I'll be updating the Heat Index for the 2024 class today, but first wanted to share some tidbits about the 2025 class.

Top 2025 QB target Deuce Knight will be back at Notre Dame for a July 27 unofficial visit, three days before the Irish host their July 30 cookout recruiting event. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney recently spoke with Knight, who said the Irish and Tennessee were the two leaders in his mind at this time.

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Confirmed for the July 30 cookout are four-star WR Talyn Taylor and DE Chis Burgess, both from the Chicago area. Also in the mix and now confirmed is Florida four-star DB Ivan Taylor. Taylor participated in Notre Dame's Irish Invasion Camp on June 4 and received an Irish scholarship offer after the camp's conclusion. Expect the list of late-July visitors to continue to expand.

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Three eventual 2024 ND commits attended last year's cookout event: OL Peter Jones, S Brauntae Johnson and RB Aneyas Williams. DT Justin Scott also attended as did 2023 safety Ben Minich, now an Irish freshman but who as uncommitted at the time.

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Before Notre Dame holds its cookout recruiting event this Sunday, I'm working on checking for any late additions that might need to be added to what we've already compiled on the running visitors list. I spoke with 2025 defensive line target Samuel Cohen on Tuesday night, who camped with the Irish in June, to check his status and interest in the Irish.

Cohen told me he won't be at Notre Dame's cookout recruiting event, but said he's working on setting up a game day visit this season.

Originally, Cohen wasn't planning to take any visits or attend camps this summer but ended up participating in Notre Dame's Evaluation Camp III, where he was one of the few standouts.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound recruit is listed at defensive end and plays that position for Richmond (Va.) Huguenot. However, defensive line coach Al Washington is recruiting him more on the interior as a three-technique.

"What I enjoyed the most while working under Coach Washington and [defensive assistant] Coach Sebastian was how they pushed me to run every rep with my full effort," Cohen told Inside ND Sports. "They taught me how to do the drills correctly. I personally think my strengths are my speed and how quick I am off the line. Coach Washington also likes my speed and how twitchy of a player I am."

Cohen said he's always admired Notre Dame from afar because of its academics and national TV games throughout his childhood. He met head coach Marcus Freeman in June and said their conversation was directed mostly outside of football.

Cohen, a three-star according to Rivals, has 10 offers including Notre Dame, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville and Virginia Tech. If he performs well on the field as a junior, he could jump in the rankings.

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Link to full story;

I just watched the '78 Cotton Bowl: ND v #1 undefeated Texas with Heisman Trophy winnwe Earl Campbell and the Outland Trophy winner on the Texas D line.

Now, this was a very busy and tumultuous time in my life, but still ND had a lot of p,ayers I never heard of. Yes, I knew Browner, Fry, and Bradley from 73, but Bob Golic was just beginning to build his reputation and Montana was a first year starting QB who was still throwing a lot of interceptions. They had two great running backs who would become famous and an OL I still have never heard of. Of course, a legendary TE.

And then 38 to 10 vs. Texas and the national championship. And fans were excited to replace Devine with a high school coach. Hell, he could have won another if Georgia had not had a RB named Hsomething Walker. We forgive Holtz for losing a natty to BC, but not Devine for losing to Georgia with Walker? I don't get it, but again, I really wasn't there.

Anyway, if you want to dream about '23, remember '77.

@Eric Hansen and I will go live on YouTube on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT for the next edition of "Football Never Sleeps."

We'll discuss our observations from Notre Dame's first preseason camp practice, news from head coach Marcus Freeman's press conference, the sudden resignation of director of football performance Matt Balis and answer questions from viewers.

We hope you join us live with questions or submit some ahead of time. Hit the bell to set a reminder to get notified when we go live.

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If you'd like to submit questions, make sure you click through so you're watching on YouTube's site or in the YouTube app if you're on mobile. You can do so by clicking the headline at the top of the embedded video above. So where it says "Football Never Sleeps: ..." Or there should be spot that says "Watch on YouTube" in the bottom left.

Then to submit questions, there's a chat box to the right of the video on desktop or below the video on mobile.

Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

Get paid, young man.

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VNN Sports has Notre Dame 2024 wide receiver commit Cam Williams listed in the top 10 fastest high school football players they’ve tracked this year.

Williams is ranked No. 6 on the list of verified max speed. They have him down at 22.0 mph.

The data was compiled by Reel Analytics, a company based out of Atlanta. According to their Twitter bio, they are "An AI-powered sports tech & data company analyzing video to measure athleticism so coaches can evaluate talent more accurately."

You can see the full list below.

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Williams impressed during track and field last spring and is preparing for his senior season, which begins Aug. 25.

