Written by Cade Harper | Writer | Twitter/X: @CadeHarperIT Photo by Notre Dame Athletics The Fighting Irish are entering year two under Head Coach Shawn Stiffler coming off of an incredible Cinderella run in year one. The Irish baseball team made it to round two of the College World Series, but fell short against Texas A&M who would go on to lose to the runner up of the National Champion, Oklahoma. There's a lot to look forward to this upcoming season including an impressive recruiting class with a very tough schedule that allows the Irish to truly prove themselves. Photo by Notre Dame Athletics Coach Stiffler and crew managed to bring in and sign the 27th ranked recruiting class, and the top ranked class in all of the Midwestern region. This 2024 class is the second highest rated class in program history, only trailing 2021's class. Safe to say expect some fireworks this season and potentially another deep run in the postseason. Photo by Notre Dame Athletics Notre Dame's 2024 schedule brings must see matchups against five teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament as well the top four teams from the 2023 ACC Tournament. Clemson, the ACC Champion, Miami, runner-up, as well as the other two incredibly talented schools, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Frank Eck Stadium is set to host 12 home series for the Irish. Notre Dame opens up their season February 16th at Rice and will not have a home game until March 5th when rival Purdue comes to The Eck first. Out of conference home opponents include Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Michigan State, Butler, Valparaiso, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Toledo. The Irish will also travel to out of conference games such as Rice, Florida International, Tennessee Tech, Radford, Michigan State, and Butler. Dates and locations for the 2024 ACC Tournament are yet to be announced. However, the road to Omaha begins May 31st when the 2024 NCAA Regionals begin, followed by Super Regionals beginning on June 7th, and finally the College World Series will kick off June 14th. To view Notre Dame's full 2024 Baseball schedule with dates, click here .   Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

By: Nick Kremer⏐Editor⏐Twitter: @NickKremerIT ⏐Profile: @NickKremer Photo - The Irish Tribune NOTRE DAME, Indiana - Riley Leonard made his media debut as the projected starting quarterback for Notre Dame. In talking with Riley, it was evident that he is enjoying his time in South Bend and is ready to take on the challenge of being the quarterback for the University of Notre Dame. “I walk around campus and just wearing this logo on my chest means so much to me and hopefully I can represent it the right way.” Leonard, coming from a similar college environment at Duke, did notice a difference between the two schools.  “The day I took the visit here and stepped off the plane, it was all Notre Dame football…it was crazy.” While Leonard was excited to see the passion that South Bend has for Notre Dame football, he is no stranger to the history and tradition surrounding the Irish football program. Leonard’s great-grandfather, James Curran, played for the Irish, and he also spent some time watching Notre Dame movies growing up. “I've never been here, but legit I watched Rudy every single day growing up.” As Riley Leonard walked up the stairs of the Irish Athletic Center, everyone was curious about his ankle, which he had injured playing against Notre Dame this past season. Riley had high-ankle tightrope surgery in mid January to clean up this injury and be ready to go for Spring practice. There had been varying reports on Leonard’s injury, and how much time he may have to miss in the coming Spring. “Feel great. I'm bouncing around…obviously no boot or anything. You probably wouldn't even realize I got surgery. That story broke a couple of days ago, but it wasn’t really a secret or anything.” Leonard said that recovery has been going very well, and that he fully plans on being ready to go by the time Spring practice starts. “Rob Hunt and the whole training staff have been great with me. I should be back in a couple of weeks.” Leonard added that he is still able to put in most of the work in the weight room. “Yeah, I’m able to do pretty much everything except sprinting right now.” Leonard was impressive to talk to in the media session, and it is evident that he comes from a great support system. Leonard credits a lot of who he is and his beliefs to where he came from, Fairhope, Alabama. Leonard has a strong connection to his faith, and that was something that attracted him to Notre Dame. “Every single person in that city that I came into contact with helped me with my faith. I'm able to bring that here. Obviously that's the most important thing in my life.” Leonard said. “When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking ‘how many touchdown passes did I throw?’ ‘Did we win or lose?’ I'm thinking, did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my parents?” Along with faith and tradition, there was something else that was a big selling point for Riley committing to Notre Dame. The Irish defense. “That was a huge part of my commitment. Whenever they were recruiting me, I was like who is coming back on defense? They were flying around all game. Really incredible players. Guys like Riley Mills, Howard Cross (who still owes me dinner). I told him there's a Ruth’s Chris right down the road.” Leonard mentioned Cross owing him dinner (with a laugh) because Cross sacked him on the play he injured his ankle. Leonard also went on to mention Ben Morrison, Xavier Watts, and Jack Kiser when describing how desirable it was to play with this defense. Since he has been on campus, Leonard has been focused on building relationships and diving into the Notre Dame playbook. “Priority number 1 is building relationship with the other players and learning the playbook. I think it's super important to know those things like the back of my hand. I need to get the playbook down before I dive into fixing my game because if you don't know the plays you cant fix your game." Leonard knows that his limited time at Notre Dame will be huge for his future and he has a plan to reach his goals. "I would have liked to be in the NFL draft after last season. I need to approach this season like an NFL quarterback. All the intangible things...how to handle yourself before the games, how to prepare. Tangible things on the field, obviously, pocket awareness and arm strength. I know my weaknesses, so I'm ready to attack those things and accept that challenge.” Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun Click to Listen -- Apple -- Spotify

Written by Connor Regan ⏐ Senior Staff Writer ⏐ Twitter: @thatconnorregan Photo by The Irish Tribune There's much to be said about Notre Dame's schedule over the last 20-ish years. They've received repeated criticism for scheduling multiple mediocre opponents in a single season, dropping historical rivalries (looking at you, Michigan), and signing an ACC deal that sees them play 5-6 ACC teams (some not even rivals) a year through 2037. The following breakdown is sure to be controversial: feelings will be hurt, and accusations will be levied, but at the end of the day, the goal here is to fix Notre Dame's schedule going forward and set them up for success amidst college football's new future. Conference realignment and the inaugural season of the 12-team CFP are sure to mix things up in college football, and the Irish must do whatever they can to remain independent and relevant while trying to survive the chaos. This analysis will be split into two parts, the first of which will cover Notre Dame’s rivals, specifically assessing which ones the Irish should leave behind, which ones the Irish should bring back, and how to maximize each matchup. Part 2 will address more significant changes to the schedule, and the ACC deal. There are endless unknown variables, complex contracts, and yet-to-be-had negotiations, so take all this with a grain of salt. Current Situation There are 3 main issues with the schedule that need to be addressed if Notre Dame is going to get over the hump and not just make the College Football Playoff, but win it all. Weak Strength of Schedule No Conference Championship Missing Rivalries / Rivalries to Move on From These 3 issues can be remedied in a variety of ways, but all in all, the end goal is also 3 fold: Maintain Notre Dame’s Independence Keep them Financially Viable for The Future Maintain a Clear Path to The CFP / Give Notre Dame a Legitimate Chance to Win It all Strength of Schedule / No Conference Championship The genesis of this article came from the prevailing criticism from Irish fans and haters alike; Notre Dame's strength of schedule has been relatively weak in recent years. Some of the biggest critiques have been the annual matchup against a relatively weak Navy, often playing teams like Army, Airforce, and BYU, a rivalry with a declining Stanford, and a propensity to play 2-3 Group-of-5 teams a season. Unfortunately, these critiques have cemented into reality over the last 15-ish years. Between 2005 and 2023, Notre Dame averaged the nation's 25th toughest pre-season strength of schedule. While not abysmal, barely ranking within the top 25 of toughest opponents is a strike the Irish can't afford. Even if they were to win out, there would be a high likelihood the Irish lose a SOS comparison and could suffer in the CFP seeding process because of it. On the other hand, advocating for a schedule composed of all Power-5 conferences would be silly and would ultimately prevent the Irish from making it to the dance at all. There is a balance to be found. No self-respecting Notre Dame fan would advocate in good faith for full-conference membership, no matter how attractive the BIG10's new media money is. Independence is at the core of Notre Dame football and is a cornerstone the program aims to maintain. Yet, changes need to be made if the Irish are to remain independent amidst a consolidating conference landscape. This is where increasing the overall strength of schedule solves multiple problems. Notre Dame must construct a more robust regular season schedule to compensate