NDFB Hoopla

Headlines for January 28th:

• Former Irish quarterback Brady Quinn is back on campus to complete a finance internship in the Notre Dame Investment Office. Quinn graduated from ND with a degree in finance and is currently available while the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement is sorted out.

• Rumors were correct as the Carolina Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen is enrolled at Notre Dame completing his final 15 credit hours for his degree in Sociology.

• Former Irish and current Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate is rumored to be enrolled at Tennessee to complete his degree.
  

• Head Coach Brian Kelly announced the team captains for the 2011 year: senior wide receiver Michael Floyd and 5th-year senior safety Harrison Smith.

• Notre Dame recently announced that six seniors will be returning for a 5th year. They are safety Harrison Smith, kicker David Ruffer, tight-end Mike Ragone, cornerback Gary Gray, offensive lineman Andrew Nuss, and right tackle Taylor Dever.

• Another four players applied for a 5th-year of eligibility, but were declined due to scholarship availability. They are tackle Matt Romine, kicker Brandon Walker, fullback Steve Paskorz, and defensive lineman Emeka Nwankwo.

• Irish back-up center Dan Wenger has appealed to the NCAA for a sixth-year of eligibility.

• National Signing Day is Wednesday! Notre Dame is currently ranked the #8 class by Rivals, #5 by Scout, #8 by Yahoo!, #10 by ESPN, and #1 by MaxPreps (CBS Sports).
  

2010 Season Awards

Notre Dame held its annual football sports banquet to celebrate its 2010 season. It was a departure from the norm, holding an assembly only at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, rather than a full meal with guest speakers. Here's a recap of the award winners:

MVP - Michael Floyd

Nick Pietrosante Award for Most Inspirational Player - Robert Hughes

Guardian of the Year Award - Zach Martin

Lineman of the Year Award - Ian Williams

Rockne Student-Athlete Award - David Ruffer

Next Man In Award - Tommy Rees

Special Teams Player of the Year - Bennett Jackson

Offensive Newcomer of the Year - Tyler Eifert

Defensive Newcomer of the Year - Prince Shembo

Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year - Cameron Roberson

Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year - Kendall Moore


Notwithstanding the scout team awards, seven of the nine award winners will be back next year, which is a great sign for the Irish program. The biggest and most important is obviously Michael Floyd, the MVP. Surprisingly, Manti T'eo took home zero awards, but was easily the defensive MVP this season.

NDFB Hoopla

This weeks highlights:

• The University of Michigan recently announced the hiring of former Irish assistant coach Greg Mattison. Mattison was the defensive coordinator under head coach Bob Davie, and the defensive line coach under Tyrone Willingham. Mattison was not retained by Weis and would up at Florida and the Baltimore Ravens.

• Recruit poaching is in full swing with only two weeks remaining until signing day. The Irish recently received a re-commitment from 5-star DE Stephon Tuitt who committed to two schools in one day. Here's to hoping he stays with the IRISH!
  

• The deadline has passed for early entrants for the 2011 NFL Draft. Irish TE Kyle Rudolph was one of 56 applicants - the highest ever. Rudolph remains the top target at the tight-end position and will battle among other notables and former Irish players Konrad Reuland and Will Yeatman.

• Irish 5-star RB target Savon Huggins is taking his official visit to Rutgers this weekend. Huggins is set to announce his decision next Friday.

• Irish TE recruit Troy Niklas has a scheduled visit to Notre Dame for next weekend. He is considering USC and Stanford as well.

• Irish OL recruit and former Michigan commitment Jake Fisher has reopened his recruitment to ND, Florida, Oregon and Michigan State. Fisher has official visits scheduled at all schools except Notre Dame.

Well done, good sir

Before....

...and After..

Analysis of Early Enrollment

The 2011 Irish recruiting class got off to a strong start with the arrival of its early enrollees to campus as the spring semester starts today. Enrolling are Brad Carrico (DE), Kyle Brindza (K), Everett Golson (QB), Ishaq Williams (LB), and Aaron Lynch (DE). These are the 17th thru 21st players to enroll early since 2006, when the rule was first instituted by then head coach Charlie Weis.

Five years later, we are finally able to evaluate this monumental decision to keep Notre Dame on the competitive track for attracting talented recruits. The break down of early enrollees to date:

2006: George West (WR), James Aldridge (RB), and Chris Stewart (OG).

2007: Armando Allen (RB), Jimmy Clausen (QB), Gary Gray (CB)

2008: Trevor Robinson (OG), Sean Cwynar (DT)

2009: E.J Banks (DB), Tyler Stockton (DT), Zeke Motta (S)

2010: Chris Badger (S), Spencer Boyd (DB), Tai-ler Jones (WR), Tommy Rees (QB), Lo Wood (DB)


Notre Dame has certainly achieved the goal of using early enrollment to attract high-caliber recruits such as Jimmy Clausen. Clausen utilized the opportunity to learn the Weis offense so that he could start as a true freshman, as well as leave for the NFL after only three seasons. Tommy Rees capitalized as well, using spring practice to ascend to #2 on the depth chart, and eventual starter once Dayne Crist went down with injury.

Of all the players listed above, eleven of the sixteen players have started at least a game for the IRISH, most of them starting earlier in their ND careers. Two - E.J. Banks and Spencer Boyd - are no longer with the team. One - Chris Badger - is currently on his Mormon mission and will return to the IRISH in 2012.

While many recruits enroll for athletic purposes, some also take full advantage of the extra semester of education. Look no farther than 5th-year senior guard Chris Stewart. Stewart enrolled at Notre Dame as a solid mass of body. Stewart spent his first few seasons bouncing back and forth between positions, while trying to get his body and weight under control. Stewart finally found his niche at offensive guard, as well as on the fast track to Notre Dame Law School. Stewart is the perfect example of taking full advantage of the reasoning behind early enrollment, both athletically and academically.

NDFB welcomes the new crop of recruits to Notre Dame. Their potential impact could be the best of any of the classes we have seen, and like many before, it could be felt immediately. Regardless, the change by Notre Dame just five years ago to allow early enrollment has benefited the program in a positive way, and should only continue to prosper.


-DH

NDFB Hoopla

Hoopla for January 14th:

• The strong finish of a 4-game win streak by the IRISH did not go unnoticed. The IRISH received votes in both the AP and USA Today final season polls. This is a great slingshot into next season!
  

• ESPN released their mock preseason poll for 2011, and ranked the IRISH at #14. For more, information click here.

• SI's Andy Staples released his mock preseason poll for 2011 ranking the IRISH at #24. As support, Staples cited Notre Dame's ability, or lack their of, to meet lofty preseason expectations. Coincidentally, I tend to agree.
  

• Welcome back Michael Floyd!! Floyd already owns the record for career TD receptions with 28! Check out this youtube video highlighting all 28 TD receptions.

• Spring semester classes start Tuesday for Notre Dame, which means early enrollees are locked into their commitments. The Irish currently have defensive end Brad Carrico, quarterback Everett Golson, and kicker Kyle Brindza signed up. The Irish hope to add Ishaq Williams and Aaron Lynch to that list.

• Linebacker Recruit Ishaq Williams committed to Notre Dame today!

• ESPN announced their 2010 All-Bowl team with IRISH senior Harrison Smith getting the nod at safety for his seven tackle, three INT performance against Miami in the Sun Bowl. Congrats Harrison!

He's Baaaaaack!

