Did anybody think 10 years ago it would be Notre Dame's secondary that was carrying most of the weight on a playoff quality team?

[chaseball]

There's about 450 4 star prospects a year.

And none were middling prospects

i did an AI search that said about 350 prospects were 4 star but AI search can be buggy so if you've counted them out manually good for you and i'll concede the point. But it doesn't take away from the broader point i was making.

The 1 to 5 star system is used for the 130+ college football programs that recruit from this pool of players.

But when you are discussing the top teams in the country (top 8 blue bloods, combined with the modern powers in the sport), you have to break out the 400ish 4-star players into their own tiers.

ND does extremely well with mid to low 4 star players but struggle mightily with the highest tier of 4 star players (which their peers are monopolizing at their expense). ND doesn't even touch 5-star players (top 30 overall prospects) where their competitors at the high P4 level are monopolizing at their expense as well.

 

[chaseball]

A lot on this board dislike Driskell but he had both Morrison and Moore as top 100 players and talked for months and months how underrated they were. They were 2 of his favorite recruits in the last 5 years.

He nailed both

I think Driskell has strengths as an analyst and he does pretty well comparing the players on NDs roster to one another and breaking down game type and grading players performance, and describing the Xs and Os.

I think he struggles any time he tries to venture out into other areas as an analyst though and he's so ignorant and arrogant at the same time it takes away from the good work he's doing. Also his total lack of self awareness makes it really hard to take him seriously as a result. He talks too much about topics he clearly knows nothing about. And will continue to argue his points even in the face of mounting evidence.

 

[Golson5]

I think Driskell has strengths as an analyst and he does pretty well comparing the players on NDs roster to one another and breaking down game type and grading players performance, and describing the Xs and Os.

I think he struggles any time he tries to venture out into other areas as an analyst though and he's so ignorant and arrogant at the same time it takes away from the good work he's doing. Also his total lack of self awareness makes it really hard to take him seriously as a result. He talks too much about topics he clearly knows nothing about. And will continue to argue his points even in the face of mounting evidence.

I dont think you can use that argument because you just agree with everything from F+. You are 100% sold and there is no variance and no chance it could be wrong and you'll defend it no matter what. You are close minded when it comes to F+.

One of the main reasons it is hated in this board. If you used it as a tool people would actually look at it and debate. When you use it as fact, people just laugh at you and it. You kinda ruined F+ around here with your arrogance with it. That's on you. Now everyone hates it because of you

 

[raulduke_007]

I think Driskell has strengths as an analyst and he does pretty well comparing the players on NDs roster to one another and breaking down game type and grading players performance, and describing the Xs and Os.

I think he struggles any time he tries to venture out into other areas as an analyst though and he's so ignorant and arrogant at the same time it takes away from the good work he's doing. Also his total lack of self awareness makes it really hard to take him seriously as a result. He talks too much about topics he clearly knows nothing about. And will continue to argue his points even in the face of mounting evidence.

The total lack of self awareness you say.😂

 

[savvyandsassier]

Well I think ND should definitely focus on good cultural fits, and get the best players you can from that group, and the rankings might as well not even exist. Which they really don't, and they are an epiphenomenon, something for the fans. And that ND is unique, and kind of priggish, and tons of dudes, even ones with good grades are just not going to vibe with it. And you just have to accept it if you're a ND coach. BK seemed to accept it, maybe even more so in the back half of his tenure, and the results on the field improved accordingly. And MF seems to have totally embraced it, and almost every guy on the roster seems like a great guy who's happy to be there and that ND is a happy home for him, even though our recruiting rankings have not spiked like people thought they would.

So it's not just MF's awesome powers of charisma and youthful confidence, he's got a whole roster of guys with pretty strong character, feeding off the particular environment at ND that they have sufficient affinity for, that most players probably don't have, the lack of which could hurt morale and esprit de corps, not to mention individual development. And you put it all together and it's a potent mix. That's probably why this team is so badass and plays so hard. And why it's so true that MF is absolutely perfect for ND, even more so than BK it's gotta be said.

 

[chaseball]

I dont think you can use that argument because you just agree with everything from F+. You are 100% sold and there is no variance and no chance it could be wrong and you'll defend it no matter what. You are close minded when it comes to F+.

One of the main reasons it is hated in this board. If you used it as a tool people would actually look at it and debate. When you use it as fact, people just laugh at you and it. You kinda ruined F+ around here with your arrogance with it. That's on you. Now everyone hates it because of you

lol i dont think anybody hates F+. I think the years of investment I made using the system to describe Notre Dame's seasons has finally begun to pay off. F+ has way less critics today than at any other point I can remember. There's a small vocal minority that rail on it, but those guys are viewed as the "burn the books" types, and i feel like those guys (you were one of them at one point) are now just kind of tuned out by the rest of the board.

Also, what kind of content do I often post about when it comes to Notre Dame? I post about where they fit in the hierarchy of college football. How they fit into the tiers of college football. What their chances are of winning national titles, how their offense and defense rank, etc. etc. All of these items can be explained by F+ in a way no other resource or tool can, so of course I'm naturally going to be citing F+ often and defend it against poor arguments & poor logic that try to diminish its importance or oppose it outright.

 

[Patrish]

You’re looking at one play and talking about Gray being disciplined all the time. No one is judged by their best play, it’s the totality of their play and consistency.
All the time ? The cameras aren’t on him “all the time”. You’re intellectually dishonest

I suggest you watch the USC, Indiana and Georgia games. I played defensive back at the college level and have coached at the high school level for 5 years. Gray has a habit of looking in the backfield without having hands on the receiver. You always want a hand on the hip or to be leaning into the receiver before turning back for the ball (Benjamin Morrison is outstanding at this). Gray has gotten beat deep numerous times in the last month and a bit because he turns back without knowing where the receiver is. Once again you’re telling us that the cameras are on Gray before the ball is thrown to the receiver. Why don’t you cite the plays by citing the game, the quarter and the play clock.

Watch the penalty before his called back pick against PSU. Gray tried to get hands on the receiver and missed, so he grabbed him. What Gray needs to do is maintain his shade and let the receiver come to him when he makes contact, not having to lunge or fully extend his arms, which if you do that and miss, the receiver gets behind you.

Gray is a great cornerback, I’m simply informing the OP that he’s far from the best cover guy in the country. I’m sure Gray exhibited superb discipline on the end of game pick, but he doesn’t do that on an every down basis. Heck, I’m not sure any college db does.

 

[deadirishpoet]

Shuler - stud
Morrison - 1st round stud
Gray - best pure cover corner in the game
Moore - best fr CB in the game
Watts - first team AA

a team will be lucky to have 1 or 2 of these guys on their roster, ND has 5 of them. And the rotational players in the secondary have been excellent as well. Guys like: Clark, Heard, and Jaylon Sneed (listed as a LB but used a lot like a safety in this defense)

This is the group doing the most damage on the team/producing the most value that is leading to one of the highest F+ in the modern history of Notre Dame.

5, 10, 15+ years ago the defensive passing game was probably the biggest weakness on the team. Now its one of the best in the country.

Amazing job being done by the combo of Mickens, Freeman, and Al Golden especially when you consider most of these players had middling prospect profiles coming out of HS.

Great post