for their lack of a conference championship. Most CFP contenders play 2-3 layup games per year, and while Notre Dame is typically within this 2-3 layup game range, their unique independent status means each regular season game holds more weight. Playing 2 Group-of-5 teams alongside Navy, Stanford, and whoever else the ACC decides to throw at them that particular year counts against them more than an Alabama team that, for example, may play 2 FCS teams and a Mountain West team, but cap the year off with a classic SEC championship against an until-then undefeated SEC opponent. For reference, Notre Dame has only reached the top 15 in SOS 3 times over the last 13 seasons (excluding the 2020 COVID-19 season). Additionally, they've played Navy alongside at least 2 non-Power-5 teams every year since 2015, with only 2018 as an exception. Not having a major guaranteed late-season matchup like a conference championship to add to their playoff resume is something Notre Dame can only mend by joining a conference. In lieu of that, designing a balanced, routinely top-15 strength of schedule is the best tool the Irish have to design their own destiny. If other power-5 teams play 3 easy games, the Irish should shoot for 2. Notre Dame’s Past Strength of Schedule Ranking 2010 - 29th Nationally 2011 - 15th Nationally 2012 - 15th Nationally 2013 - 31st Nationally 2014 - 29th Nationally 2015 - 16th Nationally 2016 - 34th Nationally 2017 - 2nd Nationally 2018 - 23rd Nationally 2019 - 35th Nationally 2021 - 43th Nationally  2022 - 33rd Nationally 2023 - 46th Nationally Weakest Teams on Notre Dame’s Past Schedules 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 U-Mass Nevada Temple Ball State New Mexico Toledo Marshall Tennessee State Temple Army Miami (OH) Navy Bowling Green Cincinatti BYU Central Michigan Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy UNLV Navy Stanford Stanford Navy Stanford Stanford The Rivalries Notre Dame's deep tradition and early "barnstorming" style of scheduling teams across the country have led to roughly double the number of established rivals compared to the average Power-5 team. This mix of strategy and circumstance has led to the establishment of rivals in all corners of the country. Notre Dame's expansive list of rivals spans can be split into a few categories: Significant historical rivalries (subdivided into A & B to denote significance or recent rivalry activity). Current rivalries Budding rivalries Smaller rivalries We'll examine each rival and decide which ones Notre Dame should continue playing and in what capacity. Current Historic A Historic B Budding Smaller The Wild Card USC - BIG 10 MICHIGAN - BIG 10 ARMY - AAC CLEMSON - ACC AIR FORCE - AAC STANFORD - ACC NAVY - AAC MICHIGAN STATE - BIG 10 NORTHWESTERN - BIG 10 FLORIDA STATE - ACC PENN STATE - BIG 10 STANFORD - ACC PURDUE - BIG 10 GEORGIA TECH - ACC OHIO STATE - BIG 10 USC - BIG 10 PITT - ACC NAVY - AAC MIAMI - ACC BOS. COLLEGE - ACC STANFORD - ACC What to Leave Behind Army/Airforce There's an immense amount of shared history between the military academies and Notre Dame. While Notre Dame has a very publicized and recent rivalry with Navy, Army has 51 matchups against the Irish, dating back to 1913, and Airforce has 29 dating back to 1964. Unfortunately, the military academies have regressed from their National Championship days and no longer provide the classic matchups the rivalries were built on. Because of this, it makes little sense for Notre Dame to play multiple military academies. The rivalry with Navy isn't going anywhere, and has been made an obvious priority over the other military academies. Although the Irish haven't met the Falcons since 2013 or the Black Knights since 2016, leaving both matchups behind for good feels overdue. Too Many Weak Schools - FCS, CONF. USA, MAC, Mountain West, AAC, Sun-Belt, Independents The Irish must objectively leave behind the days of playing multiple layup games in a season. Yes, I know it sounds quite cavalier calling other teams "easy" or "layups," especially after the Irish have dropped games to Cincinnati in 2021 and Marshall in 2022. But with simplicity in mind, several teams on each year's schedule are easily identified as subpar. In the same vein as dropping Army/Airforce, the issue here is a weighing down of the SOS. Notably, the Irish played their first FCS team in school history in 2023, Tennessee State, drawing criticism from fans who believed they'd never see such a matchup. As discussed previously, Notre Dame's regular season cannot be accurately compared to the regular season of teams in a conference. Their lack of a conference championship makes each regular season game weigh more. Thus, trimming the fat must come first as we attempt to bolster the regular season schedule. The Irish can only afford to play 1 non-Power-5 opponent in addition to Navy without severely compromising the overall strength of their schedule. The days of playing Nevada, Navy, and Army in a single season must end. The Irish must provide no doubt about their 12-game strength of schedule. What to Take Into The Future These are the teams Notre Dame should maintain matchups with in some regular capacity, whether that be on rotation, annually, or bi-annually. The idea would be to avoid valleys where we have no idea when the next matchup is or a two-game agreement scheduled 10 years out. To get it out of the way, there are a few teams we can all agree the Irish should never stop playing. Chief among them are USC and Navy. Not only did they both survive the last round of rivalry cuts, whereas the BIG10 teams did not, but they're both among the most historical matchups the Irish have. Navy holds the #1 spot for most matchups against Notre Dame with 94, and USC comes in at #2 with 91 matchups all-time. In short, it can be said with near-certain confidence that Notre Dame would never give up their rivalries with either team. What differentiates these two rivalries is how they fit into Notre Dame's future. USC There's plenty of legitimate criticism around the Trojans lately. Not having won a championship since 2004, never making a CFP game, and declining overall performance. However, USC does have a longstanding tradition with Notre Dame, a hotshot new head coach, and they're in California, a prime recruiting hub. Regardless of their success, they always manage to have top talent. Not to mention, USC's entrance into the BIG10 launches them onto a bigger stage than the PAC12 and into a conference with the most lucrative TV deal in college football. Regardless, there's close to no chance this rivalry goes anywhere. Navy  As for Navy, the situation is a bit more complex. Notre Dame VS Navy is one of the most historic rivalries in both Notre Dame and college football history. Still, in its current form, it's become more of a polite historical gesture than a competitive annual rivalry. Despite declining competition, the Navy rivalry is important and can be saved with a minor tweak. Historically, the Irish often played Navy alongside 2 other Group-of-5 teams, and in doing so, have seen a slide in its overall strength of schedule in recent years. Making the Navy matchup one of only two non-power 5 teams on the schedule would open space to schedule another marquee matchup or two in place of a conference title game. Navy is arguably one of Notre Dame's most challenging non-Power-5 opponents, having beaten the Irish 4 times since 2007. Even if they're not winning games, their run game usually requires a team's full attention to handle and provides a solid, lower-risk matchup overall. Making Navy more of an early season warm-up than a classic matchup would ensure that the Notre Dame/Navy rivalry lasts into college football's new era while fitting into Notre Dame's CFP aspirations. For better or worse, this game isn't going anywhere; why not make it work for the Irish in the best way possible? ND / NAVY MATCHUPS - 2007-2023 2007 LOSS - 46-44 - Broke 43-year ND win streak -‘64-‘06 2015 WIN - 41-24 2008 WIN - 27-21 2016 LOSS - 28-27 2009 LOSS -23-21 2017 WIN - 24-17 2010 LOSS - 35-17 2018 WIN - 44-22 2011 WIN - 56-14 2019 WIN - 52-20 2012 WIN - 50-10  - Vacated  2021 WIN - 54-6 2013 WIN - 38-34 - Vacated  2022 WIN - 35-32 2014 WIN - 49-39  2023 WIN - 42-3 Those 2 matchups will likely stay in place, positioning a BIG10 team (USC) and an AAC team (Navy) on the schedule for the foreseeable future. Michigan Arguably, the most prominent criticism of Notre Dame's schedule in the last decade was the decision to "drop" their BIG10 rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue. The loss of Michigan as a rival was one of the motivating factors for writing this article in the first place. Younger and older fans alike have countless memories of Wolverine/Irish matchups, and it's abundantly clear fans on both sides would like to see it back in regular rotation. The first matchup came in 1887, with a Michigan win that began an 8-game winning streak through the first 8 meetings. As of 2024, the Wolverines are currently leading the series 25-17-1. It was announced that 2014 would be the last matchup between the two for the foreseeable future due to Notre Dame's newly signed ACC deal. Not long after, matchups were surprisingly announced for 2018 & 2019, where each team claimed a win at home. Since then, the only scheduled meetings are for 2033 and 2034, leaving yet another decade plus gap. The disconnect between the fandom's desire for this rivalry to be featured more and the increasing matchup gaps needs to be rectified. Michigan State Michigan State actually ranks ahead of Michigan in all-time matchups against the Irish, coming in at #4 all-time, with Michigan following at #8 . The Irish and the Spartans played each other nearly every year from 1948 to 2013 except for 1953, 1958, 1995, and 1996. That's 62 matchups over a 66-season span. The Irish stopped yearly play with the Spartans following the 2013 season to accommodate the newly agreed ACC deal. Ultimately, Notre Dame played Michigan State again in 2016 and 2017, with the next scheduled matchups arriving in 2026 and 2027. Purdue & Northwestern These are two of Notre Dame's oldest and most historic rivalries, dating back to 1896 for Purdue and 1889 for Northwestern. The