The four-star wide receiver from Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South is ranked as the No. 49 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class and No. 10 wide receiver according to Rivals. He is the No. 2 player in Illinois behind Ohio State five-star defensive tackle commit Justin Scott.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound recruit has been committed to the Irish for over a year and is one of only two members of Notre Dame's 2024 recruiting class (along with quarterback commit CJ Carr) to hold a 6.0 grade from Rivals.

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Notre Dame practiced Wednesday inside the Irish Athletics Center and outside at the LaBar Practice Complex to begin its fall practice. Watch Irish quarterbacks, wide receivers, linebackers, defensive backs and more in action. Players highlighted include Sam Hartman, Jeremiyah Love, Braylon James, Jaylen Sneed, Jaiden Ausberry, Drayk Bowen, JD Bertrand, Jaden Mickey, and more.

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Click here to subscribe to Inside ND Sports on YouTube.

We'll use this thread later today for updates from head coach Marcus Freeman's press conference following Notre Dame football's first preseason camp practice. The press conference is scheduled for 12 p.m. EDT.

You can also watch live on YouTube via ND:


UPDATE

Here's the full transcript:

And more from BettingOnline.Ag ... Note Dante Moore at UCLA as well.

Here’s the direct link to these odds: https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/ncaaf-specials/specials.



Alabama Week 1 Starting QB

Ty Simpson +105 (21/20)

Tyler Buchner +140 (7/5)

Jalen Milroe +300 (3/1)



Auburn Week 1 Starting QB

Robby Ashford -140 (5/7)

Payton Thorne +100 (1/1)



Georgia Week 1 Starting QB

Carson Beck -700 (1/7)

Brock Vandagriff +400 (4/1)



Michigan State Week 1 Starting QB

Noah Kim -200 (1/2)

Katin Houser +150 (3/2)



Ohio State Week 1 Starting QB

Kyle McCord -500 (1/5)

Devin Brown +300 (3/1)



UCLA Week 1 Starting QB

Ethan Garbers -140 (5/7)

Dante Moore +100 (1/1)

Here is the print out we received prior to practice this morning.



We'll update the depth chart later today after practice and the press conference.

The latest from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports:

As we wait for Marcus Freeman to start his post-practice press conference, here's some things I noted at practice.

Freshman WR KK Smith was the only injured player not participating today. His left arm was in a sling.

Sophomore CB Benjamin Morrison looked excellent. He had multiple PBUs against ND's top receivers in red zone work and also grabbed an interception.

Sophomore CB Jaden Mickey had a pair of interceptions including a one-handed snag in the end zone. Naturally, he was chirping quite a bit after that one.

At the open guard spots, Billy Schrauth took the first-team reps on the left side and Andrew Kristofic took the first-team reps on the right side.

The running back room looks really good without pads. Of course we know about Audric Estime, but I though Gi'Bran Payne and Jeremiyah Love showed some flashes. Devyn Ford looks capable, and Jadarian Price is starting to look like himself again. Price did have one really bad drop that we'll chalk up to rust.

We didn't see any really surprising depth chart movement. It looked like the first day reps were deferred to seniority for the most part. But lots of rotation at linebacker and safety.

Matt Balis, who was hired by Notre Dame in 2017, has resigned from his role as director of football performance. The university announced the news Tuesday citing personal reasons for Balis' decision.

“I want to thank Coach Balis for all of the work he put into elevating our program,” head coach Marcus Freeman said in a release. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for who he is as a coach and a man.

"While there is never a perfect time to lose a valuable teammate, we are thankful that Coach Balis was able to see us through our summer program and have our players physically prepared to head into the upcoming season.”

For now, Fred Hale will serve as Balis' replacement. Story coming.

The Associated Press reports Johnny Lujack, former Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner and three-time national championship quarterback, died Tuesday at the age of 98.

Here's our Inside ND Sports story on Lujack's death and legacy:


When I did my personal rankings of Notre Dame's top quarterbacks in 2020, I ranked Lujack No. 1.

QB options include ND transfer Tyler Buchner. ... These comments are from the ongoing SEC Media Days in Nashville, Tenn.

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I've organized them into categories....

