Your weekly dose of Notre Dame news, opinion, and other stuff.
Top News
Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class came to a close on Wednesday with a 24-man haul, including decommitments from Peyton Bowen and Jayden Limar. Still we rise.
The Irish have added grad transfer wide receiver Kaleb Smith from Virginia Tech. Since his namesake is also in the 2023 recruiting class, we are referring to him as Kaleb the Elder.
It didn’t take long for Drew Pyne to find a new home. He’ll be transferring to Arizona State for 2023.
Former Notre Dame corner Jayden Bellamy transferred to Syracuse.
Notre Dame has added Penn punter Ben Krimm as a preferred walk-on. The Columbus native spent 4 seasons with the Quakers and has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
NC State quarterback Devin Leary is transferring to Kentucky.
Navy has decided to promote defensive coordinator Brian Newberry to the head coach position.
Bret Bielema has received a contract extension at Illinois through 2028.
TCU quarterback Max Duggan announced he’s heading to the NFL.
Bo Nix is returning to college football to quarterback Oregon next year.
Former USC/Georgia/West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels is transferring to Rice.
Graham Mertz is transferring to Florida, okie dokie.
Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt has announced he will return to the Green Wave in 2023.
Texas running back Bijan Robinson has declared for the draft. Syracuse tailback Sean Tucker has also declared for the NFL.
Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims is transferring to Nebraska. Former Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King is transferring to the Yellow Jackets.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels announced he’s returning to Death Valley for 2023.
2022 5-star corner Travis Hunter made waves committing to Jackson State and has transferred to Colorado to follow Deion Sanders.
Former 5-star corner Tony Grimes has transferred from North Carolina to Texas A&M. Denver Harris, a 5-star corner from Texas A&M has transferred to LSU.
California quarterback Jack Plummer has entered the transfer portal.
The NCAA ruled last week that there will be a one-year blanket rule where no player uses eligibility during this 2022-23 post-season.
Uniform of the Week
Orange and black gang, stand up. I was watching Oregon State absolutely toy with Florida in the Las Vegas bowl recently and came to the decision that the Beavers have elite uniforms. Years ago I used to get so mad at the monochrome pajama look but these days I’ve cooled–and it does tend to look best in all-black if I’m being honest.
It’s the subtle use of cream inside the numbers and fabric striping that really takes this next level. It gives off San Francisco Giants vibes. Oregon State even has an all-cream uniform set, too. My only quibble is that the helmet stripe should match the shoulder (very awesome design) and pant stripes, while the orange stripe at the sleeves should be removed altogether.
Recruiting
Peyton Bowen (0.9919) put on an Oregon hat but ultimately signed with Oklahoma.
Jayden Limar (0.9081) signed with Oregon.
Former Irish target quarterback Dante Moore (0.9947) has flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA.
Baylor commit Austin Novosad (0.9465) flipped to Oregon on Wednesday. The Ducks also got LSU commit and corner Daylen Austin (0.9495) to flip, as well. Defensive lineman Mateyo Uiagalelei (0.9851) signed with the Ducks.
5-star linebacker Anthony Hill (0.9900) committed to Texas.
5-star offensive lineman Samson Okunlola (0.9898) committed to Miami. The Canes added cornerback Damari Brown (0.9268) on Wednesday.
After leaving Georgia’s class 5 weeks ago, corner Daniel Harris (0.9356) signed with Georgia anyway. The Dawgs also signed edge rusher Damon Wilson (0.9926) and defensive lineman Jordan Hall (0.9653).
Athlete Malachi Coleman (0.9590) left Nebraska’s class 3 weeks ago but signed with the Huskers, as well.
Alabama signed both edge rusher Qua Russaw (0.9891) and defensive lineman James Smith (0.9902). They also added corner Desmond Ricks (0.9889).
Corner Javien Toviano (0.9739) committed to LSU.
Alabama wideout Karmello English (0.9280) committed to Michigan. The Wolverines also added corner Jyaire Hill (0.9248) on Wednesday.
Edge rusher Rico Walker (0.9198) committed to Maryland.
Edge rusher Josh Mickens (0.9436) signed with Ohio State.
Athlete Micah Tease (0.9249) committed to Texas A&M.
Edge rusher Tausili Akana (0.9515) committed to Texas.
Running back Kendrick Reescano (0.9310) committed to Ole Miss.
Wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons (0.9161) committed to Washington. The Huskies also signed corner Caleb Presley (0.9310), too.
Auburn picked up defensive lineman Keldrick Faulk (0.9595).
The top ranked 2024 recruit and quarterback Dylan Raiola (1.000) decommitted from Ohio State’s class with rumors he may be joining Nebraska(!).
YouTube Channel
I have a few things to discuss about this video. Firstly, how did they collect data on the most famous person from every country? Secondly, the transition from Jesus Christ from Israel to Justin Bieber from Canada right next to each other made me chortle out loud. Thirdly, I was waiting and waiting in anticipation to see who the person would be for the United States and…
…Ben Franklin?
I figured this had to be some sort of list taken from modern people today if Biebs and freaking Salt Bae are included. If that’s the case, there’s no way in hell Ben Franklin is the most famous person from the United States. You could argue there may be more than 20 American politicians more famous around the world!
If we’re talking the USA I imagine the real answer would have to be someone from pop culture or music. If this were 10-15 years ago I am certain the correct answer would be Michael Jackson. Right now is it Brittney Spears? Taylor Swift? Snoop Dogg? Beyonce? Possibly still Elvis Presley? Or, would a movie star like Dwayne Johnson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, or Arnold Schwarzenegger be the choice?
Tunes
It’s Christmas time and the holly jolly tunes are playing everywhere. I have vague memories of the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” video when I was a kid, but it became duplicated and parodied so many times I was unaware of some of the musicians involved. Recently, I caught myself wondering why the drums went so hard in this song. Sure enough, there’s Phil Collins in his prime providing the backbeat to the track.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite holiday songs:
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” (Dean Martin version)
“Please Come Home for Christmas” (Eagles)
“Wonderful Christmastime” (Paul McCartney)
“Jingle Bell Rock” (Bobby Helms)
“Little Saint Nick” (Beach Boys)
“Blue Christmas” (Elvis)
“Last Christmas” (Wham!)
Trivia
How many times has Florida lost by 10+ points since the beginning of the 2021 season?
The Other Football
My goodness, buckle up and lock in if you’re one of the few people in the world who have not watched the game and/or highlights to the 2022 World Cup Final this past Sunday. I watched the first half on my commute to my parent’s house for our annual Christmas party and it was 2-0 Argentina by the time we unloaded all the gifts out of the car. Thank goodness my dad watches soccer so the game was on the TV and boom all of a sudden…France tied it up before we barely had our shoes off. The rest of my family, not really soccer fans, we’re absolutely enthralled by the game and it ended up delaying lunch for a while.
It certainly felt like a Moment™ for soccer in my family. I nearly had 6 heart attacks watching the game with all the back and forth emotion. I was rooting for Argentina (Je suis désolé More Noise) and it felt like they won it with the Messi extra time goal, then France was absolutely stoned in the 123rd minute (honestly maybe the greatest save in soccer history???), and that was before the shootout drama. It was easily a top 10 sporting event of my life.
Streaming
I never really got into Harry Potter. I mentioned in a past Rambler about working at Media Play as a teenager and in this 1998-2000 window the store was overwhelmed with anything and everything related to the books. So much so that when the movies started coming out starting in 2001 I was both tapped out and not in the right age range to be that interested. I do remember seeing the first movie in the theater, though. I don’t think I’ve watched any of the other releases in their entirety. My brother visited the Harry Potter museum this summer in Watford, England and that does look amazing.
Recently, my oldest (she’ll be 5.5 on Christmas) started playing around the house as Harry’s friend Hermione and wanted to watch the first movie. They are on Peacock, so we put it on a few night’s ago and my goodness the opening to the first movie does not keep her attention. She didn’t even make it Hogwarts. It’s a bit of a slow burn, isn’t it? I forgot how boring the beginning had been.
A Look Back
Between the 3 service academies I wish we played Air Force a lot more often. As I write this they are handling Baylor in the Armed Forced Bowl game. There have only been 6 meetings against AFA since 2000 and given Notre Dame’s reputation (unfairly outside of Navy) you’d think there’d be so many more games played. One person who probably wished he had more games against Air Force was one Thomas Rees out of Lake Forest, Illinois.
Rees started in the last 2 games against Air Force and he went off into Heisman mode as the team scored a combined for 104 points in a 2011 home win and 2013 road victory. The latter win, is embedded above. In these 2 games Rees finished 40 of 54 (74.0%) for 545 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
18S Paddock Club
Previewing each team on the grid for the 2023 season…
Team: Haas
Founded: 2016
2022 Result: 8th
Base: Kannapolis, North Carolina, Maranello, Italy & Banbury, UK
Owners: Gene Haas
Power Unit: Ferrari
Team Principal: Guenther Steiner
Drivers: Kevin Magnussen (9th season, 2nd with Haas) & Nico Hulkenberg (12th season, 1st with Haas)
The Good: Not being dead last place was a great start! The Haas team did a pretty good job with the regulations and benefitted from the horsepower of the Ferrari engine. They turned in some really impressive results for their standards and climbed out of the basement of F1. Magnussen coming back to the sport was heart warming (led by his pole in Brazil), especially with Russian Nikita Mazepin getting banned from participating. Even Mick Schumacher had a few highlights along the way like battling with Max Verstappen in Silverstone.
The Bad: As per usual, the car development was pretty poor. Despite some career milestones in his sophomore campaign it was a really up and down season with some brutal crashes for Mick Schumacher. As a team, they only scored 2 points over the final 11 races of the season. With some better luck from other teams it could’ve been a worse finish than 8th place for Haas.
2023 Hope: It wasn’t a very popular move but Schumacher hasn’t been re-signed to the team and is no longer a part of the Ferrari academy. In comes veteran veteran Nico Hulkenberg who should quickly raise the floor of the team even if the 35-year old isn’t inspiring a ton of hype. No doubt, Haas will be more competitive in 2022. Just how much higher they can rise remains to be seen but the money from new sponsor MoneyGram has provided promise that they can spend to the budget cap which is exciting.
Trivia Answer:
7(!) times from 14 total losses.
What kind of family politics was going on in the Bowen family?
He didn’t even have an Oklahoma hat on the table so his parents clearly knew he wasn’t going to put on the Oklahoma hat.
Did they think he was really picking ND and the Oregon hat was just for fun (if they didn’t really want him going to Oregon)? Otherwise why wasn’t that sorted out before the hat ceremony. I could understand it more if Oklahoma was on the table too and Peyton just pulled a fast one on his parents (or perhaps by “parents” here I just mean “Mom”).
IMO…
Mom wanted ND. Dad wanted a bag. Oregon came in late with a bag and that was the decided choice. He put the ND hat on, mom gets surprised that’s the pick. Dad is happy when he switches to Oregon.
Oregon funds…didn’t arrive? Spent on other players?
Oklahoma bag was larger than ND, easy choice to go back to the Sooners.
Would they really expect the funds to arrive before signing on the dotted line though?
Or maybe Mom was open to Oklahoma but definitely not Oregon so the bag was better at OU and so OU > ND.
Yeah, clearly the mom was very upset. Probably pointed out how dumb it was that he’s never even visited Oregon, why would he go there, too far from home, he chose them for 100% of the wrong reasons, you’ll go over my dead body, lots of crying. etc. (If I had to guess).
Which pretty much none of those (very reasonable) complaints apply to Oklahoma.
Also from reports, he told the ND commits in their group chat he was signing with ND the night before and then was exposed as flighty and some of the ND kids were tweeting about loyalty and sticking to your word and all. So that could be some evidence the situation was too awkward or damaged, he had made his choice and steered away from ND, all that stuff.
As far as the last part, I thought I saw that he said the same thing to the Oklahoma players too. So I wonder whether that was an issue with those players or not.
Ah, gotcha, could well be given how it went, haha. I doubt that’s truly a huge issue anyway, but maybe just a pivot/excuse to move things onto a making the compromise school look better.
At the end of the day, he deserved the right to just maybe stand up to his mom and say he didn’t truly want to go to Notre Dame and needed to live his life, if that’s what direction he wants to go. Shame it was so frazzled but thankfully it’s over.
