Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 AUGUST 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED within his comfort zone by hiring Rees rather than more available and proven figures such as Joe Moorhead or Todd Monken, who are now at Or- egon and Georgia, respectively. It will be a highly scrutinized move in the year(s) to come. "Commanding a room has never been something that I dreaded," Rees said of his new role. "It's something I actually like to take ownership of." Also joining the staff was tight ends coach John McNulty (Long had previ- ously instructed that position group) and cornerbacks coach Mike Mick- ens replacing Notre Dame icon Todd Lyght, who relocated to California with his family. RECRUITING UPS AND DOWNS Notre Dame's 2020 football recruit- ing harvest yielded, on paper, one of the best skill position combinations it has assembled during the past 25 years at running back (Chris Tyree), wide receiver (Jordan Johnson), tight end (Michael Mayer and Kevin Bau- man) and quarterback (Drew Pyne). The flip side is because of signing only 17 players this past December, the No. 22 ranking by Rivals was the lowest in the Kelly era. A blistering start to the 2021 cycle that had the Irish temporarily at No. 1 also lost some momentum after the coronavirus (it is now listed No. 17 through July 20). That early promising returns for 2021 had Kelly rethinking his po- sition from several years ago that Notre Dame's "distinctions" make a top-five class unrealistic, and it has to shop more in the top 10-15 aisle. Thus, the question remains: Can Notre Dame close the gap in coming years on the recruiting trail against "The Big Three" such as Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State? This is especially pertinent with Clemson and Ohio State both facing Notre Dame in 2022 and 2023. PERSONNEL SHUFFLING Both the transfer portal and dip- ping into the graduate transfer mar- ket have become essential elements to roster management among NCAA members. So while Notre Dame lost its share of prime personnel with the likes of projected starting receiver Michael Young and former top-100 quarter- back recruit Phil Jurkovec transferring to Cincinnati and Boston College, re- spectively, Kelly and Co. also reeled in a school-record four graduate trans- fers for 2020: safety Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State), wide receiver Ben Skowronek (Northwestern), cornerback Nick Mc- Cloud (North Carolina State) and run- ning back Trevor Speights (Stanford). Pryor and Speights also could apply for a fifth season in 2021. Additionally, although junior tight end Cole Kmet opted to turn pro early and became a second-round pick, the decision to return for a fifth year by the likes of quarterback Ian Book, left tackle Liam Eichenberg, right guard Tommy Kraemer, and defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji should at least help keep Notre Dame at top-10 level again in 2020. A NEW FIELD OF DREAMS Last August the new 111,400-square- foot Irish Athletics Center opened to provide the football program some 2019-20 Male Athletes of the Year 1. Yared Nuguse — For the second year in a row, Nuguse won the ACC title in the indoor mile, record- ing a program-record time of 3:55.62. His clocking is about two seconds off of the all-time collegiate record. In the fall, he finished second at the ACC Cross Country Championships. The mile isn't even Nuguse's best event. As a sophomore, he was the 2019 outdoor national cham- pion in the 1,500 meters and the men's distance medley relay. There's no guarantee he would have repeated as the gold medalist at the national championships, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but given his improved time in the mile and past performance, it's fair to say Nuguse is one of the best track and field collegiate athletes and Blue & Gold Illustrated's Male Athlete of the Year for a second consecutive year. 2. Hunter Ostrom — In a shortened season, the senior golfer posted the best stroke average in the history of the program with a 70.68 over 19 rounds. Throughout the 2019-20 season, he recorded three top-10 finishes and two in the top five. He also recorded the lowest round of his collegiate career with a 66. 3. Richard Ciamarra — After going 20-8 in a shortened season, the tennis ace was one of 20 players named an All-American by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The junior was ranked as the No. 8 singles player in the country in the final poll and appeared as high as No. 5 earlier in the season. Twelve of his wins came against ranked opponents. 4. John Mooney — The men's basketball power forward was named first-team All-ACC at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, finishing with the third-most votes overall. The senior averaged 16.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, and the latter was good for second in the na- tion. Additionally, he led the country with the most double-doubles, recording 25 in 31 games. 5. Andrew Machovec — The sophomore was named the ACC Fencer of the Year for Men's Foil and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Machovec went 18-3 in collegiate competitions and is also a member of Team USA. — Andrew Mentock Yared Nuguse captured the ACC indoor title in the mile for second year in a row, while record- ing a time (3:55.62) that set a new school mark and is about two seconds off of the all-time col- legiate record. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA