Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2020 11 UNDER THE DOME THEY SAID IT "If John Mooney is not one of the top 25 players in the country, then I don't know anything about college basketball, literally nothing. It 's absolutely a joke that he's not one of the top 25." — Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim on Notre Dame senior forward John Mooney "I really enjoyed watching [Chase] Clay- pool on tape and couldn't wait to see him perform in person on the Senior Bowl stage. I was not disappointed, and neither were the NFL evaluators in attendance. Not only does he look the part of a big, imposing re- ceiver, he showed off how fluid and natural he is with his movement. He snatched the ball away from his frame with strong hands and created separation using his size and athleticism. "The easy comparison for him is former teammate Miles Boykin, who had the same type of size and explosiveness, but Boykin went to the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the third round in last year's draft. Claypool may not last that long now. I think he pushed himself into round two this week." — Lance Zierlein of NFL.com on how former Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool performed during Senior Bowl practice "[Troy] Pride was the one cornerback prospect who consistently stood out and held his own. Although he was beaten a few times, he had more wins during one-on-one's than any other cornerback prospect, using his athleticism to blanket different types of receivers. Anyone who studied his Notre Dame tape knew he was fast — that wasn't a surprise — but his ability to stay controlled mid-transition with little wasted mo- tion was a welcome sight and something he didn't consistently do in college, giving up too much spacing. "Considered an early fourth-round pick entering the week, Pride now has a legitimate case to be one of the top 10 players drafted at his position." — The Athletic's Dane Brugler on the former Notre Dame cornerback raising his draft stock "I really do believe this has always been his path and his journey once [Tommy Rees'] playing days were done. He was going to get into coaching and he was eventually going to rise in the ranks. I personally don't think it's going to stop here. I think he's eventually going to be a head coach as well. You got a really good sense that he's a teacher, and that not all of the players and quarterbacks are going to learn the same. And so he had a different approach to each one of them. "Sometimes you miss out on something that's right in front of you that might be the best thing for you, instead thinking the grass is going to be greener on the outside, looking at a guy like Todd Monken or a guy like Joe Moorhead." — Former Notre Dame quarterback and current FOX Sports analyst Brady Quinn (The South Bend Tribune) "Kelly deserves another deal as the most underrated college football coach of his time. After an under- whelming stretch during Notre Dame's post-Lou Holtz years, with Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis from 1997 through 2009, the Irish became significant again under Kelly. He has taken Notre Dame to 10 victories or more during four of the past five years, and the Irish finished with undefeated regular seasons in 2012 and 2018 while playing for a national championship after the former before making the College Football Playoff after the latter." — Forbes contributor Terence Moore OF THE MONTH ➤ "5 Fastest players during the North session: @EBassey21 - 20.32 mph @TroyPride18 - 20.26 mph @alohigilman - 20.25 mph @gandygolden11 - 20.05 mph @MycHasty and @ChaseClaypool - 19.94 mph #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE @JimNagy_SB@seniorbowl" — The official account of Zebra Technologies on three former Notre Dame players each running one of the top-six fastest speeds during a Senior Bowl practice (@ZebraTechnology) Jan. 22 PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Please add Sales Tax if you live in NC (7.5%), MI (6%), or IN (7%) Blue & Gold Illustrated PO Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 1-800-421-7751 Visit our online store! BlueGoldOnline.com/store #6486 62"UMBRELLA $39.95 FREE S&H #6483* VICTORY CART BAG $229.95 FREE S&H #6485 MASCOT HEAD COVER $29.95 FREE S&H #6481* FAIRWAY STAND BAG $189.95 FREE S&H S P E C I AL O FF ER ! *FREE DIVOT TOOL SET WITH PURCHASE OF GOLF CLUB BAG! ($23.95 Value!)