Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 5, 2022 9 UNDER THE DOME 4 Recruits in Notre Dame's 2023 recruiting class have run at least 20 miles per hour, per The Underclassman Report. Derby (Kan.) High running back Dylan Edwards (22.03), Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen (21.98), St. Louis Christian Brothers running back Jeremiyah Love (21.39) and Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point wide receiver Braylon James (20.45) were all among fastest players in The Underclass- man Report's "Max Speed" database. "The fastest recruiting class in the country? It might very well be @NDFootball," The Underclassman Report noted in a tweet in late October. 7 Men's basketball players in the country — including Notre Dame's DANE GOODWIN — averaged at least 13.0 points per game and shot at least 50.0 percent from the field plus at least 45.0 percent on three-pointers during the 2021-22 season. Goodwin, who also averaged 2.0 3-pointers per game, was one of just two players from a power conference to achieve the feat. 9th Was where Andy Katz of NCAA.com ranked Notre Dame's JJ Starling on its list of the "Most Important Freshmen" in the country heading into the 2022-23 season: Rk. Name, School 1. Dereck Lively, Duke 2. Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas 3. Gradey Dick, Kansas 4. GG Jackson, South Carolina 5. Keyonte George, Baylor 6. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana 7. Jarace Walker, Houston 8. Cason Wallace, Kentucky 9. JJ Starling, Notre Dame 10. Skyy Clark, Illinois 11. Cam Whitmore, Villanova 18th Was where junior tight end Mi- chael Mayer was ranked in the On3 Im- pact 300 — which is re-analyzed and re-ranked to provide the best picture of the top players across the country weekly during the season — after his 6-catch, 115-yard, 1-touchdown performance against UNLV Oct. 22. He was the biggest riser in the country from the previous week, moving up five spots. He was the lone Irish player in the top 25. In addition, Mayer and sophomore right tackle Blake Fisher both earned a spot on Pro Football Focus' Team of the Week following their efforts vs. UNLV. "The Notre Dame tight end had another week of being the engine to the Irish passing offense." PFF noted. "He continues to show why he is TE1 and the No. 13 player overall on the 2023 PFF Midseason Draft Board." 20 / 1 Odds for Notre Dame men's basketball win the ACC regular-season title, per BetOnline. That is seventh- best in the league, behind North Carolina (3/2), Duke (3/1), Virginia (7/1), Florida State (12/1), Miami (12/1) and Virginia Tech (12/1). 30 Times in NCAA history a player has recorded 2 blocked punts in a one game, with Notre Dame's Isaiah Foskey joining that list with his effort vs. UNLV Oct. 22. Only three players had more than Foskey's 2: Joshua Adams of Ohio had 3 against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 1, 2007; James King of Central Michigan had 4 vs. Michigan State on Sept. 8, 2001; and Ken Irvin of Memphis also got 4 against Arkansas on Sept. 26, 1992. Foskey has 4 blocked punts in his career, which is tied for 11th in NCAA history. King holds the career record with 10. 91 Percent of the games the Notre Dame football team surpassed 200 yards rushing since 1996 have resulted in a Fighting Irish victory. The Irish are 102-10 in those games, after winning all three occurrences this season (North Carolina, BYU and UNLV) heading into Week 9. $5,000,000 Gift to endow the University of Notre Dame's associate athletics director for sports performance position was given by Pat and Jana Eilers. Pat is a 1989 Notre Dame graduate who was part of the university's 1988 national champion- ship football team. The Pat and Jana Eilers Associate Athletics Director for Sports Performance Endowment will support the position currently held by John Wagle, who was hired in May 2022 after spend- ing four years with Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals as the Director of Performance Science & Player Development. Per a Notre Dame media relations release, the Ei- lers' gift will allow Wagle and his team to further Notre Dame's industry-leading efforts. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS