by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
“… Wimbush has been the talk of this team ever since DeShone Kizer declared for the NFL in December. In one of his first meetings with reporters earlier this year, Wimbush called last year’s 4-8 season ‘unacceptable.’ Buzz surrounding him [sic] is that he’s the right guy to take on one of the most scrutinized jobs in college football. He’s
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“… Inconsistent decision-maker. Showed dreadful lapses in judgement that lead to interceptions. Too willing to make off-balanced heaves. Benched against Stanford. Had at least one interception in 15 of his 23 starts. …”
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“University of Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer has decided to forego his final two years of eligibility to make himself available for the 2017 National Football League Draft. ‘DeShone is an extremely gifted quarterback that was faced with a difficult decision,’ Irish head coach Brian Kelly said. ‘He could return as a senior captain at Notre Dame — a
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“#NotreDame quarterback #DeShoneKizer declared for the #NFL draft Monday, giving up his senior season and opening up the Fighting Irish’s starting job next year for #BrandonWimbush. Kizer put together a solid junior season …. He threw for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns, and rushed for 472 yards and eight touchdowns. … Earlier this month, Malik Zaire … announced he was
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“Malik Zaire’s days as a Notre Dame quarterback are over. The school granted his request to be released from his scholarship and to seek a transfer …. Zaire … has one remaining season of eligibility … expected to graduate in December and would be eligible to play next fall as a grad student. … Florida, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin are among
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“Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery has tweeted an apology for kicking USC running back Aca’Cedric Ware in the helmet while Ware was on the ground with an apparent head injury and stomping on the foot of USC offensive tackle Zach Banner while he was on the ground.”
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“Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery apologized Monday for his actions in Saturday’s loss at USC, in which the sophomore appeared to nudge one injured Trojans player in the head and step on the foot of another during a fourth-quarter drive. ….”
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“‘I want to take full responsibility for my actions on Saturday. I am truly sorry. I acted in a way that was out of character for me. What I displayed in those two instances were completely unbecoming and not indicative of the kind of player or person I am. My actions in those two instances do not represent what my
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“… while Brian Kelly will greet and appreciate 28 seniors who’ll run out of the tunnel in the season’s final home game, he’s hopeful that this won’t be goodbye for most. … while Jarron Jones, James Onwualu, Isaac Rochell, Cole Luke, Mark Harrell, Scott Daly and Avery Sebastian are saying goodbye, there’s plenty of eligibility remaining. … ‘We don’t have
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“… just eight ND players who will run out of the tunnel … are exhausting their eligibility …. Only six of them came to Notre Dame as recruited high school prospects. … Increasingly, a share of the elite seniors on a five-year track and true juniors are going to cannonball into the NFL Draft pool early. … of the 13
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “…. ‘I talk mostly about Notre Dame, and where does he want to be as it relates to the Notre Dame quarterbacks?’ Kelly said. ‘Most quarterbacks are judged by not their numbers, but by their wins. And we’re all, right now, 3-6.’ ….”
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“… immersed in … the worst of his 27 seasons as a … head coach, it would be easy for … Brian Kelly to make wholesale changes within his program. He did so last month by firing … Brian VanGorder, but from a personnel standpoint, Kelly has decided to stay the course even after losing for the sixth time in
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “My first year was a big transition for me, a guy coming from central Texas up to northern Indiana, away from my family and then just jumping into college,” Smythe says. “I think at first I was in shock because of the academic load and the athletic load and the time management required for all those things. I
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… #DeShoneKizer remains one of college #football’s most highly regarded prospects in scouting circles. … an NFC executive views the redshirt sophomore as a top-10 draft choice. ‘Pocket passer with a very good arm, has the athletic ability to get out and make plays with his feet,” the executive [said] …’All the tools are there. He’s struggled a little bit
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Fifty-eight fewer yards a game is a big production deficit for the #NotreDame #football team’s rushing attack. … Last season, with an offensive line buoyed by future NFL players Ronnie Stanley … and Nick Martin …. along with Steve Elmer … Mike McGlinchey … and Quenton Nelson … the Irish averaged 208 yards on the ground. … This year …
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Notre Dame’s offense, when not playing in a hurricane, has been plenty explosive, although not at all dependable. … The offensive line in particular hasn’t met expectations. … expected to be a strength, with McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson returning, but the Irish rank 92nd in the nation in rushing at 149.5 yards a game. That’s 58.1 yards a game worse
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Notre Dame players on Wednesday disagreed with the notion their head coach was blaming players or throwing them under the bus in a way that was unfair or negatively impacted the locker room. ‘Blame is definitely not the word,’ quarterback DeShone Kizer said. ‘In this game there are 11 guys who are required to do their job … in order
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“… After the game, head coach Brian Kelly was highly critical of his junior center. ‘I’m just extremely disappointed in the offensive execution and lack of ability to manage the snapping of the football,’ Kelly said, ‘which was atrocious.’”
