Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
UNDER THE DOME THEY SAID IT "Even if I had a chance to go back, I would play in the bowl game again. You're playing in the Fiesta Bowl, first time in my life, against a great team in Ohio State. I would never want to let my teammates down, and no regrets." Former Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith on why he does not regret playing in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1, despite suffering a devastating knee injury in the game "Quite a few teams at the all-star game [noticed I was coached by Brian VanGorder]. Not [at the NFL Combine], but at the all-star game. Quite a few teams knew him and just going over coverages knowing that Coach VanGorder's scheme was an NFL scheme. When I talk football with them, they say, 'Who was your coach?' I tell them Coach VanGorder and they go, 'Okay, that's why.' That really helped out a lot." — Former Irish safety Elijah Shumate on how NFL teams have noticed his defensive knowledge after playing for VanGorder, who spent eight seasons in the NFL "Nobody made more money for himself than Will Fuller, who blazed to a 4.32 [40] and made himself a very good bet for round one. Yep, Fuller needs to be more consistent catching it, but that type of speed makes evaluators who see him as the draft's top deep threat nod. Again, that was a time matching the tape. It'll mean round one." — ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. on Fuller's strong performance at the NFL Combine "I will tell you this: the relationship is good, and it started with Jim [Harbaugh] and Coach [Brian] Kelly working together on a desire to play together. But [there's] nothing firm yet. Notre Dame is complicated by a different set of challenges. One is the respective teams have different television arrangements. It didn't use to be an issue, and this has been good for Michigan and good for Notre Dame in that we sell the rights ahead of the schedule." — Michigan interim athletics director Jim Hackett to WTKA-AM (1050) in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the possibility that Notre Dame and Michigan will meet again on the football field in the future (the two programs last played in 2014) TWEET OF THE MONTH @JimThqrpe4: "Successful camp Kelly down and in the books today with team 128. Great start heading into break." Irish sixth-year safety Avery Sebastian on the end of winter workouts, which have been dubbed 'Camp Kelly' since the head coach's arrival in South Bend PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA