Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 JUNE/JULY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Skill Positions Have To Be Better By Tyler Horka The only reason I'm not saying "quarterback" is because I'd be Captain Obvious if I did. Deshaun Watson. Tua Tagovailoa. Trevor Lawrence. Joe Bur- row. Mac Jones. The only player who has not had an elite quarterbacking season in a national championship effort in the last handful-plus years was Georgia's Stet- son Bennett IV this past season. Everyone else around him was as elite as it gets. That doesn't happen often. Yes, teams need top-tier quarterbacks to win national championships. But that's a given. They also need soul- snatching speed on the outside — on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame needs the type of skill players — wide receivers and defensive backs — that Alabama, Clem- son, Georgia and Ohio State reel in regularly. Those aforementioned quarterbacks were awesome at the collegiate level. Absolute game-wreckers. But they were made better by the by the weapons they had at their disposal. And the only way to stop them is to have de- fensive players that can run with those weapons. So many things have to come together to win it all. But with the direction the game has gone in recent years with spread offenses and plenty of passing, you cannot afford to have the type of wide receiving corps Notre Dame is limping into the 2022 season with and expect to beat the elite teams in the sport. It's just not going to happen. Watch what Ohio State is working with in the season opener and you'll know what I'm talking about. Teams need skill guys to win big. Quarterback Play Has To Improve By Todd D. Burlage It's a coin flip as to whether a long or short history lesson provides the bet- ter evidence into how badly Notre Dame has whiffed on recruiting and/or developing its quarterbacks since Brady Quinn in 2006. The Old: Quinn in 2005 and 2006, along with Tony Rice in 1989, are the only Irish signal-callers to gather Heis- man Trophy votes since Tom Clements in 1974. Jimmy Clausen gave it a whirl as "The Savior" quar- terback and a three-year starter from 2007-09. Clausen went 16-18 in his 34 starts and helped send Charlie Weis packing. Brian Kelly — oft hyped as a "quarterback whisperer" — left his post after 12 years with Tommy Rees and Ian Book as his top two legacy QBs. The New: Of the 40 quarterbacks on the 2022 Heis- man Trophy odds list from VegasInsider.com, only two are longer shots to win the award than the Notre Dame QB duo of sophomore Tyler Buchner and junior Drew Pyne, both of whom would pay a whopping $15,000 on a $100 bet. The website actually deems the Coastal Carolina starter and the Ohio State backup as more credible candidates. Great defense, coaching, tight ends, O-line — it's all great at Notre Dame. And while I appreciate Rees and Book as the two steadiest Irish quarter- backs in the last 16 years in South Bend, today's college football doesn't need game managers, it needs game-breakers. Until Notre Dame finds one, the titles will wait. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT ONE THING MUST CHANGE FOR NOTRE DAME TO WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP? Filled with a desire to leave his future in the hands of God but to do everything he can to bet- ter himself in the present, John Michael Bertrand squeezed every drop out of sports and scholastics during his six years in college. An undergraduate for four years at Furman University (2016-20), Bertrand earned his bache- lor's degree in philosophy and became a valuable starting pitcher for the Paladins. And during his two years as a graduate student at Notre Dame (2020-22), the 6-foot-3, 205-pound crafty lefty earned his master's in management and also completed an accelerated one-year administra- tive program with a concentration on business strategy and marketing. From being cut following freshman tryouts at Furman, to becoming the Irish ace and a MLB hopeful five years later, Bertrand has been on a unique, fulfilling and successful journey, all topped off by being reunited with his brother JD Bertrand, a standout Notre Dame linebacker. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Ber- trand to talk about his interesting career path, his accomplishments while at Notre Dame and what's left. BGI: With schoolwork behind and the baseball postseason here, what's the mood of the team? Bertrand: "I think it helps that you are out of school. Now the main focus is just baseball, prac- ticing, lifting and then recovering — just getting ready for that next game. We are almost treating it as if you're basically a pro player, and all you do is focus on baseball. It's a great feeling and there is a lot of excitement." BGI: How did you end up in South Bend? Bertrand: "Notre Dame was definitely my dream school. I tried to get in here after high school. I applied, and I didn't get in. So it was extremely excit- ing to be able to get that [graduate] offer. "When all of it was play- ing out, it was very excit- ing, especially knowing that my brother JD was up here. That was a cherry on top of the ice cream sundae." BGI: How would you characterize your college years? Bertrand: "It's been just a journey of gratefulness. Just showing up every day and taking care of the finer details and then leaving the rest up to what- ever may happen in the future. "It's a nice mesh of what happened through college, being able to control what I can control in the daily and letting God worry about the future." BGI: What were your first impressions when you met Link Jarrett, your head coach at your new stop? Bertrand: "Coach Jarrett loves the game, he loves being around base- ball, he loves teaching baseball and that's some- thing you just want to be around. It's infectious. "After I met him and talked to him, I knew that I wanted to play for him." BGI: What has your time at Notre Dame meant to you? Bertrand: "Whether it's in the academic setting, in the athletic setting, or in the social setting, you meet people who will im- pact your life forever. It's a wonderful stage of life and a beautiful chapter that's about to close for the mo- ment, but I'm sure it will open up again later down the road." — Todd D. Burlage FIVE QUESTIONS WITH … GRADUATE STUDENT PITCHER JOHN MICHAEL BERTRAND In his first 13 starts this season, Bertrand posted a 7-2 record with a 2.62 ERA and 86 strikeouts. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Head coach Marcus Freeman has his sights set on winning a national title at Notre Dame. What does he need most to make that happen: speed at the skill positions or elite quarterback play? PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER