UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

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Many complain about coaching, but as Q Nelson's father and Jack Swarbick (in a previous article) stated, "Fire Kelly and hire Who??" To get more than10 wins a year with ND's academic restrictions is great. Yes, we need more alpha guys, athletic guys, speedsters, guys with attitudes, etc. Those guys are usually 5 stars or close to it. 85% of those guys can't qualify academically. So unless something changes, we will be a 10 win team but we won't have enough talent to compete with the Bamas of the world.

ND needs more alphas. More Fuller, Smith, Mcglinchey, and Nelson's. Doesnt matter what their star rating is, if they play like those guys.

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Again, ND needs a few more alphas that play line alphas at ND. Don't care what the star rating is.

Give me Mcglinchey and Fuller last Saturday and I think ND is still playing. It wouldn't change ND's star ratings.

First, I'm not disagreeing with you Neil. I think we definitely need more difference makers, or Alphas as you say. I just found it interesting that you dismissed the argument for 5*s and listed mostly 5* or close to it players as the type of player that is needed.

I get it that you don't necessarily care what star rating the player has. On a player by player evaluation neither do I, as there are plenty of examples of players playing above or below their rating. But the truth is, a greater % of 5*s turn into difference makers than other rated players. Get the 5*s and increase the chances of getting the alphas.

I honestly just picked a few random guys to show that 5 stars, 4 stars, and 3 stars can all be alphas. Had to include Nelson, because he's on My Colts now.

But to your point, guys are rating players, and quite honestly, they are becoming good at it. However, I think the 5 star label can be a little silly.

For example:

Would you rather have a 5 star WLB or a 4 Star QB? In most scenarios, you would want the QB.

Would you rather one 5 star DE or three 4 star DE's?

Would you want a poor culture fit, even if he is a 5 star?

Is the last 5 star player significantly better than the highest rated 4 star player?

There are 100s of these scenarios that could be discussed.

Recruiting is simple, it's about balance and aquiring as much talent that fits your scheme and culture.

So to me, ND's future doesn't rely on the be all end all scenario of, gotta get 5 stars to compete.

ND needs to simply find the 2 to 3 difference makers they can add to what appears to be a very solid and strengthning foundation.

They have to do that through a variety of channels.

Better talent evaluation.
Better player development.
Increase in recruiting 'wins' in tougher competition.
Finding great culture fits.
Becoming more cut throat on over signing.
Getting less unwanted transfers/players leaving/kicked off
And yes, landing 5 stars when available

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we would be able to beat the last three and on a great day maybe Alabama. Our talent and coaching is good enough to come up with a win against those teams. (Alabama still a miracle)

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Representing a very good school

Why do you hate them so much you act like a child about it?

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A talent gap isn't why we lost that game.

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We need leaders. Not loafers

No it is not.
Right now there is Bama and Clemson.
ND is an excellent team with very good coaches.
Take ND out of the conversation. There are a bunch of really good programs with really good coaches. Then there is Bama and Clemson. That's just the way it is right now. College football is cyclical.
There was ND, then Oklahoma, then Nebraska,. And so on and so on. MIAMI, FL ST.....etc.
I Love ND.... loved this season.

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Culturally (and almost geographically) OSU is an SEC school.

Saban he said, “ I not sure I hired the best coach, but I know I hired the best recruiter out there” in so many words.

No one would.

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Agree.

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the kid from Oklahoma. He is probably on a par with Fromm, although Fromm throws the deeper ball better, Book is the better athlete and runner. As far as the rest, they are more talented than we are at this point but it is getting closer.

He still run that stupid pedestrian offense.

Why do you think he can't recruit one?

Why do you think he can't recruit a blue chip running back?

by the experts. I don't know if I would consider that pedestrian.

Call it whatever you want, I see a pedestrian offense. ND walks while other teams run.

I've watched it for 10 years. Kelly runs the same plays he was running 10 years ago, the same plays he was running at Grand Valley, CMU and Cincinnati. It isn't a mystery why he cannot recruit elite players at the skill positions on offense.

