in 4th, 5th and 6th grade and the PE teacher would referee the fights, they generally didn’t last very long before he would stop them but there were bloody noses and bruises. I’m guessing that a parental consent form had to be signed but I don’t remember that for sure, I could imagine a PE teacher trying to do that now, might create just a little negative social media attention…….
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I have very mixed feelings about this. On paper, I think martial arts and boxing type of sports are very good disciplines for kids to learn. On the other hand, letting children duke it out in the ring with, I'm assuming, little to no training is absolutely insane lol
 
Veritate Duce Progredi

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Spring Defensive Review

NTRubio, Sevillano Jr, Mukam, Dixon
(all over 300 lbs)
DTDawson, Onye, Hughes, Hinish, Mullins
VyperBotelho, Traore, Loghan Thomas,
SDEB. Young, Burnham Tuihalamaka, Burgess Jr* (based on his rapid ranking updates after All Star games)
MikeBowen, Faraimo, Zinter, Bodie K,
WillKVA, Faraimo?, Ausberry?,
RoverSneed, Ausberry, ?
NickelDevonta Smith, Cree Thomas?, Jadon Blair?
CBL. Moore, Cree Thomas, Karson Hobbs
CBC. Gray, Cree Thomas, Karson Hobbs, Tae Johnson? (does he slide over for spring)
SShuler, Talich, Stroman, Tae Johnson, Urlacher, Blair

That seems like awfully healthy defensive competition for spring ball with only 4 EE true freshman mentioned with a number of names left off from not having heard anything glowing this past year. The bolded are players who've already contributed significant minutes on offense or defense. I left special teams off for now.
 
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Spring Offensive Review

QBAngeli, Carr, Minchey
IOLJagusah, Schrauth, A. Craig, Knapp, Absher, Otting, Herron,
OTWagner, Jagusah, Lambert, (Black arrives in summer)
RBLove, Price, A. Williams, K. Young, G. Payne
TERaridon, Bauman?, J Larsen, (Cooper Flanagan out for the year), (Fr. Flanigan joins in summer)
WRGreathouse, Faison, Pauling, Fields, Gilbert, Saldate, KK Smith, + 3 freshman and Cam who we haven't heard about....yet

This is great offensive competition for spring ball with 1 true freshman** who'll very likely not take meaningful snaps this year (Herron) other names were left off from not having heard anything glowing this past year even though they're all capable of the 'breakout year'. The bolded are players who've already contributed significant minutes on offense. I left special teams off for now.

We essentially have every single starting spot filled out except QB. Spring will be to dial in on a QB and find breakout players & rotational guys who have the lightbulb go on.

Not a lot of question marks outside of potentially another breakout weapon emerging, ala - Love or Greathouse (last 2 games).

Antavious Richardson should be more intriguing to this board. He is a dynamite athlete that might be able to challenge for a few snaps. His state-winning 100m time in Georgia: 10.68. He also ran a 21.43 in the 200m. I wish I could find a shuttle time for him because if he also has that, he could be an absolute steal.

Love ran a 10.76 at state and had a personal best 10.54 in the 100m.
 
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ulukinatme

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If you're not down with Shane, I've got two words for ya

GlNS6aNXsAA_SLN
 
Old Man Mike

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Looking at that schedule: I don't want to read anybody talking like that's in ANY way "soft." Six games in the ACC, two in the B1G, two in the SEC, Navy, and for our open date "cupcake": Boise!. OK Purdue, Purdue, Purdue --- but that's still a B1G team, and good players are on it, and B1Gs CAN get better in surprising ways so we don't even know if THAT is a cupcake.

I don't believe that many people know how hard it is to keep getting up for every @#$# bunch of knuckleheads who have decided that they want to tear your butt off the one chance they have to do it. This isn't Play-off Murderer's Row, fine, but it is a LONG set of pretty damm high quality teams who will keep coming at us foaming at the mouth. That's hard.
 
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NDWarrior

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SeekNDestroy said:
Thanks, Obama.
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I really didn't want the statement to get political (notice I said current administration and didn't reference a party). I'm just saying a lot areas of academia and scientific industry are starting to experience real effects from all these cuts/taxes, and that's it my friend.
 
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