I'm gonna vent this here so I can move on until Sept 2019.
2018 was a great season and a really good team. Best team I've seen at ND since 1993.
It's been 30 years since we have won anything of significance - because currently we only play for one thing of significance - National Championships.
None of us want to lower standards or change what the core brand of what Notre Dame football is: excellence in a challenging environment on and off the football field.
Composite recruiting classes ranked #8 through #13 will not win a National Championship in this landscape versus Alabama, Georgia, or Clemson. I saw 2015 vs Clemson and I saw 2017 vs Georgia - we were undermanned. One was in a rainstorm and one was against a QB getting his first start. And both of those programs have only gotten better, I'd say significantly better.
During the game yesterday, the commentators mention Drue Tranquil gpa (3.7 I think), mechanical engineering, and then a little later they mention Christian Wilkins and the bio below:
>Bachelors: Communication Studies
>Masters: Athletic Leadership
>William V. Campbell Trophy winner (combination of on-field success, academic success, community service), Academic All-American Selection. gpa 3.3.
The commentators then attempt to put both achievements on a level playing field, and they simply are not.
A Bachelor of Arts degree is most likely 120hrs, where Intro to Biology/Chemistry courses, and one Probability and Statistics class satisfies the science / math requirements. Everything else is subjective hogwash.
A Mechanical Engineering degree is most likely 140hrs, with Calculus and Physics type courses taken every single semester. The entire degree is math and science heavy.
Not one commentator during the game, or one commentator for the 4 weeks leading up to the CFP, spent any time, let alone significant time, to point out what an achievement it was for Notre Dame to be in the CFP. Not just because of 'admission standards' (letting that RB from IN go to USC over a French class, is that right? He is going to bruise us over the next 2yrs - watch), but the actual course load that a majority of our players sign-up for compared to that of the other CFP participants.
Below are the first three profiles of a player from Clemson - per their website. Course study is: Sports Communication, Parks and Leisure Management, and Parks and Leisure Management. Surprise surprise. Who could have guessed?
Take a look: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/trayvon-mullen/
https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/trevion-thompson/
https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/mark-fields/
Basically most of those schools claiming an 80% grad rate are graduating their players in bullshit degrees, and the NCAA and ESPN are a lapping it up like ice water on a hot day. What a joke.
So.
Let's not marinate in the problem, let's get into the solution.
I would not be opposed to joining the ACC in full, so we can focus on Championships, as in, an ACC and a National. Every other sports team within ND has an attempt at this.
Add additional options to accommodate the Top 50 players in the nation, period. We need 2-3 of the consensus Top 50 players to pair with the development of Julian Love, Ian Book, Boykin, and Coney. We need Tuitt's, Teo's, Jaylon's, every year, not once every 4.
If Trevor Lawrence and Justin Ross want to major in football - playing or coaching - let them - and provide the best possible degree attainment in that field; coupled with money management and communication. Give them the degree path they want, just make it better for the player than Clemson and Alabama do. And start calling this bullshit out on National TV. You don't have to say what they are NOT doing, you can say what ND is doing. Brian Kelly should flat out say - the course load at Notre Dame, and the degree path chosen by an overwhelming number of our student-athletes, is unmatched by 95% of college football. Put the pressure on the writers and commentators to address it. Do it.
Notre Dame needs to be more cutting edge in more areas. I like what we have done with Under Armour and the Shamrock series. Alabama is cutting edge on ankle surgeries, even before the NFL? I believe they had the sideline tent before anybody in the NFL or college also. They were cutting edge on over-signing and forced the NCAA and SEC to make changes. They were cutting edge on support staff and forced the NCAA and SEC to make changes.
Pay coaches more.
2012 Alabama and deer antler spray. 2018 Clemson and ostarine. I'm not saying the whole team is on that, but the bottom line is those boys on Alabama and Clemson are big, veiny, beasts. Sans the occasional Jaylon and Coney - we are very underwhelming physically. We look like college athletes who study physics in our spare time, versus living on the field flipping tractor tires and slurping down whey-protein shakes. We were behind the curve on the training table, and it appears we are behind the curve on something, I don't know what it is. But we need it. Set the kids alarms for 2am and make them eat 6 ounces of filet. Something. Do it.
We are the 6th-10th best program out there the last 2 years. I want to be top 4.
2018 was a great season and a really good team. Best team I've seen at ND since 1993.
It's been 30 years since we have won anything of significance - because currently we only play for one thing of significance - National Championships.
None of us want to lower standards or change what the core brand of what Notre Dame football is: excellence in a challenging environment on and off the football field.
Composite recruiting classes ranked #8 through #13 will not win a National Championship in this landscape versus Alabama, Georgia, or Clemson. I saw 2015 vs Clemson and I saw 2017 vs Georgia - we were undermanned. One was in a rainstorm and one was against a QB getting his first start. And both of those programs have only gotten better, I'd say significantly better.
During the game yesterday, the commentators mention Drue Tranquil gpa (3.7 I think), mechanical engineering, and then a little later they mention Christian Wilkins and the bio below:
>Bachelors: Communication Studies
>Masters: Athletic Leadership
>William V. Campbell Trophy winner (combination of on-field success, academic success, community service), Academic All-American Selection. gpa 3.3.
The commentators then attempt to put both achievements on a level playing field, and they simply are not.
A Bachelor of Arts degree is most likely 120hrs, where Intro to Biology/Chemistry courses, and one Probability and Statistics class satisfies the science / math requirements. Everything else is subjective hogwash.
A Mechanical Engineering degree is most likely 140hrs, with Calculus and Physics type courses taken every single semester. The entire degree is math and science heavy.
Not one commentator during the game, or one commentator for the 4 weeks leading up to the CFP, spent any time, let alone significant time, to point out what an achievement it was for Notre Dame to be in the CFP. Not just because of 'admission standards' (letting that RB from IN go to USC over a French class, is that right? He is going to bruise us over the next 2yrs - watch), but the actual course load that a majority of our players sign-up for compared to that of the other CFP participants.
Below are the first three profiles of a player from Clemson - per their website. Course study is: Sports Communication, Parks and Leisure Management, and Parks and Leisure Management. Surprise surprise. Who could have guessed?
Take a look: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/trayvon-mullen/
https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/trevion-thompson/
https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/mark-fields/
Basically most of those schools claiming an 80% grad rate are graduating their players in bullshit degrees, and the NCAA and ESPN are a lapping it up like ice water on a hot day. What a joke.
So.
Let's not marinate in the problem, let's get into the solution.
I would not be opposed to joining the ACC in full, so we can focus on Championships, as in, an ACC and a National. Every other sports team within ND has an attempt at this.
Add additional options to accommodate the Top 50 players in the nation, period. We need 2-3 of the consensus Top 50 players to pair with the development of Julian Love, Ian Book, Boykin, and Coney. We need Tuitt's, Teo's, Jaylon's, every year, not once every 4.
If Trevor Lawrence and Justin Ross want to major in football - playing or coaching - let them - and provide the best possible degree attainment in that field; coupled with money management and communication. Give them the degree path they want, just make it better for the player than Clemson and Alabama do. And start calling this bullshit out on National TV. You don't have to say what they are NOT doing, you can say what ND is doing. Brian Kelly should flat out say - the course load at Notre Dame, and the degree path chosen by an overwhelming number of our student-athletes, is unmatched by 95% of college football. Put the pressure on the writers and commentators to address it. Do it.
Notre Dame needs to be more cutting edge in more areas. I like what we have done with Under Armour and the Shamrock series. Alabama is cutting edge on ankle surgeries, even before the NFL? I believe they had the sideline tent before anybody in the NFL or college also. They were cutting edge on over-signing and forced the NCAA and SEC to make changes. They were cutting edge on support staff and forced the NCAA and SEC to make changes.
Pay coaches more.
2012 Alabama and deer antler spray. 2018 Clemson and ostarine. I'm not saying the whole team is on that, but the bottom line is those boys on Alabama and Clemson are big, veiny, beasts. Sans the occasional Jaylon and Coney - we are very underwhelming physically. We look like college athletes who study physics in our spare time, versus living on the field flipping tractor tires and slurping down whey-protein shakes. We were behind the curve on the training table, and it appears we are behind the curve on something, I don't know what it is. But we need it. Set the kids alarms for 2am and make them eat 6 ounces of filet. Something. Do it.
We are the 6th-10th best program out there the last 2 years. I want to be top 4.