Irish lead the all-time record in both matchups, topping the Wildcats 38-9-2 and the Boilermakers 57-26-2. The historical trajectory for both these teams is somewhat reversed. Northwestern played Notre Dame heavily from 1924 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1976, whereas Purdue became more of a staple on the Irish schedule from 1946 to 2014. Purdue was nixed alongside Michigan and Michigan State after the 2014 season, and Northwestern has only played the Irish twice since 1996. While neither are particularly strong programs at the moment, their history shouldn't be ignored, and they should be involved in the Notre Dame schedule in some capacity. Ohio State While lacking in significant historical value, Ohio State manages to deliver where teams like Purdue and Northwestern do not. The Buckeyes are a powerhouse amidst the modern college football landscape and hold a gravitas that places them right at the top of the BIG10 alongside the reigning champs, Michigan. Ohio State first played the Irish in 1935, yet surprisingly, the two have only played a grand total of 8 times, with Ohio State leading the series handily 6-2. The Irish won the first two matchups in 1935 & 1936 but have lost the last 6 straight, with Notre Dame losing 2 years in a row in 2022 and 2023. Above most other rivals on this list, Ohio State presents one of the best brands and steepest competitors Notre Dame could ask for. Much like Michigan, these blue-chip teams would immediately make Notre Dame's schedule more competitive, and the idea of regularly scheduling this level of competition is something the Irish will have to do going forward if they wish to stay relevant. Penn State Penn State is easily the most historically competitive series on this list and the most prolonged absence we've seen thus far. The Irish have only faced off against the Nittany Lions 19 times, with a dead-even record of 9-9-1. The last meeting was in 2007, with nothing on the table for the future. There's just something about this matchup that immediately conjures up thoughts of Lou Holtz and the classic Snow Bowl game. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to see who breaks this tie? ACC Rivals Due to the nature of the current deal (already being scheduled out through 2037), we don't have much leeway to pick and choose which teams ND should play, at least not for a while. However, we can pick out the teams in the ACC which should be a focus either after the contract is over or in the event of a contract renegotiation coming to the table. Clemson / Miami / FSU These are the ACC's blue-chip programs. Despite any rumbling of conference restructuring, these 3 teams offer a combination of new/old history, name-brand gravitas, and the most consistent funnel of talent in the ACC. Regardless of FSU's future, keeping all 3 involved in the schedule in some capacity is a must. Pitt / Georgia Tech / Boston College This group comprises the most historical collection of ACC teams for Notre Dame. Pitt is Notre Dame's 5th most-played opponent of all time, and the two have been playing one another since 1909. Conversely, Notre Dame and Boston College didn't play their first game until 1975, but the rivalry was eventually dubbed "the holy war," and both programs shared legendary coach Frank Leahy. The matchup awards two trophies to its winner: a large crystal bowl dubbed the "Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl" and the "Ireland Trophy," a crystal cutout of Ireland commissioned by the 1994 Notre Dame student government. The Yellowjackets are Notre Dame's 9th most-played opponent, with the first of their 37 meetings coming in 1922. While these 3 teams haven't necessarily been competitive in recent years, their history needs to be respected. The Wildcard Stanford Stanford is hands down the most complex issue on this list. The two programs have played every year since 1988, with the exception of 1995 & 1996, and 2020 due to COVID-19. This makes the Stanford rivalry the newest of Notre Dame's current annual matchups. Notre Dame's rivalry with USC gets attention even if neither team is ranked, but more often than not, USC is ranked decently and always has talent. At one point in time, the same could be said for Stanford, who, from 2009-2018, won at least 8 games a season, with 6 of those seasons seeing at least 10 wins. Over time, this established Stanford as not just a rival to Notre Dame academically, but also as a national powerhouse on the football field. Unfortunately, things have changed as of late. Over the last 5 years, Stanford has won only 17 games, averaging a paltry 3.4 wins/season. This poor performance has placed the Notre Dame-Stanford rivalry in uncertain waters, as its competitive edge has dulled quite a bit. Outgoing AD Jack Swarbrick fought for Stanford and Cal specifically to be admitted to the ACC, so it seems unlikely the Irish would go out of their way to vouch for Stanford if they had not considered the future of the matchup within the new-look ACC. Odds are the University and incoming AD Pete Bevacqua will go out of their way to ensure this rivalry sticks around. That said, the capacity in which the matchup exists going forward is still being determined. As of right now, Stanford's agreement with the Irish ends after the 2024 season. However, this should be no shock as the Irish typically let the USC, Navy, and Stanford agreements hit their final year before renegotiating. The ACC recently released their new 17-team, 7-year scheduling model, and it appears Stanford has the required 8-game conference slate filled through 2030. Until confirmed otherwise, this more than likely means the Stanford-Notre Dame matchup won't count towards the Irish's 5-6-game/year agreement. As college football changes, the programs that will succeed are those that change alongside it. The changing ACC landscape could signal more significant changes from the Irish, transforming the look of some of their current rivalries, much like they did when they parted ways with the BIG10 after the 2014 season. Regardless, optics say this is another matchup the Irish don't want to lose. Much like the Navy situation, the Stanford matchup will likely stick around, but in what capacity is unknown. Financial Viability for The Future Notre Dame stands at a unique position. College football is reshaping itself in drastic ways as conferences realign and sign massive media deals. In light of all this change, many questioned if Notre Dame would remain independent or be forced into joining a conference to avoid missing out on the windfall of new broadcasting cash. For all its criticism, the ACC deal is pretty lucrative for the Irish. Why not then go after the fattest pig in the pen: The BIG10. Notre Dame's current ACC deal pays them roughly $17 million a year as a "part-time" member, and in conjunction with their newly minted NBC deal, the Irish are bringing in a projected $65-70 million a year. This impressive payout beats the ACC member average of approximately $40 million, yet the BIG10's new deal will see each of their 18 teams make roughly $80 million a year. Many have said Notre Dame would be satisfied with a TV revenue gap of only $10-15 million from the biggest conferences. While that may be, the Irish could work a little magic and potentially close that gap altogether without giving up their independence. The New Big 10 Much like the ACC, the BIG10 contains several classic Notre Dame rivals. The combination of the current ACC deal of 5 games and the annual Navy, USC, and Stanford lineup apparently made maintaining Notre Dame's BIG10 rivalries untenable. They ended the annual agreements with Michigan State and Purdue and its semi-annual matchup against Michigan. In order to enhance the Notre Dame SOS, bring back classic rivalries, break into the most lucrative TV deal in the nation, and satisfy disgruntled traditionalist fans, the Irish must find a way to bring back the BIG10 relationship in more ways than the odd 2-game contract. Despite all the criticism, the ACC deal has provided Notre Dame with a blueprint for big conference broadcast agreements. If they approach a new deal correctly, they could strike a far more advantageous deal than the ACC one. The Irish should look to sign a 4-game/year deal with the BIG10. If they can pull it off, they'd likely boost their broadcast revenue to over $80 million annually. To avoid the issues we've seen from the ACC deal, the Irish could propose a more specific agreement that maintains some matchup consistency against the teams actually motivating such a deal in the first place. It could look something like this: 4 Game Agreement Game 1 - Rotates between Michigan & Michigan State Game 2 - Rotates between Purdue, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State Game 3 - Rotates through the remaining 11 teams (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Oregon, UCLA, Washington) Game 4 - USC (Annually) Now, at first glance, this may seem too advantageous for the BIG10 to agree to, but the Irish would be playing 2 of the conference's weaker teams in Purdue and Northwestern, alongside a matchup with USC that's frankly going to happen regardless. The 4th game in the agreement would be a concession by the Irish to the BIG10, giving them the flexibility to plug Notre Dame in to fill scheduling holes much like the ACC has and satisfy their future matchups against Indiana and Wisconsin. Regardless of what format this 4-game agreement takes, rotating between specific groups of teams could prevent an issue the Irish have seen many times before - a long-term contract with an underperforming team. Take, for example, the "Game 3" slot. This is a 4-team mix comprised of two big brands and recently high performers (Ohio State & Penn State) and two classic rivals who have recently underperformed (Purdue & Northwestern). It's the best of both worlds: you satisfy rival play, schedule marquee matchups, and avoid a 5-10-year deal with one team that may weigh down your SOS. After signing the nation's most lucrative TV deal and bringing in 4 new teams, the conference has announced a 5-year scheduling slate, where each team will play 9 conference opponents each season from 2024 through 2028, with some teams only having 4 conference home games while others have 5. As for the open non-conference spots on BIG10 schedules, making Notre Dame one of only 3 non-conference opponents would benefit any BIG10 team. Not only would it be a brand boost for any team, but the blue-chip teams can use the Irish as an exclamation point on their SOS, and weaker teams could use it as a ratings boost. Multiple schools will be looking to host a non-conference home game, and the Irish's proximity to most of these teams makes them a wise choice. Further, Notre Dame's preexisting relationship with the 4 new additions from the PAC12 makes such a deal even easier to envision. The possible addition of the 4 BIG10 games to the annual Navy matchup leaves 7 open slots on the schedule. The ACC Situation This is the biggest unknown in the mix. Criticism regarding Notre Dame's decision to become a partial member of the ACC came almost immediately after it was announced, as most projected the BIG10 as the most obvious landing spot for the Irish, should they ever decide to join a conference. The decision to (mostly) drop their BIG10 matchups for the foreseeable future was controversial, yet said a lot more about Notre Dame's changing priorities than it did about their actual desire to play. Before the Irish signed the agreement in 2013, no BIG10 team had won a National Championship since Ohio State in 2002, and the landscape of college football had shifted heavily from the Midwest towards the southern United States and the SEC. This left Notre Dame in a position where they felt the need to break into the southern market while also upholding as many historic rivalries as possible. The ACC's combination of Pitt, Miami, Florida State, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and a favorable deal ultimately convinced them to pull the trigger. To some degree, this explains Notre Dame's decision at the time. At present, the ACC is objectively in turmoil, primarily stemming from their 20-year media deal signed through the 2036 season. The squeaky wheel at the moment is Florida State, who grows increasingly unhappy with the approximately $20-$40 million pay gap between the ACC's payouts and the new BIG10 and SEC contracts. While this pay gap may seem petty, funding is one of the most essential factors when competing for a national championship. The ACC's premier brands are, without a doubt, Clemson, Miami, and Florida State. Unfortunately, Miami has struggled in recent years, going 7-5, 5-7, and 7-6 over the last 3 seasons. While not nearly as dire as Miami's situation, Clemson has steadily slid over the last few years. While objectively successful in the broader sense of the word, the Tigers have failed to meet their lofty expectations. Clemson went to 6 straight CFPs, but after losing in the 2019 Championship, they fell in the 2020 CFP semifinals, ultimately missing the playoff altogether in 2021, 2022, and 2023. There's a powerful force behind FSU breaking away from the ACC, and many fear this could cause a cascade effect, leading to the rest of the ACC's top talent departing. If FSU does make a break for it, there's speculation that the BIG12 would be a leading contender to land Clemson and Miami. This hypothesizing comes on the heels of a FSU lawsuit against the ACC, accusing them of "mismanaging member media rights" and "draconian exit penalties." Based on the conference agreement FSU signed, the estimated exit fee would be over $500 million. Depending on how this plays out, Notre Dame could conceivably be freed from their 5-6 game agreement through 2037 and either exit the conference wholesale or renegotiate the existing agreement. To remedy the ACC agreement, the Irish should again propose a 4-game agreement in the same style as the BIG10 deal. The current 5-6 game model dominates the Notre Dame schedule, and more often than not, the Irish get 1 or 2 decent matchups, and the rest are fillers. While playing the 4 best ACC teams each year isn't the goal, this new agreement should address multiple areas of concern. 4 Game Agreement Game 1 - Stanford (Either annually or on rotation) Game 2 - Rotates between Pitt, Boston College, & Georgia Tech Game 3 - Rotates between Clemson & Miami (Or whoever else is still around) Game 4 - Rotates through the remaining ACC teams An agreement of this kind would satisfy the Stanford/2nd trip to California and provide a mix of historic rivalry from Pitt, Boston College, and Georgia Tech. From here, things get gray with the top 3 teams (FSU, Clemson, Miami) depending on who leaves and who stays. It may never happen, or it could happen next year, but an ACC exit would open the door for Notre Dame to take advantage of a reeling conference and make an agreement that genuinely works for them. The (New) Shamrock Series The Shamrock Series has been an objective success and should, without a doubt, be continued in the future, yet with a slight twist. In keeping with the theme of schedule strengthening, the Irish should use this strategy as big-game preparation for a CFP bid. The neutral sites, often NFL stadiums, are a massive spectacle used as a recruiting tool for athletes and fans alike, introducing all corners of the country to Notre Dame football. Why not pair this special event with a notable opponent? Moving on from the days of Army, Syracuse, and BYU, the Irish should use this game to incorporate SEC teams into the schedule more regularly. While there are no truly established Notre Dame rivalries in the SEC, there are two teams the Irish have faced in recent years that provide some compelling stakes: Georgia and LSU. The Irish have only played Georgia 3 times: first in the 1980 National Championship and not again until 2017 and 2019, seeing the Dawgs win all 3 matchups. On the other side of things is LSU. The Tigers have played the Irish 12 times in all, with Notre Dame leading the series 7-5. The most enticing part of this matchup centers around Brian Kelly's recent abrupt exit from South Bend and eventual move to LSU. Many fans would love the opportunity to beat Kelly at his new destination, and such a win would be quite the statement for a young coach like Freeman. While there is an inherent risk in replacing a "layup" team with one from arguably the best conference in the country, getting a regular season opportunity to prepare for and play an SEC team on a massive neutral site stage would only benefit the Irish in the long run. This would be CFP prep 101, getting a tough test on their resume before the playoffs even begin. Future Schedules Notre Dame has several long-term contracts set up for the future, with some encouraging trends. There's a pretty even number of BIG10 and SEC matchups going into the early 2030s, a notable shift from the recent past. If the Irish can use these scheduled BIG10 matchups to count towards a formalized rotational deal, they could solve both the SOS and missing rivals issues. FUTURE ACC GAMES THROUGH 2037 FUTURE BIG10 GAMES FUTURE SEC GAMES CONTRACT EXPIRATIONS MIAMI - 7 PURDUE - 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 TEXAS A&M - 2024, 2025 STANFORD - ENDS AFTER 2024 FLORIDA STATE - 6 WISCONSIN - 2026 ARKANSAS - 2025, 2028 USC - ENDS AFTER 2026 PITT - 6 MICHIGAN STATE - 2026, 2027 ALABAMA - 2029, 2030 NAVY - ENDS AFTER 2032 CLEMSON - 5 INDIANA - 2030, 2031 FLORIDA - 2031, 2032 VIRGINIA TECH - 5 MICHIGAN - 2033, 2034 GEORGIA TECH - 5 MICHIGAN - 2033, 2034 VIRGINIA - 5 SYRACUSEE - 5 BOSTON COLLEGE - 5 NC STATE - 5 LOUISVILLE - 4 DUKE - 4 WAKE FORREST - 4 NORTH CAROLINA - 4 The New Schedule The following is an example of the schedule outlined above. Navy secures its annual matchup, along with Stanford in a revised 4-game ACC agreement. USC maintains its annual matchup with the Irish alongside 3 other teams that comprise the BIG10 4-game agreement. These 9 games leave space for a Shamrock Series game, a Group-of-5 layup, and a flexible open slot for any at-large team or scheduling conflict. Game 1 - Easy Team #1 - Navy - AAC Game 2 - Easy Team #2 - Group-of-5 Game 3 - BIG10 #1 - Michigan/Michigan State Game 4 - BIG10 #2 - Purdue/Northwestern/Ohio State/Penn State Game 5 - ACC #1 - Stanford Game 6 - ACC #2 - Pitt/BC/GT Game 7 - ACC #3 - Clemson/Miami Game 8 - BIG10 #3 - Misc. Remaining BIG10 Team Game 9 - ACC #4 - Misc. Remaining ACC Team Game 10 - Shamrock Series/SEC Team Game 11 - Misc. Power-5 Team Game 12 - BIG10 #4 - USC The easiest way to silence the "just join a conference" haters is to simply play such a strong schedule that there's nothing left to critique and secure enough media money that they rival top programs within conferences. While not all of these suggestions are realistic at the moment, Notre Dame's future scheduling strategy must evolve, or they risk being left behind.  Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by: Jhett Garrett ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett Photo by The Irish Tribune After dominating UConn on the road this past Saturday, the Notre Dame women’s team continued their road trip in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. The Irish dominated the game from the tip and ultimately won 85-48. It started on the defensive side of the ball, as the Irish held Georgia Tech to just 17 first-half points, and finished the game with 12 steals. “We’ve really been focusing on locking in and being consistent defensively,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Niele Ivey. In the last six Notre Dame wins they are only giving up 59 points per game and are beating opponents by an average of 22 points per game in that same span. “Really happy with the momentum we’re building as a unit,” said Ivey. Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo once again led the way for the Irish in this one, scoring 35 points on 15-25 shooting. This was not only a new career high for Hidalgo, but this game also broke the single-game scoring record for a freshman in Notre Dame history, a record that stood for over 32 years. “She’s a great scorer,” said Coach Ivey, “She understands getting to her spots and we just feed off of that.” In a press conference on Wednesday, Ivey was asked about the possibility of putting up 20-25 shots per game and how that would benefit the team. The benefits were evident in this one. However, Hidalgo was doing more than just scoring, as she led the team in both steals (6) and assists (8). “I feel like a lot of my points were off the pick and roll and Hannah just making a great dime,” said forward Kylee Watson. The 6’4 junior from Linwood, New Jersey also set a career high in points scored, finishing with 19 points on 8-10 shooting. “Once one person gets going it’s kind of contagious throughout the whole team.” Coach Ivey was not only impressed with the scoring from Watson but also her showing in the rebound column. “It started with Kylee’s energy,” Ivey said, “Just her rebounding, her presence…we went with the energy from Kylee.” Watson finished with 9 boards in the game, the most she’s had since the December 21st matchup against Western Michigan. Not only was she getting it done in the rebounding column, but she finished the game with 2 blocks, marking the eighth time this season Watson has finished with 2+ blocks. She was asked about the tempo coming into a game like this, on the road, following a big-time win against UConn. “A lot of times these games can be ‘trap games’,” Watson said, “especially when you come off a big one (UConn) like that.” “This was a really great statement win for us coming off a very charged, highly energetic game versus UConn,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Niele Ivey. This is the sixth win in the last seven games for the Irish, as they now set their sights on Pittsburgh this Sunday in Purcell Pavilion. The Panthers sit at 7-15 (1-8 in ACC play) and have lost eight of their last nine games, including a five-point loss at home to Notre Dame back on January 4th. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Photo by The Irish Tribune SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Projected starting Quarterback Riley Leonard spoke with the media today about the logistics of his high ankle surgery. Leonard, who threw for 4,450 yards during his time with the Duke Blue Devils, was the key acquisition Head Coach Marcus Freeman needed to make to turn Notre Dame into a national championship caliber team. During the 21-14 Irish rollercoaster meeting last year with the Blue Devils, Leonard endured a high ankle injury at the end of the game, as it got twisted up on a Howard Cross III strip-sack. Leonard joked with the media today saying that Cross "owes [him] a dinner...Ruth's Chris is right down the street." The ankle injury limited Leonard's production for the remainder of the 2023 season, as he never reached his full playing potential after the heartbreaking September loss to Notre Dame. He tried to return to the field a few weeks later against Florida State in Tallahassee but was seen in agonizing pain in-between plays and was pulled out of the game before the end of the first half. There were conflicting reports on the healing of Leonard's ankle and how it would factor into the preparation of the Irish offense in 2024. Leonard confirmed his health update in the presser earlier today. He stated that it was a TightRope high ankle surgery and expects to be cleared for practices in a couple weeks. He can still partake in some of the Winter workouts with the team, as he was spotted in a photo with true freshman CJ Carr during a workout yesterday posted by the Notre Dame Football account, as seen below. Via Notre Dame Football As winter workouts have been in full swing, the attention has shifted to another offseason signing made by Marcus Freeman: Loren Landow. Landow is as experienced as they come from a personal private instructor, mentoring the likes of San Francisco 49ers' star Christian McCaffrey and future Hall-of-Famer and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. Landow's impact in the weight room hasn't gone unnoticed, especially from the incoming freshmen trying to adjust to the physicality at the college level. "Loren Landow is the real deal," said freshman running back Kedren Young. In a loaded running back room, Young is trying everything he can to make a name for himself during these winter workouts. Even with the return of Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Gi'Bran Payne, Young could get some snaps if he makes a good impression during the offseason practices. It isn't uncommon for the Irish to roll out true freshman running backs onto the field, with the best examples of that being Love (2023), Diggs (2021), and Adams (2015). That is all from the player meetings today, and we'll continue to track the health of Leonard's ankle, and the progressions made under the watchful eye of Landow in the weight room. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Jhett Garrett ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett Photo by The Irish Tribune The Notre Dame Fighting Irish traveled to Charlottesville for a matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers this past Wednesday, looking to end a four-game losing streak. However, after beating the Cavaliers back in December, the Irish fell in this one, 65-53. Freshman Markus Burton led the way for the Irish once again with 17 points on 6-10 shooting. He also tallied four assists along with four steals, and just three turnovers. His 6-10 from the field was his best shooting performance since the last time the Irish played Virginia back in December, where he scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Burton has been in double figures in every game but two this season. Not far behind him was fellow freshman Braden Shrewsberry with 16 points, knocking down four threes off the bench. Shrewsberry is on a tear for the Irish in the last five games, averaging 17 points per game while shooting 42% from behind the three-point line. He has hit two or more threes in his last seven games, and has been a pivotal part of the Notre Dame offense. With Shrewsberry being just a freshman, it is great to see this growth from him this early on in his career. Coach Shrewsberry went with a smaller lineup than in previous games, with Zionsville, Indiana native Logan Imes making his first career start in place of Carey Booth. It took Imes until the 10:28 mark in the second half to get his first and only bucket in the game. However, the freshman guard finished with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Heading into Pittsburgh on Saturday, it would not be a shock if Imes finds himself inserted into the starting lineup once more. Despite the personnel change, it was still a slow start for the Notre Dame offense. In the first 5:22 of the game, the Irish could only muster two points on 1-5 shooting, while turning it over three times. Having another guard on the perimeter that can space the floor was what Coach Shrewsberry appeared to be trying, but the Irish could never really get going from the floor. Notre Dame will look to end their five-game losing streak, as they travel to Pittsburgh this coming Saturday for a matchup with the Panthers who sit at 13-8 (4-6) this season. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Mike Stacey ⏐ Writer ⏐ X: @MikeStaceyIT IG: @mikestaceyit Photo Credit: Cree Thomas I recently had the opportunity to speak with 2025 Notre Dame recruit, Cree Thomas. Cree is a 6-1, 175lb Corner out of Brophy College Prep in Phoenix Arizona. Cree is rated as a 4-star prospect according to the 247 Sports Composite. Cree is the first Corner in the 2025 class and hopes to continue the streak of great corner play we have seen with the Irish under Coach Mickens. After watching his 2023 film, Cree shows great length, athleticism, and a nose for the ball. He also displays a willingness to meet the runner head on and is not afraid of contact. Cree plays both Safety and Corner so he brings versatility to the Secondary. He finished up his Junior season with 76 Total Tackles, 5 Interceptions, and 4 Passes Deflected. This is the kind of player with a lot of upside and tools that Coach Mickens can turn into an absolute monster on the field if developed properly. Irish fans should be excited about this one! Now let's get to the interview! What was the recruiting process like for you? Cree: "My recruiting process started my freshman year. I was offered by Oregon. Ever since then it has been a blessing. Offers started rolling in and I decided to commit after my Junior season. I would describe it as a blessing." What were the main factors you were looking for in choosing a school? Cree: "I really wanted a school who not only wanted me as a football player but as a person as well. I wanted coaches that were going to show me love and a support system for when I leave home and go to college. So that was really the main things. Notre Dame, their coaches showed me so much love throughout the process and they really showed me a great family feeling. They brought me into their family. I always wanted to go somewhere with a family culture so that was a big part of it." What separated Notre Dame from the other schools? Cree: "Like I said the love they showed me and always being on top of me with the recruitment. The Catholic base of the school was huge for me because I know I can continue my faith no matter what as long as I am going to Notre Dame." Where do you see yourself fitting into the Defense when you get there? Cree: "They see me playing as a cornerback. They see me as a guy who can play both zone and man, a guy who can fit in different spots, but honestly I'm just going to do anything I need to do to help the team. Anywhere they want to put me, I'm willing to play multiple positions. I played safety in high school as well so I am versatile and I'll be ready to do whatever they need me to do." What is the craziest recruiting pitch you have received from a school so far? Cree: "Honestly, if a school was doing that (something crazy) I would probably disregard it. Throughout my process I was really looking for a school that's just genuine about everything. I have heard stories about schools throwing, like, crazy things at these recruits and that's never really been a priority for me so I think the fact that Notre Dame was just genuine the entire time and talked to me about life after football and after school, I think that was a big reason why I chose them as well." Who were the coaches at Notre Dame that recruited you the