New Era?

[Dizzyphil]

So 2024, is the Irish starting a new era???

Jack Swarbrick is out - Pete Bevacqua is in…..
Jenkins is stepping down
MFMF hires back Denbrock and Golden is, well – Golden
Matt Balis being replaced with Loren Landow – iffy for now
Highly touted Recruits and, Portal Transfers coming in…

What is everyone’s thoughts on the next year, 5, 10 - ? years for the Irish???

I’m very optimistic

What say you???

 

[Giddyup]

It seems like ND is stepping up financially for a serious run. More so than I’ve ever seen since the 90’s. Maybe NBC/ND can disrupt the ESPN/SEC empire next year. That’s my hope.

 

[SeekNDestroy]

I think the university’s willingness to allow undergraduate transfers (along with graduate transfers that don’t have to enroll in graduate programs) is a sea change for the program.

Along with FUND, the program is already proving they are able to compete with anyone for players. And while there will always be players that can’t be recruited due to academics, I think the university is demonstrating that they are willing to work with the football program to help field a team that can realistically compete for a national title.

The coaching staff is as good of a staff since the early Davie years (never mind the on field results, just go back and look at those names!) and the depth hasn’t been this good since Holtz. I firmly believe that if Leonard plays up to his potential, that the Irish can compete for a championship next year.

 

[irishff1014]

It is a very exciting time to be an Irish fan.

 

[Giddyup]

It sure feels like it. I’ve been waiting 25 yrs for this kind of momentum.

 

[Rockin’Irish]

Feels like Prohibition is over and the alcohol is going to flow freely!

 

[Dizzyphil]

Landow is what I will be interested to see if players comment on his processes and production early in the Spring.

 

[Fbolt]

Wait until Golden and Mickens get coaching opportunities after the bowl games/NFL playoffs.

 

[BobbyMac]

I'm hoping Father Bob brings it.

He is a product of a rabid ND Football culture in our home town. He graduated a year ahead of my chickipoo at Marquette Catholic.

Of course it might not mean anything now. He may have lost all love for football after getting his Masters and Doctorate at UCLA.

 

[NDWarrior]

This is all true and good. The biggest thing now - starting with next year - Is the 12-team format. Now, we don't have to worry about a team like 'bama getting a cupcake game 1 and maybe a challenging team in CFB Championship but after having had 4-5 weeks off and in some years, no SEC championship game. Everything really resets like in the World Cup Soccer Round of Elimination and things are kind of equalized. And you never know which team will get hot and what will happen! I'm also excited for next year because even if RL is not The Guy, we have PB An-geli and Carr waiting in the wings and those guys are cool, calm and collected and could take the baton if needed. After watching yesterday's game (and not knowing much about Carr in this area) the one area I'm wondering about is how fast can Angeli get outside the pocket to elude rush and extend plays - That may be his one weakness. But overall, exciting times ahead for ND - In 2024 and beyond!

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

IMO, the most exciting of the recent changes is the school starting to change its ways. Playing the NiL, portal, etc game might just keep Freeman here if he succeeds big.

 

[FU BK]

Seeing the changes that have gone on with transfers, the FUND, actually getting an offensive coordinator.....I hate to say...I haven't been this optimistic since Lou was on the sideline. I know Freeman is still learning on the job, and there will be issues, but dammit he is hard not to root for. I stated in the Oregon State thread about the celebration of Angeli picking him up after the game how these guys feel about their coach. The staffs recruiting but more importantly talent evaluation for "lower" ranked guys is damn good. Finally looking forward to see how things play out in the future

 

[allenm5333]

I had a hot take I sent out to my friend yesterday: ND is the best positioned midwest school for the next 5 years (too hard to predict out of that time frame)

 

[BobbyMac]

I haven't been this optimistic since Lou was on the sideline.

I bet you were just as optimistic about ND football when Bama lost to A&M on Nov 10, 2012.

And the next 7 days were full of unbridled optimism too.

 

[texbender]

How long before we can purchase a $10 Guinness inside the stadium?

 

[FU BK]

I bet you were just as optimistic about ND football when Bama lost to A&M on Nov 10, 2012.

And the next 7 days were full of unbridled optimism too.

I was anything but optimistic during the tenure of BK.

 

[NDRock]

I bet you were just as optimistic about ND football when Bama lost to A&M on Nov 10, 2012.

And the next 7 days were full of unbridled optimism too.

I think that’s the last time I felt so optimistic. We went undefeated and had a great class coming in. We were replacing our most important guys on defense (Kap, Manti, Zeke) with 5*s (Jaylon, Redfield, Vanderdoes). Things went to shit with the NC game, Eddie’s grandmother, Manti’s girlfriend, Kelly and the Eagles, and then the frozen 5.

Hopefully this off-season goes better.

 

[thekid33]

Full steam ahead. Feeling this optimistic is weird, but I like it.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Optimistic, but really banking on what the strength and conditioning aspect brings in the short and long term. Elite WR and DB will be pivotal.

I don't know what to make of the new leadership, and I didn't have any kind of major grievance against the outgoing leadership, athletic or political. I think Jenkins and Swarbrick, from an athletic perspective, hit on the Kelly, Freeman and Shrewsberry hires. Time is going to tell on the latter two.

 

[BilboBaggins]

Era changes are often determined in retrospect. Time will tell. Great historical example: the first time someone bothered to pinpoint the "Fall of Rome" was 40 years after it happened.