"On the one hand, there was Notre Dame. This place has been an incredible home to me and the relationships I built here are ones I know I'll have for the rest of my life. On the other hand, there was the NFL. It has always been a lifelong goal to play football at the highest level and that is something I look forward to doing at some point. However, I'm pleased to say I will be returning to the University of Notre Dame for my senior season in 2011. I'm returning to Notre Dame for three reasons: to earn my degree, return Notre Dame to the top and improve myself as a player. First, I promised my mom I would graduate from Notre Dame and I am 40 credit hours shy of attaining that goal. I chose to attend Notre Dame in part because I knew it was a 40-year decision and not a four-year decision. Graduating from Notre Dame will help me for the rest of my life. Second, I want to get Notre Dame back to a BCS game. I believe we are very close to returning the Irish to where we belong and I want to be part of something great. Lastly, I want to show everyone in the country that I'm the best wide receiver in college football in 2011. There are many things I need to improve, but I feel with the coaching I have at Notre Dame, I can become the best at my position in this game."

- #3 Michael Floyd, returning to Notre Dame to shatter every Irish receiving record

Hackacademy Awards

With the end of the 2010 football seasons, it's time for a recap of the weekly Hackacademy Award winners in the three categories: HEISMAN BABY, ROCK SOLID, and GET HIM OUTTA THERE.

HEISMAN BABY

And the winner is...Michael Floyd. Floyd received a Heisman Baby vote a record seven times! The runner up with four votes was quarterback Dayne Crist. These two were the only Irish players to receive multiple votes. Also receiving nominations were TJ Jones, Kyle Rudolph, Theo Riddick, Manti T'eo, and the IRISH D.


ROCK SOLID

And the winner is...Cierre Wood. Wood received a Rock Solid vote a record five times. The runner up with four votes was stud linebacker Manti T'eo. Those players receiving multiple votes were Kyle Rudolph (2), Darrin Walls (2), Gary Gray (2), Armando Allen (3), IRISH D (2), Harrison Smith (3), Tommy Rees (2) and Brian Smith (2). Also receiving nominations were Carlo Calabrese, Darius Fleming, David Ruffer, Duval Kamara, Tyler Eifert, and Robert Hughes.


GET HIM OUTTA THERE

And the winners are...Theo Riddick and Dayne Crist. Each player received three votes for their terrible on field performances. The runner ups were Tommy Rees, IRISH D, and Harrison Smith all with two votes. Also receiving nominations were Brian Smith, Michael Floyd, Nate Montana, Zeke Motta, Wilcat Offense, Cierre Wood, Jamoris Slaughter, Mike Ragone, John Goodman, and Nick Tausch.


You might question, what do these awards even mean. Well, due to my highly devised, computer generated mathematical equations (it works much like the BCS), I can't exactly tell you. What I can tell is that the top Heisman Baby vote getter is obviously the best player on the team and thus your undeniable MVP. The top Rock Solid achievers are obviously your best players and your most talented - those that consistently performed to the level of expectation or exceeded it. Lastly, the top Get Him Outta There award winners are those guys that simply did not meet expectations at all. It should come as no surprise that most of these guys played sparingly through-out the season.

So, transforming those votes into real awards, here are my picks:

2010 MVP Offense - Michael Floyd
2010 MVP Defense - Manti T'eo
2010 "Freshman" of the Year - Cierre Wood
2010 Most Improved - Harrison Smith
2010 Comeback Player of the Year - Darrin Walls

And some more fun ones:

2010 Mr. Reliable - David Ruffer
2010 Mr. NFL - Kyle Rudolph
2010 Spirit of Notre Dame Award - Chris Stewart
2010 "We Love You" Fan-Favorite Award - Robert Hughes

-DH

NDFB Hoopla

Welcome to the first NDFB Hoopla of the new year!

• By George, it's O'Leary! The recent hiring and firing of former Irish coordinator Mike Haywood at Pittsburgh reminds me of the great days - five to be exact - that Notre Dame had George O'Leary at the helm.

• In a shocking twist, Florida hired former Irish head coach Charlie Weis to be offensive coordinator for the revamped Florida pro-style offensive attack. Part of the reason for Weis attending Florida is so that Charlie Jr. can coach again - this time as a student assistant.

