Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2024 9 UNDER THE DOME There's no need to remind Kris Ganeff of the big shoes she'll need to fill upon her June 19 in- troduction as the new Notre Dame softball head coach and the successor to legendary skipper Deanna Gumpf. After spending four seasons as an Irish player and the past 23 years as an assistant coach working under and learning from Gumpf, Ganeff knows what expectations lie ahead. After 23 seasons, 21 NCAA Tournament appear- ances and 882 career wins — the most by any head coach in any sport in Notre Dame history — Gumpf retired in May and handed the program keys to Ganeff. Ganeff, a 1999 Notre Dame graduate and an Irish All-Big East catcher, was hired as an assis- tant by Gumpf in 2002 and the two have worked together ever since. Blue & Gold Illustrated recently caught up with Ganeff to discuss her plans for the program and her feelings on replacing a Notre Dame legend. BGI: What does it mean to take over a program you've already invested so much time into? Ganeff: "I have been in love with this place since the minute I walked in as a 17-year-old kid on my recruiting visit. So, to me, it is really humbling, and I'm honored to be able to have the opportunity to put my spin on the program now and be in charge of this place that Deanna built." BGI: How intimidating is it to replace one of the greatest coaches in Notre Dame athletics' history? Ganeff: "I am actually very lucky that I was by Deanna's side for so long. She has taught me so much. I'm not intimidated by it. I'm actually excited to continue on the program that she built and what she has created here." BGI: How would you describe your coaching style? Ganeff: "I am a person over player coach. I be- lieve that you have to love them first and coach them second. I am the kind of person who is going to be loving them, be their biggest cheer- leader, but also be the person who can push them to the limits that they need to get to." BGI: How much do you believe program and university familiarity will help in your new role? Ganeff: "I think that is going to be a tremen- dous help. I don't have to figure out the system here. I get to put my time and energy into the girls, and the things that we need to get better at on and off the field. "That is really exciting because I don't have to feel like my head is underwater trying to figure out Notre Dame." BGI: What tenets will you build your program upon? Ganeff: "Culture is huge. It's the foundation of our program. … What is culture to us, and creat- ing the vision that we see in core values is going to be huge. The way we do anything is the way we do everything." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NEW NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL HEAD COACH KRIS GANEFF Notre Dame Wins Two Playoff Games By Todd D. Burlage With no playoff wins and a 30-year gap since Notre Dame last won a "pre- mier" bowl game, its postseason profile remains bleak. But that's all going to change this year with the new 12-team playoff. With the way this playoff was designed, Notre Dame as an indepen- dent is ineligible to earn one of the top four seeds and the first-round bye that comes with it. Those four seeds and byes are reserved for the conference champions from the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and ACC. But what Notre Dame can secure is the No. 5 seed, which will provide a chance for the Irish to host a first-round game at its sta- dium against the last team to get into the playoff, and then play the lowest-seeded conference champion in Round 2. That will likely mean that Notre Dame as a No. 5 seed wouldn't have to play the Big Ten or the SEC champion until the national semifinals. Based on many preseason polls, the Irish would open with a home game against Memphis, and then play either Utah or Clem- son in the quarterfinal round at one of four sites (the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans) — a favorable path to the national semifinals. Given a regular-season schedule that provides few marquee games, Notre Dame should go either 12-0 or 11-1 and secure that No. 5 playoff seed. From there, the Irish will win two play- off games, make the national semifinals, build more program momentum and finally end its 30-year "premier" bowl drought. Irish Lose At Texas A&M But Then Win Out By Jack Soble It's early, but there are a few factors working against Notre Dame in Week 1 against Texas A&M. The Irish are traveling to College Station, Texas, so the crowd is one. The late-August, southeast Texas heat is another. Aggies head coach Mike Elko (and Duke head man prior to taking the Texas A&M job) knows Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard better than perhaps anyone in college football, and he'll use that knowledge to his advantage when he calls his defense. But most of all, A&M's biggest strength matches up with Notre Dame's biggest question mark. The Aggies' edge rushers are elite, led by Nic Scourton, who led the Big Ten in sacks last season at Purdue. On the other side, Notre Dame believes in sophomore left tackle Charles Jagusah, but he has only one career start under his belt. And at right tackle, the Irish will run a fall camp competition between graduate student Tosh Baker and junior Aamil Wagner. Neither has separated himself from the other, so far. I believe Notre Dame is better than Texas A&M, and their full-season results will reflect that. But there's a lot working in the Aggies' favor for the matchup Aug. 31. After Week 1, the Irish will keep their composure and respond like a championship-caliber team. There are several new pieces on Notre Dame's offense, which will be better at the end of the season than at the beginning. The toughest opponent, Florida State, has to visit South Bend. If the Irish fall in College Station, don't panic. They still can — and in my opinion, will — host a College Football Playoff game. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT'S YOUR BOLD PREDICTION FOR NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL'S 2024 SEASON? Ganeff was an All-Big East catcher for the Irish in the late 1990s and served as an assistant to outgoing coach Deanna Gumpf since 2002. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS The Fighting Irish aim to compete for the national champion- ship this year.