hardest? Who did you build relationships with? Cree: "So of course my position coach, Coach Mickens. I talked to him a lot, that's my guy every time I went out there. He's a guy that I got really close with. Of course, coach Bowden our recruiting coordinator, as well. Love him, he's super energetic Brings it every conversation. Coach Freeman, I talk to Coach Freeman a lot, he recruited me super hard and I am really grateful for him. Coach Golden the D-Coordinator and Coach Dre Brown, He is amazing. Any time I had any questions he got those answered." What are some of your goals for this upcoming season? Cree: "I just want to enhance everything in my game. Be more explosive, be faster, be better in coverage, you know just everything I can do to get better and polish up my game to be ready for the next level. That's what I want to work on. It's not necessarily one thing or two things specifically it's just trying to elevate my entire game to be able to play at the next level." What are some of your hobbies outside of football? Cree: "I recently got into some photography stuff. I have been trying to pick that up a little bit. I also run track. I'm a high jumper. Those are some things I have been getting into outside of football." Who is your favorite NFL team? Cree: "Oh, so I was a Giants fan growing up. I loved Odell Beckham growing up. But my stepbrother, Isaiah Oliver, he plays for the 49ers right now so I have been following him around. Wherever he's at, I'm at." Is there an NFL player that you model yourself after or aspire to be like? Cree: "There is the no brainer players you want to be like, Jalen Ramsey, Pat Surtain, Sauce Gardner, you know those are always guys you look at their highlight tapes or film and you want to replicate your game after. They are the best doing it right now so I definitely watch a lot of those guys." You and the class seem pretty close, who is the funniest guy in the class? Cree: "Definitely Deuce. (Knight) It's a no brainer. 100% Deuce." Who is the intimidator in the class? Cree: "Oh that's a hard one! Let me think about this one. We have a lot of big guys. I'm thinking a big lineman like Will Black. Chris Burgess, he's a big intimidating guy so one of those guys for sure." What is your favorite spot on Notre Dame's Campus? Cree: "I mean, definitely the football field, the stadium. Other than that on campus, Touchdown Jesus. It's a nice relaxing spot where I can see myself when I go out there hanging out, doing some homework. It's beautiful." To close things up, what is your message for the fans? Cree: "I've said this a few times but, I'm a competitor. No matter what I do I'm going to compete and I want to win so I am going to do everything it takes and everything I need to help our team and Notre Dame in the future and hopefully we can get a National Championship." If you want to get to know Cree better and show him some support, give him a follow on Instagram @cree_thomas and X @CreeThomas3. Go Irish! Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by: Jhett GarrettWriter | Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett Photo by The Irish Tribune The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost their fourth straight game this past Saturday at home against Boston College, 61-58. J.R. Konieczny led the way for the Irish in scoring, finishing with 15 points on 5-16 shooting (2-8 from three). It was the unforced turnovers and yet another poor performance from beyond the arc that led to the three-point loss. It was once again the way the Irish played when it mattered most, with scoring droughts totaling over ten minutes of play, Notre Dame just couldn’t keep their foot on the gas. “Sometimes you've got to break habits to build habits,” said Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry after the game, “So we've got to keep breaking habits until we build them.” Notre Dame only put up 23 points in the first half and didn’t reach double digits until 8:33 left in the first half. “I think Groundhog Day is in February,” Shrewsberry said, “But for us, Groundhog Day has been every single time we’ve had a game.” Notre Dame had every chance to come out with a victory, especially at the 4:03 mark in the second half when the Eagle’s star player, Quinten Post, fouled out finishing with 10 points. Post, the 7-footer from the Netherlands, went scoreless in the first half, but found a rhythm in the second. He was guarded well by the Irish in the first half of the game, but after getting his first shot to fall 58 seconds into the second half he did not look back. The junior is averaging 17 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, and just under 3 assists. Post reached none of these marks in the ball game and shot 40% from the field. Turnovers weren’t a massive problem in this one, however, 13 is still not the target number for the Irish. Markus Burton led the team in turnovers with 5. “Very frustrating,” Shrewsberry said. “That’s one of the things holding us back.” Notre Dame didn’t turn the ball over a single time in the final 4:28 of the game. The Irish faced not one, but two different scoring droughts. The second starting at 5:33 in 2nd half, which lasted four minutes and eleven seconds. “We’ve gone back and tried to really simplify what we do,” Shrewsberry said. “I’ve changed a lot of stuff to make it as simple as possible for us.” Markus Burton was the man who ended the drought towards the end of the game, and did so immediately after coming off the bench. Burton had gone to the bench with 4:26 remaining in the game and did not come back in until there was 1:29 left. He converted an and-one just eight seconds after entering back into the game, which cut the lead back to two. Unfortunately for the Irish, this would be the last time they would score until Braden Shrewsberry knocked down a three with just one second left on the clock. These were the only two field goals for the Irish in the final 5:33 of the game. “If I change one or two things we’re probably winning” Coach Shrewsberry said. He continued to hammer home that he is simplifying the system in an attempt to take the thinking out of the games. The Irish are averaging exactly 59 points per game in their last four contests. Micah Shrewsberry was vocal about the way that Notre Dame has played 20 games into the season. He felt as if they had played too scared at times and left a lot of windows of opportunity open. “Instead of worrying whether the stove is hot or not man touch the stove. S*** might hurt a little bit, but who cares.” Expect the Irish to come out with more intensity in their next contest. Notre Dame will go on the road for three straight games including matchups with Virginia, who the Irish beat by 22 at home and scored 76 against, Pittsburgh, and finally Duke. They will be back in Purcell Pavilion on February 10th to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter/X: @LiamFarrell_IT Via The Irish Tribune As the calendar has flipped to 2024, it is a perfect time to look back on the 2023 rollercoaster season for the Fighting Irish. On one hand, there were many games that evoked great joy like the comeback victory at Duke and the USC beatdown. While on the other hand, the gut-wrenching loss to Ohio State and the nightmare second half against Louisville still leaves a bad taste in the mouths of hundreds of Notre Dame supporters. However, the 2023 season was a very important steppingstone for the program as a whole. The emergence of Xavier Watts and Howard Cross III on the defensive side of the ball have fortified the Irish on multiple levels of their Top 10 nationally ranked scoring defense. On the offensive side of the ball, playmakers like Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison have cemented their names as capable, big play wide receivers. While adding to the success from last year's team, I will be highlighting three names that will burst on the scene and make Notre Dame a national champion level contender. Let's see who the breakout players in the 2024 season will be. Jeremiyah Love: The first player that will burst out on the scene in the 2024 season will be Jeremiyah Love. Love, who became the second back on the Fighting Irish depth chart by the end of the season, will most likely adopt the starting running back role left by Audric Estime's decision to declare for the NFL Draft. Love, in his true freshman campaigned, carried the ball 71 times for 385 yards, and added one touchdown to his credit. In the Sun Bowl against Oregon State, Love didn't make that big of an impact on the ground only rushing for 39 yards on 15 carries but showed glimpses of greatness in the pass catching department. Love had a 13-yard touchdown catch, in which he shed and juked a total of four Oregon State players. Love will be sliding into the premier role of this loaded running back room that also features Jadarian Price, Gi'Bran Payne, Devyn Ford, and true freshmen Kedren Young and Aneyas Williams. His speed and ability to make cuts in the open field are what separate him from the rest of the backs in the room. Jeremiyah Love will be the most recent big play type running back the Fighting Irish have had since Dexter Williams back in 2018, but still, Love may be the fastest running back the Irish have had in the 21st century. Jaylen Sneed: It's time to turn to the defensive side of the ball to find the next breakout player for the Irish in Junior linebacker, Jaylen Sneed. Sneed, the one-time former five-star recruit out of Hilton Head, South Carolina, got significantly more playing time in Year 2 for Al Golden's defense. Sneed performed the best in the brightest lights, most notably against Ohio State and USC. Last season, Golden utilized Sneed the most in the pass rush game, as he proved to be a rather efficient blitzing linebacker. Sneed also displayed great awareness dropping back into coverage and being able to run with anyone on the field. Speed is the best facet of Sneed's game. He is an athletic freak, who can run sideline-to-sideline, and make one-on-one tackles in space. With the departure of JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau, the Irish will be needing to replace two multi-year starters at the linebacking core. The decision by Jack Kiser to return in 2024 will be great in terms of leadership within Golden's linebacker room; however, Sneed's potential is far greater than any of his other peers. Adon Shuler: The last pick to click for the 2024 season is someone who got the least amount of playing time out of the three players: Adon Shuler. Shuler will be one of the most important pieces for Notre Dame in the 2024 season, as he is expected to start next to Xavier Watts at the safety position for the Fighting Irish. The 5'11" Sophomore to be from Irvington, New Jersey, displayed great natural ball skills in the Sun Bowl. Shuler is a physical safety who can come up from the back level and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. With the transfers of Ramon Henderson and Antonio Carter, the safety room is quite scarce. While the Fighting Irish brought in two transfers to the secondary in Jordan Clark and Rod Heard II, Shuler is still expected to start regardless of his inexperience. It will be imperative that there are no growing pains for Shuler as the Irish have one of the best secondaries in the country around him. If opposing quarterbacks try to stay away from Benjamin Morrison and the combination of Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray, Shuler will have to make a name for himself. Wrap-Up: Who are your picks to be breakout candidates in 2024? Which guys do you think will make the biggest impact for Notre Dame outside of their star players? Let me know in the comments below! Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Jhett Garrett | Writer | Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett Photo by The Irish Tribune Notre Dame dropped their third straight game this past Wednesday against the Miami Hurricanes in Purcell Pavilion, 73-61. Markus Burton led the way for the Irish in scoring, totaling 15 points on 5-15 shooting, knocking down three of his nine threes attempted. However, the freshman guard turned the ball over a season-high 8 times, which accounted for over half of the Irish turnovers. Despite this, Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga  had high praise for Burton. “Markus Burton is not just one of the best players in the ACC, but he's maybe one of the three or four best freshmen in the country. ” Larrañaga also pointed out that Burton has one of the highest usage rates in the country and expects him to continue to develop. The Irish went into the half down 8, however, they catapulted themselves to a 52-49 lead with 9:28 left to play off a three by J.R. Konieczny, who finished the game with 13 points. The Hurricanes closed the game on a 24-9 run following this, including a 17-2 run immediately following the Konieczny three. Coach Shrewsberry made a move coming out of the first half, that saw him benching Carey Booth, Matt Zona, as well as Kebba Njie, allowing Braden Shrewsberry, Julian Roper II, and Logan Imes to get productive minutes, and were the main reason for the Notre Dame comeback. “…that group established from the start of the second half how hard you needed to play in order for us to win,” Shrewsberry said, “So, I was gonna roll with those dudes the rest of the half.”  He has been very heavy on wanting to rebuild the program and has made it his number one goal since signing on at Notre Dame. He doubled up by saying, “The program is bigger than me, it’s bigger than anyone on our team, it’s bigger than anyone in this room, it's bigger than anyone at Notre Dame." Coach Shrewsberry hammered hard on holding players accountable, and how important that is going to be for the program moving forward. "I'm trying to help our guys be a step ahead of the other people that aren't being held accountable." He stood very firm that holding players to this high of a standard will not only help the program, but help the players in the locker room. Shrewsberry also highlighted the Julian Roper block on Norchad Omier as "nothing but heart." Omier, one of the top players in the ACC thus far, was once again unstoppable in this one, scoring 33 points on 14 shots, missing just two. "That 20 points in the first half is disrespectful," Shrewsberry said, "...he hit two threes because our ball screen coverage. We weren't where we were supposed to be." He also noted his displeasure with how comfortable the defense allowed Omier to get. It ’s just Omier’s first 30+ point game this season and his ninth 20+ point game. “We just let him operate and do whatever he wanted to,” Shrewsberry said in response to the big showing from Omier, who is ranked second in the ACC in field goal percentage behind Virginia Tech’s Lynn Kidd. You can pinpoint Notre Dame’s struggles in many places 19 games into the season, but three-point shooting has been the Irish’s Achilles heel all year. They rank at the bottom of the ACC in three-point field goal percentage, shooting just 30% from beyond the ark. This remained true against the Hurricanes, shooting a daunting 10-34 from three, with only Markus Burton and J.R. Konieczny hitting five each. "...we're hunting for great shots," Said Shrewsberry regarding Notre Dame's shot selection. "We're taking the best shot for Notre Dame. All our guys got the freedom." The Irish have now lost five of their last six games and will host Boston College on Saturday. Boston College, who is 11-8 (2-6 in ACC play) comes into the game losing their last two since beating Notre Dame by 4 in Chestnut Hill. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Jhett Garrett ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett Photo by The Irish Tribune It is no secret that the transfer portal has become one of the most important parts of building a championship team in college football. With the addition of NIL, coaches not only have to recruit high school players in the offseason, but also their own. While Notre Dame was on the losing end in regards to their in-house talent when the portal opened, they have worked hard to fill in the gaps and acquire players who will undoubtedly make a large impact in 2024. Here are my rankings of the 2024 Notre Dame transfer class, based on how important each piece is to the team. 1) Riley Leonard - QB (Duke) This marks back-to-back seasons Notre Dame made a splash at the quarterback position through the transfer portal. After getting Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman last season, the Irish went to a familiar opponent in Riley Leonard from Duke. Leonard entered the portal while former Notre Dame defensive coordinator and Duke head coach Mike Elko took the head coaching job at Texas A&M; Notre Dame’s first opponent in 2024. If you’re familiar with Leonard’s name beyond the national attention he received after entering the portal, you can look back to this past Notre Dame season where the Irish defeated Riley Leonard and the Duke Blue Devils on the road. After throwing for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns (along with 13 rushing), and 6 interceptions in 2022, Leonard started the 2023 season slowly. He entered the Notre Dame game with 778 passing yards, 2 touchdowns with 0 interceptions, as well as 238 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. In the game against Notre Dame, he went 12-27 with 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, along with 88 rushing yards. However, Leonard suffered an injury at the end of the game, which impacted his season greatly. With Notre Dame’s addition of Mike Denbrock as offensive coordinator, fans should be excited about the leap that Leonard can take with the Irish in 2024. Although there is expected to be a quarterback competition between Riley Leonard, Steve Angeli, and Kenny Minchey, we can assume that Leonard will get the starting nod when the Irish travel to College Station for the first game of the year. 2) RJ Oben - EDGE (Duke) Riley Leonard isn’t going to be the only former Blue Devil on the Notre Dame roster in 2024, as RJ Oben joins an already solid defensive line. An argument can be made that Oben will be more important to the team than Riley Leonard, as he will put the defensive line over the top in his final season of college football. After tallying five sacks with Duke last season, Oben will be alongside Jordan Botelho, Rylie Mills, and Howard Cross III on the defensive line, who had a combined 8.5 sacks in 2023. Oben has such a unique mix of speed, strength, and great footwork that allows him to apply pressure to the quarterback with ease. This is why he is set to have a monster year in 2024, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he totals 10+ sacks in his final season before entering the draft. Oben’s numbers will only go up being surrounded by such a powerful group of pass rushers. 3) Beaux Collins - WR (Clemson) Spot number three was a toss-up between the top two receivers Notre Dame got out of the transfer portal. While both receivers are insanely talented and have a chance to take a massive leap with the Irish, it seems more realistic that Beaux Collins from Clemson takes a bigger step. He was second on the Tigers in receiving yards in 2023 with 510 yards, while also finding the end zone three times. In his three seasons at Clemson, he totaled 1,290 yards on 91 receptions and 11 touchdowns. What’s the main reason for me placing him above Kris Mitchell? Play style. Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell play the receiver position completely differently, which is going to work in the Irish’s favor. Collins is a “death by a thousand cuts” type of receiver that will beat you underneath in the short game and make moves in space. When looking at a Mike Denbrock run offense, he is going to spread the ball out and have receivers running all different types of routes, but expect Collins to be the guy to catch the five-yard passes that turn into first downs. I believe that Collins has the footwork, frame, and speed to develop into a receiver who can hurt you in many ways, especially working with new wide receiver coach Mike Brown. 