• Frank Verducci, the former Notre Dame offensive line coach under Weis, has been reunited with Weis at Florida in the same position.

• Jack Swarbrick reportedly listened to the same sales pitch recently scooped up by Florida. Weis approached Swarbrick after the 2009 season with the pitch of signing Will Muschamp to be defensive coordinator at Notre Dame for 2010 season with Weis manning the offensive coordinator position for the same season.

• Senior wide out Duval Kamara did not travel with the team to El Paso, and is not enrolled for his final semester at Notre Dame. While circumstances surrounding his departure are unknown, NDFB wishes him the best.

• The South Bend Tribune is reporting former Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen is enrolled for the 2010 spring semester. Although it appears he will be returning, Stanford QB Andrew Luck was widely rumored to be selected by the Carolina Panthers with the #1 overall pick. Perhaps Jimmy is preparing for life beyond football already?

• Junior TE Kyle Rudolph has officially declared for the 2010 NFL Draft. Rudolph is expected to be the first tight end taken in the draft.

• Check out the Army All-American game tomorrow on NBC at 2 PM where blue-chip recruit Ishaq Williams will make his college selection known. The linebacker from Brooklyn, NY is choosing between ND, Syracuse, and Penn State.

• Irish sophomore guard Alex Bullard announced he is transferring to his home state Tennessee Volunteers. It's hard to fault Bullard who wants to be closer to home after losing his father this past season. NDFB wishes Bullard the best in his life and football career and will miss him in an Irish uniform.
  

Keys to the Game

Leading up to the Sun Bowl contest, I identified my keys to the game for the offense and defense. Following a 33-17 pounding by the Irish, let's revisit these points. The key to defensive success was to win three crucial individual match-ups.

Kapron Lewis-Moore/Ethan Johnson vs. Seantrel Henderson/Brandon Linder

Prediction: The IRISH D line needs to get pressure on the quarterback. If they can contain Harris/Morris from big gains on the ground, and force some bad throws (Harris has 12 INTs on the season), the D will put the Irish in great position to win the game.

Result: While the IRISH D accounted for only one sack, their backfield pressure overwhelmed the Hurricane quarterbacks. Jacory Harris finished with zero yards rushing, while throwing three INTs. Harris was benched in favor of Stephen Morris who ran for a net of six yards, and also three a pick. Those turnovers put the IRISH offense in great position, which capitalized by putting points on the board and creating the 27-0 first half lead.

Manti T'eo/Brian Smith vs. Damien Berry/Lamar Miller

Prediction: Miami's strength on offense is its run game. Therefore, it will be up to the Irish inside linebackers to put the squash on the two-headed rushing attack of the Hurricanes.

Result: Damien Berry rushed for 34 yards, while Lamar Miller tallied only 13 yards. As a team, Miami only gained 103 yards on the ground. For the IRISH, T'eo finished with only six tackles, but sat out the 2nd half due to injury (note: T'eo could have returned, but it wasn't necessary). Brian Smith finished with four tackles.

Harrison Smith vs. Leonard Hankerson

Prediction: It will be up to Smith to stop Hankerson's ability to stretch the field down the middle, as well as provide support to the corners on the outside islands.

Result: Harrison Smith finished with three INTs, all in the first half, to go along with seven tackles. He led the defense in shutting down the Hurricanes offense. While Hankerson finished with six receptions for 71 yards and a TD, all but one catch came in the 4th quarter during prevent mop-up duty.


The IRISH defense won all three of these match-ups, leading to the 27-3 halftime score, and the eventual 33-17 victory. While the defensive certainly did their part, the offense certainly surprised many IRISH fans as well, especially after that six play, fifty-four opening drive touchdown.

ESTABLISH THE RUN GAME

Prediction: The men in trenches will need make room for the Wood and Hughes in order to get the offense flowing.

Result: Notre Dame finished with 196 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown. Cierre Wood and Robert Hughes both rushed for 81 yards, and Theo Riddick finished with 32 yards.

