Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 PRESEASON 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FAN FORUM SAFETY FIRST! I am disappointed that Notre Dame continues to support playing this season. I understand that at least 40 students have COVID-19 as of Aug. 16. Notre Dame canceled its participation with the presidential debate — yet a football game would be structured to bring in at least 20,000 fans. The state of Indiana didn't allow attendance at the Indy 500. How can ND insist that fans at- tend a football game without covering the cost of medical care if a fan acquires COVID-19 at a game? Notre Dame, as well as the remaining con- ferences, are refusing to recognize science and health. Add to this the "heart" issues that the Big Ten has identified with several of the confer- ence athletes. Notre Dame is supposed to be leading the way — or is the money requirements so sub- stantial that common sense has left the building? Mico Holguin '80 Via the Internet Mr. Holguin, as of Aug. 25 the school has not made any determination of how much fan attendance, if any, will be at Notre Dame. BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Landing an Aug. 8 verbal commitment from offensive guard Rocco Spindler, Rivals' No. 56 overall player nationally, provided a boost to a Notre Dame recruiting class that, from a perception standpoint, was fading. Subscribers on BlueandGold.com debated Notre Dame's overall 2021 recruiting effort. ChrisLW35: This staff has scouted well so they get the benefit of the doubt. But if an outsider came and looked at the last 12 commitments, you have an average of 5.66 rating (on a 6.1 scale). That includes Rocco's 5.9 and corner- back Phillip Riley's 5.8 grades. Eleven out of 12 of the latest commits aren't in the Rivals 250. Only Rocco. If you go to position rankings, including Rocco's No. 3 ranking at guard, you have an average rank of 32 with commits who are ranked at all by position. This class has stalled, and it looks like a very weak closing. Irish Hitman: I share the disappointment to a degree in what "could" have been, but I give credit to the staff for making the best of it, and landing key, difference-making commits. Would it have been better without COVID-19? Yes, of course, especially via campus visits. But all things considered — though I disagree a bit with the all-in for running back Will Shipley strategy — I think the staff has performed admirably, if imperfectly. Maloy 49: Notre Dame's strength has always been getting guys on campus. That was taken away from them. I'm okay cutting a little slack this year. KCndmis97: This class follows the trend of most Brian Kelly classes: Typi- cally start strong and finish weaker (going by rankings). That is due to the top-ranked guys usually waiting until the end to announce, and they typically do not consider Notre Dame. Overall, this will be a class in the 10-15 range nationally, not elite but very good when combined with the strength and conditioning development pro- gram led by Matt Balis. Most likely not enough to beat Clemson and OSU — both on the schedule in 2022 and 2023 — but good enough to beat the rest of the ACC, plus Stanford and USC (assuming Helton stays at coach). Golden Judge: I think it may have more to do with the fact that recruits who value what Notre Dame is selling find it easier to make an early decision. ND is fairly unique in its dual offering of top academics and top football. And, that attracts people of similar views which creates the right environ- ment for some. I believe that's why you often see a fast start to a recruiting class. Rockne 1988: Let's be realistic here: Way too many 3 stars this class is getting. Kelly himself said we need to land top-5 classes if we're going to compete with the big boys. This class lacks top-end talent. Now, if we have high school football this season, these guys could move up. FROM THE WEBSITE JOIN THE CONVERSATION! GET A 60-DAY FREE TRIAL WITH CODE IRISH60 .com .com There are some Fighting Irish fans who believe Notre Dame Stadium should remain empty this fall. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN