4star Safety Gavin Williams to announce Sunday

[Java]

Looks like the helicopter trip might have been the nail in the Irish Coffin

 

Notre Dame is staring at a Sunday 4-star recruiting loss to USC that will sting badly

 

https://slapthesign.com/notre-dame-football-gavin-williams-usc-predictions-commitment?utm_source=RSS

 

[FresnoMike]

IF a helicopter ride seals the deal for USC then that is where he belongs. ND will do just fine. Two five-star linemen committed to the Irish over the past three days. One OT and the other a DT. We are thankful that SC hired Bowden away from ND. Has worked out well for both teams.

[Java]

I’m sure they’ll do “just fine” as you’ve said.  Playing nobodies in a half in half out conference.  And the rest?  Playing navy.  Air Force.  Northern Illinois.

oh but they’ll do just fine.  They’ve got lots of 5 stars all over.  Don’t need Bowden. They are better off quitting without him.

because just fine means not winning a NC in nearly 40 years and not winning a Heisman in exactly 40.

just fine indeed

[FresnoMike]

Bowden is where he belongs.  Thankfully.  His recruiting classes at ND got worse each year he was there.  Worse, not better.  He is not missed at ND.  Nor his antics.  Here’s how his Irish recruiting classes finished in his three years at ND.

2023:  #10

2024:  #11′

2025:  #12

See a pattern there?  Last year’s ND class finished #2 and had more five stars than SC.  They’ll finish in the top five again this year.   Likely with more five stars….again.

My hope is that SC finally makes the CFP this year and they have to play their first round game at ND in December.  😉

[Java]

ND has had tons of 5 star recruits.  Lots of talent. They’ve had marquee coaches.    Been handed spots in the title game

 

and what have you won? Nothing   Maybe that changes but w your schedule I doubt it   The teams that are winning now through the playoffs are battle tested   Even have a loss or two   ND has always scheduled their way to rankings and if they can run through the playoffs after having survived Syracuse the pit  Duke  North Carolina state Air Force Navy and southern Kentucky?  Fantastic   Just doesn’t appear to be the way the game is played today

has anyone lost more big games the last 30 years than ND?  Without winning it all?  Oregon maybe?

 

[PasadenaTrojan]

That’s interesting. Fair

NIL has changed alot in last 3 years fwiw

Bowden has been pretty darn magical here for us

[GTrojan2]

Do I detect a little bitterness in your post Mike?  I assume, from your helicopter comment, that your two five star linemen committed for just a scholarship and zero NIL because it’s ND.  What color is your pot?  LOL!

[FresnoMike]

Ohh good lord no.  Those two five stars are going to be handsomely rewarded. As will be the #5 OT that commits tomorrow to the Irish.

And good luck to Williams.  ND wanted him.  Guess they should have hired a helicopter lol.  Hope he does well and lives out his dreams.

[PasadenaTrojan]

ND seems to be thriving…impressive

I don’t hate on ND like some of the SC fans do on this board. Always appreciate SC Greats clinching the Heisman against good ND teams!! That’s a compliment btw 😂👍

[BigBalls]

Barry Switzer landed on our HS football field, WilmingtonBanning , when he was recruiting RB Stanley Wilson to Oklahoma. Got the entire campus buzzing  with the move. Stanley picked Oklahoma over USC and started all 4 years for the Sooners. I don’t know if Switzer used the same tactic but he got Jamelle Holieway from Banning too.
I think of Kobe every time I hear of the coaches getting on helicopters.

[GTrojan2]

Great info BB.

[Brad Stevens]

I met Jamelle Halieway (sp?) several times, bb?  He came back from Oklahoma and ran into some problems back in the old neighborhood (N. Carson/Compton),  He was in really bad shape the few times I saw him.  sad to see.  Don’t know what became of him.  Hopefully he cleaned his act up.

[BigBalls]

Hey Brad,

Jamelle had a serious heart condition. ( are there unserious heart conditions?He was coaching running backs at Long Beach CC at one time. He was implicated in the Charles Thompson scandal at Oklahoma and that probably didn’t help his coaching career. I was on the team with Stanley Wilson and everyone knew Stanley was smoking weed with  some of the other guys on the team . Our HC Chris Ferragamo knew it too but he let the stars do anything they wanted. I’m sure Barry Switzer turned a blind eye to it too. Didn’t do them any favors. Freeman McNeil was a lazy student at Banning but a good kid, Michael Alo and Danny Andrews were good kids. We were loaded with D1 talent. Three straight City 4A championship. I was in the 8th grade the first time I saw Freeman play, wow. When he hit the corner it was just unreal. Gone. I couldn’t believe my eyes at his speed and quickness. He was the first high caliber D1 player I ever saw in person. Amazing talent.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 5 days ago by BigBalls.

[Butkus51]

Bruddah Balls, Yep Freeman McNeil was a great FB player.  Freeman (UCLA) came close to picking USC, but USC had Charlie White and Marcus Allen and felt he had a better chance starting at UCLA.  Freeman played 12 yrs for the NY Jets and did well.

Michael Alo (USC) and Danny Andrews (UCLA) are considered top 2 RB tandems (1980-81) in California HS FB history.  Killer RB combo.  Michael Alo was the 1980 National & California Player of the Year, but a major injury derailed his time at USC (Sad).  Danny Andrews starred at UCLA.

Freeman McNeil & Stanley Wilson are the next RB best tandems (1977-78) in California HS FB history.  Stanley Wilson (Oklahoma) did well at OU.  Then, you had AA DT QB Jamelle Holieway who starred at Oklahoma as well.  Crazy talent dat came out of Banning HS.  RB’s were the Kings as teams ran the ball 85%.

In those days City HS FB were just as good as the CIF HS teams.  Dang, the FB talent and teams of Calif HS from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s were insane…  Cheers

 

[Brad Stevens]

I remember the decline of city programs start back in the mid-late 80s.  Even got weaker each decade going forward.  Currently we have most of the elite So Cali players in one freeking league.  I prefer the HS fb back in the day.  Kids aren’t representing the area they grew up.  More local pride.  That means something, at least to me it did.

[Butkus51]

Bruddah Brad, I noticed the big decline when the CIF took away the free game & practice uniforms + the high cost of 7 on 7 summer tournaments around 2000-02.  Some schools play 3 tournaments (fees, lodging, food, drinks cost).  One coach said back then the total cost for each player = around $2,800.  Team booster clubs funded most of the cost, but at low income schools, struggling booster clubs just could not foot the bill.  Players and families could not come up with their share = 1/2 of total cost.

There are so many talented athletes in low income communities walking around schools & not play sports.  The high cost of playing HS sports in the CIF killed it for many kids.  The top private HS with rich booster clubs can afford funding players and free tuition.  That’s why many top players transfer to these private HS or rich public HS.  Even that does not work out, because players must find transportation which is a big problem for families.  Sad…  Cheers

PS.  Public schools with a student body of 3,000+ can only field a varsity and jr varsity teams of 28-35 players.  Heck, they are inner city schools dat have dropped FB altogether.  Wipe Out.

[RWC]

Notre Dame is loaded. I know you mentioned the two 5 star players that just committed, but they also got Mylan Graham a former 5 star receiver from the transfer portal.

Im hearing they might get 5 star Marcus Fakatou, any truth to that?

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 6 days ago by RWC.

[FresnoMike]

There is some truth to that.  But he has been a tough one to get a real read on.   He’s named so many favorites over his recruitment that who the heck knows.

Aside from him the Irish are the favorites for Abraham Sesay, the #18 player in the nation.  He’s an edge out of Pennsylvania.  Then there’s the Parks kid, a DT out of Chicago.  Irish in the thick of it with him but Oregon also in the hunt.  They already have an edge commitment…four star Aidan O’Neill out of NJ.

And then there is edge Jackson Vaughn out of NJ.  He has reclassified to the 2027 class from 2028.  He and Fakatou have become close friends and wandered the ND campus together, talking until the early morning hours on their visits to ND.  Vaughn announces his commitment in a week or so.

ND could have a historic haul on the Dline. Could lol.

[BigBalls]

ND is recruiting well as they should but they really wanted Gavin Williams.

[Butkus51]

Bruddah, Coach Fresno Mike, according to you, ND is better off without GM Bowden, kool.  On the other hand, we (USC fans) are dam glad he is our GM.  He has rebuilt USC’s FB roster with top players with da focus on Cali kids.  Bowden was an Xlent hire by AD Cohen, cause freaken C.LR was doing a terrible job with R.  From what I understand, ND did not fire Bowden, they did not match USC offer (about 2 1/2 times more, salary).

ND has done well with the new GM, but you guys have a tuff minded HC in Freeman.  What impress me with ND is your very physical play.  Your Run game and killer OL + tuff D makes ND top 8 team in nation.  USC needs to get their top players in tip top FB condition and play hard nose FB just like (Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio St, UGA, Miami, OU, Texas Tech, Iowa, Penn St).

DC Patterson must change the soft D culture and teach his DB’s and LB how to tackle in open space.  C. Patterson is the key for 2026, crossing my fingers he is able to get USC D among the top 10 D’s in nation.  Anyway good talking to you Coach F.Mike, take care Bruddah…  Cheers

PS.  Last year ND should have made the CFP, dat was a travesty and BS by the selection committee.  Shoot, Tulane, James Madison had no business being in the CFP.  Even Bama should not have been selected, ND should have been in their spot.

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