Reporting from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports:

The sanctions, wide-ranging and broad, are tied to a Spring 2022 recruiting event and are part of a resolution negotiated between the school and the NCAA.

A Florida State assistant coach, offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, is found to have committed two Level II violations, which include impermissible recruiting activity and facilitating impermissible contact with an NIL-related booster. Atkins is alleged to have driven a prospect and his parents to a meeting with a leading member of the school’s NIL collective, Rising Spear.

Full release from the NCAA here:


List of penalties:

• Two years of probation.
• A two-year show cause order for the assistant coach, including a suspension from the next three regular-season games, a two-week restriction on recruiting communication, and required attendance at a NCAA Regional Rules Seminar attendance.
• A restriction from off-campus recruiting during fall 2023 for the assistant coach.
• A three-year disassociation from the booster.
• A one-year disassociation from the collective.
• A $5,000 fine plus 1% of the football budget.
• A 5% reduction in football scholarships over the two-year probationary period, amounting to a total reduction of five scholarships.
• A reduction in official (paid) visits in the football program in the 2023-24 academic year by seven. The school also will not roll over six unused official visits from the 2022-23 academic year.
• A reduction in football recruiting communications for a total of six weeks during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.
• A reduction in the number of in-person recruiting days during the 2023-24 academic year by six evaluation days during fall 2023 and 18 during spring 2024.

Thanks to all who submitted questions for me and @Eric Hansen on our latest podcast. These are the questions we answered with timestamps.

23:05 • @CharlesWWolfe: Please tell me Coach Freeman wouldn’t be interested in Alabama. I know that it isn’t a question, but just need someone to calm my nerves.

25:34 • D.J. - @Soulja_Boyce: Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman have very similar career profiles (former LB coaches turned DCs, savvy recruiters, age 37/38, etc.). With Lanning getting a lot of buzz as a Saban replacement, do you think Oregon would take a real run at Freeman in the event they had an opening?

28:47 • Michael Kelley – @NDLawyer1990: I think that coaches are successful If they have better recruiting, or they have a better system on the field or even off the field. Sabin is an example of both. We know about MF’s recruiting, but what does he do either schematically or off the field Thats innovative?

34:27 • Chuck Freeby - @46Sports: Is there anyone from Alabama’s roster who you think will transfer to Notre Dame?

38:57 • @Patrickshields0: Can you guys rate your biggest portal win for ND and the biggest loss, meaning a player who transferred out?

42:43 • @MikeDevoy1: Happy New Year, Eric and Tyler!!! Who beyond Jaden Thomas and Deion Colzie are candidates for the boundary receiver position? We struggled a lot when both went down, so I’m hoping we’ve got some depth coming.

44:32 • Marie Biafore - @biafore_marie: If Reilly Leonard plays somewhere close to his ceiling next year, how good can he be? Top 10, Heisman Trophy candidate. Top 20…..

46:51 • MGP - @mgperez0718: Has Loren Landow made any additions to his staff? Is he keeping any of the ND strength staff?

48:25 • Ryan Urquhart - @UrquhartCRNA: Do you see a reunion of Tommy Rees and Brian Kelly forthcoming?

49:55 • Tim sanders - @DSan12508014: Who are some of the 2025 wide receivers notre dame is recruiting since we have our Deuce?

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Former Northwestern defensive back Rod Heard II discusses why he entered the transfer portal, his decision to transfer to Notre Dame, his final season at Northwestern, why he's confident in playing safety after excelling at nickelback, his impression of safeties coach Chris O'Leary, his past with head coach Marcus Freeman, his connections to Notre Dame, how difficult it was to pass on picking Michigan, the roles Notre Dame's offense and NIL played in his decision and more.

Then @Eric Hansen and I answer questions from Twitter and The Insider Lounge (22:22).

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Notre Dame's students are returning to campus this weekend with the spring semester set to start Tuesday. That includes the football program's early enrolled freshmen and mid-year transfer additions. It also includes the return of sophomore vyper end Kahanu Kia, who spent the last two years on a two-year mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Kia, a former three-star recruit in the 2021 class out of Honolulu Punahou, spent his freshman season on Notre Dame's campus, played in eight games and totaled seven tackles. Then prior to the spring semester beginning, Kia began his mission.

