Notre Dame and Louisville played a turnover-filled game, as the Irish kept their playoff hopes alive and came out on top 31-24. Via Notre Dame Athletics On a rainy day at Notre Dame Stadium, this game was truly a tale of two halves. The first half was nonstop excitement, with five turnovers, many miscues, and constant gut-punches between both sides. On the flip side, the second half of the game was a defensive slugfest that led to a stalemate for both offenses. The overall theme of today's game was sudden change. For the rollercoaster of a season the Fighting Irish have already endured, this game was quite possibly the biggest collection of highs and lows. To start the game, Devyn Ford fumbled the opening kickoff, which led to a quick Louisville score. The Irish then bounced back, as Riley Leonard put together his best drive of the season which featured a fourth down passing completion to Jayden Thomas. The drive was capped off by a Jeremiyah Love six-yard touchdown run. Leonard was more effective through the air today but struggled again in the second half. Leonard finished 17/23 for 163 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, the Notre Dame running game struggled a bit running into stacked boxes. Leonard was also the team’s leading rusher with 52 yards on 13 carries. Love ended the game as the Irish’s second leader in rushing with 34 yards on 11 attempts. After the Love touchdown, Louisville fumbled the kickoff, but the Cardinals were able to recover. This led to a long Tyler Shough scamper for 46 yards, but true freshman Leonard Moore was able to punch the ball loose. Moore played the entire game for the Irish in this one as Christian Gray, who wasn't listed as medically unavailable in the pregame injury report, didn't play. The Irish capitalized on this turnover as Riley Leonard delivered a great ball to Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown. Notre Dame continued to roll on the next possession of the game as the defense forced Louisville to punt, but it was a bad snap that flew over the Cardinals' punter and Kennedy Urlacher fell on it. Leonard then wasted no time with a four-yard touchdown scamper. At this point, all things were going the way of the Irish. Up by fourteen, and forcing a Louisville punt, the Irish had a chance to throw a haymaker early in the game; however, Jadarian Price put the ball on the ground, and gifted Louisville field position on the Notre Dame seven-yard line. Louisville scored on an impeccable pass by Shough, and all the momentum the Fighting Irish had crafted simply went away. Notre Dame punted and gave Louisville the ball back, only down by seven, but a drop by star wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks landed in the lap of ball-hawking safety Xavier Watts as the Irish made another spark play. Mitch Jeter connected on a 48-yard field goal and made it a two-score game. On Louisville's two-minute drill before the half, the Notre Dame defense bent but didn't break, as Jeff Brohm opted to go for it on fourth and one on Notre Dame's 15, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Xavier Watts, and Donovan Hinish all teamed up for a huge fourth-down stop. The Irish took the 24-14 lead into halftime, and this score held up for the entirety of the third quarter as both defenses shined. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s defense won the Irish the game with a crucial fourth down stop with 52 seconds left in the contest. The Irish defense was depleted due to some injuries in this one, as well. Along with CB Christian Gray not playing, emerging star DE Boubacar Traore went down with a leg injury. This led to many young, inexperienced underclassmen having to step up. Leonard Moore played many big-time snaps along with fellow freshmen DE Bryce Young and DE Loghan Thomas. In the end, the Irish did enough to win a must-win game and keep their playoff hopes alive. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock called his best game of the season, and Riley Leonard continues to grow confidence within this system. The Irish will have a Bye week next week before the Stanford Cardinal come to town. It should be interesting to see what team comes out of the idle week, but the Irish need to continue their A-game that they displayed they can do today. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

For the first time this season, 16th-ranked Notre Dame will face a higher-ranked opponent, as they   welcome the now 15th-ranked Louisville Cardinals to South Bend for week 5. This is only the 5th matchup   between the two schools and will be the deciding game in an all-time series currently tied at 2-2.   Photo by The Irish Tribune Louisville   Jeff Brohm is only in his second season as head coach of Louisville, but Marcus Freeman and the Irish know him all too well. Brohm led his alma mater to an impressive 2023 season, winning 5 straight games before hosting then #10 Notre Dame. The matchup came on the heels of a draining series of games for the Irish, beginning with the heartbreaking last-second loss to Ohio State at home before the narrow 21-14 road win at Duke against Riley Leonard. Notre Dame arrived in Kentucky amidst a perfect storm of circumstances, and the Cardinals exploited them perfectly. After 3 quarters, the Cardinals led 17-13, until 3 Irish turnovers let Louisville run away with it 33-20. The win legitimized Louisville’s success and pushed their record to 6-0, while the upset loss dropped the Irish to 5-2, shattering any CFP hopes they had left. After losing to Pitt the following week, Brohm led Louisville on another 4-game win streak before losing the final 3 games of their season to finish 10-4. Despite the late slide, it was the program’s best season since their 12-1 outing in 2013 under Charlie Strong.  