Arguably Notre Dame's best position group heading into training camp next week.

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From und.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Former Irish blueliner and 2023 graduate from Notre Dame, Ben Brinkman has signed his first professional contract with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL, the club announced Monday afternoon.

The graduate defenseman from Edina, Minn., joined the Irish ahead of the 2022-23 season and made an immediate impact. This past season, Brinkman tallied two goals and two assists for the Irish, while providing strength on the other end of the ice.

“My time at Notre Dame was amazing,” Brinkman reminisced. “For the past year, I was able to learn from the coaches and make connections with my teammates, making it an unforgettable year.”

In five years of collegiate hockey, Brinkman was the leading active defenseman at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, having appeared in 175 games between his time at Minnesota (2018-22) and Notre Dame (2022-23).

He is set to make his professional debut for Iowa in 2023-24.

He will choose from Ohio State, Notre Dame and USC. While Ohio State was the perceived slight leader before he headed into a spiritual retreat, as of 11 a.m. ET today, from the sources I've perused, he has not informed any of his finalists whether he is coming or not. I'd be curious to get your predictions.

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If and when KVA actually signs his LOI to Notre Dame:
1) St John Bosco has been a feeder to USC and other bigtime programs for years. A new pipeline to Notre Dame has just begun.
2) USC is worried and has been put notice.
3) KVA will possibly help current teammates take a hard look at Notre Dame. He will also help to recruit other quality recruits nationally to Notre Dame.
4) The Polynesian connection is alive and well in South Bend
5) Notre Dame is still relevant

If so, which one?

I was reading today about Temples head coach who was let go after 2022 season but she now was hired by UConn because the NCAA on July 1 allowed teams to have two more assistant coaches. Has ND hired two more coaches? Any rumors to any possible additions? I am not sure how long she will play in WNBA but how great would it be to have Skylar Diggins on the coaching staff and/or Ruth Riley?

Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo scored 12 points with three rebounds and two assists as Team USA (6-0) took down France, 80-57, Saturday in the semifinals of the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Irish head coach Niele Ivey took in the game in person as well as the second semifinal between Spain and Canada, with Irish sophomore guard Cass Prosper a key player for the Canadians. Host Spain (6-0) advanced with a 77-70 victory. Prosper had 11 points and two rebounds in that game. The Gold Medal game is at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, and can be see live at YouTube.com/FIBA. France (4-2) will play the Canada (5-1) at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday in the Bronze Medal game.

Notre Dame freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo scored 16 points with a World Cup record 13 assists as Team USA routed the Czech Republic, 121-61, Friday in the quarterfinals of the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Hidalgo also had five rebounds and four steals. Team USA (5-0) faces France (4-1) Saturday in the semis (12:30 p.m. ET), with the championship game set for Sunday. Irish rising sophomore Cass Prosper and Team Canada (5-0) beat Mali in the quarterfinals on Friday, 82-69. Prosper had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Canada faces host Spain (5-0) in Saturday's semis (3 p.m. ET) . All FIBA World Cup games are being streamed live at YouTube.com/FIBA.

The Irish face USC on Oct. 14, and visit Stanford on Nov. 25.

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A source told me today that Oregon State 2024 WR commit Logan Saldate has drawn interest from Notre Dame and could end up flipping his commitment. He's a three-star prospect from Palma High School in Salinas, Calif. On May 29, he committed to Oregon State over fellow finalists Arizona, Cal, Oklahoma State and Washington. As a junior at Palma High, he caught 49 passes for 827 yards and 12 TDs. He is a standout in track and field. His bests this past spring were 10.82 in the 100-meter dash and 22.34 in the 200. He was the state runner-up in the long jump at 23 feet, 5.5 inches, 4 1/4 inches off the winning jump. His season best in the long jump was 24-0.5.


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The back story on the "six-star recruit" is that's actually former UCF kicker Donald De La Haye Jr., now a 26-year-old YouTuber who was ahead of his time when it came to NIL (and it cost him initially).

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This piece is from Ross Dellenger, one of the best journalists covering college sports and a new addition to the Yahoo Sports family. I'm posting this on our home page, because I believe this is a significant early step for NIL sanity. Great info here.

Not against each other ... yet. Hannah Hidalgo and Team USA won their group (3-0) and go into the round of 16 Wednesday against Argentina (0-3) at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Canada also won its group (3-0), and the Canadians and Cass Prosper play Brazil (0-3) on Wednesday. The quarterfinals are Friday, with the semis Saturday and championship is Sunday. Prosper and Hidalgo are in opposite brackets and wouldn't face each other until the finals if their teams keep winning. Games are streamed on YouTube.com/FIBA.

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