Knowles can't recruit/coach (and Laurinaitis can)

• Don't Knowles anything about recruiting..........or how to scheme a defense in big games. What a waste of $2 mill. Bring back Hafley stat!!!
• OSU has seemed to struggle landing elite out of state LBs lately.
• Let the whiffing continue
• WOW!!! That stinks. Does seem like they can’t get top LB’s under Knowles. Agree need to make Laurinaitis full time
• Need to make Laurinitis [sic] full-time asap. Knowles doesnt have the recruiting chops to represent the LBs on the road
• I've assumed this is an issue with linebacker recruiting in the Knowles era; plus you really can't ignore that the program has had a persistent issue with being a place where highly rated linebacker recruits show up and are never heard from again.
• This is part of what you get when you run a gimmick defense.
• This is starting to feel a lot like last year’s defensive recruiting misses
• Damn. We really gotta start getting some of these high-end defensive recruits. It seems like for every one we get,we lose five. Frustrating.
• Knowles 2 LB defense is a hindering in recruiting 3 top LB's per year. Plus Knowles can't/doesn't recruit. Day knew that when he hired him. 2 mil per. Whew!!
• Put James up to LBer coach. WTF Day we going to keep losing LBers until that is done
• It has always concerned me that we hired a DC who can't recruit and has never, as in 30+ years, shown much interest in doing so.
• We need to close on some elite defensive recruits, or we are just Oklahoma of 5 years ago.

Sour grapes

• Meh... he was probably concerned about how long it was going to take to see the field. Got way, WAY better prospects who cant get on the field now. Would have been a nice project by hardly a 'difference' maker
• I can think of several must get LBs in the past that were rated ahead of this guy that never made even a rotation, not contributing much at all. We will be fine without this young free agent. Our money will be better spent on the DEs and DT still on our radar.

The kid settled for second-best

• Choosing Gator Bowl glory over playoff opportunities. Good for him for forging his own path.
• Can’t blame the kid for opting for an ND education, but that football choice will haunt him after going to the Weed Eater bowl, Famous Idaho Potato bowl and the Fight Hunger bowl.
• I believe he is embracing the myth that attending ND makes one a slam dunk Fortune 500 CEO by the time you're thirty because God and a lot of gas-bag, snooty, white alumni are out there waiting to embrace you.

It's all God's fault

• Unless we were going to make [Laurinaitis] pope nobody could have saved this recruitment.
• This was strictly a religious decision.
• Not a surprise at all. He went to Bible camp and pulled the bait and switch wearing Ohio State gear.
• Mama said, "Don't argue with Jesus."
• Alot of ppl blaming Knowles when this was 100% a religious pick lol. Whatd you want the man to do show up to meet him as Jesus? Lol

And finally, the comment that stands above all the others in a class by itself

• Well that one is a kick in the buckeyes.

I'm not quite sure how Jim Leonhard has been unemployed all offseason, but he's now a senior football analyst for Illinois.

Leonhard, a successful defensive coordinator for Wisconsin, served as the interim head coach for Wisconsin last season prior to Luke Fickell being hired as head coach.

When Marcus Freeman needed to hire a defensive coordinator after being named Notre Dame's head coach, he reached out to Leonhard as a potential candidate but it wasn't enough to pull him away from the Badgers.

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From the unsurprising news category ...

The Notre Dame-South Carolina women's basketball game that will be played Nov. 6 in Paris will be televised on ESPN. The game, which will be played at Halle Georges Carpentier with a 1 p.m. EST tipoff time, has been dubbed "Oui Play." It will be the first game of the 2023-24 season for both teams.

“We are ecstatic about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in Paris, and we cannot thank the city of Paris enough for its efforts in making this possible.” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said in a release. “Being able to play in a historic venue while having the game showcased back home on ESPN is another step in the right direction for women’s basketball as it continues to grow both in the United States and across the globe.”

Both teams are expected to be ranked in the preseason top 10.

Only ND can make the last two games interesting. However, with just one loss, the playoffs will be interesting.

It is sensible to begin projecting playoff participants by penciling in teams from the SEC and Big 10. I think Utah is good enough to go undefeated in the PAC and no team can go undefeated in the BIG 12. That leaves ND v the ACC champion. If it is Clemson with wins over ND and Florida State, Clemson goes. If it is Florida State with wins over Clemson and LSU, it is Florida State, unless ND beat Clemson. An undefeated ND would have wins over Ohio State, USC, and Clemson vs. Florida State with wins over LSU and Clemson.

Now what the other teams do will matter. If Ohio State loses to Michigan and Penn State, USC loses to ND, Utah, and Washington, and Clemson loses to Florida State and NC St.; ND's one loss record will not be all that impressive.

I could go on and on . . . There are reasons they play the games and why this time of the year is the best for a lot of fans, far better than for most fans at the end of the year.

Davis Andrews, a three-star athlete the Irish have been recruiting as a safety, has been planning to visit Notre Dame this coming weekend, but I just heard from him late tonight that he has some potential conflicts with his American Fork (Utah) High School football schedule.

It sounds like Andrews might not make it back to South Bend this weekend. He said he'd know for certain soon.

I still like where Notre Dame stands with Andrews since I submitted a Rivals FutureCast prediction for him on June 9.

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A look right here: