I know there's been speculation that Notre Dame's top remaining offensive line target in the 2024 class, four-star offensive tackle Guerby Lambert, could make his commitment decision before he starts his senior season. Well, West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial plays its first game next Thursday, and we still don't have word on a commitment date.

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So I made some calls today to pick up the latest. There still isn't a date attached to an impeding decision. Could he announce before his first game? Maybe. But we're getting close to that soon. Will he make a decision before the end of the September? There's a better chance of that happening, but it's hard to say. Lambert's not exactly an open book or into the pomp and circumstance of recruiting.

Based on my reporting, I think there's still a chance Lambert makes some game visits before making an announcement. I'd say it's a small chance, but I wouldn't rule it out.

The waiting continues, but I still like Notre Dame's chances here. I'm sticking with my Notre Dame FutureCast that I submitted on July 15.

Blake Grupe appears to have won the starting kicker role for New Orleans.

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Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney looked deeper into the top quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class after the latest Rivals250 rankings released earlier this week.

Gorney highlighted Notre Dame 2025 four-star quarterback target Deuce Knight as one of the biggest risers.

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"The top-rated dual-threat lefty quarterback was literally a mover this offseason," Gorney said. "Knight left Lucedale (Miss.) George County to play his junior season at Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy, and is already fitting in well. A dynamic passer with a smooth delivery and great size, Knight likes to throw from the pocket but has shown in the past an ability to get out and make things happen with designed runs."

Knight, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 class, updated his recruitment with Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Sean Williams in mid-August and the Irish seem to be near the top battling with Tennessee, Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama.

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The Irish are also in the mix for four-star quarterback target Bear Bachmeier, who is listed as a pro-style quarterback while Knight is considered a dual-threat quarterback. While Bachmeier dropped eight spots in the overall rankings, he actually moved up to the No. 12 player in California for the 2025 class.

Link to full story:

Deion Colzie ran four pass routes. Sam Hartman threw his way three times. He caught all three of them for 45 yards and one touchdown.

Time for a bigger role?

Can anybody hook me up with a CMU game parking pass (stadium or joyce)?

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will speak with reporters at 12 p.m. EDT today via Zoom for his weekly Thursday press conference.

I'll use this thread to provide updates from it.

Austin Alexander, a 2025 defensive end from Union (Ky.) Cooper, reported a Notre Dame offer Wednesday night. Alexander has visited Notre Dame multiple times in the last couple years.

The three-star recruit has offers from Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia and others.

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Or man garage?

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For starters, there's less of it due to new buildings and parking lot resurfacing.

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Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Clint Cosgrove published his latest version of the Three-Point Stance on Wednesday.

Notre Dame football freshman wide receiver Jaden Greatouse and Jeremiyah Love were both listed under true freshman that have already made an impact.

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“Like Branch, Greathouse lived up to his lofty ranking right out of the gates with a two-touchdown performance on three receptions for 68 yards,” Cosgrove said. “While the Austin (Texas) Westlake receiver didn't reach five-star status he was right on the brink as the No. 17 receiver in the 2023 class.”

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“The four-star running back out of St. Louis Christian Brothers didn't have a mind-blowing stat line, but he proved he could very well be the player we predicted he would be with an explosive 40 yards rushing on only four carries. The thing you love most is that he did this as a true freshman, playing his first game in a different country. And although his opportunities were limited he capitalized on them. Love is a big back with game-breaking speed.”

Link to full story:

Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough spoke to local beat writers following Tuesday's practice. Here's a transcript of that conversation. Questions may be paraphrased.

DELAND MCCULLOUGH

What kind of growth have you seen in your room from start of camp?

“Just getting experience. You have two guys that have in-game running back experience. Getting guys up to speed with how we operate. The speed of practice. The standards of practice. Gi’Bran [Payne] was already up to that, he had a great spring. But getting JD [Jadarian Price] up to speed, he only participated one spring and that was two springs ago. Jeremiyah [Love], I’ve been extremely pleased with the steps he’s taken.”

How do you feel about the room being able to cover all the roles you need?

“It’s somewhat well-chronicled that I have different jobs. There’s 9-10 starting jobs, so even recruiting I’m looking for guys that can fit jobs. I don’t look for a guy that has to be perfect in everything. Just like the great Knute Rockne said, continue to polish those weaknesses but build on their strengths, too.

