Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1220706
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2020 35 Summary: Now entering his 10th season as Stan- ford's head coach, David Shaw is 86-34 (.716), similar to Brian Kelly's 92-37 (.713) ledger at Notre Dame. The question now is can he bounce back from last year's 4-8 the way Kelly did from his 4-8 in 2016? Oct. 17: at Pitt (8-5) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-20: 29, 38, 36, 49 and 44. Top Winter Personnel News: Honorable mention All-ACC safety Damar Hamlin (84 tackles last sea- son) returned for a fifth season in what could be sixth-year head coach Pat Narduzzi's (36-29) best defense with the Panthers. Summary: Complementing Hamlin on the veteran defense are All-ACC picks Jalen Twyan (tackle), Patrick Jones (end) and Paris Ford (safety) on a unit that finished 15th nationally in total de- fense (312.9 yards allowed per game). The issue is scoring, where the Panthers were 114th (21.2 points per game) among 130 Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision teams, and 119th in rushing (118.8 yards per game, 3.5 per carry). Oct. 31: Duke (5-7) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-19: 31, 46, 65, 48 and tied for 61. Top Winter Personnel News: Quarterback Chase Brice enrolled as a graduate transfer from Clemson after having a hand in the Tigers' run to the 2018 national title. Hired as the new offensive line coach was Greg Frey, previously of Florida State and Michigan. Summary: With 13th-year head coach David Cutcliffe, this program is so similar to Wake Forest (even tying it for 61 in the latest recruiting cycle) and Navy: well-coached, sound and usually com- petitive teams that often overachieve. Last year, the Blue Devils collapsed to a 1-5 fin- ish, among them a 38-7 loss at home to Notre Dame. Nov. 7: Clemson (14-1) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-19: 6, 22, 8, 9 and 2. Top Winter Personnel News: Wide receiver Tee Higgins turned pro after snaring 59 passes as a junior for 19.8 yards per catch and 13 touchdowns, but, surprisingly, running back Travis Etienne re- turned despite having rushed for 4,038 yards, 7.8 yards per carry and 56 touchdowns his first three years. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Etienne and wide- out Justyn Ross comprise the most potent quar- terback/running back/receiver trio in the nation. Defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney's return for his senior year is another plus up front with the likes of Tyler Davis, Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas, although linebacker Isaiah Simmons did turn pro. Summary: Clemson will be the best program to enter Notre Dame Stadium since Oct. 15, 2005, when USC arrived with a 27-game winning streak and as a reigning champion for two years. The TIgers are 69-5 the past five years with two national titles. Consider this a mini-playoff. Nov. 14: at Georgia Tech (3-9) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-19: 67, 41, 53, 43 and 24. Top Winter Personnel News: Second-year head coach Geoff Collins and his staff signed a No. 24-ranked freshman class, behind Clemson (No. 2), Miami (No. 12), North Carolina (No. 16) and Florida State (No. 21) among the 14 ACC teams, and one spot behind the Irish. Plus, the Ramblin' Wreck added four transfers with potential impact, among them former Notre Dame safety Derrik Allen. Summary: There's still a way to go after transi- tioning from a triple-option scheme in 2019. Geor- gia Tech ranked 124th nationally among 130 teams in scoring last season with a paltry 16.7 points per contest, while the defense allowed 32.4 points per game to rank 104th. Nov. 21: Louisville (8-5) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-19: 36, 29, 31, 86 and 40. Top Winter Personnel News: Irish defensive ends this year don't have to deal with the 6-8, 370-pound tackle Mekhi Becton, a first-team All- ACC tackle as a junior who turned pro. Summary: Head coach Scott Satterfield did tre- mendous work while improving the Cardinals from 2-10 to 8-5 his first season. Among the 14 ACC teams, only Clemson has a more lethal quarterback-running back-receiver combination than Louisville's Micale Cunningham (2,061 passing, 62.4 percent completion mark, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions, plus 482 rushing yards), Javian Hawkins (1,525 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry) and Tutu Atwell (69 catches for 1,272 yards, 18.4 yards per reception). Shoring up a defense that allowed 33.4 points per game (109th nationally) is the next step if the top 25 is to be cracked. Nov. 28: at USC (8-5) Rivals Recruiting Rankings From 2016-20: 10, 6, 13, 18 and 65. Top Winter Personnel News: The No. 65 re- cruiting ranking was mind-boggling, but dem- onstrated the uncertainty of head coach Clay Helton's future. There were no typical five-stars in the group and only two of the 13 were four- stars: offensive lineman Jonah Manheim (who took a late visit to Notre Dame) and wide receiver Gary Bryant. Left tackle Austin Jackson opted to turn pro after his junior year, but returning for their se- nior seasons are receiver Tyler Vaughns (189 ca- reer catches, 17 touchdowns) to complement All-America candidate Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive tackle Jay Tufele. Quarterback Kedon Slovis thrived last year as a freshman under coordinator Graham Harrell, passing for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns. No- tably, he connected on 24 of 35 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 30-27 loss at Notre Dame. Helton fired fourth-year defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast after allowing 49 points in the Holiday Bowl loss to Iowa and replaced him with Todd Orlando — who was fired after three sea- sons at Texas when the Longhorns finished 97th in total defense this past year. Summary: There's still enough talent to work with to vie for the Pac-12 championship and de- feat Notre Dame, but it depends on how well the Trojans and Helton can operate with ostensibly a lame-duck status. ✦ USC quarterback Kedon Slovis threw for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns as a freshman last year, and completed 24 of 35 throws for 255 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 30-27 loss at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS