Don't see anyone catching him either.
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Sedrick Irvin is a quality running back, and it would be foolish to turn one away who was already committed.
He's already polished in the passing game, and I believe this would certainly have made him a good candidate for significant playing time as a true freshman.
I find it extremely unlikely that the coaches would ask him to decommit, especially since Limar hadn't announced just yet. In this day and age, it's not wise to consider a "silent commit" as a hard committed player, given how we got badly burnt in the past.
Now, if someone said that the coaches had told him they were looking at taking another running back or two in this class, and that they were both high caliber backs, then that's entirely possible that this could have made him reconsider his commitment. That happens all of the time, especially at high profile positions.
I suspect Irvin simply wants a higher chance of getting real playing time, and have a higher chance of being "the man." If there's an easier route for doing so, such as Michigan State, etc., then more power to him. I don't begrudge him for making such a choice.
Irvin committed to Lance Taylor. McCullough had other backs higher on the board. ND has landed two of those backs since McCollough took over (Limar and Payne) and has a great chance at another one (Love). My understanding is his scholarship would be honored, but McCollough let him know that he wouldn't turn down any back he had higher on the board. Irvin understood what that meant.
Irvin is a great kid and most years of the Kelly era, he would have a legit spot on the roster. Tough break for the kid, but ND is now recruiting at another level.
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Common sense alone tells you that there is almost certainly no scenario where ND would bring in 4 new RBs.
We wish the kid the best at his new school.
he were encouraged to leave. It has been rare at ND in the past but, not unheard of. With the state of CFB these days you are going to see it more frequently at ND.
with respect to ND-following media and Freeman and his staff, we seem to be in a Biden-MSM stage where no criticism is valid and any negativity is dismissed or spun to flatter. I detest obsequiousness and hagiography, which makes staying away from the ND media a necessity these days. (Yes, I realize that much of this media are pay sites whose business model requires stoking interest and garnering hope among ND fans.)
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My guess is Freeman let him know they were looking to add two more backs, and he decided the RB room would be too crowded for his taste.
If they kept him in the loop on the improved prospects of adding more backs to the class, and this caused him to reconsider, then like you wrote, good luck to him.
There were always plans to take two RBs, and they were recruiting Limar all along. I doubt that that came as a surprise to Irvin. If there has been a change in recruiting stategy, I doubt it was this commit. It is more likely that we are in strong with Love, as well as in the conversation with Young.
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His podcasts are two to three hours long, and I don't have time to listen that often. But, I would be curious to hear what he said about it. He claims to have good inside information, though, who knows how true that is.
That being said, I still don't think his decommitment was due to Jayden Limar about to commit, but the prospect of other backs coming on board that is suddenly looking better.
He was offered by the previous RB coach. Our current RB coach went out and secured a transfer and offered 2 additional backs who are higher ranked. I'm sure if ND didn't want him to decommit, they could have gotten him to stay.
In what scenario does any college football program bring in 4 RBs in one cycle? It doesn't happen. It seems obvious that he was encouraged to look elsewhere.