There was also supposed to be a thing about his girl friend at OU on their soccer team?
Anyway — I have to hope this will be a net positive with the Class of 2023. “Good riddance” etc.
Do you think the GF should be worried about commitment issues ?
lol
Sooooo about that transfer QB we’ve been looking for…. Who is still out there that is looking like ND might be on their radar? Is Card really a possibility for us? When does all this transfer stuff have to be finalized?
I have a bad feeling that we might get left in the cold and we’re going to end up taking some kind of QB who is destined to be a backup (not just lose the job to Buchner but lose clearly and quickly and not give much real competition).
Are we going to miss Drew Pyne????
Is Plummer a possibility ? Last years #s 3000+yds 62% 21TD 9Int. on a bad team.
I mean maybe. But I’d rather Angeli/Minchey get PT if we get to that.
The pay site reporting on QB has been super weird – it’s always super weird to me that pay sites don’t share the information they have; it often makes me wonder why I subscribe – but it seems like they thought Pratt from Tulane was going to be available and probably coming, and now they’re stuck hoping Card holds off on committing elsewhere or Sam Hartman enters the portal. Hartman’s market is probably going to be in the seven figures just for showing up, so I’m pretty skeptical he’ll end up at ND unless they change their approach to “acquisition fees” quickly. Hoping as an interim step they’ll get comfortable with those payments for established players.
I feel a bit biased (I am Pratt >>>> Hartman) but I don’t think Hartman’s stock is going to be *that high* nationally. I think ND will be right in the mix, and maybe the favorite.
Rumors on the internets said Leary was getting $2-3M to go to UK, and given his injury I don’t see him as clearly more valuable than Hartman.
That said, there are some positive Hartman vibes and that would be pretty darned good considering the market as it stands right now if it ends up that way.
Yea, was it a bit naïve to think we could get a real QB if we aren’t paying much? I guess there wasn’t much different to do anyway (it’s not like holding on to Pyne was moving the needle much either way if there is no transfer).
From our list 7+ weeks ago:
https://18stripes.com/on-the-radar-the-list-of-possible-quarterback-grad-transfers-for-notre-dame/
Armstrong: ND not interested, or maybe not mutual interest? He’s linked to Auburn, NC State, Okla State that I’ve seen.
Bachmeier: No idea what his status is right now.
Brumfield: Staying at UNLV.
Calzada: No info.
Card: Being chased by several P5 programs.
Daniels: Staying at KU? He could enter the portal after their bowl game on Wednesday.
Duggan: Going pro.
Finn: Staying at Toledo?
Hartman: Expected to enter the portal after their bowl which is tonight.
McCall: One of the top guys in the portal. Seems like he’s interested in the SEC.
McKee: Going pro.
McNamara: Transferred to Iowa.
Mertz: Transferred to Florida.
Pratt: Announced he’s staying at Tulane.
Rourke: Tore his ACL like a month ago and probably stays at Ohio. But, scuttlebutt he could leave. I think ND would have some interest tbh.
Shrader: Staying at Syracuse.
Sims: Transferred to Nebraska.
Tagovailoa: Hasn’t made up his mind to leave Maryland yet. They play next Friday like ND.
DJU: Rumors that he’s transferring to Hawaii??!??
Van Dyke: Staying at Miami.
Perhaps some things might become more clear after a lot of bowl games are over – with some additional options and/or quick commitments.
Wow, DJU to Hawaii??? That would be surprising.
I am not 100% sure Pratt will stay at Tulane, just a feeling based on the way he “announced” he was staying.
Jalon Daniels might be someone to keep an eye on!
Technically, Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma could enter the portal and be an option. I haven’t seen people talk about him much w/r/t ND.
Yea maybe Pratt felt pressured to say something before the bowl game when he wanted to make a decision and figure things out after the bowl game.
Not sure why ND seemed to put all/most of their eggs in that basket but it’d be nice if that worked out.
Several weeks later, the gif chosen for Cade McNamara is still perfect. Excellent choice.
Baby it’s cold outside is pretty … outdated.
And was that band aid song ever not wildly offensive? That song plays like a borderline diss track. I’m not even sure whether it’s worse if they did or didn’t know that much of Africa is very Christian.
Want some fire Xmas tracks? Dominick the Christmas Donkey. Puppies are forever.
Dominick the Donkey is great, I’d add that to my list.
Without question, your list of Christmas songs are absolutely change-the-station, ruins-Christmas level of terrible for me. The dorky-ass middle aged dude singing Christmas songs went really hard for about 30 years, not at all appealing to me.
My list:
“Santa Tell Me” – Ariana Grande
“”One More Sleep” – Leona Lewis
Any traditional church Christmas song by almost any female country performer, which is odd because I don’t particularly enjoy country music nor do I really subscribe to the religious aspects.
“Green Christmas” – Bare Naked Ladies
“Christmas Tree Farm” – T Swifty
“Adeste Fideles” – Nat King Cole
“Christmas Time is Here” – Smashing Pumpkins
For famous American – I’d be willing to wager Michael Jordan or Lebron are pretty high on worldwide fame.
…..
They’re Canadian, they can’t help it!
Also, they know they’re dorks. That’s a very important distinction. Gene Autrey looked and sounded like an absolute doofus but probably thought he was cool as hell.
There’s no lie in what I said, downvoter
Been listening to a lot of One More Sleep. Definitely my wife’s favorite and it’s a banger.
The local radio station starts playing Christmas music around the beginning of November, and it’s only classics. So for the past 2 weeks I have been so burnt out of anything traditional (which I love for the first 5 weeks I hear them). I’ll have to check out the BNL and Smashing Pumpkins. Unaware they did Christmas.
Another good one. Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin Stevens. If you listen to it, it sounds like an upbeat, generic, Christmas tune. But if you watch the video it’s super creepy in an unintentional way.
It’s an absolute GD banger
D the D can suck on the fattest of eggs for all of eternity
This anti-Italian comment will not be tolerated.
I put Ariana Grande first on my damn list!
There’s three dudes in the hallway that want to speak with you about your little “list”
Gotta credit Eric for identifying Blue Christmas as a classic. Still the second best [Color] Christmas song but nevertheless a 10/10
It sucks /so/ hard I can’t believe it (but that’s true of Elvis in general – except for Suspicious Minds)
Kentucky Rain is a banger
Speaking of Christmas songs, how can we ignore Elvis’ version of “Merry Christmas Baby” — the one where towards the end he starts shouting live wire encouragement at the session band lead guitar?
10ish years ago, I’d take Obama in a landslide for most famous American. Now, maybe Trump? This might just be the Washingtonian in me talking though
I was going to include both, too. Could be right.
You hedged with guessing 20 politicians being more famous than Franklin
George Washington? More famous than Franklin I’d think. Maybe not in France.
Definitely not in France! We have a perfectly lovely statue right near the Trocadero, plus streets and Place named after him, and French ladies still appreciate his style of charm. Right where I teach on rue Jacob Ben is on the plaque celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Paris signaling our liberation from the English.
That Washington secured on the battlefield….It’s said that some Englishmen put a picture of Washington in an outhouse. Ethan Allen supposedly commented, “that’s a good place for it. Nothing makes an Englishman shit quicker than seeing General Washington.”
Yes on the anecdote. Bravo! And I do very much admire Washington. But he doesn’t win Yorktown without the serious naval actions by Admiral De Grasse off the Virginia Capes and the very high tech (for the era) land expeditionary force of Rochambeau . Colin Powell actually had me use that whole campaign as a good example of how to win fighting jointly and with allies. So all this has gotta be congruent with Markus Freeman coaching all three phases and hoping ND gets him some help from the portal… damn, there I go again with that Burgundy with dinner.
Taylor Swift released Midnights and immediately occupied the ENTIRE top 10 of the billboard hot 100. All. Ten. Spots. First time in the chart’s 64 year history. MJ never did that. She then announced a tour, had a presale, broke the internet, and got Ticketmaster investigated by the DOJ because of it. I’d say she wins. I’m not sure what that says about America as a society, but I think she wins.
Lavender Haze is a legit good song, though Prove me wrong.
Most of what you listed happened in the US, though. I don’t think many people in Togo or Bangladesh or Ecuador know who she is. Guessing Jordan or Lebron get that recognition.