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…. Kizer, who has ascended to the top of most NFL draft analysts’ lists of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks next spring, went 23-for-35 and threw three touchdown passes in the win. His 465 passing yards was the third-highest single-game mark in program history —J oe Theismann holds the record of 524—and the 6-foot-5, 235-pound signal-caller rushed for another score too.
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“It should be little surprise that quarterback DeShone Kizer is the Notre Dame player whose name appears near the top of most NCAA offensive statistical leader lists. Kizer’s had a hand in 20 of ND’s 25 touchdowns this season and leads an offense that has averaged nearly 40 points and 495 yards of offense through five games this season.”
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Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer reacts to the team’s 50-33 win over Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.
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“The 6-4, 230-pounder has all the physical tools NFL teams salivate over when it comes to quarterback prospects.”
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Blue and Gold Illustrated reports on Notre Dame’s defensive improvement against Syracuse, following a change in defensive coordinators. … though the 50-33 #NotreDame win over Syracuse … featured plenty of room for improvement on defense, it was a step in the right direction. Syracuse’s high-powered offense started fast …. But some halftime adjustments proved crucial, and the Irish limited the
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Brian Kelly and Jack Nolan recap the Irish victory over Syracuse and look ahead to Notre Dame’s upcoming game at North Carolina State. A Make-A-Wish Foundation wish is fulfilled; and there are some closer looks at some Notre Dame players.
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St. Brown padded his team-leading totals with four more catches, 182 more yards and two long touchdowns in a 50-33 squashing of Syracuse Saturday at MetLife Stadium. … with 25 for 541 and six scores on the season, the owner of one career catch coming into this season is ahead of [Will] Fuller’s All-America pace of last season. … The
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…. The younger Wimbush indeed is having to wait for his shot. After seeing the field as a true freshman last year, the 6-3, 215-pounder was told by Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly in the offseason that he’d redshirt this year. …
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Shine a spotlight on DeShone Kizer, and the results are often C-L-U-T-C-H. “Look, if you’ve got a really good quarterback you’ve got a chance, and he’s a really good quarterback,” Kelly said. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to do it and he’s working to get better at it every single day. He gives you a shot at
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“… in the past two seasons the tight end has really been a non-factor in the Irish offense, and 2016 is no different. Through the first two games Irish tight ends have caught just one pass for eight yards, which was to Durham Smythe against Texas. Against Nevada, none of the Irish tight ends were even targeted.”
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… The Irish rank 38th in the country in rushing offense through two weeks, averaging 222.5 yards per game. But on 18 rushing attempts inside the red zone, the Irish have just 31 yards, an average of 1.72 yards per carry, which ranks 109th in the country. … that McGlinchey and Nelson haven’t met expecations speaks to their potential. Nelson
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… 1. St. Brown emerges as go-to target in Hunter’s absence: A different wide receiver steps up every year. T.J. Jones transformed into the go-to target in 2013, Will Fuller had a breakout season the following year and he delivered the same kind of production in 2015. Senior Torii Hunter Jr. was expected to lead an inexperienced group of wide
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Notre Dame cornerback Shaun Crawford is out for the season after suffering a torn left Achilles tendon … a sophomore … injured in the first quarter while breaking up a deep pass on the ….first defensive series [against Nevada]. … Crawford was expected to start at nickelback last season as a true freshman, but … tore an ACL during fall
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For a majority of the second half, Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer stood on the sideline without his helmet and wearing a red visor. No, the Toledo, Ohio, did not struggle and get the hook from coach Brian Kelly. The Irish avoided a Week 2 quarterback controversy, starting Kizer and letting him captain Notre Dame to a big first
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On Thursday night heading into the Notre Dame-Nevada game, Head Football Coach Brian Kelly hosts his weekly radio show with Jack Nolan, joined by some Notre Dame players and a live crowd.
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… two knee surgeries that interrupted Drue Tranquill’s climb into relevance each of the past two seasons apparently haven’t diminished his promise or performance …. According to … Brian Kelly, Tranquill’s benching midway through the 50-47 double-overtime loss at Texas … was all about a mental backslide in the evolution of his role from the last time he took the
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Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly and Jack Nolan cover some of the latest developments with Notre Dame football, including recapping the Texas game and looking ahead to Nevada. Nolan also sits down with Irish defensive back Shaun Crawford.
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Notre Dame did some good things offensively against Texas, but in the end the Irish offense could not capitalize on enough opportunities to win … Kizer was able to move the offense much better than Zaire, leading the Irish to all six of its touchdown drives. He made plays with his arm (215 yards, 5 TD’s) and legs (77 yards,
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DeShone Kizer will start at quarterback for … Notre Dame against Nevada …. Kizer said Kelly met with him Wednesday and told him he won the job …. Kizer outplayed Malik Zaire in a 50-47 double-overtime loss at Texas. Kizer threw for five touchdowns and ran for another and guided Notre Dame within field-goal range two other times on 13
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… Texas safety DeShon Elliott delivered a blow to [Torii Hunter, Jr.’s] head as Hunter tried to haul in a DeShone Kizer pass in the end zone. … More stunning than the hit may have been the lack of replay from the officiating crew. Even though a targeting penalty wasn’t initially called on the field, the replay official could have overruled officials on the
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Notre Dame fights back to tie the score 14-14 at Texas late in the first half, with an electric, acrobatic 30-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Equanimeous St. Brown, their second of the game, with 3:44 to go in the half. Kizer hits St. Brown in mid-stride around the Texas 4, with St. Brown flying forward off a hit
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Notre Dame gets on the board 7-0 in their first offensive drive at Texas, with a 13-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Equanimeous St. Brown. Kizer lofts a well-placed pass to the outside shoulder of a leaping St. Brown near the left sideline, five yards deep in the end zone. The Texas defender had decent height, at 6-2, yet
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… Brian Kelly says he has been preparing both quarterbacks to play …. ‘Malik will go in for one play and DeShone will go in for 6, and then Malik will go in for 5 plays and then DeShone will go in for 3. So, the net is that they get the same amount of reps but they’re not tempoed
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Brian Kelly, like most people analyzing Notre Dame’s season opener against Texas, realizes that all eyes will be on the Irish quarterback situation. … the rotation of junior DeShone Kizer and senior Malik Zaire — and how the two quarterbacks handle that … will likely have more impact on the final result than any other factor. * * * The
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Sophomore Irish defensive back Drue Tranquill, who played a dynamic partial game in a dramatic win over Georgia Tech, is out for the season with a torn ACL to his right knee. Tranquill likely will undergo surgery in a few weeks, having already had surgery for a torn ACL on his other knee about a year ago. According to a
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Notre Dame safety Drue Tranquill sustained a right knee injury while celebrating a pass break up just before halftime against Georgia Tech. Coach Brian Kelly said it was too early to know how bad the injury is, but that he wasn’t optimistic. Notre Dame already has lost four starters, including quarterback Malik Zaire and running back Tarean Folston, to season-ending
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Brian Kelly’s evaluation of DeShone Kizer’s first start? “Good. There’s a lot to get better,” the Notre Dame coach said of his redshirt freshman quarterback after the Irish’s 30-22 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday. And safety Drue Tranquill’s right knee? “Doesn’t look good,” Kelly said, adding Tranquill will undergo an MRI on Sunday. “We’re not optimistic at this point.”
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C.J. Prosise grinned at the hypothetical. What if Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly had dreamt up this running back experiment earlier in the senior’s career? “Well it’s definitely great so far,” Prosise understated after rushing for 198 yards on 22 carries and three TDs Saturday in his third game at his new position and only second start there.
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