I am sure he will enter it but he technically has not from what i read but ‘thinking over’ his spot in the program is probably the same thing
a guy that some here would have lost their shit if he did not sign with nd 3 years ago…but not me, I am always level headed
I'm absolutely ready for Carr to ball out in the BG game and the summer to be spent with a vocal minority clamoring for him to start, and claiming taking a transfer was a bad idea.
It’s been openly hinted by the beat that ND matched some large offers on Angelli to transfer to keep him in South Bend. Prister and Brice are now saying a very prominent ND player will enter the portal after the spring game which makes me think it’s Angelli or one of the RB’s (Price). It’s possible ND paid Angeli enough to keep him through next spring but we will see Minchey has no tape or hype, if he leaves he’s going bottom tier P5 like Vandy/IU or G5- he should stay. He’d probably make more money at ND as well
That comment had me thinking.....I was thinking maybe a QB, but maybe someone else. A prominent player who could leave has me thinking wr suddenly full room could Jayden Thomas leave? Maybe DE suddenly with Traore and Young coming in? I was nervous about Mickey if he loses out to Gray but hopefully that won't happen with Lewis gone now too. Maybe OL who doesn't win a job? Idk but I'm assuming those are the potential spots. This is me spitballing I don't know anything lol.
Only prominent players that seem like transfer options are: Minchey Angeli Price Love Spindler Mickey would be a head scratcher, he’s gonna play 400+ snaps easily so I’m not concerned about him
jayden Thomas popped into my head also. It seems like he is not being talked about right now and the beat is always talking about Gilbert
I like Flammang and Jamie U's take on transfers last week. They said it's irresponsible and not fair to speculate, guess or make predictions on specific names until we know.
that is a Mike frank thing and I agree with him on that, he is conservative to a fault sometimes but he sure respect the players and he respects his sources. In here I thought it was alright to do but it is not a great idea either, nothing good can come of it.
Message board groups are all kind of intermingled at this point. There's a lot of crossover and it's easy for speculation in one spot to carry over as a rumor in another. I've seen people completely misrepresent discussions here that happen in the discord, for example.
We should link up on Twitter, i am very active over there when I am drunk, especially with recruits and their family
Chimp, but I guess those NFTs weren't chimps - a popular template for NFTs. They looked more like this, but I guess the Mandela effect kicked in on the chimps.
Weren't academics mentioned? Would make sense as to why we aren't even mentioned. Just noticed he's announcing and announcement in September
Correct, some belief Shanklin didn’t have the math classes or language classes to get through admissions. Seems like ND got word of his fall classes and he was dropped unfortunately Bunch of other kids were dropped by ND recently as well
look these kids like Shanklin probably have ten schools telling him he gets $200k to sign one of the ten is saying you get $200k but I need you to take Spanish 3 and PreCalc The other 9 say your good coasting what are you doing at 16?
Enough of them are serious enough to take the Spanish that ND is a legit playoff contender going into 2024. Not everybody has a pants wetting problem like some of our notable fans.
correct I don’t care, ND will be fine- they pivoted in uhh March but a lot of posters/internet ppl still don’t get the new reality
I'm losing track on when everyone is updating their rankings (and why), but Will Black moved up from #6 overall to #5 overall on On3
II offense Spoiler Notre Dame football held the spring edition of its semi-annual jersey scrimmage during practice No. 11 on Saturday morning inside the stadium. The media viewed the entire practice. OVERVIEW The defense won the spring jersey scrimmage, 50-32. It's the first time the offense has lost since Marcus Freeman became head coach. The media wasn't privy to the scoring system, so it's impossible to explain what exactly led to the score updates throughout this practice report. Quarterbacks Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey threw a total of three interceptions, including two pick-sixes for 72-yard and 60-yard touchdowns by Jaden Mickey and Xavier Watts. CJ Carr never played with the first-team offense, but he certainly dazzled at times on Saturday. All three offensive line units struggled at times during Saturday's scrimmage. Second-team center Sam Pendleton struggled to consistently snap the ball, which includes an errant snap in pre-scrimmage walkthroughs. The offense primarily used 11 personnel. Mike Denbrock also employed five receivers at one point or called for 10 personnel on occasion. He only used 12 personnel when backed up near its own goal line. INJURY UPDATES QB Riley Leonard: He continues to look more comfortable on his ankle. He took mental reps off to the side during the entire scrimmage and participated in walk-throughs ahead of time. Freeman noted after following the scrimmage that Leonard is participating in 7-on-7 and progressing well. WR Jayden Harrison: He showed up to practice on Tuesday in a walking boot. On Saturday, Freeman stated the Marshall transfer will be out for the remainder of the spring due to "plantar fasciitis strain." The staff wants to give him as much opportunity to rest and let the injury heal. WR Jayden Thomas: He didn't participate in Saturday's scrimmage. Freeman confirmed afterward that Thomas is dealing with another hamstring injury. FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE QB: Steve Angeli LT: Charles Jagusah LG: Pat Coogan C: Ashton Craig RG: Billy Schrauth RT: Tosh Baker RB: Jeremiyah Love WR: Kris Mitchell WR: Jaden Greathouse WR: Micah Gilbert TE: Cooper Flanagan WR KK Smith, RB JD Price, RB Gi'Bran Payne, TE Eli Raridon and TE Davis Sherwood also took reps with the first team. Raridon's reps with the first-team increased as the scrimmage progressed. SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE QB: Kenny Minchey LT: Sullivan Absher LG: Rocco Spindler C: Sam Pendleton RG: Ty Chan RT: Aamil Wagner RB: Gi'Bran Payne WR: KK Smith WR: Cam Williams WR: Deion Colzie TE: Eli Raridon RG Chris Terek also took repped with the second team on one series. THIRD-TEAM OFFENSE QB: CJ Carr LT: Ty Chan LG: Peter Jones C: Joe Otting RG: Chris Terek RT: Anthonie Knapp RB: Aneyas Williams WR: Jack Polian WR: Cam Williams TE: Jack Larsen RB Justin Fisher also repped with the third team. OFFENSIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY The offense starts with the ball at its own 35: Steve Angeli hands off to Jeremiayah Love on a sweep to the left. There's nowhere to go. Love evades a few tackles but still loses 3 yards on the play. Second-and-13: Angeli swings the ball out to Love for a short 2-yard completion. Third-and-11: Angeli scrambles but Kennedy Urlacher tackles him well short of the line to gain. The offense resets to its own 35-yard line. The offense is flagged for a false start. It's unclear who's the guilty party. First-and-15: Angeli completes a 12-yard pass to Flanagan over the middle Second-and-3: Angeli hits Kris Mitchell near the far sideline out for a short pickup. First down. First-and-10: Angeli launches a deep ball to Micah Gilbert down the right sideline. The ball is a bit underthrown and broken up. The offense resets to its own 35-yard line. Kenny Minchey enters the game with the second-team offense. Michey hands off to Gi'Bran Payne for a 1-yard loss. Second-and-11: Minchey is sacked by DB Jordan Clark, who shot into the backfield unblocked, I believe from the slot. Third-and-18: Minchey gets sacked again, this time by LB Jaylen Sneed off the right side of the line of scrimmage. The offense resets to its own 35-yard line. Minchey hands the ball off to Payne for a 3-yard gain. Second-and-7: Minchey hits Cam Williams for a 12-yard pickup. First down. First-and-10: Minchey hits Cam Williams for another medium gain. The offense resets to its own 35-yard line. CJ Carr and the third-team offense enter the scrimmage. Carr hits Williams in the flat for a 4-yard gain. It's Williams' third catch in a row. Second-and-6: Carr takes a shot downfield that's well overthrown. Third-and-6: Carr does a nice job to escape pressure, scrambles to the right and picks up 4 yards, but is short of the line to gain. The offense resets to its own 35-yard line. Carr hands the ball off to RB Aneyas Williams, who runs for a yard up the middle. Second-and-9: I believe, Carr toss the ball out to TE Jack Larsen for a 7-yard gain. Third-and-2: Aneyas Williams is stuffed on a run up the middle. No gain. The offense resets to its own 3-yard line. Angeli and the first-team offense returned to face the first-team defense. JD Price ran up the middle for five yards. Second-and-5: Price ran hard up the gut for three yards. Third-and-2: Angeli passes to Flanagan on a slant for medium gain. First down. First-and-10: DE Jordan Botelho shoots into the backfield. It probably should've been a sack, but there's no whistle. Angeli evades and finds Greathouse 10 yards downfield and he's got a step on his man. He picks up another 20 yards or so for 30+ yard gain. First-and-10 from the 50-yard line: Angeli hits Greathouse, who ran across the field for a 17-yard reception. First-and-10 from the defense's 33-yard line: Price bounces a run outside of Charles Jagusah for five yards. Second-and-five: Angeli drops back and fires the ball to Kris Mitchell on a comeback route. Mickey played off and likely baited the throw, jumped it and returned the interception for a 72-yard pick-six. The scoreboard reads Defense 20, Offense 6. The offense resets to its own 3-yard line. Minchey and the second-team offense stay on the field. Love runs up the middle for no gain. Second-and-10: Love runs up the middle again, this time pick up 4 yards thanks to a decent whole from the offensive line. Third-and-6: Minchey throws an incomplete pass. The offense resets to its own 3-yard line. Minchey and the second-team offense stayed on the field. Love runs up the middle for 3 yards. Second-and-7: Sam Pendleton's snap is bad (I believe too high). Minchey corrales it and gets a slightly delayed handoff to Love. He still manages to pick up two yards, before a host of defenders hit him and carry him several yards back. Third-and-5: The offense is hit with back-to-back pre-snap penalties: a delay of game and a falst start. Third-and-15: Minchey evades a sack that would've been a safety, rolls to the left and launches downfield for an incompletion. The ball landed 10 to 15 yards from its nearest target, so Minchey was most likely just throwing it away. The offense resets to the defense's 45-yard line. Minchey stays in the game but plays with the first-team offense. Minchey begins the series with an incompletion. Second-and-10: Minchey somehow doesn't see an open Eli Raridon, so he takes off and scrambles up the left side for nine yards. Third-and-1: Payne runs up the middle. It looks likely he barely picks up a year, but chains move for a first down. First-and-10: Minchey hits Flanagan in the flat for a short gain. Second-and-8: Minchey takes a shot down the sideline to Micah Gilbert. The pass is on target but broken up by CB Christian Gray. His coverage resulted in significant jersey grabbing, but there's no flag. Third-and-8: Michey throws a pass to the far sideline to KK Smith, who gets a good block and runs for a first down. First-and 10 from the defense's 20-yard line: Love runs up the middle, breaks into the second left and trucks S Adon Shuler for a 14-yard gain. First-and-goal from the defense's 6-yard line: Minchey fakes a handoff on a Greathouse sweep. Minchey keeps it, runs to the left and finds the end zone for a 6-yard score. Without the red jersey, Minchey possibly get's tackled short of the goal line. K Mitch Jeter makes the extra point. The defense still leads the offense, 21-16. The offense resets to the defense's 45-yard line. CJ Carr leads the second-team offense. Carr completes his first pass over the middle. Second-and-5: Carr toss a deep ball that falls incomplete to WR Deion Colzie, who's well covered by CB Chance Tucker. Third-and-5: Carr evades sack (that perhaps should've been whistled as a sack), but he navigates a collapsing pocket well, steps up and delivers a strike to a well-covered Kris Mitchell for a 20-yard first-down pickup. First-and-10: The defense is flagged before the snap, I believe for being offsides. First-and-5: Carr sacked for 10-yard loss. It's unclear is Absher missed his assignment at left tackle or was just beaten badly off the snap. Either way, it's a poor rep. Second-and-20: Carr makes an effortless throw 15+ yards down the field that hits Cam Williams on a slant for a touchdown. Williams had a few steps on CB Chance Tucker. The scoreboard now reads Offense 25, Defense 23. The offense resets to its own 40-yard line. It's the first-team offense vs the second-team defense. I believe the defense is flagged for pass interference on a throw down the field. First-and-10 from the defense's 45-yard line: Angeli hands the ball off to Love for 3 yards up the middle. Second-and-7: It's play-action, but Angeli is quickly sacked. Boubacar Traore fired off the left for an easy sack. Third-and-12: Angeli is surrounded by pressure again. He steps up in the pocket unfazed and throws a strike to Eli Raridon to the right side for 12 yards and a first down. First-and-10 from the defense's 33-yard line: Angeli hits Kris Mitchell on quick out. Mitchell makes a move and run after catch, picking up 20 yards. First-and-10 from the defense's 13: The offense is flagged for a false start. First-and-15: Angeli stands in the pocket and delivers a ball over the middle to Flanagan for 12 yards. LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa with a nice pressure. Second-and-3: There's no one open. Angeli gets sacked by DT Sean Sevillano. The secondary deservers credit for at least half the sack. Third-and-10: Angeli is pressured again. He gets rid of the ball quickly, throwing to a triple-covered Greathouse end zone and the ball lands five yards out of bounds. Mitch Jeter attempts a field goal from the left hash and 30 yards out. It hits the right cross bar. No good. The defense leads the offense, 28-27. The offense resets to its own 40-yard line. It's the second-team offense against the first-team defense. Chris Terek is in at right guard. Price gets hit immediately after receiving the handoff. No gain. Second-and-10: Minchey takes off quickly and scrambles for 20 yards. No defender comes close to getting a hand on him. First-and-10 at the defense's 40-yard line: Minchey feels pressure, throws it quickly to Flanagan on a slant, but Watts times it perfectly, jumps the rout for 60-yard pick six. The defense leads the offense, 40-28. The offense resets to its own 40-yard line. It's the third-team offense versus the third-team defense. Carr throws an incomplete pass. Second-and-10: Carr hits Aneyas Williams on a swing pass, who's taken down immediately for no gain. Third-and-10: Carr escapes pressure, rolls out to his right, throws a dart to Cam Williams for an 18-yard pickup. 1st and 10 from the defense's 42-yard line: Aneyas Williams runs up the middle for five yards after the third-team offensive line created a decent hole. Second-and-5: Aneyas Williams runs up the 4 yards. Third-and-1: Aneyas Williams runs up the 4 yards. First-and-10 from the defense's 30-yard line: Carr drops a dime to Cam Williams on a deep fade route. Williams held but still got his hands on the ball before dropping a touchdown. Second-and-10: RB Justin Fisher runs hard at 223 pounds for a 7-yard gain. Third-and-3: Carr gets pressured, pumps to his right but no one is open. He steps up into the pocket, gets to his third or fourth read and hits WR Jack Polian on a 20-yard dart over the middle that's just short of the end zone. First-and-goal from the defense's 3-yard line: Carr fakes a handoff (RPO?) and walks into the end zone untouched. The offense resets to the 50-yard line Carr stays on the field with the second-team offense against the second-team defense. Carr over throws a slant by five yards that lands incomplete. Second-and-10: Aneyas Williams runs up the middle for one yard. Third-and-9: The pocket collapses on Carr, he gets stripped but the ball bounces up to him. Then he gets sacked. The offense resets to the 50-yard line Minchey goes in with the second-team line and third-team skill players against the second-team defense. Fisher runs up the middle for 5 yards. Second-and-5: Fisher runs up the middle for 4 yards. Third-and-1: Fisher trucks up the middle for a first down. The offense resets to the 50-yard line It's the first-team offense versus a combination of first- and second-team defenders. Boubacar Traore easily beats Charles Jagusah off the line, gets into the backfield and hits Angeli's arm as he throws. The ball falls incomplete, but it might've been a sack if the quarterbacks were live. Second-and-10: Out of shotgun, Angeli receives the snap on a designed run up the middle for 2 yards. Third-and-8: Angeli gets hit as he throws (maybe too much contact for a scrimmage) and the ball hits the turf near the middle of the field well short of its intended target. Fourth-and-8: Angeli scrambles for five yards after the pocket breaks down. The offense resets to the 50-yard line The same units stay on the field. Angeli gets a good pocket and hits Greathouse on a deep crosser out of the slot that results in a 24-yard gain. First-and-10 from the defense's 26-yard line: Angeli hits Greathouse for first down. First-and-10 from the defense's 15-yard line: Boubacar Traore almost drives Charles Jagusah into Angeli, but the quarterback escapes up the middle of the pocket for a 5-yard gain. Second-and-5: Price runs up the middle for three yards. Third-and-2: Angeli rolls to right, he makes a short throw into traffic that's picked off by S Adon Shuler, who returns the interception a few yards before stumbling out of bounds. The scoreboard reads Defense 50, Offense 32
