Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Tuitt recorded 1.5 sacks in what could be his final game in a Notre Dame uniform. Kelly said. "My job is to provide him with all the information about the decision that he's about to make, and I'm pretty certain that he'll make his decision here very, very soon." An important piece of that information is the grade a player receives from NFL scouts and front office personnel for their draft prospected. Tuitt found out earlier in the week that the usually conservative projection has him slotted as a second-round pick. That's significantly lower than the consensus top-15 status that ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay have bestowed on him throughout the past college football season. Tuitt was one of three Irish players that Kelly asked the NFL to evaluate for the draft this offseason. The other two were tight end Troy Niklas and running back George Atkinson III. Atkinson missed the Pinstripe Bowl while serving a suspension for violating team rules, Kelly said. Notre Dame announced he and junior cornerback PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Jalen Brown wouldn't be suiting up for the season finale a few hours before kickoff. Atkinson said via Twitter that his crime was sending text messages during a team meal. When asked if Atkinson's suspension would have any effect on his future with the program, Kelly said: "I haven't made that decision yet." IRISH IN THE BIG APPLE Part of the sales pitch that convinced Notre Dame to brave the cold Northeast in bowl season — a worry made moot by a sunny, 50-degree afternoon game — included all of the different sites the Irish could see in the city. During the weeklong trip, the Notre Dame traveling party stopped at Rockefeller Center and the 9/11 Memorial, saw a Broadway show, visited a local hospital and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The market responded with one of its best days of the year, so the Irish are likely to be welcomed back to Wall Street.