Notre Dame 2025

[Sparty]

7 hours ago, Bobref said:

Local Boy Makes Good.

https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/fighting-irish/football/2025/04/03/drayk-bowen-notre-dame-linebacker-max-bullough-jack-kiser/82797975007/

A new leader, Drayk Bowen, is emerging for Notre Dame football at linebacker

Linebackers coach Max Bullough has indicated that Drayk Bowen is ready to step into that leadership role.

The heart and soul of Notre Dame football’s linebacker unit was Jack Kiser, but now that he will be moving on from the program and trying to make an NFL roster, a leadership role will have to be filled.

Irish linebackers coach Max Bullough met with the media on Thursday, and when asked about Drayk Bowen he claimed that “he’s answered to bell” of being a leader for that unit in a post shared by Mike Berardino. It makes perfect sense for him to take over Kiser’s mantle, as he made significant strides during his sophomore year, putting him into the spotlight.

We all remember the fumble Bowen caused against Ohio State, a play that Notre Dame needed desperately. While that play alone didn’t turn the tide of the game, it exemplified the type of player that he is, not giving up, and trying to make something happen.

Bowen has seen steady growth in his first two years in South Bend, going from 14 tackles his freshman year, to 78 this past season. He also added a sack and three forced fumbles, and this coming season could be his biggest one yet

And these writers need to add, “the perfect way to take on, and blow up/destroy), a pulling OL.”

[Bobref]

And then there were two…

ND quarterback battle reduced to two. Steve Angeli expected to enter the transfer portal. CJ Carr now the front runner, with Minchey the backup.

Edited April 17, 2025 by Bobref

[temptation]

2 hours ago, Bobref said:

And then there were two…

ND quarterback battle reduced to two. Steve Angeli expected to enter the transfer portal. CJ Carr now the front runner, with Minchey the backup.

Which one is the “chosen one” this time?

[Bobref]

39 minutes ago, temptation said:

Which one is the “chosen one” this time?

It must be CJ Carr … based on his pedigree. 🤣😂

[Irishman]

One of the first players I remember watching. RIP

[23andCounting]

Glad to see Angeli go. He should have gotten his opportunity last season. He made his mark though. He came in and bailed Hartman and Leonard out when he was needed. I see a lot of coaches gravitate toward star ratings vs performance on the field.

[Bobref]

6 hours ago, Irishman said:

One of the first players I remember watching. RIP

From Gilmour Academy in Cleveland. I remember his 80 yd. TD run against USC in October, 1973, my senior year, that was the springboard to a national championship.

[Bobref]

2 minutes ago, Bobref said:

From Gilmour Academy in Cleveland. I remember his 80 yd. TD run against USC in October, 1973, my senior year, that was the springboard to a national championship.

Check that. It was 85 yds., not 80.

 

[Bobref]

On 4/17/2025 at 4:47 PM, Bobref said:

And then there were two…

ND quarterback battle reduced to two. Steve Angeli expected to enter the transfer portal. CJ Carr now the front runner, with Minchey the backup.

Not so fast! The dream is still alive! 🤣😂😅

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/04/23/notre-dame-football-tyler-buchner-quarterback-marcus-freeman-cj-carr-kenny-minchey-steve-angeli/83164288007/

Look who's QB (maybe): Tyler Buchner could move back to old spot for Notre Dame football

SOUTH BEND —Tyler Buchner could be moving back into the quarterback room for Notre Dame football.

The lacrosse national champion and walk-on wideout for the Irish last season is being considered for a move back to his original position with the departure of Steve Angeli to the transfer portal.

“That's something we've discussed,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Wednesday in his spring practice wrap-up. “We'll look at the total number of arms, bodies that we have to practice, but it's definitely under consideration to move Tyler back into the quarterback room as we look into the summer and fall camp.”

Buchner, who completed his only pass last season on a fake punt at USC, spent the 2023 season as a backup to Jalen Milroe at Alabama. In 2022, Buchner started three games for the Irish, claiming Gator Bowl MVP honors in the 45-38 win over South Carolina.

Freeman made it clear that redshirt freshman CJ Carr and third-year backup Kenny Minchey will continue to battle for the starting quarterback job once fall camp opens in late July.

Notre Dame, which opens on Aug. 31 at Miami, also has midyear enrollee Blake Hebert and second-year walk-on Anthony Rezac at quarterback. Rezac ran the scout team once Carr was shelved in late September with an injury to his throwing elbow.

Buchner, a fifth-year senior, has completed 55% of his 138 career passes in parts of four college seasons. He has thrown for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns along with eight interceptions; that output includes his 23-yard flip to tight end Mitchell Evans out of punt formation in November.

 

The San Diego product also has 483 career rushing yards (5.6-yard average) and eight touchdowns, including a 4-yard gain on a fake field goal last year at Georgia Tech.

[Sparty]

Please God no.  Dude was a bust.  

[Bobref]

Notre Dame and Clemson have agreed to play a 12 game home & home series, 2027-2038. With the changing landscape of college football, what are the odds all 12 of those get played?

[Bobref]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
 

Notre Dame Dominates Academic Rankings

May 7, 2025

Notre Dame is once again setting the bar high in the academic sports arena, proving that excellence isn’t just a game-day phenomenon. In the latest Academic Progress Rating (APR) statistics released by the NCAA, Notre Dame led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, matching its own record with a staggering 17 perfect scores. This achievement places them ahead of known academic powerhouses like Duke, with 16 perfect scores, and Michigan with 13.