Louisville was one of the best teams in the ACC last year, and while they look different in 2024, their returning talent and portal moves have made this game a tough game for the Irish once again. The Cardinals were incredibly active in the portal and brought in five four-star players to bolster their unit, but their offense poses the most unknowns. They lost 3000+ yard QB Jack Plumber, 1,000+ yard RB Jawhar Jordan, and their top receiver Jamari Thrash to the NFL, but will look to transfer QB Tyler Shough and a 66% returning production percentage to keep them competitive once again. The defense returns a staggering 79% production on defense alone and is Louisville’s strongest group, giving them their best chance of staying competitive against the Irish. DL Ashton Gillotte and CB Quincy Riley return to lead the group. Gillotte had 11 sacks in 2023, with 1.5 of them coming against the Irish along with a forced fumble, and Riley grabbed 49 tackles and three interceptions, one of which came courtesy of Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman. The 3-0 2024 Cardinals have looked impressive thus far, but they’ve yet to play a road game and the quality of their opponents has been relatively weak. Louisville opened the season at home against FCS Austin Peay, who they crushed 62-0 for their first win. The Cardinal's offense had a field day, scoring on six of its first seven drives to end the day with 571 total yards of offense. The Cardinal's defense pitched a shutout, registered seven sacks, scored a touchdown via a fumble recovery, and held the Governors to only 106 yards total. 6th-year transfer QB Tyler Shough threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns on 18/24 in his Louisville debut and tossed at least one ball to 15 different receivers. The Cardinals running game piled on with three touchdowns from three different backs, along with nearly 300 yards on the ground. Louisville welcomed Conference USA’s Jacksonville State for week two, and it was more of the same. The Cards put up a stunning 610 yards of total offense en route to a confident 49-14 win over the Gamecocks. Tyler Shough had another impressive showing, tossing 349 yards and two touchdowns to 12 different receivers before being subbed out for reserves in the fourth. The Cardinals' rushing attack collected five touchdowns with five different backs and ended the day with 233 yards. Louisville’s defense allowed 290 total yards to the Gamecocks but only surrendered 91 yards in the 2nd half along with an interception. Interestingly, Jacksonville State’s QB Tyler Huff only threw for 160 yards but managed to run for 101 on 18 rushes, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for only the 2nd time in his career. Once again, the Cardinals dispatched an inferior opponent while at home and entered the BYE week preparing for their first true test of the season, Georgia Tech.  For the third straight game, the Cardinals held home-field advantage and the Yellowjackets hit the road for week four. This was by far Louisville’s closest game this season, with multiple lead changes and massive momentum swings. Georgia Tech struck first on a Haynes King run up the middle for a touchdown, and then quickly blocked a Louisville field goal attempt to keep them off the board. It wasn’t until Yellow Jacket’s QB Haynes King tossed an ill-advised lateral deep in his own territory that the Cards got on the board. Louisville’s Quincey Riley deflected the would-be lateral into the endzone, where Cards DL Ramon Puryear recovered it for a game-tying touchdown. Louisville rode the defensive score to 10 unanswered points before Tech responded with another rushing touchdown, sending the game into halftime with the Cardinals up 17-14.   Georgia Tech kicked a field goal to tie the game before Tyler Shough tossed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Corey Brooks to take the lead late in the 3rd. With a little more than 11 minutes to play, Tyler Shough tripped in the Cards’ endzone and surrendered a safety, allowing the Yellow Jackets to pull within five. On the ensuing drive, Tech drove down the field to set up a 50-yard field goal attempt to draw them within two points, but Louisville’s Tayon Holloway had something else in mind. As the kick took to the air, Holloway lept in from the left and blocked the kick, immediately scooping it up and returning it for the score. The special teams touchdown put the Cards up 31-19 with only 7:05 left in the 4th, ultimately spelling the end for Georgia Tech. Interestingly, Georgia Tech recorded more 1st downs, fewer penalties, more rushing yards, and more passing yards than Louisville, but still managed to lose. The Cards won despite gaining just 57 rushing yards, only the 2nd time in the last decade they’ve failed to break 60 yards on the ground, and didn’t record a sack for the first time this season. Louisville’s defensive touchdown and blocked field goal score were the real difference makers in this contest and showed the Cardinals’ ability to win even without impressing on offense.   Notre Dame   Notre Dame enters this contest as roughly a touchdown favorite with home-field advantage and a   respectable 3-1 record, but there’s a serious undercurrent of tension within the program and fanbase that   has made this matchup a serious worry. Before the 2024 season even began, the Louisville meeting was identified as a “Trap Game” primarily because of the 2023 loss, but as each of the first four games have   passed, Marcus Freeman’s team seems to inspire less and less confidence that they can avoid the   avoidable mistakes. The Miami (Ohio) game was yet another underwhelming performance for the Irish   offense, despite it arguably being their best outside of the Purdue game, but it   doesn’t inspire enough hope to believe the Irish offense reaches full form against the Cardinals. The Irish originally announced the Louisville matchup as the “Green Jersey Game” for 2024 and   recently confirmed the official uniform will be the green jerseys from the Ohio State game last year, with the pants expected to be a matching green. The green-out elevates an absolute must-win home game to a spirited revenge mission that   could get the Irish back into serious College Football Playoff conversations. This time around, the Louisville trap game is less   of a trap and more of a realistically possible loss. At the start of the season, there seemed no chance   Freeman and his boys let a loss to Louisville happen again, but that's what we said about Group-of-5   teams at home before NIU. Hopefully, home-field advantage and the green jerseys give the Irish an edge   instead of further shaking their focus.   This is a strength vs strength battle, with Notre Dame's defense getting the edge over Louisville’s   offense, and the Cards’ defense getting the edge over a one-dimensional Irish offense.   The rushing attack for the Irish should only continue to succeed, while the passing game likely can't get much worse, and should trend slowly upward as the season progresses. The Cardinals excel in run   defense while that's the Irish offense’s biggest and technically only strength. On the flipside, Louisville’s   offense strength lies in their pass game while the Irish secondary is the defense’s biggest edge. Both   squads' special teams have seen struggles punting, allowing blocked kicks, and missing kicks, so this   may come down to a missed extra point or a blocked field goal. In a close one, neither team can afford to   leave any points on the board.   The biggest concern we have with this Irish team is why fans don’t seem to trust them; Marcus Freeman’s teams either play up to the talent of a better team or play down to the level of worse   competition.   Two questions that need to be answered are:   Which Notre Dame squad shows up to play? And can the Irish control which version of their team shows   up? Regardless of what these answers turn out to be, this game will show us what the 2024 team is truly   made of.   Prediction:   This matchup feels like it could very easily be a much more competitive version of the Miami (Ohio) game, with Notre Dame’s kinks both on display and being worked out in real-time, but against a much more capable team. This is going to be a close matchup whichever way it goes, and could very well be the toughest battle the Irish have outside of USC this regular season. Prepare for the Irish to surprise us somehow in this one, but something feels like this could be the first game where the Irish defense will look to the offense to help bail them out, The Cardinals will manage to score more than one touchdown on the Irish defense, and it'll be left up to Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame offense to put up enough points to win. The score in this one won't be all that high, but it could very likely go over the points total, even in a somewhat close matchup.  Look for:  Jeremiyah Love and Riley Leonard each rush for at least one touchdown.  Riley Leonard to throw his second passing touchdown.  The Irish defense held the Cardinals to less than 250 yards through the air. The Irish defense will force Louisville’s first turnover of the season.  Louisville to miss a field goal or extra point. This game has equal opportunity to both save or break the rest of Notre Dame’s season, but ultimately, the Irish should find a way to win a close once in yet another unsatisfying win, with the true reward being a revenge win for 2023 against arguably their best opponent of 2024 thus far.  Win: (4-1)  Notre Dame Wins: 27 - 20 Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame's start to the season has been up and down, to say the least. The offense, as a whole, has been bogged down and one-dimensional with Riley Leonard's inability to move the ball down the field. The loss to NIU has been a shock to the whole program and has left the team surrounded by questions. The questions have gotten louder, as Notre Dame followed up a blowout win to Purdue with another subpar performance against Miami (Ohio). With this being said, there are bright spots on this team that are worth noting. Photo by The Irish Tribune The Running Game Although the offense has been sluggish this season, the Irish running attack has been productive and the offense's main source of big plays this season. Notre Dame's rushing game is featured by Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Riley Leonard. Love, a sophomore, has shown off his shifty running style and his explosive burst to get to the next level of the defense. Price, second to Love in carries, is a more physical runner, but that doesn't stop him from also having big-play potential every time he touches the ball. Both of these running backs have been the staple of the offense. Their big runs against Texas A&M were the difference in that game, as they continue to prove why they are a dangerous duo for any defense. Leonard is the third component of this rushing attack. There are plenty of questions about Leonard's arm, but his ability to run the ball is undeniable. Leonard has already run for 322 yards and six touchdowns. Leonard's skill, as a runner, seems to be developing even more over the last two games where five of his touchdowns have come from. Without a consistent and efficient passing attack, this running game needs to continue to be effective and explosive for the remainder of the year. The Offensive Line Notre Dame's biggest question mark coming into this season was the offensive line. This was mainly caused by the extreme lack of experience among the starters. That starting line has since changed due to a season-ending injury to Ashton Craig, and an injury to Billy Schrauth that will keep him off the field for multiple weeks. Even with youth and injuries, this line has held up well so far this season. The young line was tested early against a talented A&M defense on the road and ended up controlling the line of scrimmage late in the game. This line is certainly not perfect, but they have been able to perform at a level to allow the team to win games. Leonard has been able to stay upright for the most part, only getting sacked four times this season. Yes, he is a hard player to sack due to his speed, but the offensive line has done well to keep players off of him. The line seems to be at its best when Notre Dame wants to run the ball. They have now blocked for an offense that has 953 yards on the ground, resulting in 13 touchdowns. This line could see improvements in pass protection, but for being a young and inexperienced line, they have played well to start the year. The Defense Last but certainly not least, this Notre Dame defense continues to play at an exceedingly high level. Coming into this season, this defense had high expectations to be one of the best units in the country, and they have done exactly that. Headlined by Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts, and Howard Cross III, this defense has been able to shut down every offense they have played. Morrison has proven again why he is one of the best cornerbacks in the country, Watts is still a tremendous playmaker, and Cross holds down the middle of the field, but it is the newer cast of players that have taken them to the next level. Cornerback, Christian Gray has been an excellent player on this defense as just a sophomore. He came up huge against A&M with the game-sealing pass breakup. Along with that, Gray had another great game this past week against Miami (Ohio). In that game, he tipped a ball that resulted in an interception and had a pick of his own. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has been another great addition to this defense. As a freshman, he has become a true playmaker for this defense with his incredible athleticism and instincts. This defense has shown a nice blend of experience and youth. The experience features some of the best defensive players in the country while the youth has a lot of exciting players with a ton of promise. All of that has led to a defense that has put up some impressive statistics. So far, quarterbacks are only completing 42.7% of passes against this secondary. On the ground, this defense is giving up only 121 yards, but the most impressive part of this defense is its ability to keep teams out of the end zone, only allowing three touchdowns through four games. Maybe the most important part of this defense is their playmaking ability. Notre Dame's offense has struggled, but they have been able to get extra chances due to this defense's playmaking ability, taking the ball away six times. This defense will have to continue to pick up the slack, as the offense tries to find its footing. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

From knocking off Texas A&M at Kyle Field to losing to NIU under Touchdown Jesus, it's been a roller coaster of a season so far for Notre Dame Football. Another part of the descending track has been the injuries, and as of this past week, a transfer announcement. However, can those stepping in help turn this track back to an uphill trajectory? Or will the season derail? Photo by The Irish Tribune The Irish have got off to a wild start this season. These first four weeks have felt more like 12 weeks with the amount of drama and questions that have surrounded this team. Outside of the many issues we can discuss, I'd like to focus on one: the depth chart. Via Notre Dame Athletics The Irish came through the offseason relatively unscathed apart from losing DL Gabe Rubio for several months and OL Charles Jagusah for the season. Marcus Freeman touted this as one of the healthiest offseasons the Irish have had going into 2024. Despite that, after a dominant week 3 win at Purdue, not all was positive as the Irish lost DL Jordan Botelho and OL Ashton Craig for the rest of the season, paired with an extended absence for OL Billy Schrauth. Losing your best defensive end and two starting linemen, after losing a third before the season even started, was far from ideal. However, even with another disappointing performance from the offense this past Saturday, the players who came in for the injured held their own, and in some cases, even shined. Let's start with Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler on the offensive line. The positive from the get-go was not only have both of these guys played before, but both of them had been starters in 2023. At a minimum, Notre Dame was going to get experience at these positions, but fortunately, they got more than that as these two joined the offensive line effort which led to the Irish rushing for 270 yards and only giving up one sack. It may have been Miami (Ohio), but it was still a positive performance from a young and injured offensive line. If the Irish are going to get this offense on track, these two players will be pivotal. If they both play up to their ability, the offensive line should be fine. However, if they have inconsistencies like they have had in the past, this line can struggle. Especially for Pat Coogan, who will now be more important than he was last season as a starting guard with him taking on the responsibilities of being at the center position this year. The player who stepped up the most was on the other side of the ball and was DL Jordan Botelho's replacement, Boubacar Traore. Traore has been an exciting, high-ceiling player from the moment he stepped on campus. But after getting his opportunity as a starter last week, he did not look back. He finished the game with four tackles (All solo), a tackle for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Seeing him play with such confidence and tenacity was a welcome boost after the gut-wrenching loss of Botelho who was finally putting it together and being the player Notre Dame fans were hoping would be when he arrived on campus. Traore is playing for his fallen brother and doing him justice. I have no doubts that as the season goes on, Traore is going to continue to make a name for himself on a national level as he gets more reps and more comfortable on the field. He is going to be something. Fast forward to this week and the Irish received some more bad news. First, Cooper Flanagan was ruled out for Saturday's game against Louisville with an ankle injury he suffered against Purdue. Then, Marcus Freeman disclosed during his weekly press conference that CB Jaden Mickey would be redshirting the rest of the season and entering the transfer portal once he graduates in the spring. This was a tough loss on multiple levels. First, Mickey is a talented and experienced corner who served as a high-level backup to Christian Gray. Without him, the backup role will be given to a true freshman in Karson Hobbs. Don't get me wrong, Hobbs is talented and the Irish believe in him enough to put him in this position, but going from a veteran to a true freshman is not ideal when talking about depth. Outside of ability and experience, Mickey is a fan favorite and a true Notre Dame man. Last year he showed incredible maturity, grit, and grace following the tragic loss of his mother to cancer. It was something the entire Notre Dame community felt, and Mickey could not have handled it better. He and his family will be greatly missed, but I am happy to hear he still plans to graduate before his departure, leaving Notre Dame with a degree, not to mention a published book. On behalf of The Irish Tribune, we wish him nothing but the best! So where do the Irish go from here? The offense has been a major concern, particularly through the air. With an already injury-riddled offensive line and now a talented tight end out for a big matchup with Louisville, will the Irish have enough to overcome this latest challenge? The short answer is yes. Marcus Freeman has done a tremendous job of building depth on this team. Every player that will start on Saturday is more than capable of making an impact. There are still no spots on the field that should be a glaring weakness. The biggest question right now shouldn't be whether or not these guys are good enough to compete, but rather are they going to be prepared and ready when the opportunity presents itself on Saturday? That one is on Marcus Freeman and his staff. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame basketball is on a tear, picking up their third 2025 recruit ranked in the top 100 this week following the commitment from 4-Star Ryder Frost this past Friday. Photo via Ryder Frost's Instagram Frost, a 6'6" small forward from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, chose the Irish over Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Virginia Tech. Frost plays his position well with the ability to score from anywhere on the court. Most notably, Frost is a sharpshooter from beyond the ark, finding most of his points in the catch-and-shoot. He is elite without the ball in his hands especially coming off a screen. Frost is almost guaranteed to knock down a shot with any space. He is solid when he gets downhill and goes to the basket, proving to be a solid finisher when he gets to the rim. With his height, Frost can find mismatches down low, allowing him to cut backdoor and get the easy layup with defenders worried about the three-ball. Frost is the perfect player for a Micah Shrewsberry run offense that plays up-tempo and wants to get the ball out in transition. Having both Jalen Haralson and Marcus Burton (assuming he stays) next season, it will be perfect to have the tandem of Ryder Frost and Brady Koehler, who committed earlier this week. Following this week, Micah Shrewsberry is now responsible for recruiting five of the top 15 recruits to ever commit to Notre Dame. He's done this heading into just his second season with the program, showing noticeable improvement in the latter half of ACC play. Watch out Irish fans, Notre Dame basketball is on its way back. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame needs to be perfect the rest of the season for them to have a realistic shot at the College Football Playoff. Will Louisville ruin the Irish's hopes in back-to-back years? Photo by The Irish Tribune Last October, Notre Dame traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to play a top-25 matchup against the Cardinals. In a sloppy and sluggish performance, Notre Dame picked up their second loss of the season, as the Irish's playoff dreams faded. Enter this year, with Notre Dame using their one mulligan on Northern Illinois, the Fighting Irish must be perfect the rest of the way to enter the new playoff format. Louisville will come into South Bend as the 15th-ranked team in the nation. Head coach Jeff Brohm is entering his second year at his alma mater, looking to take a giant leap forward from his promising 10-4 year last year that had his Cardinals play for an ACC championship game. This is quite a different roster that Notre Dame will be seeing as Brohm utilized the transfer portal as well as any other head coach, bringing in 32 transfer portal players, according to 247Sports' recruiting tracker. The Cardinals have gotten off to a hot start with their transfer quarterback, Tyler Shough. Shough started his career at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech, where he accumulated 2,922 yards for the Red Raiders. Shough has established great care with the football this year, having thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Louisville is one of only three teams in college football without a turnover this year. Shough's main targets through the air have been to Alabama transfer Ja'Cory Brooks and Cincinnati transfer Jadon Thompson. Both Brooks and Thompson have two touchdowns and provide a deep threat to opposing defenses. Their matchups against Notre Dame cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray will be one of the deciding factors in this game. On the ground, the Cardinals lost their 2023 running back tandem of Jawar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo. Jordan and Guerendo combined for 170 yards and two touchdowns last year against the Irish. However, the key to this game is on the shoulders of Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame aerial attack. Louisville's defensive game plan will be: "Don't let the Irish beat you on the ground." The Cardinals will do all that they can to stack the box against Leonard and force him to throw. There will be one-on-one matchups downfield, so if the Irish can take advantage of these deep shots, they should be in good business. The two wide receivers that must build off last week's performances against Miami Ohio are Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell. If they can continue to get open and give Leonard a chance to make impactful plays, the Irish will be in a good spot. If Leonard can continue to build momentum throwing the ball and force Louisville to get away from having seven men in the box, running lanes will open. If the Fighting Irish can find innovative ways to get Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price in space, this is another recipe for success. In a big-time revenge game matchup, the Fighting Irish need to pull out their best performance. It is in games like this that Marcus Freeman has excelled as a head coach, firing up his team for the big game. While it’s still a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, Irish fans must show up in full force to rattle the Louisville Cardinals and fuel Notre Dame to victory. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

This Saturday, the Fighting Irish host the 3-0 #16 Louisville Cardinals in South Bend. Notre Dame, led by Head Coach Marcus Freeman, should have revenge on their minds after last season’s 33-20 defeat to the Cards.  For a preview of the explosive Louisville offense, click here . Now, let’s preview an equally dangerous defense: Photo via Notre Dame Athletics The Cardinals' defense is led by coordinator Ron English, one of the top assistants in the country. Before Louisville, English was the head coach at Eastern Michigan and later served as Purdue’s defensive coordinator under Head Coach Jeff Brohm in 2021 and 2022. English made the move to Louisville with Coach Brohm prior to last season and it has panned out successfully thus far. Last season: This UL defense was elite. Here is where they ranked among the country’s best a year ago: 1st in opponent red zone conversion percentage (67.65%) 10th in opponent 3rd down conversion percentage (29.83%) 10th in rushing yards allowed per game (99.8 yards) 21st in total yards allowed per game (317.1 yards) The good part for UL fans is this year’s defense is just as, if not, more talented than last season. This defense is polished and deep, featuring three sure-fire 2025 NFL Draft prospects.  The most talented group on this defense is the defensive line. Everything starts up front with two ‘25 draft prospects: Edge Rusher Ashton Gillotte and Tackle Thor Griffith.  Gillotte is the definition of a run-stopper who is very quick given his 6’3 270-pound frame. The senior edge rusher is coming off of his career-best season in which he totaled 45 tackles, 15 for loss, 11 sacks (led ACC), and 3 forced fumbles. He also recorded 58 pressures last season, which was the 10th-most among FBS edge defenders. Gillotte finished last year with an 84.8 PFF run-defense grade, the 8th-most among FBS edge defenders. The future NFL draftee has had a quiet but solid start to this season, posting nine tackles and a sack so far. Irish fans may remember last season when Gillotte recorded 1 ½ sacks and a forced fumble in last season’s matchup. Needless to say, the Irish offensive line will need to figure out a way to limit Gillotte this Saturday. Another key piece to this defensive line is Tackle Thor Griffith. The Harvard transfer and 2023 First Team All-Ivy League selection has had a quiet start to his UL career totaling just three tackles and a sack. At 6 '2 and 320 pounds, Griffith is due for a big game, hopefully, it holds off for at least another week. Even with the star power of Gillotte and Griffith, this defensive line has been getting production from almost everyone who steps in. South Florida senior transfer Tramel Logan has been very impressive to begin this season with a team-leading three sacks, in addition to his 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Redshirt junior Jared Dawson has broken out with two sacks and nine tackles this year, after only posting 2.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. Other names to watch on this line include Myles Jernigan, Rene Konga, and Dezmond Tell. The Cardinals’ defense has combined for nine sacks through their three games, which puts their three sacks per game average at a tie for 14th-most in the country this season. Louisville’s linebacker core is headlined by TJ Quinn, the team’s leading tackler a year ago. The 2023 All-ACC Honorable Mention racked up 10 tackles in last season’s meeting with the Irish. Quinn finished last year with 92 tackles, three for loss, two pass deflections, and an interception. The senior linebacker is currently tied for the team lead in tackles (14).  Quinn shares that lead for tackles with fellow linebacker Stanquan Clark, a sophomore who has broken out this year. This linebacker duo has serious potential to be amongst the best in the ACC if Clark can maintain his hot start.  Another player who is listed as a linebacker to watch is junior Antonio Watts. He serves more as a backer/safety hybrid on the field, but regardless, he has had a nice start to this season. Watts has recorded nine tackles and a pass deflection already after playing in a reserve role last year. Both last season and this season, the UL secondary is talented on paper they seem to come up short of expectations. This secondary received the majority of blame from Cards fans after dropping three straight games to end last season. This year has been somewhat of a slow start, as they have only corralled one interception as a group through their three contests.  The unquestioned leader of this secondary is cornerback Quincy Riley. An All-ACC Honorable Mention, Riley is in line to hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. The stud corner has notched three interceptions each of the past two seasons, including one in last season’s matchup with the Irish. As a redshirt senior, Riley has already recorded an interception and forced fumble, in addition to four tackles to begin this year. Riley did leave last week’s Georgia Tech victory early with a minor injury and is currently a ‘game-time decision’ according to Coach Brohm. Behind Riley is a duo of transfer corners who have been impressive early this season. Illinois transfer Tahveon Nicholson has 13 tackles this year while UCF transfer Corey Thornton has recorded eight tackles and a pass deflection this season. If Riley is unable to play, both Nicholson and Thornton will need to have lockdown performances on Saturday. Louisville’s safety group is led by Tennessee transfer Tamarion McDonald. The senior has recorded 13 tackles and two sacks this season. Junior D’Angelo Hutchinson is another safety, who has enjoyed a breakout start to this season. Hutchinson has recorded 12 tackles this season, which is already a career-best. The final safety to keep an eye on is former Temple transfer and 5th-year senior M.J. Griffin, who missed all of last season due to injury. Griffin has 10 tackles heading into Saturday’s contest. The Notre Dame offense will have its hands full all game. The run game will not come easy against this stingy UL defensive line. Quarterback Riley Leonard needs to find success in the passing game. Leonard must maintain his accuracy while taking more shots down the field to create big plays against the potentially short-handed UL secondary. This UL defense will not be bothered by a one-phased Notre Dame offense. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame basketball picked up the biggest commitment in program history by adding 5-Star small forward from La Porte, Indiana, Jalen Haralson. Haralson, the number one player in Indiana and 13th ranked in the class of 2025, is now the highest-rated recruit to ever commit to the Irish according to 247 Sports. Photo via Jalen Haralson Micah Shrewsberry and company have been on a tear this week, landing the first two recruits in the 2025 class after picking up 4-star Brady Koehler this past Monday. Haralson and Koehler are teammates on the Indy Heat Gym Rats EYBL team, and will now team up in South Bend after high school. Haralson's recruitment was tight-knit, with everyone surrounding him keeping their cards close to them. The other two schools in his top three, Indiana and Michigan State, were big-time players until the very end, with some speculating the La Lumiere product was Bloomington-bound earlier in the week. Nonetheless, Shrewsberry prevailed to get the biggest recruit in his coaching career. His 6'7" frame allows him to get downhill and attack the basket like Markus Burton, the returning leading scorer for the Irish a season ago. The two play similarly in that regard with Haralson having more length to him, however Notre Dame is getting a solid three-point shooter as well. During his time playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup this past summer, Haralson shot 38.5% from beyond the ark. He also averaged 11.1 points per game, 2.3 assists, and four rebounds. Haralson can also get it done on the other side of the floor, picking up 1.7 steals per game, which raised his average plus/minus to +24 points per game. The Irish now have two of the top six ranked players in Indiana committed to Coach Shrewsberry in the 2025 class with plenty of time still to go. Should things remain in place, Notre Dame will make a lot of noise in college basketball over the next few seasons. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