“To get him back in this program — the energy, the production, the physicality that he plays with. I’m excited to see," head coach Marcus Freeman said of Kia in December. "He hasn’t played football for a year-and-a-half, two years, so we understand that.

“But that was an agreement that we had when he told us he was going to go on this mission. I’ll bet you we’ll get a more mature individual. I’m excited to see what he does when he gets back.”

Kia is joined on campus by his father, Nate, and his younger brother Ko'o, a 2025 linebacker target for the Irish. The family made it to campus on Friday despite the start of a snowstorm in South Bend.

While Kahanu is getting settled into campus, Ko'o will be making an unofficial visit with Notre Dame's coaching staff. It will be Ko'o's first visit since the Irish offered him in January of last year. The only recruiting visit he made in 2023 was to Hawaii.

Ko'o, whose offer list includes the likes of Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Utah and USC, tallied 73 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, one interception returned for a touchdown and seven pass breakups as a junior at Punahou.

Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi has been leading Notre Dame's recruiting efforts with Ko'o and maintaining a relationship with Kia family. He celebrated their arrival on Friday with a coded Twitter post.

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If all goes well, it wouldn't be surprising for Ko'o to commit to the Irish in the coming months.

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As promised, here's my breakdown of Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli's Sun Bowl performance.

What he did that impressed the most and the few bad throws he made ...

SHOCKING..Walker has played both wide receiver and DB in his time with the Wolverines.

Mike Grimala alleges that ND offered Ricky White, WR from UNLV, 250k package to transfer.

I tried embedding the tweet but I'm an idiot. Someone know how to embed twitter posts on this forum?

Apparently insert code doesn't do what it sounds like it would do.. ****ing piece of shit

Breaking down the good and the bad from Notre Dame's running game and offensive line in the Sun Bowl.

Live Stats: LINK

Pre NIL the Clandestine nature of sec programs are enigmatic of their success.

Their borderline retarded fan base win at all cost mentality is their advantage.

Which is why we haven't had plane trackers. Half them dumb mother****ers probably can't log into their email or Facebook... that's a pejorative poke and completely satire but for real they're mostly dumb as ****.

I hope NIL has evened this advantage among the fishbowl schools and the larger markets who have more resources in their collectives.

I caution the ND anti SEC guys to just let shit unfold for a few more seasons and parity will put ND into the mix again.

Elijah Burress, a 2025 wide receiver prospect out of DePaul Catholic in Wayne, N.J., reported a Notre Dame offer Thursday.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Burress is the son of former Michigan State and NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

The younger Burress reporter just four offers prior to Notre Dame: Liberty, Duke, Cincinnati and East Carolina. As a junior, Burress caught 29 passes for 439 yards and five touchdown, per NJ.com.

I'm working on creating a Rivals profile for Burress.

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On Friday, the AP released the 2023 NFL First and Second All-Pro Teams.

The following former Notre Dame players made the First Team:

Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin

Dallas Cowboys placekicker Brandon Aubrey (played soccer at ND)



Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton


The folllwing former Notre Dame players made the Second Team:

Los Angeles Rams running back
Kyren Williams



For the full list, click here.

I was just curious if there are any recruits left on the BIG BOARD for 2024, or are the Irish done with the class. Go Irish

@Greg Smith shares his thoughts on Jim Harbaugh, the 2025 recruiting success of Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes stealing a pair of stars from the Midwest.

Using their final season, would you rather have Audric or Kyren?
Over the course of career, does answer change?
Who did you enjoy watching more?

It was not listed on my ACCN channel.

Story from @Eric Hansen:


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my favorite cheater is finally out

Story from Tyler James.

A look here:

Any word as to whether Maddy Westbeld has been cleared to play in tonights game? Has anyone heard how Sonia felt after her first game back?

@Eric Hansen and I will record our weekly Inside ND Sports podcast early Thursday afternoon. Send us some questions you'd like us to discuss. We like to give priority to questions submitted on The Insider Lounge.

If you have multiple questions, try to be succinct and ask them separately. Thanks!