CONTROL THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

Prediction: The Irish will need to stretch the field to keep the Miami defenders at bay and out of the backfield and off quarterback Tommy Rees.

Result: Notre Dame did not yield a single sack against a talented Miami defense. In addition, the line protected Rees enough for him to throw 201 yards and 2 TDs. Michael Floyd and Tyler Eifert were the beneficiaries, accounting for 66% of the completions and 70% of the yards.

EXECUTE ON 3RD DOWN

Prediction: The IRISH offense will need to sustain drives through execution on 3rd down.

Result: Notre Dame finished 9 for 20 on 3rd down conversions. However, Rees converted a 3rd and 15 on the opening drive which led to a touchdown. In addition, Irish punter Ben Turk was only called on four times.


The IRISH offense set the tone with its opening drive touchdown, getting the ground game rolling, providing Rees with some confidence, and getting the ball to the best player on the field - Michael Floyd. Not to mention, once the Irish capitalized off the turnovers, they found themselves up 27-0 and cruising to victory.


-DH

Sweet Success

Notre Dame put together a dominating performance en route to a 33-17 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the 77th annual Sun Bowl. It is Notre Dame's 2nd straight bowl victory after decades of defeat, and its first under head coach Brian Kelly.

The IRISH jumped all over the Hurricanes early, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions, including the opening drive. Tommy Rees found Michael Floyd for a 3-yard score and hooked up again for a 34-yard score, before a 34-yard scamper by Cierre Wood. David Ruffer tacked on field goals of 40 and 50 yards to put the Irish up 27-0 before the Hurricanes got on the scoreboard with a late 2nd quarter field goal.

The IRISH first half route was fueled by defense who tallied four interceptions, three by senior safety Harrison Smith and one by junior corner back Robert Blanton. Miami starting quarterback Jacory Harris went 4 of 7 for 37 yards and three INTs before being pulled in favor of back-up Stephen Morris, who went 22 of 33 for 282 yards, 2 TDS and an INT. Morris accumulated most of his stats late in the fourth quarter during mop-up duty on second and third teamers with the game far out of reach. Although, one would not have known that with the way Morris was constantly trash-talking and head bobbing.

For the Irish, Tommy Rees finished 15 of 29 for 201 yards and two TDs. While the stats do not jump off the paper, Rees was error free in leading the Irish to its fourth consecutive victory and a perfect record with true freshman Rees as starting QB.

Michael Floyd was most often the beneficiary of Tommy Rees' passes, as they hooked up for two touchdowns, with Floyd dropping two additional touchdowns. Nonetheless, Floyd finished off what will most likely be his Notre Dame career with six receptions for 109 yards and two TDs. That gave Floyd 28 TD receptions on his career, breaking the mark of 27 set by Jeff Smardijza.

On the ground, the balanced IRISH rushing attack racked up 196 yards. Cierre Wood had 12 carries for 81 yards and a TD while Robert Hughes had 27 carries for 81 yards. Theo Riddick totaled 32 yards on eight carries in the Wildcat formation that effectively challenged the Miami defense.

And now for the season finale:


HEISMAN BABY

MICHAEL FLOYD - 6 rec. for 109 yards - 2 TDs


ROCK SOLID

TOMMY REES - 15 of 29 for 201 yards - 2 TDs

CIERRE WOOD - 12 carries for 81 yards - TD

HARRISON SMITH - 3 INTs


GET HIM OUTTA THERE

NICK TAUSCH - 1/1 FG, but his kick-off attempt was about 25 yards shorter than Ruffer's average.


WAIT, WHAT

DAVID RUFFER - 3/4 FG, 3/3 XP - Ruffer snapped his consecutive field goal streak 20 when he missed a 36-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter. On the previous kick-off prior to the attempt, Ruffer came up limping, but stayed in the game. After his miss, Ruffer was replaced by Nick Tausch on kick-offs and field goal attempts.


-DH