Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1432997
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2021 13 UNDER THE DOME "I feel like ND has been my life. This is where my life started as an independent. I will have friends from all over the world. I'll never forget that. My dad said to never forget the bonds and relation- ships. To me, these connections with these guys that I work with every day, we'll always have each others' backs. ND has physically and men- tally changed me. I'm forever grateful for that." — Junior running back Kyren Williams "I have had quite a bit of conversations with people about next year. I'll make a decision next week. There is a lot to think about. What could life look like after football? Whether it's how long I can be in the NFL if I can go to the NFL, where I want to live. I have another year to stay and help young guys grow, just like [director of player de- velopment] Hunter Bivin helping me. I think that's important to help those guys understand what it means to be a Notre Dame man. It's not about growing myself, but growing others. Notre Dame men, the world needs more of them." — Graduate student offensive tackle Josh Lugg on his future "He recognizes tendencies and formations. I wouldn't say I have the hang of that while playing yet, but on the sideline, this guy will do that, this guy will do this. With him watching everything I do and critiquing it to the fullest, that is a blessing. It's great having him in my corner. He's trying to get me to where he is now." — Sophomore defensive back Ramon Henderson on Kyle Hamilton helping him make the transition from cornerback to safety "It's hard to figure out what the CFP committee might think of an 11-1 Notre Dame as compared to a 12-1 Big 12 champion, an 11-2 Alabama or even a 13-0 Cincinnati. But here's what we do know: The Fighting Irish have looked pretty damn awesome of late. They've won their past five games by an average of 38-12, and they absolutely squashed Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon. "… The Irish are now up to ninth in SP+, and they're one of only five teams to rank in the top 20 in both offense (20th) and defense (13th). The run game was an issue early in the season, but it has grown dominant, and the big-play problems that afflicted the team in the first couple of games have long since disappeared. Whether this is a playoff team or merely a soon-to-be favorite in a New Year's Six bowl, Notre Dame is fantastic at the moment." — Bill Connelly of ESPN "The Irish can't go back and play Cincinnati again or improve what has become a lackluster schedule featuring ACC and Pac-12 teams. But Notre Dame undoubtedly is hitting its stride in the second half of the season and could give the CFP selection committee something to think about in early De- cember." — Adam Rittenberg of ESPN "Freeman is definitely a rising star who has done a nice job at Notre Dame despite losing All-Amer- ican safety Kyle Hamilton at midseason. The Irish are No. 12 in the country in scoring defense, up two spots from last year, and they're fourth in red zone touchdown percentage allowed, up 19 spots from last year. The 35-year-old Freeman was excel- lent in his time running the defense at Cincinnati and has proven to be a very good recruiter, ranked second in the country for the class of 2022 by 247Sports. He will get a good head coaching job sooner rather than later. It wouldn't be surprising if Virginia Tech made a run at Freeman." — The Athletic's Bruce Feldman on including Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman at No. 18 on his list of 33 coaches to know for college foot- ball's epic coaching carousel PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER OF THE WEEK ➤ THE BROTHERHOOD IS FOREVER — Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (@myraaann) Mike Elston @CoachMikeElston · Nov 20 We have had so much fun the past 5 years. These two have helped bring 53 wins to Notre Dame football and we're not done yet. Absolutely remarkable achievement. So proud to coach all the Defensive Lineman here at Notre Dame #FTB THEY SAID IT THEY SAID IT "No. I think [Pittsburgh Steelers coach] Mike Tomlin had the best line, right? Unless that fairy godmother comes by with a $250 million check, my wife would want to take a look at it first. I'd have to run it by her." — Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on whether he would be interested in the vacant USC job