My FutureCast pick is in for Notre Dame, and it's probably just a matter of time before he commits.

It would appear that Scott Satterfield is really feeling the heat from both the Louisville fanbase and the Louisville administration. For those who are unaware, Satterfield made public statements that he was not interested in the South Carolina job when it opened up.

He then had what he thought was an under-the-radar interview with South Carolina for their vacant head coaching job. He did not get it, and then the fact he had the interview was leaked.

The Louisville fanbase - already bruised from Bobby Petrino, are pissed as hell about Satterfield lying to them. In addition, it appeared that he did not let his athletic director know that he was going to interview for the job.

Satterfield has tried to public repair these burned bridges with public statements. The attached written/published apology is his latest attempt to do so.

I just do not understand why coaches do this. Why can't the idiots just come out and say whenever a job opens up - "I love good old 'State U' and what we are trying to accomplish. However I feel I owe it to myself and my family to at least listen to what 'Big Time University' has to say". I think the fans at his current school would accept that.

Instead, many of them act like 'A Thief in the Night' using private airplanes to meet with the representatives of the other school an undisclosed locations. It is really sad.

There are some people around here who are pretty excited about Aupiu, and there are others, who I won't name ( @thomasna ) who are trying, but can't seem to get to the same level of excitement.

Lets start out with the good.
The first thing that comes to mind is his length. Devin actually has a 7'1" wingspan, and it's what you would desire in any DE. He has good speed, and that's something that doesn't get talked about enough with our DE prospects. Guys like Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem made their living off of running down plays from the backside, but even with that speed Devin isn't close to being on that level yet. He's also very young for his class, and that means his body still has a lot of maturing to do. Overall, I think he's rated fairly, but I would put him up to a 5.7, 3 star.

Things he needs to improve on.
The frame and the athleticism are there, but if you watch his film, the one thing that sticks out to me is his lack of burst. There are occasions where he actually takes a little shuffle step before he gets started, but there are times when he is very quick out of his stance. You can see that a couple times coming off the edge and again when he's on punt return. With a 7'1" wingspan, there isn't a blocker on the planet who should be getting a body on him. If you watch the film you can see a couple times where he just absorbs the blocker, and other times when the opponent is trying to run wide and he gets his hands out on the blocker and gets some separation from him. He plays way too high. You might as well just put him in a 2 point stance to begin with.

Login to view embedded media
Hopefully most here have watched his film, and if you've come to the same conclusion as me, which is he's wildly inconsistent - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I'll never fault any HS D lineman for lack of technique because most of the good ones get away without it.
It's been reported that he's made big gains since his sophomore year, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any this fall due to him not playing, so keep in mind that we're watching film from over a year ago.

Right now he's like any other 3 star DE, but what sets him apart from most of those 3 stars is his potential. You can't teach that frame, and as much as I liked David Abiara as a prospect, he has a lower ceiling in my opinion compared to Aupiu, and that's mainly based on his frame. It's going to take a couple years to get those long arms stronger - which are his biggest weapons, and it's going to take a couple of years through strength and technique work to get his burst up there to where can now become a legit threat off the edge. The athleticism is there, and now he just needs to refine it.

At this point, I think he's about on par with Ade Ogundeji. Both were raw, and had a lot of room for growth. They both had the tools, but it all comes down to how hard someone is willing to work. I do think that Devin stays at DE, but the question will be which one. If he can reach his potential with his burst, then we may see him stay at Vyper. If he can get up to 270lbs, then I believe he'll play on the other side.

They said no to a bowl game. interesting

Down her with the LiL Gipper for a volleyball 🏐 tournament? Any good restaurants or Irish pubs?

Dad will get one on one time with the TV (3:00pmeesh

I believe that Aabama will beat Arkansas and Florida. Notre Dame will beat Clemson and Ohio State will beat the fighting Joey galloways.
That would put us at #2 and Ohio State at #3.
I want vengeance for the game we lost to the buckeyes after the 2015 season and what that Olineman did to Jaylon Smith.
We match up well against Ohio State this year and we actually have a well coached defense.

*** I read where alot of football fans are angry about the big ten and Ohio State not playing many games--and I get that. But don't you want Ohio State to get in and play us? Wouldn't that be great for recruiting when we beat them?
Thoughts....

• All thoughts on COVID, statistics, speculation, updates, etc. should be posted in the daily thread.

• COVID threads that pop up separately on the board will be merged into our daily thread — with the exception of sports news items that are related to COVID (school testing updates, announcements, etc.). These can have their own threads but our staff has final discretion.

• As always, political posts – whether in the COVID thread or not – will be deleted.

All's quiet on the Notre Dame football front again with no new known positive tests entering this weekend, which would have been the Wake Forest game.

Today, Notre Dame extended a preferred walk-on (PWO) offer to Athens (Geor.) Athens Academy 2021 offensive lineman John Ferguson. He is currently committed to Furman, an FCS squad, but we could see that change if he decides to take his chances being a PWO at Notre Dame. Ferguson is a teammate of Notre Dame 2021 wide receiver commit Deion Colzie.

Login to view embedded media

Did we win?

Interesting article that talks about Rose Bowl possible changing sites this year due to state restrictions (which makes too much sense). Mentions Jerry World, Atlanta, and Indi as possible destinations.

They play the suckeyes in the Big 10 championship game. However they have to play Illinois this weekend, and they suckeyes sit at home. My question if your Northwestern do you mail it in and play 3 stingers. What is the incentive for them to play? They must be pissed. I pray they beat the suckeyes. What a joke.

In case you missed Sam Spiegelman's update on Logan Diggs, make sure to click here. In his note, he mentioned that Diggs' mind is settled on Notre Dame. This is huge news, as the Notre Dame RB commit added a big in-state offer from LSU on Wednesday night.

I spoke to a source this morning who told me that the Irish staff is feeling good about keeping Diggs' commitment and signing him next Wednesday, but the coaches are not going to let themselves get comfortable here. ND is continuing to recruit Diggs hard down the stretch. They may have won the initial battle but there is still five days until NSD, which is plenty of time for Diggs to change his mind. So great job by the ND staff here to keep their foot on the gas pedal here.

Login to view embedded media

This deal was badly needed by ESPN and will have some enhanced viewership. CBS is going to scramble. When the ND/NBC deal concludes after ‘25, it will be quite the battle to acquire.

Lou and I discuss it all

Just dropping by to post what I’ve heard about Logan Diggs recently being offered by LSU

Diggs, of course, is from New Orleans and has visited LSU and has former teammates on the team. The offer is something kids in this state covet, but in the case of Diggs, his mind is settled on Notre Dame. He said the offer timing was “crazy,” but that’s about it.

Diggs is coming off the visit to South Bend and he enjoyed his time there. Said it went well and he’s hoping to sign next week. Rummel typically has signing day ceremony in Feb but has made exceptions for other players in recent years

You've been named the sitting chair of a bizarro CFP committee that is out to determine a top four of Brian Kelly's best Notre Dame teams. Taking into account their strength of record, eye test, and style of play which years would make the semifinals. Mine are as follows, with the points that separated each team from the one immediately below them:

1) 2020 - Owns the best win and is the most balanced team on the list
2) 2012 - Only team to reach a #1 ranking, beat the most ranked opponents at the time of the game
3) 2018 - The only weakness was an inexperienced (as opposed to the other squads) quarterback and OL, strong defensive playmakers
4) 2015 - Arguably the best offense of Brian Kelly's tenure, three top 10 picks on the OL, two close losses on the road
--
5) 2019 - Fantastic defense, inconsistent offense without as many offensive threats, blown out by Michigan
6) 2017 - Played the best stretch of games against ranked teams of BK's tenure but lost 3 games including the blowout at Miami

Discuss.

I know it's early but in their first few games both are proving to be scoring machines. Wesley is averaging 32 points a game while Konieczny is averaging 35 points, including one 40 plus game. Has anyone seen them play?

Paying student-athletes, the one-time transfer rule and confederating sports are among the talking points the Fighting Irish AD addresses with candor.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-s-jack-swarbrick-speaks-frankly-about-prime-ncaa-topics

I haven't seen anyone bring this up, sorry if I missed it. We discuss many coaches potential departures
But the OL seems to be doing very well, I would think there may be a desire to keep Quinn around as his linemen seem to be playing well, and recruiting is working for him too.
Thanks

Apologize in advance if this is posted already but, do we have an idea of who the early enrollees will be come this January?

So the replica jerseys that were available from the different fan sites selling merchandise were #12. Does Ian Book get any proceeds from the sale of his #12? Was curious if the NCAA decision had actually been implemented or if it was still in litigation?
Thanks

BlueandGold.com's Mike Singer gives his thoughts on two Notre Dame commitments in the 2021 recruiting class who are being overlooked and forgotten about.

Login to view embedded media

NOTRE DAME, Indiana -- University of Notre Dame graduate student quarterback Ian Book and senior offensive lineman Robert Hainsey have been chosen as finalists for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award. The two-time team captains join a group of 10 total finalists from across the FBS, and Notre Dame is the only institution with multiple finalists.

The award honors achievements and excellence in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The winner will be selected by a combination of votes from Division I head coaches, media members and fans. Fans can visit http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/ to participate.

Ian Book
Ian Book has led the Irish to a perfect 10-0 record in 2020, becoming the all-time winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history. He boasts a 30-3 (.909) record as a starter, and Book is one of just two FBS quarterbacks with a win rate above .900. He has completed 181 passes for 2,382 yards and 15 touchdowns, with just two interceptions, in 2020, and has rushed for 465 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.

Book, a rare two-time team captain, capped the longest streak of passing attempts without an interception in program history at 266 (beginning mid-Game One vs. Duke and ending mid-Game 10 vs. Syracuse), which was the longest-active streak in the FBS. With eight rushing TDs in 2020, he ranks third among all Power 5 quarterbacks in season rushing touchdowns.

The graduate student has garnered a number of national accolades this season. He has been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, and a finalist for the Pop Warner College Football Award. Book was named Manning Award Quarterback of the Week vs. Syracuse, and has been named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 list four times, as well as being selected to the Top 10 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Book also earned ACC Quarterback of the week following the Pitt game and Manning Award Star of the week following the Boston College game.

Robert Hainsey
Senior Robert Hainsey owns 32-career starts as part of an offensive line that has produced the second-ranked rushing attack in the ACC (235.0 yards/game).

Playing for an offense that ranks third in the ACC in total offense (474.4 yards/game), Hainsey and the Irish boast the best third-down conversion rate in the ACC at 51.8 percent, which ranks 10th in the FBS. Notre Dame boasts the second-highest first down total in the ACC (249), which ranks seventh among all FBS teams.

The Irish lead the conference (and rank sixth nationally) in time of possession, averaging 34:09 per game, more than two minutes ahead of the next ACC mark. The Irish have won the time of possession battle in nine of 10 games this season, and have controlled the ball for at least 36 minutes in three games.

Notre Dame is one of just six Power 5 teams to post three or more performances of at least 36:15 or more possession time this season.

Notre Dame’s starting offensive line boasts 153-career starts between the five veterans (Eichenberg, Banks, Patterson, Kraemer, Hainsey), the fourth-most in the FBS.

Hainsey is a rare two-time team captain, and was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He was named ACC co-Offensive Lineman of the Week for his performance vs. South Florida, and was selected to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Top 250.

Ok, this might be a little long and confusing but makes sense in my head.

A

an average dl with a hole (maybe 1 DT is weak link) with an all American DE pass rusher

OR

B

Above average dL with no deficiencies but no studs