This Saturday afternoon, the #15 Louisville Cardinals roll into South Bend for a top-25 matchup with the #16 Fighting Irish. Notre Dame, led by Head Coach Marcus Freeman, should have revenge on their minds after the ugly 33-20 loss at Louisville last season.  Despite the Irish being 5 ½ point favorites at this moment, this game will not come easy. The Cardinals have assembled a more talented team than last season, thanks to securing the top transfer portal class this offseason, according to ON3. About half of Louisville's starters are new transfers, highlighted by quarterback Tyler Shough. Let’s take a look at this reloaded, but still talented, offense led by Head Coach Jeff Brohm and Shough: Photo via Notre Dame Athletics As just mentioned, the Cardinals are coached by former UL quarterback and Ring of Honoree Jeff Brohm. The former Western Kentucky and Purdue coach enters his second year leading his alma mater after going 10-4 last season, the best season for UL in recent history.  Coming off an ACC Championship appearance, the Cardinals are 3-0 to open this year with wins over Austin Peay (62-0), Jacksonville State (49-14), and Georgia Tech (31-19). Saturday’s game in South Bend will mark the Cardinals’ first road game and ‘true test’ this season.  With former quarterback Jack Plummer entering the NFL, the Cardinals turned to the transfer portal to find their new signal caller: Enter Tyler Shough. The former Oregon and Texas Tech transfer will be marking his 25th birthday this Saturday in South Bend. During his time in Eugene and Lubbock, Shough surpassed 2,500 passing yards with 46 total touchdowns. The biggest red flag surrounding Shough is his health; having suffered season-ending broken collarbones in both 2021 and 2022 and a season-ending broken fibula this past season. Shough’s recent fibula injury may be the reason he is not running as often as compared to the past, but he has been near perfect as a passer to begin this season. Besides the injury history, Shough had his fair share of turnovers including 17 interceptions and seven fumbles over his 30 games of experience. But again, he has been near perfect as a passer to start the year. Shough has begun the season on fire, totaling eight pass touchdowns with no interceptions, while completing over 68% of his passes and averaging 283 yards per game. The seventh-year senior has thrown for at least 232 yards and two touchdowns in each game this season. Here’s a quick look at how impressive Shough has been so far: Austin Peay (18/24, 232 yards, 4 touchdowns), Jacksonville State (21/33, 349 yards, 2 touchdowns), Georgia Tech (13/19, 269 yards, 2 touchdowns).  The most surprising fact about Shough’s hot start is he is doing it without his expected top option Caullin Lacy, a South Alabama transfer who suffered a broken collarbone on the final day of fall camp. Lacy is expected to return soon and is listed as a ‘game-time decision’ according to Coach Brohm. Expected contributors in the pass game besides Lacy include receivers Ja’Corey Brooks and Chris Bell and tight end Mark Redman. Brooks, a senior transfer from Alabama, currently leads the Cards in receptions (17) and receiving yards (297) with two touchdowns. He exploded last week for 125 yards on just four catches including this spectacular 57-yard touchdown .  Shough’s second favorite target behind Brooks is Chris Bell, a junior speedster who is one of just a few returning UL starters. During last season’s meeting the Irish secondary shut down Bell, holding him to zero targets and his worst game of the season statistically. This week should  go better for him as he has emerged as a true big-play option, totaling 167 yards and two touchdowns on just six catches. Bell’s 27.8 yards per catch are currently 3rd-most in the NCAA.  Entering the season, it was expected that San Diego State transfer Mark Redman would receive the bulk of the tight end work. In 25 games at SDSU, Redman totaled 59 receptions for 691 yards and five touchdowns. The fifth-year tight end has been limited in the passing game this season, recording just three receptions for 45 yards, however two of his catches have been touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Jamari Johnson has stepped up given Redman’s quiet start, totaling five catches for 69 yards to begin his year.  Coach Brohm announced this week the receiver room took another hit as Jadon Thompson has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Thompson had filled in nicely during Lacy’s absence to begin this year, totaling six catches for two touchdowns and 88 yards. This new injury will certainly ramp up the pressure on Lacy to play this week. The UL offensive line entered the season with question marks, having to replace key positions with incoming transfers. These questions have been put to rest for now as they have only given up two sacks so far. The leader of this unit is left guard Michael Gonzalez, a 6’4 305-pound preseason All-ACC selection who started every game last season for the Cards.  Louisville’s rushing attack has taken a wide committee approach to begin this season and it has been fairly successful. The Cards average 194.3 rushing yards per game (37th-most in the country) with five different true running backs splitting carries. All five backs have between 12-19 carries and a touchdown, while three of them have over 125 rushing yards this season.  The expected leaders in this running back room entering the season were Miami (FL) transfer Donald Chaney and Maurice Turner. After injuries disrupted his 2021 and 2022 seasons, Chaney finished last season with 478 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries at Miami. He has begun his UL career with 44 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while adding two receptions for 34 yards in the pass game. The other expected lead back was Maurice Turner, a junior who has made the transition from receiver to back during his time at UL. Turner did miss last week’s game and Coach Brohm is “not optimistic” about Turner’s return this Saturday. Turner recorded 87 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the Cards’ first two contests.  Despite being the expected leaders, Chaney and Turner (injury) have not been the most efficient backs to begin this season. That would be the freshmen duo of Duke Watson and Isaac Brown. Watson, former four-star recruit, has totaled 141 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries including this 40-yard score . Coming out of high school, Isaac Brown was not ranked as highly as Watson, however, he has certainly matched his production at UL. Brown, another speedy weapon for this UL offense, has run for 173 yards (most on UL), including this 77-yard touchdown  on 16 carries. He has also been reliable as a receiver, totaling four receptions for 24 yards.  This dynamic run game mixed with their explosive pass offense is one of the main ways Louisville has found success in this young season. Their 47.3 points per game ranks 12th-nationally while their 502.3 yards per game ranks 14th. Saturday will be the biggest test the Irish defense may play all season and Louisville will not be looking to slow down. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

I talked with 2027 quarterback Trae Taylor, a young man out of Illinois with the abilities of an elite quarterback, and the mindset of a Notre Dame man. Photo by Trae Taylor It’s no secret that this Saturday’s game against Louisville is a very important one to say the least, as far as Notre Dame’s future is concerned. So it’s no surprise that many talented ND commits, recruits, and targets for this coaching staff will be in attendance. One name that Irish fans should get to know is Trae Taylor. Taylor is a very talented pro-style QB from the 2027 class that will be in attendance for the Louisville game this weekend. Taylor is currently a sophomore at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL. He is currently ranked by Rivals as a 4-star QB and #33 overall in the nation. He currently holds 25 D1 offers from some big-name schools such as Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss, to name a few.  As evidenced by this impressive list of offers, Trae is a very talented and highly sought-after pro-style QB in the class of 2027.  With all the excitement following this young man and his announcement that he would be in attendance this weekend at Notre Dame, I reached out to Trae to see what he was excited for the most on his upcoming trip, what interests him most about Notre Dame, and more.  There’s a lot of buzz going into this game for Irish fans, and that goes without saying, but what does a recruit like Trae Taylor feel about his visit coming up? “I’m really excited for the visit.  They are playing a top-25 team.  And it’s always a great time in South Bend.”  It’s always interesting to me to see what recruits are most looking forward to when they visit Notre Dame. For Trae, it’s about getting a chance to see the offense in person, and reconnect with the coaches. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the offense. It gives me the opportunity to see firsthand how I could fit in the offense they’re running. Also, this will be the first time I’ll get a chance to see the coaches in person since June, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.” So what kind of relationship does a sophomore with 25 D1 offers have with the coaches?  Being so young, he’s still trying to build those personal relationships as much as possible.  “Because I’m so young, I don’t get to talk to them much.  But when I do get to speak with the coaches, it’s always a great time.” There are many reasons why young athletes would pick a University to continue their football careers. Close to home, education, and a chance to further their dream of one day playing in the NFL. But what about Trae? What is it about Notre Dame that gets his attention?  “Being from Illinois, Notre Dame is the dream school for many who live here, and the degree from Notre Dame means so much.  Once I got on campus and saw it, I immediately loved it.  Plus I’m going to school for Business now, and there’s no better school to attend for that than Notre Dame.” With just being a sophomore in the class of 2027 with more years to grow and progress before entering the next level, I was curious about what goals Trae has when it comes to his high school career. He didn’t hesitate to answer what he envisions for his future.    “My goal in High School is to develop into the best QB In my class, and to win a state championship.” As you can see, Trae is a very talented smart young man who knows exactly what he’s looking for when it comes to his future and beyond. He will be an exciting talent to watch as his future progresses.   Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Elite 4-Star PF Brady Koehler has committed to Micah Shrewsberry and Notre Dame. Photo by Brady Koehler - Text by The Irish Tribune Notre Dame hoops picked up their first 2025 commit this past Monday in 6’9” power forward, Brady Koehler. The Indianapolis native held offers from Iowa, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Northwestern, Butler, and many more, marking a solid recruiting win for the Irish as head coach Micah Shrewsberry continues to shine. Koehler, preparing for his senior season, made a name for himself this past summer playing for the Indy Heat Gym Rats in the EYBL. There, Koehler showed why he is the sixth-ranked player in Indiana and that he will only continue to develop during high school ball this season. He highlighted his impact on the offensive side of the ball during the summer, establishing a pure mid-range jump shot off the dribble, as well as his ability to catch and shoot from beyond the ark. He doesn’t do anything fancy with the ball in his hand and only needs one-to-two dribbles to get enough space to put a shot up. When he doesn’t have the ball, he is elite at finding the opening in the defense, whether it be a layup, a mid-range jumper, or a three-ball. While his high school season with the Shamrocks hasn’t tipped off just yet, it can be almost guaranteed his numbers from a season ago will only go up. Koehler averaged 15.5 points per game in 20 minutes also grabbing 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Koehler also showcased his 6’9” frame, averaging 2.3 blocks as well. Brady Koehler kicks off what is set to be an exciting 2025 Notre Dame class as Shrewsberry begins settling into South Bend. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

I took some time to reflect on Notre Dame's performance from yesterday on offense, defense, and special teams, and have a few thoughts.