II defense Spoiler Notre Dame, Ind. — The daily media covering Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish were treated to a full practice that included the program's annual 'Jersey Scrimmage' in which the winner—offense or defense—claims the blue jerseys for next week's Blue-Gold Game. (I believe they also claim the better of the two team meals to be served, though I did not confirm the disparity between the two.) Sidelined as usual today were defensive ends Aiden Gobaira (August ACL surgery) and Loghan Thomas (labrum surgery), defensive tackle Armel Mukam (labrum surgery), and cornerback Benjamin Morrison (right shoulder surgery). Transfers-in-waiting Beaux Collins and Rod Heard II were on-hand to watch, as was nose tackle Gabriel Rubio. I did not locate defensive lineman Tyson Ford at today's practice—nor was Ford at our previous viewing on Tuesday (April 9). Freeman confirmed in his post-game press conference that Ford is taking time away from the team for personal reasons. The media saw 12 different segments, and thus a cross-section of first-string vs. second string (1s vs. 2s and vice versa) with some 1s vs. 1s included, and of course, a smattering of 3s vs. 2s and 3s vs. 3s. Speaking of which… Freshman CJ Carr throws a beautiful football. On time, accurate, and with the best zip among the trio of passers today. Other standouts today before our official breakdown of the defense were: The Vypers (all three) The new-look linebacking corps The scrimmage-changing Pick 6s by Jaden Mickey and Xavier Watts, and ultimately… A game-sealing pick by Adon Shuler near the offense's goal line. The quarterbacks were not live (red jerseys). So each time I reference a 'hit' or 'sack' it is open to interpretation. But the pressure applied is not… The Final Score was 43 Defense to 32 offense, and while I have no idea, nor inclination to discern what that means, I do know that had Shuler not picked off Angeli's final pass, the offense could've won. SEGMENT 1 (1st Offense vs. 2 Nickel Defense) Taking the field for the defense at linebacker were Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaylen Sneed, with Jaiden Ausberry working as the Nickel. They were joined by the front four of Josh Burnham (SDE), Jason Onye and Donovan Hinish inside, and Junior Tuihalamaka at Vyper. The secondary featured Chance Tucker and Micah Bell on the corners and Luke Talich and Kennedy Urlacher at safety. Tuihalamaka with an untouched tackle-for-loss off the boundary edge to open the scrimmage… The defense holds (3-and-out) but the downs reset in an effort to get at least six snaps for the offense Boubacar Traore checks in at Vyper and Cole Mullins at defensive tackle Kennedy Urlacher breaks up a deep ball down the right sideline. I'd beat a fair amount of money he never saw that ball when turning late, but it goes down in the books as a pass defended. SEGMENT 3 (3 Base Defense vs. 3 Offense) Traore, Mullins (DT), Sean Sevillano Jr. (NT), and Bryce Young (SDE) make up your rookie/near-rookie defensive front. They're joined by Jaiden Ausberry, Kahanu Kia, and Preston Zinter (Mike) at linebacker with walk-on Mickey Brown at corner and both Marty Auer and Devyn Ford at safety. (Not sure who aligned at the other corner, but Kennedy Urlacher got a quick look at Nickel). The segment is highlighted by a Cole Mullins Run Stuff on third down. SEGEMENT 4 (1s vs. 1s) The first-unit offense takes to the field with its back to the goal line… Jaylen Sneed is the Rover in the Base 4-3 with no other changes to the 1 Nickel above Good interior push by the O-Line of Schrauth and Craig for a 5-yard gain. Three more behind Tosh Baker Kiser with the blitz but picked up ably by Jadarian Price and as a result, Angeli finds Cooper Flanagan for a 10-yard gain to move the chains. Mission accomplished by the offense to get out of the shadow of it's own goal. Botelho would've sacked Angeli there but instead it's a 30-yard gain to Greathouse. I'm not buying that one. Nice throw though… Another 17 yards by Angeli, plus 6 yards on a run by Price, tackled by Kiser Jaden Mickey blatantly baits Angeli pre-snap, backing two yards off of Kris Mitchell to the field (wide) side, then jumps the route and takes it for an uncontested 75-yard touchdown. That makes it 21-6 defense in this unexplained scoring system SEGMENT 5 (2s vs. 2s) The linebackers are Bowen, Ausberry, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, with Urlacher and Talich at safety and Bell and Tucker on the corners. Josh Burnham starts the series with a tackle-for-loss off the strong side Bad snap by Sam Pendleton results in a tackle-for-loss by Donovan Hinish Delay of Game Minchey escapes Tuihalamaka in the pocket though that was a nice rush around Absher False Start Incomplete pass to Colzie with a PD by Chance Tucker SEGMENT 6 (1 Nickel D vs. 2 offense) Jordan Clark is joined by Jack Kiser and Jaylen Sneed… Clark disrupts a poor screen attempt to Greathouse. Lotta action in that backfield by the defense and Minchey had no shot Mills with the sack but it's not called (come on!) an instead that's a 20-yard scramble by Minchey who looked quick at after breaking scrimmage Shuler unblocked off the field edge combines with Cross for the run stuff Sneed smothers Cooper Flanagan after the catch for a minimal gain to the flat. Christian Gray with the leaping pass defended in the end zone. Nice play by the sophomore but in reality, Botelho sacked Minchey beating Baker. That's KK Smith with the field-side (wide) out from Minchey to move the chains against Mickey. That's a long throw by Minchey on target. Baker stops Traore on that pass rush attempt to make it possible. Jeremiyah Love absolutely bulldozes Adon Shuler over left side. Wow. Greathouse in motion near the goal line…Minchey fakes it to him right, takes it left where he has Flanagan out in front and a defender (missed the number) in a 2-on-1 situation…Fake toss by Minchey who keeps it for the easy score as a result. (Photo: Matt Cashore, Irish Illustrated) SEGMENT 7 (2 Defense vs. 3 Offense) Defense shows Viliamu-Asa, Sneed, and Ausberry at linebacker but Bowen replaces KVA at some point, with Young and Traore on the edges and Devan Houstan and Brenan Vernon inside. (Bell, Tucker, Talich, Urlacher as the secondary again). Tucker all over Deion Colzie deep Carr with a nice ball to KK Smith, stepping up in the pocket to make the throw Carr incomplete deep to Colzie again—Tucker again Bowen sacks Carr because of a bad Pendleton snap WHAT A THROW! Carr to Cam Williams down the post for the 21-yard touchdown vs. Tucker. That makes it 25-23 offense for some-reason SEGMENT 8 (Starting to Mix-and-Match 2s and 3s on vs. 1st Offense) Micah Bell opens the drive with a pass interference call against him defending Kris Mitchell… I see Ausberry, Sneed, KVA, Houstan and Mullins inside and Young and Traore on the edge…Still Urlacher and Talich at safety… Bryce Young with the run stuff Boubacar Traore with the untouched sack off the edge. Shot out of a cannon, but that had to be a missed assignment by Jagusah? Really nice blitz pickup by Gi'Bran Payne allows Angeli time to hit Flanagan for 18 yards Micah Bell is badly overmatched by Kris Mitchell on this field side catch. Should've been 10 turns into about 21 yards… KVA with what would've been a massive front-side hit on Angeli but instead, he lets up and that's another nice pass to Flanagan. This time we do have a sack, and it's the big man: Sean Sevillano Jr. !! The defense reads Angeli pre-snap, with Bowen, Ausberry, and Bell all following Greathouse to the far corner of the end zone. Angeli has to throw out of bounds. He had Mitchell in the flat but that wasn't going anywhere either. Mitch Jeter with the field goal DOINK off the left upright. That gives the defense two points, which hardly seems