Quote from Sun Bowl Exec: When they said Notre Dame (was available), I know I gasped. I think our football committee gasped, and I’m sure the other two bowls gasped as well, not knowing how they got into the pool. … The last time Notre Dame was here in 2010, it had the greatest economic impact ever for our bowl game. That’s what I expect.”
I’m scheduled for back surgery on the 13th but somehow I’m going to make it to this game. Can’t miss seeing the Irish play when they are in my town!
If you remember, Joey was in a terrible car accident in Jan of 2022, and he struggled just to recover from that, dealt with all sorts of physical pain, headaches, etc. Retired medically that fall as he was not able to play football. He's been out of football for 2022 and 2023. I am glad to hear that he's finally recovered enough to return to football and wish him well. He had little or no chance to play at this point for ND on the OL. They moved on when he retired. He was of course given a medical scholarship and has been attending class at ND, doubtful that he's going to get a ND degree though only having been at ND since early enrollment in Jan 2022. So we can't really use this as some negative for the program. It's a positive for Joey, and I've seen that he's likely to end up at Purdue. Good luck to him.
I see that former Irish QB, Tyler Buchner, has entered the Portal. But not as a football player, but for lacrosse. He was a highly ranked HS lacrosse player. Of course if he transfers as a football player he'd have to sit out a year since you can't transfer twice and play immediately. Also Drew Pyne is in the Portal, but he's a graduate so he can play next year.
So it worked out, little used safety Ryan Barnes leaves and a graduate transfer who likely will compete for a starting spot at Safety arrives
I know it's maybe just Sid and I who watch women's college basketball but this young lady, Kate Koval, might be the biggest recruit of the Ivey era. Looking forward to her in Irish colors next year.
Lot of unhappiness over the Irish bowl slot in the Sun Bowl. There seems to be evidence of ACC preventing higher ranked bowls from selecting the Irish. Personally unless it's the playoffs or NY6 bowls the rest of them are just scrimmages. The payouts rarely even cover the cost of going to the game. The biggest benefits are the 15 extra practices that the teams get to have. The unsubstantiated reports are that the ACC told the Gator/PopTarts/Holiday bowls that Notre Dame was not in the pool of teams they could choose from.
The rumored opt outs for the bowls. Alt, Estime, Hartman, Hart, Liufau, Fisher. This will be the first time an ND OL has opted out of the bowl game, even 1st round draft picks Q.Nelson and Mike McGlinchy played, as did the Irish's top OL from last year, Jarrett Patterson played in the bowl game. Next years OL could have really used Fisher staying and moving to LT, and it might have even been a good move for him. As it is he's not going higher than 3rd round, a year at LT and playing well could improve that for him. Some think that with somebody like Riley Leonard coming to play QB for the Irish, that Steve Angeli is likely to hit the portal. Whether he'll stay and compete in the spring is the quesiton.
Big targets from the Portal for ND include Riley Leonard QB Duke, Beaux Collins WR Clemson, and RJ Oben a DL from Duke as well. Kris Mitchell a WR from fIU has already visited. Freeman is going to be very active in the Portal
Another Irish player entered the portal this morning, S Antonio Carter. Marist Liufau said goodbye. He has declared for the NFL. The Subn Bowl will be like watching a spring practic scrimmage.
He has to be. The mass exodus has decimated his team. Angeli would be a fool to hang around if they sign the Duke QB. So would Minchey with Carr coming in. Its chaos.