Re: Harry Heistand. It was pretty common knowledge that Harry was not an enthusiastic recruiter, not that he never recruited anybody but he wouldn't make much of an effort if he didn't get the guys he had targeted. Freeman of course is the opposite and want's coaches who are enthusiastic recruiters. So that's why I speculate that HH decided coaching and recruiting in the new era was just out of his comfort zone and afer Kelly left and the Rees left he decided to hang it up.
Freeman let the reporters watch a lot of practie the other day. Reports are coming in that Tyler Buchner is looking very good and that there is a real competition at QB. Of course they all acknowledge that Harman is learning a new system and new teammates. Most still expect Hartman to win out and start the opener in Dublin. But it's good news that Tyler is progressing so well and that the So.Carolina bowl perfromance was not an abberration. I hope Tyler sticks around and doesn't enter the portal after the Spring Game. Lot's of fans are thinking CJ Carr will be the starter when he steps on campus, but that's a lot to expect from a true freshman.
Virginia Tech transfer Kaleb Smith showed little on April 1 and was missing from the action in the ninth practice of the spring Wednesday. Speculated that he's quit the team. Also Prince Kollie reportedly is thinking about transferring to Vanderbilt to play for Clark Lea who recruited him.
Lorenzo Styles has seen some work at CB recently. He had a unproductive year at WR in 2022. He flashed at WR as a freshman and it was thought he'd have a great Soph season but didn't. Maybe he has the Avery Davis attitude and will play wherever he can help the team, or maybe he'll be in the Portal indicating that he feels he is a WR and not interested in CB.
Tim Prister had this to say on Styles. • When I think of…Notre Dame receiver Lorenzo Styles getting some work at cornerback Wednesday, I think back to an Oct. 15, 2019 film review by Irish Illustrated. In that review, we wrote: “Personally, I like Styles’ upside more at cornerback. I believe he’s twitchier defensively than he is with the football in his hands.
Grad Transfer decides to retire from football, no reason beyond medical. I don't remember him being injured when he came here, and I didn't hear he was injured during practice. But as a medical retirement he does get to keep continue his education on scholarship if he wants. To me this sounds a lot like he saw that he wasn't fitting in and wasn't going to play a lot and decided to move on and maybe Freeman did him a solid by calling it a medical and letting him continue as a student. It also does help with the scholarship numbers and gets us closer to the 85. I fully expect a couple more guys to leave after the Spring game. Receiver Kaleb Smith’s career at Notre Dame barely started as the graduate transfer announced he was medically retiring from the game on Saturday. “After countless hours of prayer and thought, I believe my time playing this game has passed,” he said in a statement he released. “What is more important to me now is my future after football and to achieve that, I must focus on my mental and physical health, which has taken a great toll throughout the years.” The 6-foot-2, 222-pounder arrived in South Bend looking to enhance his game following his 2022 season at Virginia Tech where he recorded 37 receptions for 674 yards and three touchdowns.
We now have a new Director of Player Personnel! Sounds like the NFL, right? Notre Dame made a key hire official on Monday as Butler Benton has been named Assistant AD for Player Personnel for the Irish program. 247 sports was the first to report the news. Benton comes from Arkansas after a two-year run as General Manager for the Razorbacks program. Prior to his stop with Sam Pittman, Benton spent the 2020 campaign at Georgia Southern as the Director of Player Personnel. Notre Dame is not a new place for Benton as he spent one year as Notre Dame’s assistant Director of Player Development in 2013 before moving to the University of New Orleans to be Director of Student-Athlete Enrichment. Following his stop in New Orleans, Benton worked as the Director of Recruiting/ Player Personnel Coordinator at Michigan State for the next four years. The Detroit native was a four-year letterman at Cincinnati where he played for Brian Kelly and Mark Dantonio. Benton rushed for 1,736 yards and 11 touchdowns during his career with Bearcats, including 499 yards and two touchdowns in his final season.
Multiple sources tell @SBTribune that former @NDmbb coach Mike Brey plans to join Atlanta Hawks as assistant coach for Quin Snyder next season. No college head coaching job. No TV. Brey has bought a house in ATL ... will be escaping snowy South Bend in mid-May. — Tom Noie (@tnoieNDI) April 17, 2023
also got a call from a nice ND sophomore majoring in engineering thanking me for my contribution to the loacal ND club. I kept waiting for a pitch for more , but it never came just chatted with me for about 5 minutes.
Ref: Caleb Smith First let me say I hope this young man has a wonderful life now that his football days are through. Personally though, I think he and ND were wrong for letting this transfer happen
Irish Basketball picked up a transfer,Julian Roper, and a rare undergraduate transfer. Helped no doubt by the fact that he is transferring from Northwestern. Looking at his stats for his 2 years at NW he does seem to be more of a player who can =contribute off the bench rather than come in expecting to be a starter. On Tuesday, the 6-3 shooting guard announced his decision to transfer to the University of Notre Dame and he'll play for head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Undergraduate transfers aren't always easy for Notre Dame, but Roper is a clear fit, both on and off the hardwood. This is a potential sign of good times to come, as the Fighting Irish look to rebuild a roster that was essentially depleted following the departure of former head coach Mike Brey. 10COMMENTS In his two season of play at Northwestern, Roper played in 44 games. He started 15 of those contests, which occurred during his freshman year. During his time, he averaged 4 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and an assist per game. While dealing with an ankle injury for much of his sophomore season, he averaged 4.4 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game and 1.1 assists per game.
Irish women's basketball also picked up a transfer, this one from Fordham. Anna DeWolfe. She’s a Grad transfer sniper from Fordham. She’s basically a replacement for Mabrey. Experienced 3 point sniper who’s also considered a “combo guard” to help space the floor for the Irish. She made 79 3’s last season which ranked 3rd in the A10… Nice pickup by Niele and co for 3 point shooting –
There is a Ramen Bar not too far from my house, but I've never been it. Maybe I need to give it a try.
Markus Burton stuck with the Irish even after Mike Brey resigned. We haven't had many Indiana Mr. Basketball players at Notre Dame, Chris Thomas and Luke Zeller are the only 2. Now we have a 3rd. Burton, a 6-1 Notre Dame recruit, fulfilled the promise Rhodes had for him entering his freshman year at Penn — and some. Wednesday night, Burton was crowned 2023 IndyStar Mr. Basketball during the Indiana High School Sports Awards show at Butler University’s Clowes Hall. Burton was an overwhelming choice for the award, which is voted on by high school coaches and media from around the state for the top senior basketball player.