Login to view embedded media
Notre Dame 2025 four-star cornerback target Blake Woodby released his top 12 on Tuesday morning.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back listed the Irish with Alabama, Arizona State, Boston College, Clemson, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Rutgers, Oregon, Ohio State. Stanford and Tennessee.

Login to view embedded media
Woodby is the No. 73 overall player and No. 7 cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class. He attends Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy.

The Irish offered during ND’s annual Pot of Gold Day recruiting event in March. He has not yet visited campus.

Login to view embedded media

Notre Dame redshirt junior safety Ramon Henderson on his offseason focus, becoming more physical, defensive backs coach/safeties Chris O'Leary, individual and team expectations, practicing against Sam Hartman and more.

Login to view embedded media
Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Notre Dame graduate student safety Antonio Carter II talks about his transition to Notre Dame, teammates he's leaned on the most, competition within the position group, defensive backs coach/safeties Chris O'Leary, learning the defensive scheme, his motivating factors and more.

Login to view embedded media
Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Notre Dame nickel Thomas Harper cashing in on his physicality​

Since, Notre Dame tends to play more nickel (and dime) than its base defense, Harper being a viable option here is critical. So far, that seems to be the case, and Clarence Lewis has also surged during camp at this position.

@Eric Hansen and I will record another Inside ND Sports podcast Tuesday. 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!

“Steve is way beyond his years,” Sam Hartman said of No. 2 QB Steve Angeli. “I always forget he’s a sophomore. I treat him like an older guy, so he sometimes gets mad at me. He’s grown a lot. He looks really good.”

If you're interested in watching this, Tommy Rees spoke to reporters today for the first time since being hired at Alabama.

His press conference is about 15 minutes. I'm looking for some cliff notes from it on our Alabama site.

Login to view embedded media

Notre Dame safeties coach Chris O'Leary spoke to local writers after Monday's practice. Here's a transcript of that conversation. The questions may be paraphrased.

On Antonio Carter:

"He’s built to be a safety. Steps in the box and strikes. He’s 200 pounds, and when he hits you, you feel it."

How long did it take for him to assimilate?

"I think the first day with pads, there was a thud in the alley and you look around and were like ‘Oh, that was ‘Tone.’ That’s been great because a focus on us was our violence going into this season and I’ve seen it in, whatever, 10 practices now, it’s night and day. From top to bottom the guys hit."

How's he handled the corner to safety transition?

"He’s made it look easy because he’s a smart football player. He’s making calls in the box that I would never expect a corner to understand because he gets it. Some of the middle-open coverages and things like that he still has to take that step because he’s not used to being back there, but that’s nothing that I didn’t expect."

Improved violence seems to be a theme for this safety group. Where does that come from?

"I attribute it to 1.) the mindset of the older guys and a little bit to the guys we brought in, whether it’s T-Harp or Tone, like, there’s non-negotiable that when the ball is in the alley or in the box we’re hitting and we’re hitting with violence. The best part about that is those guys have stepped it up. Tone already strikes. T-Harp already plays the game fast and violent. But now you bring a freshman in Adon Shuler and he’s one of the best (hitter) we’ve got. If you’re an older guy and you see a freshman hitting with violence out there, you’ve got no choice."

How does it help to have veterans in that group?

"It allows us to double down on who we are and to play really fast. Every one of us on defense and Coach Free has noted how much faster it feels like we’re playing on defense compared to last year. On top of that you get into some nuances and coaching points you could’ve before because you were just trying to figure it out.

How has a focus on safety rather than nickel helped Ramon Henderson?

It’s calmed him down a little bit. He’s really specialized now and it’s allowed him to play fast and focus on his techniques more so than ‘What’s my job at this and this?’ I think he’ll be a really good weapon for us back there, roaming around and using his range."

How are the nickelbacks being utilized with Thomas Harper and Clarence Lewis?

"We expect both those guys to be huge factors for us. We play a lot of Nickel defense. Both of those guys we see as starters because of the way they play the game. That’s been the biggest competition of fall camp."

Do they have different strengths?

"Absolutely. T-Harp has been playing man over the slot for four years now and he’s really good at it. C-Lew has really good zone awareness so he’s a physical player. They both bring a little something to the table."

How are you using the safeties in different sub packages?

We’re rotating guys. In fall camp, we get into some practices working on two-deep but we cross train guys for when we get into the season and game plan. But those three will be heavily involved and they will cross-train some guys at corner and nickel to rotate

Does Thomas Harper work with the cornerbacks or the safeties?

He trains with the safeties but in practice he gets primarily nickel reps, but he’ll know safety jobs.