If I have a guy that’s a great pass protector but he might be lacking in something else, we’re going to play to that. That’s the beauty of our situation, we take a bunch of guys and make complete pieces of the puzzle by putting those things together. I’m excited where we’re at. I have all the elements I need to be successful in terms of power, speed, in-space, overall intelligence, the savvy to get it done. There’s some guys that are stronger than other guys at certain points and we’re going to continue to build them up. But at the same time, the things that they’re strong at, you’ll see them on Saturday for sure.

Did you reach that comfort level quickly in camp?

“We had a retreat and I had to talk about where I see guys, and that was before camp even started. I was pretty close to what I thought, which is a great thing. We have the pieces for guys in certain parts of what they do, and to be featured there. But what I was telling the guys, you have to be prepared for every job. There’s some guys that do things better than others, but every guy has to be responsible to do every job.

All of these guys embrace that. They understand how we do that in recruiting and the guys here are embracing it now here. In a couple weeks we’ll see what that’s all about.”

What have you seen from Price and Love in camp?

“JD had been here before, but he had been out for a little bit. Getting him back up but JD has been great physically. I think the thing he has to overcome is the mental part — not overcome but continue to strengthen. Trusting his reads, route detail, different things like that. Physically the guy looks real good. Jeremiyah has been really, really, really good. Very smart. He came here at 186 pounds — he’s 202 pounds. That’s the summer. He is committed to being a great football player. He is committed to being a great football player.

“When he came here I said I wanted to know if he was ‘about that life’? Running hard. Running through guys. You look at him, you think he might be a finesse guy. Nah, he’s about that life. Jeremiyah’s running through some guys. He’s strong in pass protection. He’s super fast. He’s very athletic. And he’s extremely intelligent. With that combination, he’s super hungry. He’s made major, major strides.

How have you been able to manage the bumps and bruises to backs in camp with your numbers?

“That’s the beautiful part about it. I’ve always said, ‘I fill the room from the bottom-up.’ So, I’m not sitting around holding my breath on what happens to a top guy. You just continue to keep on going. Bumps and bruises give the opportunities for other guys to go, and they were going to go anyway. You talk about strengths and weaknesses, you get the opportunity to strengthen strengths and lessen weaknesses. To me it always works out.”

How important are the mental reps?

“They ain’t got no choice. All the guys have to be locked in about what’s going on. Being able to answer questions, being another coach out there, and being able to see things the same way it’s being taught. That comes with the territory, if you’re not a physical participant you are 100% mentally involved.

What’s been your impression of Devyn Ford since getting him here?

“When I spoke with him during his process, I was extremely impressed with him. There was a level of me having to impress him too, because Devyn is very smart; very football smart. When I’m giving him a presentation, we talked for an hour-and-a-half. I’m laying out how I coach things. I asked him how he did some things, then I told him how I did things. It was funny, I didn’t know I had him on speaker phone. I went through how I coach inside zone, how I coach the option route, and I could hear his family clapping in the background. They started clapping.

“He was like ‘Yeah coach, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I might want to come there just to get coached by you. Hearing some of the things you’re saying as some things I think I can be successful with.’ He’s been on it. Jumped into everything, working hard. All the guys on the team love him. His work ethic is contagious. His skill set is ridiculous. The guy ran 22.5 MPH a week-and-a-half ago. A guy with a burst like that is going to be big for us this season.

How different is it recruiting a college graduate versus a 17-year-old?

“A little bit different but it’s the same things: building a genuine relationship, telling the guys the truth, and I don’t elevate anything. Here’s what we got going. Here’s the jobs. Here’s the way I do things. Here’s why it will pay dividends for you beyond Notre Dame.

“And he said, ‘I got it.’ He’s living it out there right now. He’s excited about things. The methodology. The drills we do. And the coaching we have and the team that we have. So I’m excited too.”

(more)

Let me say up front that these posts are not a representative sampling of the OSU fanposts I have run across. Those include plenty of thoughtful and reasonable posts as well. I'm just cherry-picking the gems.