fair…28-27 D SEGMENT 9 (1 Nickel D vs. 2nd Offense) Kiser and Botelho open with a TFL on a read-option between Minchey and Price that had little chance… (It's Bowen, Kiser, and Clark by the way at the second level.) Good run by Minchey after escaping… OH MY: X MAN STRIKES - Reads Minchey's eyes on a throw left hash to Flanagan and takes it 60 yards for the easy touchdown, strutting the final 25… It is 40-28 Defense after the TFL and Pick 6, which clearly counts for 12 points now that I've seen two of them… SEGMENT 10 (3s vs. 3s) Walk-on defense lineman Kobi Onyiuke joins the fray up front along with Preston Zinter and Kahanu Kia at linebacker, plus Tre Reader… Bryce Young pressures Carr but the latter throws a frozen rope to Cam Wiliams, directing him downfield during the play. That was nice… Young and Houston combine for the sack of Carr. Kahanu Kia in there (that's two straight plays, actually, according to my scribbling, so I must've missed one) to stop Aneyas Williams on the rush… Forced incompletion by walk-on Mickey Brown on this Carr attempt to Cam Williams. That was a great pass to the deep corner (flag route) Carr escapes, steps up in the pocket, and finds his third option in Jack Polian down the middle who's tackled at the shadow of the goal line Carr takes it in untouched read on the ensuing snap — SEGMENT 11 (CARR with the 2s vs. 2s defensively) Carr misses Colzie.. Run Stuff by Viliamu-Asa/Tuihalamaka Sneed with a well-timed blitz up the gut and Hinish cleans up the snap as a result (I think Carr fumbled that standing up as it was blown dead). That was quality blitz pickup by Aneyas Williams on Sneed, however. Minchey in for Carr…Hinish put Chan on his back, though Chan might've had too much traffic at his feet…Chan responds with a good block against Sneed, helping the linebacker up following the play…another bad snap… SEGMENT 12 (1s vs. 1s) Well, kind of. Traore is in at Vyper and Burnham at SDE (Oben, by the way, was in at SDE on the previous series). Sack by Traore right around Jagusah (or again, perhaps a missed check). Burnham plants Schrauth (again, might've been traffic at Schrauth's feet during the run—I saw the end result only) Another likely hit (or sack) by Viliamua-Asa on the quarterback (Angeli) Really nice job by Ashton Craig against Howard Cross — I happened to turn my binoculars on them both pre-snap. That affords Angeli time to hit Greathouse for 20 yards vs. Tucker. Angeli to Greathouse to move the chains again… Traore RIGHT AROUND Jagusah… Great block by Schrauth to clear a first down path… The offense has a chance to win in the red zone… Angeli rolls right and is picked off by Shuler who might've scored had he stayed up (Angeli was nearby) DEFENSE WINS 43-32 after the Shuler Scrimmage-Sealing Theft
D3 scrimmage notes Spoiler Here are my thoughts and analysis from what we saw in today’s Notre Dame Jersey Scrimmage that was held inside Notre Dame Stadium. OVERALL I liked the overall format of the practice. It was a live scrimmage, but wasn’t a true “game situation” in that units got a set amount of plays. That’s a positive because if the offense went three-and-out they’d stay on the field until they got to their play amount, which ensures more consistency with the units and makes for better work and also helps with evaluation. They mixed up who played against who. It started off with the No. 1 offense against the No. 2 defense, and then flipped. There were also No. 1 vs No. 1 periods, and the No. 3 units were always against each other. The offense scored three touchdowns, the defense scored two touchdowns (literally) in the scrimmage. There was also a missed field goal. I would say the defense had the better day, but the offense did some good things as well. It was a really good back and forth scrimmage, which is what you want. Here’s the offense and defense breakdowns, with more of my focus today being on the offense, so there will be more notes on the offense. OFFENSE Here’s the unofficial stats for the QBs. Steve Angeli – 11-18, 149 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT CJ Carr – 7-13, 84 yards, 1 TD – 1 rushing TD Kenny Minchey – 4-8, 33 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT – 1 rushing TD I say unofficial because the yards might be off a yard here or there, it was us tracking it up the box. There wasn’t anything official from ND. *** Steve Angeli got the most reps today, including the majority of the reps with the first offense. His numbers above look good outside of the picks, but he had a rough day. He made a few good reads, including finding a wide open Eli Raridon on a wide stop route, and he hit Jaden Greathouse over the middle for a short throw that Greathouse turned into a 30-yard gain. The issue for Angeli was he struggled with post-snap reads. The most blatant was a pick six throw he had where Jaden Mickey jumped in front of a slant throw to Kris Mitchell and returned it for a long touchdown. It appeared to be a RPO read with Mickey playing off the ball. Angeli’s pre-snap read wasn’t bad, but at the snap Mickey squatted on the route and baited Angeli into the throw, which worked, and Mickey easily stepped in front of it for a touchdown. *** The less blatant mistakes were more about him not making good enough post-snap reads and missing too many open receivers. He didn’t see an open snag route to Mitchell on one read, which cost them yards, he missed Greathouse wide open on a slot fade that likely goes for a touchdown (it went for a 7-yard gain instead when he threw the option to the TE), and he missed Greathouse again on a seam route that went incomplete. He rushed on that read and went backside, failing to properly read the field side coverage. Angeli also forced a corner throw to Greathouse on a 3rd-down read, and if he takes the proper throw (Mitchell on a hitch) it’s an easy first down. His last interception hit Jaylen Sneed right in the chest. I still don’t know who he was throwing to. *** It wasn’t all bad for Angeli. His option read to Greathouse was perfect, and he hit Greathouse on the very next play on an out cut for an 18-yard gain. Problem is those were negated two plays later when he threw the INT to Mickey. He quickly got a hitch ball to Mitchell on a slot fade concept that allowed Mitchell to catch it, square up and then pick up a bunch of yards after the catch. Hitch throw turns into a 20-yard gain because the ball came out quickly. Angeli also made a good read on a snag concept where he hit Greathouse on a corner throw for 24 yards. It was easily his best read and throw of the day. That drive also ended with a pick, however. *** Kenny Minchey was a bit up-and-down, but overall he had some really good moments. For Minchey it’s just about being a bit more consistent with his post-snap decisions. His numbers won’t blow you away, but the pressure was greater on the QB when Minchey was in the game, and that factored into his numbers. It also showed a side of Minchey I hadn’t seen yet, and that’s mobility. He had about a 9-yard scramble on a pressure and another 19-yard gain on a scramble. He did a good job stepping away from pressure at times and was able to get the ball off. On one of the scrambles, however, Minchey needs to handle the pressure better and keep his eyes downfield. It was on the 9-yard scramble, and if he keeps his eyes downfield he has KK Smith open on a post route for what would have been a touchdown. He hit Smith on a hitch on a slot fade concept that allowed Smith to square up, get vertical and pick up 10 yards. *** On Minchey’s interception it was a miscommunication between him and Cooper Flanagan. It looked as though Minchey thought Flanagan was going to run a quick option route, but Flanagan ran a seam. That allowed Xavier Watts to step in front of it, pick it off and return it for a touchdown. *** Minchey had a go ball to Micah Gilbert that had a chance to go for a long touchdown, but Gilbert didn’t battle for the ball and allowed Christian Gray to break it up. Minchey made a good decision on a Y Under screen play where the defense jumped the under and Minchey kept the ball and got up field for a touchdown. *** There is little doubt that CJ Carr was the teams best quarterback today. He led the offense on two of the three touchdown drives, he showed good poise in the pocket and he was willing to take a lot more chances down the field. He was far from perfect, but CJ overall was really, really good today. I’m not even talking about “for a freshman.” He was the best quarterback on the field today (no Riley Leonard today). Part of the reason his completion percentage was a bit lower was that he was taking shots down the field. He had a go ball to Cam Williams that should have been a 20+ yard touchdown but Williams didn’t play the ball well. Carr was the most decisive of the quarterbacks with his post-snap reads. He wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but his willingness to go through his progressions and hit open receivers. Another downfield incompletion was a bit of a throwaway. *** Carr threw a post-route to Williams for a touchdown that was a great read and ball, and he did it with pressure getting near him. He also did a good job finding Williams on a stop route for 17 yards. He was on the move and found Jack Polian over the middle for a 21-yard gain that got the offense to the 1-yard line. He scored on the next play on a read zone keep. He had Deion Colzie open over the middle on a post route for what should have been a big play, but Carr sailed the ball. That was one of two big misses he had, but overall he was really, really good. *** Carr led two touchdown drives, Minchey led a touchdown drive and Angeli led a field goal drive but the kick was missed. *** The running backs weren’t used as much today, as it appears the focus was a bit more on the pass game today. There were some missed cuts at times in the zone, but overall the backs ran hard and maximized yards. One of the more impressive highlight reel type plays was when Jeremiyah Love ran over Adon Shuler for a first down. Love also spent a series in the slot. Aneyas Williams had one big missed read on a zone, but overall he ran really well. Williams was decisive and he ran with authority. Pass pro was solid at times, but the defense threw a lot at the offense blitz wise. *** Jaden Greathouse was outstanding today. He was by far the best player on the offense, and the fact is the defense could not cover him today. He caught four passes for 82 yards, but honestly he should have had at least 75-100 more yards if the quarterbacks would have done a better job with post-snap reads. Greathouse showed the ability to get really quick, easy separation over the middle, his vertical speed was good and he knows how to find open spots in the defense. We never saw him against Christian Gray (I don’t think at least), but against everyone else he was impossible to cover as a field player. *** Kris Mitchell caught three passes for 41 yards and showed the ability to make plays after the catch. Mitchell also had a tough catch in traffic on an In throw that went for 17 yards (it was from Carr). Mitchell should have had a couple more grabs in the game but the reads didn’t come his way. Mitchell showed good vertical speed, but his suddenness as a route runner stood out today. KK Smith only caught one pass for 10 yards, but he showed very good speed and should have caught a post route for a touchdown. He might have shown the best initial burst today off the line and he showed today he can play inside and outside. *** Micah Gilbert didn’t make any grabs per my play-by-play breakdown. He had a chance for a down the field throw, but he has to battle more for the ball. That was a theme, and as much as I liked what the receivers showed today, Gilbert, Williams and Deion Colzie all had chances for touchdowns on go balls, but none of them fought for the ball enough. Will certainly be something for Mike Brown to focus on. The unit has grown a ton, but this showed they still have work to do, at least in this area. Overall, however, I really liked what I saw from the receivers. *** Cam Williams showed his elite talent today, but he also showed his game is still very much a work in progress. He caught five passes for 62 yards and showed off impressive athletic skill. He’s very fast, and he showed that when he beat Chance Tucker for a touchdown on a post route. He also showed that when working vertical, even on stop routes. His speed forced the corners to bail hard, and that allowed him to get open on stop throws. He could have had another long touchdown where he ran right by the defense, but the pressure on Carr kept him from getting the ball off and forced him to scramble. There’s a lot to work with when it comes to Williams and Gilbert, they are impressive looking young players, but as you’d expect from rookies, they still have plenty of room to grow the technical part of their game and show greater consistency. *** For those worried about tight end production under Mike Denbrock, Cooper Flanagan caught four passes for 30 yards and Eli Raridon caught one pass for 14 yards. So that’s five grabs for 44 yards in the game, and Flanagan was wide open up the seam on a throw but the QB didn’t see him. *** Charles Jagusah had one rough series, but outside of that he was solid in pass pro and he got very good movement in the run game. I liked what I saw from Billy Schrauth in the run game as well. The second team line had more issues in the pass game, but they did show good physicality in the run game and got a good push. The interior of the second line especially struggled in the pass game, and Sam Pendleton had multiple low snaps in the scrimmage session. DEFENSE *** Overall the defense had the better day. The pass rush had some really good moments and put a lot of heat on the quarterbacks, especially the second group. There were blitzes that hit home, dominant edge pressures and also a really good pass rush push up the middle of the defense. Overall the defense was very, very active and flew to the ball. They also caught some breaks in that their pressures prevented big plays in the pass game to open receivers, and there were obviously some blown coverage mistakes that should have resulted in bigger plays as well. But overall it was a good day by the defense. *** Up front, the interior of the line got a very good push for much of the day, especially in the pass game. Whether it was the first, second or third group, the interior seemed to get the best of the battle against the offensive line. *** Boubacar Traore didn’t do much early but he caught fire later in the scrimmage. At that point he went off, causing three pressures on five plays, including one play that would have been a sack in a live situation and then another where he hit the ball out of Angeli’s hand as he was trying to get the throw off. His edge speed is exceptional, especially his initial burst. The other edge who kept flashing for me today was Josh Burnham, who blew up a perimeter run and also had two very good edge wins in the pass game. Junior Tuihalamaka started the day off with a tackle for loss on a perimeter run. *** Drayk Bowen was all over the field today. I can’t speak to him being assignment correct all the time, as I don’t have a way of going back and watching the clips and then grading them. What I’m referring to is him always being around the ball and making plays. On the first play he was on the field the offense ran a swing screen to the running back and Bowen blew it up in the backfield from the Mike position. Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed were also very active from the over position. Sneed had two highlight reel plays, one early and one later. Early on he blew past Aamil Wagner for what would have been an easy sack, and he ended the scrimmage with an interception of Angeli. On that play, Sneed did a very good job reading the play, dropping into his zone and then stepping in front of the ball. Ausberry is very active on the perimeter and covers a ton of ground in a hurry. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa also impressed with his range and physicality at the point of attack. It’s harder to evaluate linebacker play without being able to go back and watch the film, but watching live what I can say is that I am very impressed with this group’s physicality, range and playmaking ability. *** Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray is part of the reason the boundary receivers in the first and second group didn’t catch a single pass in the scrimmage. Gray gave up a step to Gilbert on a go ball, but he outplayed the freshman for the ball and broke up the pass. Jaden Mickey was also very solid in coverage to the field, but his baiting of Angeli turned a potential offensive touchdown into a pick six for the defense. Cornerback Chance Tucker had a really good break up on a ball to Deion Colzie and had some good moments against the run, but he also got beat by Williams for a touchdown. *** I didn’t get to see much of the safeties today, but even when you don’t focus on the position you can’t help but notice how often Xavier Watts is around the football. His pick six was a thing of beauty and he was around the ball in the run game all day. Watts looks more confident in what he’s doing this spring compared to last, and it appears as though he is building on his All-American season.
D3 recruiting info Spoiler Hey y’all, our staff is busy collecting recruiting intel from this weekend. While it wasn’t the biggest group of visitors, it could end up being a very important one. As we gain more, we will update this thread. *** Let’s start with 2025 Frankfort (Ky.) Western Hills defensive lineman Javeon Campbell, who didn’t end up making the trip. We will have a lot more on this one when the time is right because there’s just some weirdness to this whole situation. Regardless, we don’t anticipate Notre Dame to pursue Campbell moving forward. It was unclear even if Notre Dame would have pushed if the visit went well, and now we know that they won’t be. Campbell is a really gifted player who has a long list of suitors that keeps getting bigger. He’s an outstanding talent that is probably going to be staying in SEC country. *** Now back to the good news. The Irish staff did a tremendous job with 2026 Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park defensive end Rodney Dunham, who was already high on Notre Dame going into the visit. Dunham got the chance to spent a lot of time with the coaches, and see the defense have dominant moments during the scrimmage. The North Carolina native is a very high academic kid and stressed how easy of a fit he would be as a person and a player. This was an incredibly successful first visit, and Dunham is already talking about coming back again in the future. *** Perhaps one of the more intriguing visitors this weekend was 2026 Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola cornerback Brandon Lockhart, who is heading back home tomorrow morning. Lockhart is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the 2026 class and has been committed to USC since October. Despite that commitment, Lockhart is keeping his options open and Notre Dame has made a really strong impression. That continued this weekend. Lockhart came out of the visit extremely complimentary of the staff and stressed that it is a place he can see himself. This part is my pulse: I don’t know if Lockhart eventually ends up with the Irish but at this point, I will be shocked if he ends up with USC. *** Notre Dame was also hosts to 2026 Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban wide receiver Payton Cook, who is a well regarded recruit that currently holds offers from Michigan, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Purdue among others. Cook does not hold an offer from Notre Dame, and didn’t receive one this weekend. Despite that, it was a tremendous visit. The Irish are very interested in Cook but he told me that they want him to come back to campus this summer and workout at a camp. If he impresses there, it’s believed that he could be offered then. That’s what Cook is expecting, and hoping for. He’s very high on Notre Dame and is certainly a name to watch. *** I can’t believe this but we are about to talk about a 2027 recruit, and that’s Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson linebacker Antwoine Higgins Jr. The 6-3, 215-pound defender is very, very well regarded from the recruiting perspective early on. He already holds offers from Oregon, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Illinois and Indiana among others. It’s very early and Notre Dame rarely offers freshman, but Higgins is certainly on their radar. He has had a long weekend in South Bend, and is actually now out in Chicago for a 7-on-7 tournament. Higgins was very complimentary of the Irish coming out of his first visit. I would anticipate an offer to be extended at some point, and for Notre Dame to be high on his list quickly. UPDATED 1:15 PM *** Coming into the event, 2025 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Carl Alber cornerback Trystan Haynes is one of the players I was most interested to see how things trended this weekend. I’ll have a much more in depth piece on Haynes but the early return is very positive. The star athlete was very complimentary of the coaches, most of which he met in person for the first time. He also really liked the campus, and loved being able to tour it. I do believe that Notre Dame will have a shot in the end if they push but I do think there is no expectation to pull the trigger for any school yet, and I’m not convinced that Notre Dame would be the pick. They may have a chance in the end but it will be about where they go from here. Getting a Carl Albert kid away from Oklahoma is an extremely tough pull.
D3 team nuggets (before the scrimmage) Spoiler I plan to get a much deeper amount of intel on the team following spring, but I did get a lot of good nuggets in the last few days. I’ll hold off on some of them until after the spring, but I wanted to get a few nuggets to you before tomorrow’s scrimmage. *** Talking to some sources around the program, there is a sentiment that Riley Leonard‘s spring injury, in some ways, is a bit of a blessing in disguise. No one I spoke with is happy he has not been able to do as much this spring, so it’s not an ideal situation. But the point behind the comments is that while the injury isn’t ideal, and he missed practice time, the injury has forced Leonard to spend his spring focused on throwing. He isn’t running right now, and all he’s doing is throwing drills. There has been a jump in how he’s thrown the ball from the time he get here until now. Not only is he getting more zip, but there’s more consistency with how he’s throwing the ball compared to where he was when he arrived and when spring ball started. *** Everyone I speak with absolutely raves about the quarterback room. The depth at the position is special, and every source has praised different quarterbacks. There has been one constant in my discussions, however. That constant is how impressive CJ Carr has been this spring. What I consistently hear is that he not only throws the best ball of all the quarterbacks, but his poise and how he carries himself is just different. He has a natural swagger and leadership that hasn’t gone unnoticed. He’s also picked up the offense in a hurry. It was Carr that shined during the practice when Leonard and Steve Angeli were out. *** It would seem I’m not the only person who has been very impressed with Jaden Greathouse this spring. One source said that he believes Greathouse has emerged as the No. 1 receiver this spring. If he keeps building on what he’s done this spring don’t be shocked if he ends up being a big time breakout player for the Irish in the fall. Another Texan has gotten consistent praise from is KK Smith, who according to sources is having a very good spring. *** Two names get mentioned every time I talk to someone about the offensive line. Charles Jagusah and Billy Schrauth. Others will bring up Ashton Craig, who is also having a good spring, but Jagusah and Schrauth apparently are having great springs so far. Right tackle has not been as good as hoped for this spring, according to a source. It doesn’t seem like Tosh Baker has locked the position down with a strong spring, and Aamil Wagner hasn’t really made the push desired in order for him to really push his way into the starting lineup. *** Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love are freaks …. that’s literally what I hear every time I talk to someone about the backfield. *** Will have more on the defense later, and feedback is much more scattered on defense than offense. The “who is standing out” feedback is consistent on offense. The consistent players I hear about are Christian Gray (great spring), Drayk Bowen (locking down the Mike position), Jaiden Ausberry (pushing hard for time), Jaylen Sneed (light appears to have gone on) and Adon Shuler. Two sources I spoke with said that Shuler is playing like a guy that’s going to be a NFL Draft pick in the future, and folks are very pleased with his spring.
I may be doing a business deal with one of the guys who owns the nd sites. Please put any rider requests here. Weekly FaceTimes with Loy or singer?
WR Jayden Thomas: He didn't participate in Saturday's scrimmage. Freeman confirmed afterward that Thomas is dealing with another hamstring injury.
Did we discuss Brock Schott committing to Miami? Seems like an odd choice and I know they’re fine at TE but would have liked to see him given a shot at DE
O'Malley.... Spoiler 1 — Wally World Parking Spot for me in the stadium lot: "That's right, when the lot's all full and everybody's fighting to get out of here, I'll be the first one out, too!" 2 — No film review today, unless you know of a pirated copy I can obtain? No? Instead, here's what I saw at Notre Dame's April 13 Jersey Scrimmage—according to memory and 3.5 pages of chicken scratch. 3 — Donuts and Chick-Fil-a were promised and by golly, they delivered! I'm going to double down on the latter and eschew the former, though if those Krispy Kreme's were the fresh-off-the-conveyor store version, I'd down them a la the great athletes of our past… 4 — A quick scan of the sidelines brings good news (Gabriel Rubio is here), and expected news (Tyson Ford is not). Ford wasn't on hand for our Tuesday, April 9 viewing, either. I like Notre Dame's reserve duo of Jason Onye and Donovan Hinish, plus Brenan Vernon and Devan Houstan/Sean Sevillano Jr., but I think the younger trio is a year away from prime time. My point is that Rubio is an essential roster addition in August. Ford wasn't in the mix, regardless, but if he's up for some wholly unsolicited advice: stay in school as a junior-to-be and graduate next December. At least two years of football should await thereafter. 5 — No assigned seats so I'll the take the front row, which I don't like for game days, but there's no west-facing glare blinding us at 10:20 AM. I'm sitting next to Tim Prister, Drew Mentock, Pete Sampson (who's 87-day spring break odyssey is apparently over) and Tyler James to my left. To my right: Chuck Freeby, Eric Hansen, and Blue and Gold's Jack Soble, who very much wants to choose the caffeinated coffee Notre Dame has provided rather than that useless decaf. 6 — Hopefully this will be the penultimate viewing of the team in pads, but starting quarterback Riley Leonard in shorts… 7 — It's a practice, not just a scrimmage, and the special teams offered punt coverage units during an early segment: Punters: Bryce McFerson and Eric Goins 1st Long-Snapper: Rino Monteforte (and I assume Andrew Kros followed) 1st String Trio of Protectors: Davis Sherwood, Jason Onye and Junior Tuihalamaka 2nd Trio: Eli Raridon, Cooper Flanagan, and Josh Burnham 3rd: Bryce Young, Boubacar Traore, and Cole Mullins — First Unit coverage: Jaylen Sneed, Jack Kiser, Drayk Bowen, Adon Shuler, Christian Gray and then I wrote "PC" but I'm guessing it was not Pat Coogan. Bad strategy if so. Just watch the Blue-Gold Game to find out. Live on Peacock if you hadn't heard.. — Second Unit: Chance Tucker, Jaiden Ausberry, Luke Talich, Ben Minich, Xavier Watts, Micah Bell, Devyn Ford, and Kahanu Kia. That's one too many…assume one of those guys is with the first unit I suppose. — Third Unit: Chance Tucker (busy man), Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Xavier Watts again, Tre Reader and some other guys. I was told there would be no math…Pretty sure I saw Kennedy Urlacher, too. 7 — Returners were Jaden Greathouse, Jaden Mickey, Gi'Bran Payne. Incumbent Jordan Faison will clearly join the fray in August. I don't root for many things in terms of roster choices, but I'd like to see either Faison or Greathouse as the leading man back there in College Station. 8 — It's scrimmage time, with Angeli leading the first unit…That's a sack by Junior Tuihalamaka over left tackle. Untouched, and it seems I undetected by either Charles Jagusah or Angeli. (Or I suppose the 'back). 9 — Kennedy Urlacher started alongside Luke Talich with the second unit at safety. I assume Urlacher will be bumped by today's starter Adon Shuler when Northwestern's Rod Heard II arrives this summer, but it's a good sign Urlacher worked with the 2s. He's a good bet to be involved in special teams. Urlacher breaks up a deep sideline route though I don't think he ever saw the ball. Incomplete, regardless. 10 — The first defense takes the field vs. Kenny Minchey and the second unit offense. Godspeed to this second unit offensive line. 11 — TFL Jack Kiser (and Jordan Clark who sealed his blocker inside the play)…Sack by Clark, untouched and undetected…Mills is held and Sneed gets the sack…Pressure by Mills but a nice pass completion from Minchey … 12 — Third Units are going at it now and the defensive line includes Bryce Young and Boubacar Traore as the edges. That's a future starting tandem—at Vyper and DT? Until then, it's Young's fellow freshman Cole Mullins with the 3rd Down run stuff to force a punt. He was joined by freshman Sean Sevillano Jr. Both will look … 'different' next spring, I assume? —"How was she Ross?" —"She was…Different." —"Good different?" —"Well nobody likes change…" 13 — Bit of a manufactured back-to-the goal line situation here for the first unit offense against the first unit defense and you know what? The offensive line won: good push on first and second down and then Angeli converted on third down… 14 — I consider this a sack— Botelho beats Baker but instead it's a 30-yard gain from Angeli to Greathouse who navigated the final 20 yards post-catch. We all love Boubacar Traore—especially the first row of reporters at the scrimmage, it seems—but Botelho has to have a good season. They've invested plenty in the 5th-year, and he's primed for it. I believe he will lead the Vipers in sacks this year…but Traore will surpass Botelho's 2024 total in 2025. 15 — Don't throw it don't throw it don't throw it!…He threw it. PICK 6 by Jaden Mickey who I'm sure had nothing to say to anyone thereafter! Mickey badly baited Steve Angeli into this quick field-look interception. Of relevance—assuming he stops wearing shorts on game days, that is—injured Riley Leonard 'threw' to the correct read on the same snap per our Notre Dame sources. (Leonard simulated each snap behind the quarterbacks throughout the scrimmage. A unique idea by the transfer to be sure.) 16 — That makes the score 21-6 in favor of the defense according to the scoreboard, and I admit, this is the first time I noticed the scoreboard. (I assume Mickey's score was worth 12 points, actually.) 17 — 2s vs. 2s here and that's a TFL by Josh Burnham. He's half the reason NaNa Osafo-Mensah isn't here and you know what? I think he'll outperform his former teammate's past production in 2024. 18 — Not a great series by the 2s with a false start, a bad snap, and a delay of game. (Burnham's TFL was the result of a bad snap…I left that part out.) 19 — Minchey showed some escapability on that poor series and throughout the contest. If Saturday is any indication, whomever starts is going to need it. Kidding! I hope. 20 — Jordan Clark reads and disrupts a screen to Jaden Greathouse (tunnel? Looked like it considering all the traffic) and it was doomed from the outset… 21 - Rylie Mills follows with a sack of Minchey but instead its ruled a 20-yard scramble by the slippery QB donning the protective red jersey and thus not allowed to be engulfed by his teammate. Mills points to wear Minchey would be lying in pain… 22 — Adon Shuler off the edge to combine with Howard Cross on the run Stuff. Jagusah blocked down and Shuler was a number they couldn't account for and he hit the left edge in a hurry. 23 — JAYLEN SNEED all over this right boundary pass to Cooper Flanagan. Now that's what I like to see in zone coverage! Shades of Marist Liufau when playing a team from the state of North Carolina… 24 — KK Smith collects a first down throw to the wide side—really nice ball by Minchey and it was made possible by Tosh Baker on the backside stopping Traore 1-on-1. 25 — Adon Shuler again—only this time he's bulldozed by a suddenly angry Jeremiyah Love who found a hole behind left guard and shot through it with bad intentions. Wow. Shades of Julius Jones on that Love 14-yard gain behind Jagusah and Coogan. 26 — After a fake to Greathouse on the JET, Minchey keeps it for the boundary side score. He had (I think Flanagan) to his left and faked the linebacker who was put in an impossible 2-on-1 situation. Minchey would've been hit at the goal line in a real game. 27 — CJ Carr is in, but Chance Tucker is all over Deion Colzie and it's incomplete. Tucker is the team's fourth-best cornerback—they suddenly need him to be, too. 28 — Carr avoids the sack and throws a dart to Kris Mitchell for 20 yards. That was a pretty play by a rookie. Also by a non-rookie. Also, he might've been sacked or at least contacted in a real game… 29 — Bowen records a sack after a bad snap and a not-so-great block by Sullivan Absher. Not sure if that was a timing issue or Bowen just won as we're bereft the luxury of instant replay. It's like 1988 all over again in the stadium! Only without the blocking, but I digress… 30 — YO! That's a ball by CJ Carr! Down the pipes to Cam Williams who beat Chance Tucker for six points. Plenty of zip on that throw but Williams won with his separation. It's 25-23 for some reason. I think the offense is 'winning' except they are clearly not. 31 — Your linebackers and defensive ends for this, the 8th segment are as follows: Sneed, KVA, Ausberry flanked by Young and Traore. 32 — I'll give you recrutniks a moment to dry off after what I assume was a much-needed cold shower… 33 — Bryce Young with a stuff…Traore with a sack. 34 — (Another pause to allow you to collect yourselves.) 35 — Heckuva blitz pickup there by Gi'Bran Payne and Angeli is able to connect with Eli Raridon as a result. 36 — Like me some Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon. But I Love me some Mitchell Evans. 37 — Angeli to Kris Mitchell on the left side, and the graduate-student is too physical and sudden for Micah Bell on this 20-yard gain, too much of it after the catch. Shades of Ambrose Wooden 2003 on that tackle attempt. I think Bell needs technical work at the position but that was expected. The key is seeing him on special teams this season, because that would bode well for 2025. If he's not heavily involved in ST..it indeed bodes poorly. 38 — Can something 'Bode Poorly?' Do people wreak things other than havoc? 39 — KVA with the pressure but Angeli steps up to find Flanagan for 10-12 yards and move the chains. 40 — Sean Sevillano Jr. with the coverage sack and the big man celebrates. Round Mound of Take Down? 41 — More pressure, and Bowen, Sneed, and Ausberry are all over this throw-away to the far end zone corner. 42 — DOINK. Mitch Jeter drills the left upright on a short field goal attempt. I mean, he REALLY hit that upright with authority, so we got that going for us… Notre Dame fails to score, except they're ahead (or behind?) 28-27 since the drive began. 43 — 2s vs. 2s now and after Kiser and Botelho combine on TFL vs. the read-option (Minchey and Price), but Minchey gains 20 yards on an ensuing second-down scramble. 44 — There's that man again! Xavier Watts pulls out his tractor beam and takes this Minchey offering back 60 yards for the score, high-stepping most of the way. 45 — Watts: All-Time Program Player. Show me more perseverance plus payoff? 46 — 3s vs. 3s which means CJ Carr is about to cause problems… Pressure by Bryce Young, but Carr finds Williams for 18 yards. Bryce Young has flashed today…Speaking of which, Bryce Young and Devan Houstan combine for a stop of about 4 yards vs. Aneyas Williams. 47 — Walk-on Justin Fisher is a load to bring down. That looked like Will Worth vs. the Irish in 2016. 48 — I can't stop myself sometimes… 49 — CJ Carr with the most intriguing play of the day on 3rd and 3: — Feels the pressure…pumps right…steps up…scanning…and find Jack Polian for a 20-yard juggling catch (very good pass) and the walk-on is stopped just short of the end zone. Clark takes it in for the untouched score on the next snap… 50 — By the way, Carr dropped in a contested gem to Cam Williams prior on that drive but preferred walk-on Mickey Brown was able to break up the offering. You can view #35 Mickey Brown's profile here: https://fightingirish.com/sports/football/roster/ 51 — Cam Williams has had a notable afternoon. It's also notable he generally runs out there with Jack Polian and Alex Whitman. My way-too-early guess: that won't be the case in late August. 52 — Carr is back out there with the 2s!! It's a hostile takeover on the position in front of our very eyes!! 53 — Ooops. Carr misses Colzie. Whelp, I know who I'm blaming… 54 — A run stuff by I believe KVA (could've been Tuihalamaka—they were both in the contest at the time.) 55 — Sneed with the sack—check that, Sneed causes a sack of Carr—hitting the gap and allowing Donovan Hinish to pop the call out of Carr's hand for a sack. Hinish hits the griddy to celebrate… 56 — I should note that Aneyas Williams picked up Sneed fairly well on the blitz above. That's the third time this spring the rookie has made a play in that regard with my eyeballs on the snap. The 'backs have shined in our viewings to date. 57 — Two quick Ty Chan notes: Donovan Hinish puts Chan on his back…but… Ensuing snap was a quality block by Chan on Jaylen Sneed, putting him on the ground albeit with some traffic at the latter's feet. The offense is within striking distance at 41-29. Wait, is that striking distance? 58 — Traore with a strip sack of Angeli though it was ruled incomplete. That was Jagusah he beat around left tackle…KVA with a hit on Angeli as Burnham plants Schrauth? Wait, was that Schrauth? I really wish I had a replay of that to verify… 59 — That was a dominant trio of plays by the defense, but the offense is granted another shot at the 50-yard line. It's a do-over, which is good, because I think they have those at Kyle Field, too… 60 — Really nice block by Ashton Craig against Howard Cross, and Angeli finds Greathouse for 20-plus yards as a result… 61 — HOLY smokes Traore is having himself a day, this time he shoves Jagusah into Angeli's pocket space… 62 — Angeli rolls right and attempts to throw to the flat but Adon Shuler makes a lunging interception to seal the proceedings. I like Notre Dame's two-deep safety crew heading into the off-season 63 — Apparently the final score is 50-32 —Angeli is now 1-for-2 in executing spring game heroics in the final seconds during his three-spring career. Wait, that wasn't the spring game! A reprieve awaits… See you back here next week, Irish fans…