But this is probably the most bullish I've been about ND since 2013. That team had a ton of returning starters and everyone knew Kelly was really building for 2013 with the 2013 squad. Instead, Gilson was out and they had to ride with Rees. So as always, is Leonard the truth or not?

Three huge questions everyone is asking:

- WR: Thomas and Faison are legitimate P4 players. Are the transfers? The WR corp in 2023 was hot garbage, and frankly the WR corp has been trash for a few years now. They don't need All-Americans, but they have to at least be good for Notre Dame to make a run. Even during this great run ND has had the last 8 years, the moment they run into a team with elite CB play, the entire offense crumbled (except 2015). They gotta get some dudes who can beat elite man coverage.

- OL: Much like elite CB play, ND has struggled to run inside against top competition IMO. That's been a byproduct of the woeful passing threat and teams moving more guys into the box. Here's hoping improvement on the WR end helps the OL out.

- Leonard: are you the man or not? It's going to be a fun spring game overanalyzing everything.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

It definitely feels like a shift is occurring.

The revolution will be televised too now.

Unlike his predecessor, MF is actually liked by the media and general public. I think we will see many unlocked bonus features with that, and it will continue to feed the machine to new heights.


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[irishandy]

This game seems like it is always going to be changing.

I am pleased with how Freeman handled this off season.

I think ND should remain independent, sit back, and watch this sport continue to blow up.

Freeman is the perfect fit for this program!

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

So 2024, is the Irish starting a new era???

Jack Swarbrick is out - Pete Bevacqua is in…..
Jenkins is stepping down
MFMF hires back Denbrock and Golden is, well – Golden
Matt Balis being replaced with Loren Landow – iffy for now
Highly touted Recruits and, Portal Transfers coming in…

What is everyone’s thoughts on the next year, 5, 10 - ? years for the Irish???

I’m very optimistic

What say you???

Swarbrick and Jenkins leaving are big losses, but if they are backfilled with people looking forward then we will be in good shape. If Swarbrick had not been AD, we would have joined a conference under the other guy. Swarbrick was masterful in negotiating our current ability to be Independent. Think back to when he replaced Kevin White.

Those two men led the modernization of ND football & ND Sports.

The Stadium (Crossroads)
NIL
Allowing midcareer Transfers
Early enrollees
Modern salaries
Media Team
Broader/Better marketing (we have Guinness commercials!!!)
ACC Network launch
Continued Independence, but still hooked into BCS...then Playoff & Bowl system
The growth of facilities for all sports

Replacing them will be really challenging. Swrabrick's ties were far deeper and broader than most appreciate.

Pete Bevacqua is a truly intriguing and promising replacement. I think he might just be "the right guy" to replace Swarbrick...however, replacing Jack should scare the crap out of most people, not be a source of excitement or happiness.

 

[Te'o4Heisman]

A

Era changes are often determined in retrospect. Time will tell. Great historical example: the first time someone bothered to pinpoint the "Fall of Rome" was 40 years after it happened.

But this is probably the most bullish I've been about ND since 2013. That team had a ton of returning starters and everyone knew Kelly was really building for 2013 with the 2013 squad. Instead, Gilson was out and they had to ride with Rees. So as always, is Leonard the truth or not?

Three huge questions everyone is asking:

- WR: Thomas and Faison are legitimate P4 players. Are the transfers? The WR corp in 2023 was hot garbage, and frankly the WR corp has been trash for a few years now. They don't need All-Americans, but they have to at least be good for Notre Dame to make a run. Even during this great run ND has had the last 8 years, the moment they run into a team with elite CB play, the entire offense crumbled (except 2015). They gotta get some dudes who can beat elite man coverage.

- OL: Much like elite CB play, ND has struggled to run inside against top competition IMO. That's been a byproduct of the woeful passing threat and teams moving more guys into the box. Here's hoping improvement on the WR end helps the OL out.

- Leonard: are you the man or not? It's going to be a fun spring game overanalyzing everything.

Agree, and to me the most concerning is the OL. If we are going to be an OL and DL driven program we need to start recruiting and developing lines that can flat out move people and bully them like the UM lines have done the past few years (I know…puke). We need to be able to reset the line of scrimmage and blow people off the ball, not just trying to turn them out of the hole. Our guards should he 320+ lb maulers. I actually like what I have seem from Craig at C and Schrauth had a few moments in the bowl game where he just moved his man off the spot, but overall even our best offensive lines the past 20+ years have not been physical enough.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

This game seems like it is always going to be changing.

I am pleased with how Freeman handled this off season.

I think ND should remain independent, sit back, and watch this sport continue to blow up.

Freeman is the perfect fit for this program!

I am still not sold completely on Freeman. Next year will be telling. He's putting all the pieces into place and seems to be doing all the right things.

The change in the administration will be interesting. I don't know if they have the connections, political capital, and foresight to keep us Independent. Swarbrick did that by being involved in realignments, not responding to them.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

I get the impression that one more P5 is going to fall, and it feels more and more likely that it will be the ACC. At that point, I don't know how Notre Dame intends to hop, skip and jump around being in a conference. I simply want them to do what keeps them successful across all fronts, because the other sports are doing good things despite football being the big golden goose on their campus and most others. Football pays a lot of the bills, however, so keeping football viable and in a position to succeed is important for everyone else. It's still good money no matter the other revenue streams the university has.

If the ACC can remain intact, things should be okay, but if they stand to lose out on the bigger football members, they're going to have to go G5 hunting like the PAC 12 did and that isn't going to be ideal. There could wind up being a tremendous amount of football capital in the SEC, which ultimately will pick itself apart until more playoff expansion comes.