Wishful thinking 1

Notre Dame couldn't help but look better, given their competition. Speaking of which, if Navy had someone faster than me running the ball they would have gashed that ND defense all day (night) long.

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Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.

If Hartman was the real deal, he'd be playing on Sundays this season. As for their passing attack, I am not concerned that they'll light Ohio State up, given they're so green in the receiver room.
This doesn't mean that they suck or that they shouldn't be taken seriously. I'm just saying that Notre Dame did not impress me in that game.

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Wishful thinking 2

They were constantly tackling the ball carrier from behind. Assignments notwithstanding, that tells me that they might be in trouble when elite speed gets into open space.

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Whistling in the graveyard 2

Sam Hartman is the real deal so beware.

Lol. Based on what? He looked entirely average.

If you think he looked average then I'm not sure what game you were watching. He decidedly did not look average, he looked great. The thing is, it's easy to look great against a terrible defense with no defensive size or speed, so he did exactly what you'd expect a good QB to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

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U mad bro?

Enough on Hartman, damn about every post has him in it. Sure he is a good player no doubt but until he plays a team with a heart beat lay off of this greatness BS.

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Minimize and trivialize

It really is ridiculous all these analysts talking how good Hartman and ND are they literally played a team that was awful last year and will be lucky to win 3 games this year

ND's win was one of the least impressive 42-3 wins I've ever seen. That was a practice squad game for ND.

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Whistling in the graveyard 3

Damn there are some ND puke fans in here. To comment on ND like the coments in this thread you have to be a puke fan. One win over Navy and ND is going to be great. LMAO oh well I got a good laugh out of reading those comments. Typical puke fans.

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Someone is upset at the traitor

Marcus Freeman is in over his head as head coach there at ND and will be the primary reason you won't beat us.

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And finally, my response to this one got eight downvotes and got greyed out. Guess I have a gift for annoying OSU fans too. Mwahahaha.

Except when their receivers go up against a competent secondary and their offensive line faces a DL where the players don't weigh 30-50 lbs less across the board.


So, you're saying that the fact that we were dealing with a less-than-competent secondary and a smaller DL proves that we can't measure up against an opponent that doesn't have those defects.

By that logic, I spoke to you on the phone and you must be ugly, because your manly beauty wasn't immediately apparent to me from the sound of your voice.

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Ryder Lyons, a 2026 quarterback from Folsom (Calif.) High, reported a Notre Dame offer Wednesday night. Lyons became the fifth 2026 QB to receive a Notre Dame offer.

Lyons attends the same high school that sent freshman WR Rico Flores Jr. to Notre Dame. Lyons' older brother, Walker, signed with USC in the 2023 class as a tight end.

In the first two games of sophomore season, Lyons completed 28 of 43 passes (65.1%) for 463 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns.

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Place Your Bets is back. And this year we have new stakes.

As I detailed in another thread, subscribers will be able to compete individually this year. And we'll be awarding free subscription months to the top two finishers following the bowl game. The top subscriber will get a year's subscription for free. The second-place subscriber will get six free months.

Instructions are included in the thread linked above and in the Google Form linked below.

@Eric Hansen and I will share our weekly picks the Friday before every game this season.

Here's our first set of prop bets for Notre Dame-Navy. Voting is open now and closes at kickoff on Saturday (2:30 p.m. EDT).

• Over/Under 268.5 passing yards for ND QB Sam Hartman
• Who will lead the Irish in receptions against Navy?
• Over/Under 224.5 rushing yards for Navy
• Who will score the first touchdown for Notre Dame?
• Over/Under 8.5 tackles for ND LB JD Bertrand

Follow the link below to vote:


Good luck!

Greathouse is one of 37 preseason candidates for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, given out annually since 2018.

Notre Dame (1-0) football kicked off head coach Marcus Freeman's second season hitting on all cylinders in Dublin, Ireland, with a 42-3 win against Navy (0-1) on Saturday.

The Irish extended their win streak to six in the all-time series and showcased balance offensively through four quarters while staying disciplined in defending the Midshipmen's triple option.

Despite many standouts, Inside ND Sports zeroed in on two players from each side of the line of scrimmage deserving of the first game balls of the season.

Link to full story:

Release from Notre Dame:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame women's basketball filled another position on Wednesday with the addition of Shane Turner, who will serve as the new video coordinator.

"We are so excited to welcome Shane to the NDWBB family as our new video coordinator," said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. "Shane spent the last few years working with the Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Hustle, and I am so excited for him to share those experiences with us. Shane is super organized and hardworking and has a great basketball mind. He will be a great addition to our team."

Turner, a native of the Research Triangle in North Carolina, comes to South Bend following a one-year stint as the video coordinator for the Memphis Hustle, the NBA G League team for the Memphis Grizzlies. In his role, Turner was responsible for filming all games, maintaining offensive and defensive video playbooks, preparing team scouts and more.

Prior to his most recent job, Turner was the travel coordinator for the Hustle and an operations assistant for the Grizzlies. With the latter, he often scouted college basketball games and prepared the team's front office for the NBA Draft.

Turner graduated from Duke University in 2018 with a degree in political science. He served as a manager for the men's basketball team during his time in Durham under legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Turner replaces James Spinelli, who was named as assistant women's basketball coach at Northeastern University earlier this summer.

Here's the shortcut: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/notre-dame-football-live-chat-aug-30-2023-16376.html

Quick but newsy session with Al Golden tonight. Lots of good info, including Marist Liufau's rise and Jordan Botelho's journey.

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

18:26 • @geisha: Should ND start to think about extending MF's contract with a huge buyout? I understand those with the Weis hangover but Freeman is not hanging his hat on a schematic advantage and is playing and developing the young guys. Heck the Mets are still paying Bonilla...lol

22:21 • @CharlesWWolfe: What did you see in Week 1 that you think will transfer back stateside?

24:15 • Marie Biafore - @biafore_marie: Which players surprised you the most on offense and defense during the Navy game? Also, I know Marcus Freeman does not believe in gamers, but it certainly seems that Deione Colzie may be a gamer. Thoughts?

28:12 • @ldlgoirish: I thought Tobias M blocked better than he showed on routes. How long before he needs to show receiving production in a game to keep his number of plays he is getting?

30:10 • @MikeDevoy1: Deion Colzie certainly made the most of his snaps on Saturday, really happy for him. He improved down the stretch last season and in training camp yet he only played 7 snaps. Is this because he’s behind Jayden Thomas or is the coaching staff still building confidence in him?

32:54 • @ldlgoirish: ND played a good game against Navy. But, as always, there are Coaching/teaching points. A few quick line play tidbits. On Jadarian Price's TD run Coogan got away with an obvious hold. Early in the game the Navy DT penetrated to the left side of Zeke Corell. Rocco wasn't sure how to get the double team since the penetration was away from him. He floundered. Coogan was picked off from his pull by the penetration. A few plays later same or similar play. Penetration to Zeke's left but not as far. Rocco learned and took a path to that Navy player and pancaked him. Then went downfield for another block. Coogan successfully made his pull as the penetration was not as deep. What did you and Eric think about the line play coordination? Is Zeke heeled. Or will we have a Patterson situation for a few games?

37:50 • @MikeDevoy1: Tyler and Eric, great coverage of the opener. I particularly loved the late night/early morning video. Did you get to see Aiden Keanaaina during training camp? He’d seem to be, size wise, an ideal backup to Cross but it sounds like Donovan H will be the backup. Comments?

41:40 • @csryan: Besides the obvious — a W and no major injuries— what positives are you looking for this Saturday (valuable depth development, positive turnover margin, clean special teams, etc.)?

44:05 • Nathan Reynolds - @Enforcers2117: If you had to make a bet for this game which are you taking … Angeli 1.5 TDs or Tenn st scoring more than 3 points??

46:08 • Robert Halicky - @bhalicky5859: Tyler, what was your favorite part of the trip? Guys, I have heard where people are saying we should not take too much from Hartman’s game and the impact he can have on our season bc his numbers were nearly identical to Pynes last year. What are your thoughts?

50:17 • @NotreDameExpert: Which Notre Dame great would you like to share a Guinness with?

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You can wait for the live chat ... or submit your questions early. PLEASE include your name and hometown. Here's a shortcut to the question queue: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/notre-dame-football-live-chat-aug-30-2023-16376.html