2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

[Heralded_Defender]

Since 2005, Notre Dame has started 10, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 11, 11, 9, 8, 6, 8, 8, 5, 9, and 9 whites. This year is 9 again, with some interesting depth. Pretty good looking team, but a white DB or WR would really make it worth rooting for. Wisconsin grad transfer Jack Coan is the big storyline here at QB, but Notre Dame could also have some draftable prospects on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore TE Michael Mayer is a big target and continues the legacy of white TEs at Notre Dame. Behind him are four more white TEs.

Overall, Notre Dame continues to have a pretty favorable roster composition. There are TONS of young white walk ons at RB and WR, hopefully some can make a move up the depth chart in years to come. Senior WR Matt Salerno could end up being the primary punt returner. They also have a load of heavily rated white QBs battling for the back up position; Brian Kelly's infatuation with quotas in the early 2010s seems over.

Offense -
QB - Jack Coan
TE - Michael Mayer
LG - Zeke Correll
C - Jarrett Patterson
RG - Cain Madden
RT - Josh Lugg

Defense -
DT - Kurt Hinish
LB - Drew White
LB - Jack Kiser

Back ups include QB Drew Pyne, WR Matt Salerno, TE George Takacs, LT Tosh Baker, LG Quinn Carroll, C Pat Coogan, RG Rocco Spindler, RT Michael Carmody, DE Alex Ehrensberger (German native), DT Rylie Mills, and LB Bo Bauer.

 

[Phall]

About as good as any top program we could expect to root for. I hope Mayer spikes a lot of touchdown catches.... as opposed to almost every other drive outcome.

 

[Bucky]

Noticing a lot more DL in these write ups! More than usual.

Great steal in getting Coan over there!

White and Kiser should make plenty of plays as LBs!

 

[Leonardfan]

Hoping for a good season for the Irish!

 

[Leonardfan]

Smart decision. Hopefully he can land on his feet somewhere and end up having a successful career. He originally committed to Wake Forest but also had offers from Clemson, Duke, Maryland, UNC and Tennessee.

Notre Dame redshirt freshman QB Brendon Clark entered the transfer portal.
The writing was on the wall for Clark (6'1/212), as fellow redshirt freshman Drew Pyne took snaps earlier in the year when starter Jack Coan departed due to injury and true freshman QB Tyler Buchner came on in relief against Virginia Tech in Week 6. With highly touted four-star recruit Buchner looking like the future of the position, Clark's path to playing time will be blocked for the foreseeable future. The former three-star prospect was originally committed to Wake Forest before flipping over to Notre Dame when Michigan QB Cade McNamara backed off his pledge to the Irish. He will attempt to challenge for playing time elsewhere in 2022.

 

[El Gringo]

Smart decision. Hopefully he can land on his feet somewhere and end up having a successful career. He originally committed to Wake Forest but also had offers from Clemson, Duke, Maryland, UNC and Tennessee.

Notre Dame redshirt freshman QB Brendon Clark entered the transfer portal.
The writing was on the wall for Clark (6'1/212), as fellow redshirt freshman Drew Pyne took snaps earlier in the year when starter Jack Coan departed due to injury and true freshman QB Tyler Buchner came on in relief against Virginia Tech in Week 6. With highly touted four-star recruit Buchner looking like the future of the position, Clark's path to playing time will be blocked for the foreseeable future. The former three-star prospect was originally committed to Wake Forest before flipping over to Notre Dame when Michigan QB Cade McNamara backed off his pledge to the Irish. He will attempt to challenge for playing time elsewhere in 2022.

For sure, Iowa or Wisconsin would be nice as well. Why these teams aren’t getting 5 star drop back passers is a mystery to me.

 

[Leonardfan]

Sounds like Brian Kelly is leaving Notre Dame for LSU.

 

[white is right]

Sounds like Brian Kelly is leaving Notre Dame for LSU.

I can't think of anything but the song "When Irish eyes are smiling"...https://www.espn.com/college-footba...ture-put-table-search-new-head-football-coach

I'll take the Bing Crosby version...

 

[Phall]

Weird choice by Kelly in my opinion. He seemed to have a lifetime job at Notre Dame, and LSU is a meat grinder that just fired a coach less than two years removed from an undefeated national championship. Notre Dame handpicks an easier schedule than an SEC or Big Ten school, so its path to the playoff is pretty clear (they could still luck their way into the CFP this year despite a pretty mediocre 1-loss season). LSU surely fired a money cannon at Kelly, but it can't be that far off what the ND donors would match without the cutthroat expectation to constantly excel.

I guess we'll see how much of Notre Dame's relative white-friendliness over the years was due to Kelly's recruiting and how much came from the "academic standards" that are sometimes lamented on DWF message boards.

Young black defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is Kelly's current hotshot sidekick. Will he take him to LSU to recruit da yoof? Or will Notre Dame offer him the promotion?

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Weird choice by Kelly in my opinion. He seemed to have a lifetime job at Notre Dame, and LSU is a meat grinder that just fired a coach less than two years removed from an undefeated national championship. Notre Dame handpicks an easier schedule than an SEC or Big Ten school, so its path to the playoff is pretty clear (they could still luck their way into the CFP this year despite a pretty mediocre 1-loss season). LSU surely fired a money cannon at Kelly, but it can't be that far off what the ND donors would match without the cutthroat expectation to constantly excel.

I guess we'll see how much of Notre Dame's relative white-friendliness over the years was due to Kelly's recruiting and how much came from the "academic standards" that are sometimes lamented on DWF message boards.

Young black defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is Kelly's current hotshot sidekick. Will he take him to LSU to recruit da yoof? Or will Notre Dame offer him the promotion?

nailed it with this summation, methinks.

 

[El Gringo]

Kelly has always been relatively white friendly going back to his days at cincinnati where he started a white runningback (John Goebel )for a spell when he wasn’t injured. I doubt he will darken up the roster.

 

[Bucky]

ND goes with a young Black, 1st time HC in Marcus Freeman.

 

[Leonardfan]

I think @Phall pretty much hit the nail on the head. Kelly’s LSU move is lateral at best. He built up a program at Notre Dame that was very successful. The margin of error is less at Notre Dame since they are an independent. The LSU gig will give him some of the SEC favoritism cushion (and at least a 1 game margin of error when it comes to the college football playoff). LSU has a history but it’s nothing close to that of Notre Dame.

Freeman and Tommy Rees remain at Notre Dame. They had a quality defense this year. Curious to see who wins the QB battle next year.

 

[Bucky]

Big time for ND to retain Rees as well with Freeman.

 

[Phall]

The timing of the hire on the football calendar is meant to optimize Kelly's impact on the next LSU recruiting class, including transfers. That's why he bailed with a playoff spot still in play. Also, I didn't realize that he is basically quadrupling his salary, signing a 10-year $95 million deal that is suddenly the market price. Kelly was 'underpaid' at just $2.5 million/year.

By retaining promoting their DC and keeping their OC, Notre Dame shouldn't suffer much attrition. I wouldn't be surprised if this staff makes the playoff before Kelly at LSU.

Here's a fun question: will they be paying Freeman more than they paid Kelly?