(more)

Hello,
I have 4 tickets together for ND-Navy in Ireland.
Let me know if you are looking for tickets at face value.
Thanks,
JC Egan
jcegan91@gmail.com

Is transferring from his HS in TX up to St Ed’s in Ohio. Ed’s sends a lot of kids to OSU and has I think 3 kids going there(I know at least a set of twins on the OL). Not sure if he was even on OSU’s radar but I think the last kid we got from Ed’s was Shawn Crawford.

Wonder if he’s just changing schools or the family had a job oppty up here in the Cleveland area.

By the time Notre Dame put the pads on, Carter seemed to be fitting right in with the Irish. Safeties coach Chris O’Leary heard a loud thud in the secondary before realizing it was Carter who delivered it.

“He’s built to be a safety,” O’Leary said. “Steps in the box and strikes. He’s 200 pounds, and when he hits you, you feel it.”

Notre Dame redshirt junior safety Xavier Watts offers insight into the reserved but focused mindset of the Irish safeties, his own growth through the beginning of fall camp, defensive backs coach/safeties Chris O'Leary, competing against the Irish wide receivers and more.

Login to view embedded media
Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Notre Dame football needs more than just one player to replace the production of Isaiah Foskey. The program’s all-time sack leader (26.5) recorded more sacks last season, 11, than any of Notre Dame’s current defensive line have totaled in their careers.

Senior Jordan Botelho, whose 6.5 career sacks came in the last two seasons, will be tasked will replacing Foskey in the starting lineup at vyper end. But his primary backups, sophomores Junior Tuihalamaka and Joshua Burnham, will almost certainly play roles in helping the Irish rush the passer.

“Love ‘em,” said Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington. “Killers.

“Burnham, No. 1 is he’s tough and dependable. He’s got all the athleticism but he’s incredibly tough. He may be out-weighed in matchups but he’ll come in and mix it up. He’s fundamentally developed. It’s a lot, it’s not like you can just come in and play D-Line. There’s a lot of detail that goes into it. He’s really worked it. He’s very talented.

“And Junior Tuihalamaka, golly, those guys — I am thrilled with where they are and where they’re headed.”

Notre Dame defensive backs coach/safeties Chris O'Leary discusses his coaching style, experience at the safety position, competition with wide receivers, transfer portal additions of Antonio Carter II and Thomas Harper, early impressions of Ben Minich, Adon Shuler, Luke Talich and more.

Login to view embedded media
Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Three of 13th-ranked Notre Dame's opponents are ranked ahead of the Irish. ... On a side note, I'll be voting this season in the Super 16 poll, put out by the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation. I was an AP voter for more than three decades until I left the South Bend Tribune. ... I'll publish my ballot on the board every Sunday. I'm going to make a top 25 for our purposes, even though it's actually a 16-team ballot that gets submitted. So feel free to make fun of my ballots, submit your own or tell me how insightful I am. Chris Zorich is one of the other voters, and I would suggest NOT to make fun of his ballots. ... The preseason Super 16 poll comes out Aug. 15.

Notre Dame football held its 11th preseason camp practice on Monday, Aug. 7. Watch Irish offensive linemen, defensive linemen, quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and more work through drills during the first five periods of practice.

Players featured include quarterback Sam Hartman, quarterback Steve Angeli, running back Devyn Ford, running back Gi'Bran Payne, wide receiver Jayden Thomas, tight end Mitchell Evans, offensive tackle Blake Fisher, offensive tackle Joe Alt, defensive end Jordan Botelho, defensive end Brenan Vernon, linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, cornerback Benjamin Morrison, safety Ben Minich, kicker Spencer Shrader and more.

Login to view embedded media
Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Login to view embedded media
I spoke with Notre Dame 2026 shooting guard prospect Steven Reynolds III on Saturday evening. Reynolds, a 6-foot-5, 160-pound prospect, attends South Bend (Ind.) Washington and visited campus for the first time as a recruit last Tuesday.

Reynolds has two early offers from IUPUI and Purdue. Head coach Matt Painter and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo watched Reynolds play this summer.

"The visit to Notre Dame was very good, I didn’t really know what to expect because it was my first visit since we could only start doing visits the day I went," Reynolds told Inside ND Sports. "I went to see the facilities which were very nice [and] met most of the players and coaches as well. My favorite part of the trip was taking my little brother and my high school coach, Ryan Varga, with me for the experience."

Reynolds had been followed by head coach Micah Shrewsberry, associate head coach Kyle Getter and assistant coach Ryan Owens on social media prior to visiting, but his trip was his first real introduction to the coaching staff.