Let’s break it down like a winning strategy session. The Irish showcased top-tier academic performance across a wide range of sports.

From the baseball diamond to the volleyball court, through the fencing piste and the lacrosse fields, a total of 17 programs scored a perfect 1,000 on the APR scale. This impeccable performance isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan achievement; it marks the tenth time in the 19-year history of the APR’s existence that Notre Dame has hit the jackpot with at least 13 teams scoring perfectly.

To put Notre Dame’s consistent excellence into perspective, they’ve not only been at or near the top for raw numbers of perfect scores for 19 consecutive years, but they have also led the FBS five times in recent years, sharing the spotlight only occasionally with other elite institutions like Stanford and Boston College.

The APR, designed to give a more immediate reflection of a team’s academic prowess than traditional graduation rates, measures each scholarship student’s ability to stay eligible and remain in school. It’s a little like keeping track of a player’s shooting percentage, but for academics. Every scholarship student-athlete earns a point each term for staying eligible and another for staying in school or graduating.

The sport-by-sport breakdown is impressive, with baseball, both men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, fencing, golf, and a slew of others racking up perfect scores. Even the Notre Dame football team, which is no stranger to the national spotlight, turned in a solid performance with a 990 score—an impressive feat especially when you consider the demands of both the sport and the academics.

This yearly ritual of counting perfect scores is more than just numbers; it’s a testament to Notre Dame’s commitment to balancing academic and athletic success. Their continued leadership in these rankings is like a dynasty run, proving that they play the long game—not just on the field but in the classroom too.

When a school like Notre Dame consistently hits high marks, it’s a playbook for others to follow, adding another layer to the ever-thrilling narrative of college athletics—one that celebrates brains as much as brawn.

[Irishman]

For years, John Madden said his favorite to win a championship is the team that won it the year before, until they were eliminated. The Irish have not had the same results this year that they have in previous years. They came into the 1st round of the tournament as an unseeded team (ranked 2nd at the end of the season) playing the 4 seed Ohio State (ranked 5th at the end of the season) at OSU. Ohio State won a close one at Notre Dame in March by a score of 10-9. The game yesterday was 2-1 after the 1st quarter. Ohio State was playing well and looked to be in control. The Irish offense found life in the 2nd quarter and dominated the rest of the game, scoring 6 goals and giving up 2 for a 7-4 halftime lead. They looked like the teams that had won 2 titles. The Irish reach the quarterfinals for the 13th time in their last 14 tournament appearances. They face another at large team in Penn State Sunday at Annapolis. This team is fun to watch when the offense is clicking. 

https://www.wndu.com/video/2025/05/12/notre-dame-lacrosse-team-gets-big-win-ncaa-tournament/ 

[Sparty]

Potentially no more nd/usc fb game after next season….

usc only wants to renew a year out after.  

[temptation]

30 minutes ago, Sparty said:

Potentially no more nd/usc fb game after next season….

usc only wants to renew a year out after.  

Don’t blame em.  Why would USC need Notre Dame when they already play a Big Ten gauntlet?

[23andCounting]

54 minutes ago, temptation said:

Don’t blame em.  Why would USC need Notre Dame when they already play a Big Ten gauntlet?

That's one hell of a long term rivalry to just let go of. Notre Dame dropping Michigan is chump change compared to USC dropping the Irish. 

[Irishman]

1 minute ago, 23andCounting said:

That's one hell of a long term rivalry to just let go of. Notre Dame dropping Michigan is chump change compared to USC dropping the Irish. 

Pretty much par for the course though with the current path college football is on. 

[23andCounting]

1 minute ago, Irishman said:

Pretty much par for the course though with the current path college football is on. 

Unfortunate, but true. God love the high school game......................for now. 

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, Sparty said:

Potentially no more nd/usc fb game after next season….

usc only wants to renew a year out after.  

Abject cowardice. No other explanation.

[temptation]

1 hour ago, Bobref said:

Abject cowardice. No other explanation.

Rich coming from a program that ditched Michigan and wants to uphold their “protected rivalries” with Army and Navy.

Meanwhile, a two loss USC is getting in the 12 team playoff 90+% of the time.  No need for premier non-conference games when you play a combination of Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State annually.

In modern day football with the expanded playoff and conference expansion, teams don’t need Notre Dame on the schedule anymore.

2 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

That's one hell of a long term rivalry to just let go of. Notre Dame dropping Michigan is chump change compared to USC dropping the Irish. 

I have never understood the ND/USC rivalry to be honest.  No geographical relevance.

[Sparty]

Read where USC had the 1 recruiting class.  I know there are tons of these stupid rankings.  

[Sparty]

1 hour ago, Bobref said:

Abject cowardice. No other explanation.

I am a Notre Dame fb fan, but I don’t give a *poop* about perceived “abject cowardice”.  
 

I’d love to see ND drop navy (I know the reasons why they still play……pretty rich when you think about separation of church and state) and pick up a top 5 program every year in their place.  

[Bobref]

36 minutes ago, temptation said:

I have never understood the ND/USC rivalry to be honest

That much is clear. 

[temptation]

20 minutes ago, Bobref said:

That much is clear. 

Enlighten me.

[Sparty]

47 minutes ago, temptation said:

Enlighten me.

ND normally ends their season in California.  A recruiting hotbed for talent.  
USC or Stanford