Did ND recruit a bunch of top 5 classes over the last 3 years that nobody knows about ?
I like how we are already setting up Rees as the scapegoat when a poorly recruited offense over the last ~4 years or so (2020 class being the lone exception) doesn't perform to the level that makes Notre Dame a national championship contender.
ND needs way more than an offensive coordinator to become a legit national title contending program. ND needs an institutional revolution at this point from the President all the way on down to the head coach.
I agree with you in part, but at the same time coaching has a lot to do with this as well. A perfect example is Clemson. Until recently, last year or two, their recruiting rankings were similar to ND, yet they were able to beat the elite teams at the time and win a couple of NC. This allowed them to attract the 5 star recruits and in turn move up in the recruiting rankings.
I'm not sure how you can let the coach off the hook. Yet again the excuses come in play. Chase, you usually don't make too many excuses for Brian Kelly but you make it a point things must change from the president down.
Can Brian Kelly get better athletes as a whole? You better believe it. There are extremely smart athletic kids in the country. They do exist.
The excusers of the board will tell us that ND gets the only 15 smart kids in the entire country every year and Stanford only ever gets no star kids. Matter of fact they're suiting up their intramural participants.
Come on. If BK did a better job getting the best talent that can actually attend our team automatically gets better. Yes...there us definitely room for improvement.
After that and honestly the most important part is coaching. Does Brian Kelly put the recruits he does get in the best possible position to succeed? Adjustments, scheme, preparation and so on....none of which BK is even remotely adequate with. A healthy arrogance? Nope. Getting the elite athletes involved early on? No! Why not? Well, you know...
NO...we DON'T know. Every other school has no problem getting their best material involved immediately. Not here. Nope. No way. Our players are only book smart. Our offensive schemes are so complex and cutting edge nobody can grasp it. It's such a state of the art offense they'll hurt the team more than help if we play them too early.
I find it absolutely comical using the excuse of only getting the smart athlete, the "shopping from a different aisle" mantra yet these highly intelligent kids we get can't even nail down simple responsibilities like pass protection. Getting the cadence without false starting? No.
Mental mistakes by a team claiming it can only take the best intelligence of athletes.
Dare we say coaching? Hhhmmmm
How about ignoring the inclement weather in Ann Arbor that was no secret all week leading to that game? Brian Kelly, how much wet weather practice have you got in this year? (Looking at the sideline reporter as if they're crazy)
the BK response: NONE!!!
That right there is utterly ridiculous!!!!
Absurd is more like it.
Good coaches cover everything just in case. No surprises.
A surprised player is tentative. A surprised player is slow. Eliminate the element of surprise. Cover everything. Just in case.
Practicing receiving an onside kick....thoroughly or run on the field so you can try and help field the kick too.
This stuff is such a joke. Do you remember that USC debacle of the onside return situation? Players not knowing where to lineup, Kelly freaking out in typical Kelly fashion because...ya know...his players are surprised. Confused. I'd be willing to bet they don't even know the rules of an onside kick. Whatever they haven't retained from their high school and pee wee coaches of course.
Until this team gets a real bonafide good coach and we see he's doing everything possible to succeed...I won't even discuss the personnel/administration excuses.
As is now it's amateur night against good competition and fooling y'all that he's gold.
He's just simply fools gold and far too many are buying this garbage yet paying with wooden nickels.
