Podcast: Breaking Down Notre Dame Football’s Best Class in Years Despite the Wide Receiver Debacle
Notre Dame signed a bonafide top-10 class with more “dudes” than the Irish usually sign for the best class in years despite a major debacle at the wide receiver position at the end of the cycle. We talk about what went wrong, how to fix it, and more in this week’s Single High.
- Elite hauls at linebacker, offensive line, and tight end
- Where each of the 4 LB’s project long-term
- Why we’re thankful for Tobias Merriweather
- Near elite haul at cornerback back even with the loss of Devin Moore
- What went wrong at wide receiver and how Notre Dame can address it short term and long term
- Coaching positions to fill and how the Irish should attempt to fill them
- Numbers at safety – just as much of a concern as WR?
Frankie V Podcasting Beer Tracker
| Beer / Brewery | EPISODE | Style | ABV | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaic IPA / Raferia | 63 | IPA | 6% | (2.75) |
| Jararaca / Ophiussa Brewing | 63 | Pale Ale | 5% | (4.25) |
| Electric Spectre / KCBC | 62 | DIPA | 8% | (4.25) |
| Kinetics / Equilibrium | 61 | DIPA | 8.5% | (4.25) |
| That's Not a Burrito,.. This is a Burrito / KCBC | 60 | IPA | 7.2% | (4.0) |
| Land of Hazy Waters / Other Half | 59 | DIPA | 8.2% | (4.5) |
| Liquid Hot Magma / Zero Gravity | 58 | DIPA | 8.0% | (4.0) |
| Sneak / Kane | 57 | TIPA | 10.2% | (4.25) |
| Brain Death / KCBC | 56 | DIPA | 8.5% | (4.0) |
| Mini Unicorns / Pipeworks | 55 | IPA | 5.0% | (4.0) |
| Tremendous Cream / Other Half | 51 | TIPA | 10.0% | (4.5) |
| Shimmy Ye (3) / Twin Elephant | 50 | TIPA | 10.4% | (4.5) |
| 50 Millions Dollar Man / Three Floyds | 49 | DIPA | 9.0% | (4.25) |
| F**k 2021 As Well / Abomination Brewery | 48 | TIPA | 9.7% | (4.5) |
| Come Quick Distress / Forgotten Boardwalk | 47 | DIPA | 7.8% | (4.25) |
| Wet Gravity / Foreign Objects Beer | 46 | Hazy IPA | 5.9% | (4.0) |
| Poltergeist / Tox Brewery | 45 | TIPA | 10% | (4.25) |
| All Green Everything / Other Half Brewery | 44 | TIPA | 10.5% | (4.5) |
| Konkey Dong / Hoof Hearted Brewery | 43 | IPA - Imperial | 9.5% | (4.25) |
| Locals / 4 City | 42 | IPA | 7.0% | (4.0) |
| Grom's Head / 3 Floyds | 41 | IPA | 7.5% | (4.25) |
| Let's Bee Homies / Stone & Deschutes | 39 | Hazy IPA | 7.5% | (4.0) |
| Boxx / Kane | 38 | IPA | 6.5% | (4.25) |
| Big Pillow Hat / Hudson Valley Brewery | 32 | DIPA | 9.0% | (4.25) |
| Electric Tide / Kane Brewing | 29 | DIPA | 7.0 | (4.5) |
| Strongest Geometric Shape / Barrier Brewing Co | 27 | TIPA | 10.2% | (4.0) |
| September Sun | 25 | DIPA | 8.3% | (4.25) |
| Very Green / Treehouse Brewery | E22 | DIPA | 8.3% | (4.5) |
| Russian Messenger / Well Crafted Beer Co | E20 | Imperial Stout | 9.1% | (4.0) |
| Wolf Pajamas / Well Crafted Beer Co | E19 | Imperial Stout | 10.2% | (4.0) |
| Levitate / Well Crafted Beer Co | E18 | DIPA | 8% | (4.25) |
| 3x Swords / Round Guys Brewing | E17 | Triple IPA | 11.7% | (4.5) |
| Only Built 4 Brewin Drinx / Twin Elephant & 4 City Colab | E16 | Stout | 10.2% | (4.25) |
| King Sabro / Beachhaus | E15 | DIPA | 8.4% | (4.0) |
| More Medison Than Hedison / 4 City | E13 | Triple IPA | 9.5% | (4.0) |
| Open Water (2021) / Kane | E14 | Triple IPA | 10.4% | (4.25) |
| Hop'solutely / Fegley's Brew Works | Triple IPA | 11.5% | (4.25) | |
| Super Duper Friends / Captain Lawrence | Triple IPA | 10% | (4.0) | |
| Mega Yacht Juice / Icarus | Triple IPA | 12% | (4.25) | |
| Weird and Gilly / Singlecut | IPA | 6.6% | (4.25) | |
| Double Dry Hopped Space Diamonds / Other Half | DIPA | 8.5 | (4.25) |
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Review & Subscribe to the Single High Notre Dame Football podcast!
We really like when you all leave us nice reviews and subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. We read all of the nice reviews that come in on the podcast and will even read ones that leave constructive criticism as well (just be nice about it)
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
This kind of hyperbole a little bit isn’t it? Best class in years? Ranked #7. Last year was ranked number #9. Per Rivals, last year ND ended up with a final class of 27 with a total number of 2,378 points. Currently, they have 21 commitments with a total of 2,384 points. So yeah they do already have more total points than last year and their average recruit ranking is 3.67 this year vs 3.44 last year. Now they could possibly add a couple guys and get up to #6, but the gap seems to be too wide right now to overtake Texas for the #5 spot, so like I said the “best class in years” statement is a bit of a stretch, considering last year they were ranked #9. We’ll see where they ultimately end up.
As you said, last year was 9th, this year 7th which is by definition better. The last class ranked higher was 2013 or 9 years in between.
Here are the problems:
1) The Top 5 classes are always the same teams…the ones ND must eventually beat.
If they were anyone else once in a while, 7th could be okay. But they’re not.
2) ND classes really might be chronically over-ranked, simply because ND recruits seem to get the same “celebrity bump” re-rating that ND itself enjoys in the media.
I might be wrong ….. sue me.
3) ND does not get as much out of its continual ‘Top 10 classes’ as other programs do. I don’t know why, and I don’t know who’s at fault (…other than that previous observiation). But other than taking credit for a couple of random draft picks, ND football underachieves its (alleged) talent level.