Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512120
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2023 11 UNDER THE DOME "First of all, we're so grateful that he chose to come to Notre Dame, and he's such a great kid. I mean, he is a super kid and a competitor. You can argue he played best in the biggest game so far. You know? He never backed down from a tough matchup, whether it was Clemson, Ohio State, USC —any of those games. "So, I just think he's been a blessing, to be honest with you. He's done a really good job for us, and I can see improvement in his skills. I think Coach [Chris] O'Leary and Coach [Mike] Mickens have done a great job with him. Just see him improving in everything — tackling, coverage, his leverage. I think he's still ascending as a player, and that's hard to do at his age." — Notre Dame defensive co- ordinator Al Golden on graduate student defensive back Thomas Harper "One of the great things about the extension with NBC that we're announcing today is it helps ensure our independence. And that's so important for us because it's the independence platform that allows us to do the unique things we do in Notre Dame athletics." — Notre Dame director of athlet- ics Jack Swarbrick "For how much oxygen Notre Dame's offense has consumed this season — often rightfully so — the defense hasn't been appreciated enough. Same with Golden, who was hardly a hot choice when Freeman pulled him out of the NFL. Remember that the next time Notre Dame hires a coordina- tor, maybe even Golden's replacement." — Pete Sampson of The Athletic on Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden "Notre Dame. Of the programs that have made the CFP somewhat recently, Notre Dame and Clem- son certainly are two that need boosts on offense to get back to the playoff. Clemson seemingly is set with Cade Klubnik, who is only a first-year starter and has shown some midseason improvement. But Notre Dame will be starting over after Sam Hartman, who started strong but ultimately didn't give the Irish enough big-game magic to get the team over the top. "Coach Marcus Freeman confirmed [Nov. 13] that Notre Dame will once again go to the transfer portal for a quarterback, who will join returnees Steve An- geli, Kenny Minchey and 2024 incoming freshman CJ Carr (ESPN's No. 37 overall recruit). Depending on the development of Angeli and others, who Notre Dame targets and ultimately brings in could determine how soon the team contends for the 12-team playoff." — ESPN's Adam Rittenberg on the team that most needs an upgrade at quarterback to return to the College Football Playoff "Hidalgo was the espnW HoopGurlz No. 5-ranked player in the Class of 2023 and the top-ranked point guard. She's showing why already this young season. The freshman is averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 steals, 5.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds through four games. With guards Olivia Miles (out indefinitely after a Feb. 26 knee injury) and Sonia Citron (out approximately two weeks after Wednesday's knee injury) sidelined, Hidalgo's contributions are even more important. "In victories over Northwestern and Illinois last week, Hidalgo had a combined 45 points, 11 re- bounds, 13 assists and 12 steals." — ESPN's Mi- chael Voepel on tabbing Notre Dame freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo as the player of the week nationally Nov. 20 THEY SAID IT THEY SAID IT "Great promise. When you start, you're like, 'Man, OK, what's this demeanor about?' You didn't know because he is super chill. But there is a lot there. He has gained a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room. Has strong arm talent. Really stud - ies. Has become a part of that quarterback room. Those guys hang out a lot because they spend a lot of time around the place to study and prepare." — Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker on freshman quarterback KENNY MINCHEY PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER IRISH ON SOCIAL MEDIA