I've been in the stands when fans from opposing teams can accurately predict the plays. I've see the almost total absence of misdirection. I've seen the jump ball/fade/back shoulder approach for what masquerades as a passing game. I've seen rbs run down from behind on slow developing wide running plays. You rarely see a play (any play) that surprises a defense much less an overall offense approach/series that confuses a defense.

There is a lack of adaptation, cleverness, imagination and innovation on the offensive side of the ball.

Book, not so much.....

will last longer than many here believe.

Josh has done a good job for the Eagles, I love the guy, great ND guy, BUT VETERAN Eagles writers such as Ray Didinger, Reuben FRank have concluded he's not a no. 1 RB in the NFL,and I agree...He may work out in a 'committee" but even that remains to be seen..
Josh was the beneficiary of numerous EAGLES RB INJURIES, Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, and was elevated to no. 1 for a few games..He didn't play an outstanding game sunday, played a good game as the 3rd string RB.The Eagles offense has resurrected with the insertion of Nick Foles at QB, and the return of Sproles at RB..This past sunday, Sproles played 38% of the snaps, Wendell Smallwood took 37%, and Josh 25%.On sunday playoff game vs the Bears, Sproles is with the no. 1 unit, Smallwood, no 2, and Josh no 3.....

After being elevated, Josh had 2 horrible games, averaging less than 2 yds per carry, plus fumbling....If Sproles does return next season,, doubtful, but everyone knows he's too old, too small to take the pounding of a no 1..So the writers expect the Birds to seek a bellcow RB in the draft or FA..Id love to see a top RB signed, Jay Ajayi resigned, (doubtful), to team with a no 1, as he did with Blount last yr..and then Josh, Corey, Wendell compete for 3rd string..

might have gotten a little carried away. Often times though, snaps for running backs are determined by game plan and game situation. The Eagles seem to use Adams in run the clock situations and power situations. He did look good in his last game though and many times he made plays better than how they looked to be set up for him. Also he made a great cut against Dallas that was called back because of a penalty and had I think two long TD runs this year called back because of penalties.

I apologize for my over exuberance.

career carry. I loved him even more after the 98 yard TD run with a great stiff arm that freed him at about the 20 on which he demonstrated the speed to finish. I loved him even more after 4 TD runs of about 60 yards or more his junior year. I am a little biased and he got screwed with his injury late in his ND career that basically killed his draft hopes. But the guy has shown heart and he is getting his cutting ability back as I saw against Dallas.

So I am a bit carried away with him.

That childish spirit in you!

TC is our consummate homer here at UHND

Gotta love him. Great family man.

Love him to death

It's all about admissions standards...right that down

guys in the pros syndrome.

ND's model is to recruit a stud every third year or so. It's hard to get a top-tier QB every year, because all HS top-tier QBs think they are going to play in the NFL. To chase their NFL dreams they need to play in college, and so they are constantly looking at schools' depth charts to gauge their chances of getting playing time. Wimbush was a stud QB recruit, which is why we then had three-star recruits Book and Avery Davis for the next couple of years. Then we recruited Jurkovich as a stud QB recruit, which means that we will likely have a couple of years where we will have to settle for three-stars. This isn't to say that Ian Book, a three-star recruit, is no good, but it helps to explain why we don't get 4+=star QB recruits every year.

I think we have seen Book's ceiling. Nothing against him, but he isn't in the same league with the starting QBs at Oklahoma, Alabama or Clemson.

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None of them have actually turned out to be a stud

If Jorkovich was a stud he would have been playing since Game 3

Clearly he isnt.....

Jurkovich was a high four-star, as was Wimbush. Usually, ND doesn't play freshman QBs. Next year, though, I think Jurkovich is in the mix to start (at least I hope so). Nothing against Book, but he's a three-star and I think we have seen his ceiling.

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conservative but he performed it with high efficiency except for the last game. Next year Book will be given more of the book.

4-star concentration in the 2019 recruiting class (247) is up 25% compared to the rest of the roster.

the 4 stars. Win with them and let the 5 stars chase you.

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