So you’re saying you agree with me on Lavender Haze? 😂
Yeah, I like the whole album, but it doesn’t make her the most popular American
The Billboard Hot 100 doesn’t calculate the way it used to. It used to only be based on Radio plays, not streaming. No Radio DJ would play an album all the way through, so there was no way MJ could have all top 10 spots.
10-15 years ago I might have gone with Ali. Twenty for sure
Well, apparently Eric Hansen is reporting that Sam Hartman will transfer to Notre Dame soon after Wake Forest’s bowl game which is tonight.
Guess that clears things up, if true. And I would think raises the ceiling significantly for next year.
Slow mesh, slow mesh, slow mesh!
That would be very good indeed. I remember how on a podcast they were talking about how Coan had endorsements that the school hooked him up with, but just no one really ever talked that much about it. I wonder if that’s the case here, probably has to be some sort of “acquisition fee” if you want to call it that or not in order to secure the services of a very solid QB with a very long resume.
Such a weird world, these days.
At this point I almost wish the NCAA would embrace Big Cat’s rule that a team should get to pick a single former college player that stays on their roster for 5-10 years.
It’s hard for me to get excited about any transfer QB or really any positional transfer. I know I’m dumb and if we win more games that’s what it is all about, but I’d rather see ND ride with Buchner, Angelli or Minchey.
Wake 247 reporter saying as much, too.
Well the Gasparilla Bowl just got more interesting.
Hmm, maybe he’ll discover an ankle injury that hasn’t 100% healed yet?
“Wonderful Christmastime” is only enjoyable to me thanks to that viral tweet about it actually being about folks doing witchcraft and trying to cover it up when someone walks in. Before that it was probably bottom 5 for me. Now I at least get a good chuckle out of it
I gotta see this tweet.
Tweet:
Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” is about friends practicing witchcraft but then someone walks in and they have to suddenly play it cool
https://twitter.com/theryangeorge/status/1204821475800363008?s=21&t=cCMjYXdQl0kGG6ZW041cqQ
Kinda makes sense with the very strange music video.
This one?
https://twitter.com/theryangeorge/status/1204821475800363008?lang=en
Any ideas where we stand with that DL from Western Michigan is it (Fiske?)?
Him and Hartman would be huge gets from the portal.
I’m pretty sure that ND is considered prohibitive favorites for Fiske but we haven’t heard anything about a timeline.
As far as that absolutely incredible match — I guess Je te pardonne, Eric, but it really just was a very tough way to lose. I had gotten really attached to this version of Les Bleus, with lots of toughness despite the five major injuries. But the flu bug hurt — interesting how a sustained 90 minutes — even more 123! — totally exhausts the energy if your immune system is under attack. I’m glad you got to watch the second half. One for the ages.
Of interest — PSG gave everyone who played in the World Cup 10 days off — only Kylien Mbappe came in to train after just one day off. I think he has something more to prove vis-a-vis his teammates Messi and Neymar
Checking in on MOGL. (More than NIL) who’ve partnered with Vintage Apparel among others. They seem to be very successful, but have the challenges of navigating any new NIL laws. The one passed by California for 2023 is interesting.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is one of many athletes who have signed deals with them.
Wondering if those developments attracted Dante Moore? Perhaps DTR took him on the yacht. Or for transfers in through the Portal? Chip needs to replace and build up the team. Recruited only thirteen commits for ’23 and he worked the TP for grad transfers last year.
Holy Cross among other universities have signed with them. Signing ND would be a coup. MOGL did partner with the Irish baseball team. Phillip Gough at OneFootDown, a Holy Cross grad, posted that OFD adopted Holy Cross for the FCS playoffs.
Holy Cross’s Jake Coker, WR, from Holy Cross has entered the Transfer Portal. Any interest from ND in him or any further WR transfers?
I work at HC and got to a few games. They had a great season. Jalen Coker has made some huge game winning catches for HC but, I don’t see anyone on HC that ND would be interested in. There are 10 guys in the WR room right now, I think it would have to be a big time player for ND to add to that.
That 53-52 HC v Fordham game was wild.
Bob Chesney has won a bunch of crazy ones. His kids absolutely believe in him.