"My initial thoughts on coach Shrews was very good," Reynolds said. "I like what he’s doing for the program and I know what he can do especially coming from [the] NBA and teams like the Boston Celtics. I'm very excited to see what they have in store this season and I do think I’ll check out a game this season for sure."

As a freshman, Reynolds averaged 13.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He led Washington to an 18-6 record and sectional championship and scored a season-high of 43 points against Jimtown in January. He was selected to the NIC All-Conference Second Team and earned IBCA Underclassmen All-State honorable mention.

Rivals has not assigned ratings or rankings to any players in the 2026 recruiting class. He is the only prospect in the 2026 class Notre Dame has shown interest in so far.

"Knowing I'm the only 2026 right now, [it] feels great [and] gives me more reason to work so I can stay on top of the list and sustain what I'm doing right now," Reynolds said. "An offer from Notre Dame would mean a lot knowing I'm only 10 to 20 minutes away from campus."

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Link to full story:

Our Yahoo Sports team continues to crush the realignment coverage. The latest expected move now is Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten.

The Pac-12 is disintegrating. What a shame.

From Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel:

Alt is No. 5 and Morrison 30. The Irish will face nine of the top 50 this season.

Login to view embedded media
Notre Dame offered 2025 shooting guard Braylon Mullins on Sunday evening.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pound recruit attends Greenfield (Ind.) Central High and plays on the grassroots basketball circuit with Indiana Elite.

Mullins has 12 total offers including Notre Dame, Iowa, and Virginia Tech. He's also receiving interest from Butler, Cincinnati, Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State and West Virginia.

He is not currently rated or ranked by Rivals.

Login to view embedded media
I wrote about Mullins earlier this summer after the Irish watched him play in June.

"I am very humble and excited," Mullins told Inside ND Sports previously. "I'm very appreciative for them coming down, and it's definitely a good school. I'll definitely consider them when it's all done and my high school career is over."

Link to full story:

I just received an update on Notre Dame sophomore guard Cassandre Prosper, who suffered a previously undisclosed injury while playing for Canada in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup last month.

Prosper, who sat out Canada's final game of the tournament, has been dealing with an upper body injury, I've been told by a Notre Dame spokesperson.

Prosper has not been playing in the games during ND's European tour. Prosper will be evaluated when Notre Dame returns stateside from its tour later this week.

Login to view embedded media
I spoke with Notre Dame 2025 cornerback Cree Thomas this week. Thomas, a three-star according to Rivals, was offered on ND's annual Pot of Gold Day recruiting event in March and visited in April, where he reunited with former Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy College Prep teammate and current Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

Thomas is ranked as the No. 1 player in Arizona for the 2025 recruiting class, ahead of No. 2 wide receiver Cooper Perry, another Irish target.

Now that coaches can directly contact players in the 2025 recruiting class, Thomas said he’s looking forward to building stronger relationships with the coaching staff.

“I got a call right at midnight from [director of recruiting] Coach [Chad] Bowden and [recruiting analyst] Coach Dre [Brown] making Notre Dame the very first school to reach out to me in the open period,” Thomas told Inside ND Sports. “Midnight in Phoenix time is 3 a.m. in South Bend so it meant a lot that they stayed up all that time to give me that call.”

Thomas is planning to commit after his junior season. In regards to Notre Dame, he wants to learn more about his defensive fit and how he’d be used at his position.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback said he’s hoping to schedule a visit for the Ohio State game on Sept. 23 or the USC game on Oct. 14.

Thomas reports 11 total offers from Notre Dame, Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, California, Colorado State, Nevada, Oregon, Purdue, San Diego State and Wisconsin.

Beside nailing down a date to see the Irish, Thomas told me he’s also hoping to set visits to Oregon and Wisconsin this season.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Link to full story:

The Irish are on the Croatia leg of their Greece/Croatia foreign tour. This is their first of two games they'll play before returning home on Tuesday.

From the women's basketball blog on und.com

Notre Dame played its first scrimmage of the trip on Friday night, beating a local club team, 119-65.

Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron led the way scoring-wise, posting 28 and 26 points, respectively. They shined defensively as well. Hidalgo had 9 steals. Citron had 5. The rising junior and member of last year’s All-ACC First Team was the 2022-23 Most Valuable Defensive Player for the Irish, while Hidalgo is already nationally-known for her defensive prowess.

Both Maddy Westbeld and Kylee Watson posted double-doubles. Watson was 8-10 from the floor and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Westbeld had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Freshman Emma Risch showed she is the real deal from behind the arc, draining three treys and finishing with 13 points and 8 rebounds.