4) Kris Mitchell - WR (Florida International) Beaux Collins isn’t the only new toy that Mike Brown and Mike Denbrock will have awaiting them in South Bend. Kris Mitchell, the 6’1 receiver from Florida International is coming off the best season of his career and is ready to take that next step at Notre Dame. The fifth-year senior put up 1,118 yards on 64 receptions, and 7 touchdowns last year as a junior. He is one of three receivers transferring in for the Irish, and has by far the biggest burst off the line of scrimmage. This has been an underrated pickup for Notre Dame that not a lot of people have paid attention to. While Collins is a strategic, find-the-hole type of receiver, Mitchell will beat you over the top of the field. His impact in open space, however, should not be overlooked. Mitchell has elite speed, and he can control his body at a very high level, allowing him to break away from defenders. Kris Mitchell will join a receiving room that was once thought to be destroyed by the transfer portal, but now looks like it can be one of the better rooms in recent memory for the Irish. 5)  Rod Heard II - DB (Northwestern) Notre Dame’s pass defense was ranked as one of the best in all of college football last season. They finished first in passing touchdowns allowed, third in passing yards per game, and third in yards per attempt. But with the Irish losing both DJ Brown and Thomas Harper, this addition is extremely important for the team’s success next season. Like Harper, Heard is transferring for his final season of college football, and similar to former Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph, Rod Heard II comes from Northwestern. He was second on his team with 54 solo tackles, second on the team with 4 pass deflections, and third on the team in total tackles with 85. Heard will immediately come in and make an impact on the Irish secondary. 6) Mitch Jeter - K (South Carolina) After relying on a transfer kicker in Spencer Shrader last season, the Irish are going back out into the portal, this time from South Carolina. Mitch Jeter is the choice here for Marcus Freeman & co., and I can’t say I disagree with the selection. Shrader dealt with a lot of accuracy issues throughout the season last year, finishing 68.2% when kicking field goals. Jeter went 12-14 last season with the Gamecocks, with his only misses coming from 50+ yards away. His best game was a loss against Missouri last year, where Jeter was responsible for all 12 points scored by South Carolina, including going 1-2 from 50+, his lone 50+ yard field goal in the entire year. Because of the lack of reps from 50+, I would like to see a little bit more from range before deciding on a final opinion for how Mitch Jeter will perform. This is an upgrade for the Irish at the kicking position, and he will make an impact on day one. 7)  Jordan Clark - DB (Arizona State) While it remains unknown whether Clarence Lewis will return for the Irish next season, this becomes a player that can easily have a bigger impact on the team than being ranked in the bottom 2 on this list. Jordan Clark from Arizona State can immediately slide into the nickel position and start game one against Texas A&M. Clark finished first on the Sun Devils in pass deflections with 9 and finished third in solo tackles with 30. He would fit in nicely alongside Ben Morrison and Christian Gray in the cornerback room and can be a solid depth piece. 8) Jayden Harrison - WR/KR (Marshall) It isn’t expected that Jayden Harrison will play a huge role in the Notre Dame pass game, however, he will be the primary kick returner following the loss of Chris Tyree to Virginia. The Marshall product (yes, he was on the team) finished second nationally in kickoff return average at 30.7 yards on 23 attempts, taking two of them back for touchdowns. And while he might not initially have a huge role when it comes to catching passes, Harrison will be a nice depth piece that can play a high level. His best game came in his final game with Marshall against UTSA, where he put up 132 yards on 6 receptions. He finished the year with a career-high 28 receptions and 410 yards. Harrison will have a bigger impact on the Fighting Irish than most people expect. While we are still over seven months away from Notre Dame’s first game, it is important to know what you have coming in. With these eight players, and potentially more in the spring, Notre Dame could make a legitimate title push in 2024. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Written by Jhett Garrett ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter/X: @JhettGarrettIT Photo by Notre Dame Athletics We have reached the mid-season point of Year one of the Micah Shrewsberry era at Notre Dame. Coming into the year, the Irish had low expectations for how this season would go, with most publications expecting them to be ranked at the very bottom of the ACC. This was no surprise however, as they lost all five starters, as well as their top seven scorers who either graduated or went elsewhere in the transfer portal. But sitting at 7-11 (2-5 in ACC play), how have the Irish looked through the first 18 games? There can be an argument made that Notre Dame could have a slightly better record thus far. There have been multiple times when the Irish let games get away from them late and took their foot off the gas. Looking back at losses against Georgetown in overtime, NC State, and the most recent game against Boston College, Notre Dame let those games get away from them in the second half. In those three games alone, the Irish turned the ball over an average of 13 times per game. Notre Dame being at 10-8 (4-4) at this point in the season is not unrealistic, and it shows that the Irish can put themselves in games they aren’t supposed to be in. They have done this multiple times already this year, and it can be expected that they will do it again at some point in the next two months. On the other end of this, Notre Dame has had some impressive performances through the first 18 games. Coming off a tough loss against Auburn, the Irish went to overtime and beat Oklahoma State back in November. They’ve gone on the road and put up a competitive performance against South Carolina, as well as Duke at home, and of course the 22-point win against Virginia - which is by far the best win for the Irish at this point in the year. They’ve been forced to play some high quality opponents such as Auburn, South Carolina, Virginia, and Duke who I’ve already mentioned, but also Miami, Marquette, NC State, and Florida State. For a team that is young and rebuilding like Notre Dame, it is important to allow players to get experience against elite competition. The Irish will have plenty more of these tests throughout the rest of the season, which is going to be pivotal for this team moving forward. Freshman guard Markus Burton is the clear-cut best player for Notre Dame at this point in the season, and is the only player averaging double figures. Burton was a 3-Star coming out of Mishawaka, Indiana, and has already inserted himself as one of the best freshmen in the ACC. He is averaging 16.3 points per game on 41% shooting while tacking on 3.9 assists per game and 1.4 steals. However, there have been times throughout this season where Burton has shown his inexperience, leaving question marks in certain areas. He leads the team in turnovers per game with 4.1, and has had 2+ turnovers in every game this season except for the third game of the season against Auburn in Brooklyn. This includes six games with five or more turnovers. On top of this, Burton is shooting a lackluster 29.9% from the three-point line, but has found some confidence in the last three games as he’s averaging 17 PPG, on 50% shooting from beyond the arc. In hindsight, you expect your freshman point guard to have weak spots, especially considering the position that Markus Burton has been put in. With no true star on this team and all the losses in the offseason, he has had to be the leader for Notre Dame. There is no doubt that he has won the Irish multiple games this season with his elite ability to get to the rim and get a bucket anytime he needs to. It also cannot be overlooked that the Fighting Irish have had one of the worst offenses in college basketball this season. Of the 362 schools, Notre Dame’s offense ranks 308th according to KenPom, averaging just 62.8 points per game on 40.2% shooting. They turn the ball over at an extremely high rate as well, averaging 13.6 turnovers per game. These rank towards the bottom of the NCAA and are historically bad numbers for any Notre Dame team. However, there have been some bright spots in the offense in the eight games since the loss to the Citadel that prompted Shrewsberry’s viral postgame interview. The hometown kid, junior J.R. Konieczny has scored double figures three times while shooting 50% (11/22) from beyond the arc. He also notched a double-double in the road win against Georgia Tech in overtime, which was the first road win for Notre Dame since February 12th, 2022. Freshman Braeden Shrewsberry, son of Micah, has scored double figures in three games, including 25 points in the game against Georgia Tech. He is also shooting 45% from the three-point line during those eight games. The question becomes now; What can we expect from Notre Dame basketball the rest of the year? This team isn’t expected to make the tournament after falling to 7-11, but there are still chances to find bright spots in a season like this. Miami travels to South Bend this Wednesday, who have lost four of their last five games, including home losses to Louisville and Florida State. Following the game against the Hurricanes, the Irish will host Boston College, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Clemson - all of which are winnable games. Notre Dame will also be traveling to Louisville later in February, which falls into the winnable games category. Taking all of that into account, this team has a path to 13-14 wins this season, which would be an improvement after going 11-21 last season. This would be a massive step for Shrewsberry, especially considering the Irish have such a young roster and a roster that only sees two seniors with significant playing time. There is still a rebuild in place for Notre Dame. Micah Shrewsberry did not take over a program that was in a good place. It is important to remember throughout this rebuild that Notre Dame has the right man at the helm, and success will follow. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun