Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 6, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Junior men's golfer Miguel Delgado put together a strong fall season, finishing with a 70.5 scoring average in 15 rounds played — a full three strokes better then his sophomore season total (73.5). He finished in the top 25 individually in all five events, including a second-place showing in the Autotrader Collegiate Classic Oct. 16-17 in Du- luth, Ga. He also placed eighth with an 11-un- der-par 205 at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate Oct. 23-24 in Vero Beach, Fla. BGI: What were the strong points of your game during the fall season? Delgado: "My putting was a big part of it — be- ing on the green and strokes gained putting. Also, the biggest attribute was probably my mental game. "I thought I was mentally tough, showed up every time and had the right approach for every tournament." BGI: Is there anything in your game you feel you need to improve on to take it to another level in the spring? Delgado: "There's some things I want to work on that are minor — like feeling more comfort- able with certain shots — but I think everything is there. I just have to put it all together and make sure that I'm still men- tally tough and not lose any of that during the offseason. "It's really important to be competing. Now that we have some time off, it can be easy to lose that sort of edge and com- fort while you're not playing." BGI: How big of a confidence boost was your strong finish to the fall season? Delgado: "It 's definitely great to finish well the last two weeks. I played really well. It gives me a lot of confidence moving forward. "I have the confidence that I can compete at every event and have a chance to win. That's what I expect to do now." BGI: What has head coach John Handrigan brought to the program that was different from before? Delgado: "He brings a very good culture. It's hard to describe, but I think the biggest thing is he's gotten us to believe in ourselves. I think the talent has always been there, but we just didn't really believe in ourselves down to the core. "He's really helped bring out that belief that we deserve to be at the top and that we're going to be there every single time. Now that we believe that, we're competing at that level every week and we be- lieve we should be winning." BGI: How do you feel the team as a whole played this fall? Delgado: "One thing I feel comfortable with is the depth on our team. We have a lot of guys who can play good golf. It just depends on the timing of who is playing well. There are a lot of guys who can play in the starting five. "You have to play well in order to keep your spot, which is exactly what we want. … Some guys gained some confidence in competition, so I think going into the spring we will have a lot of guys who are ready to play and expect to play." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … JUNIOR GOLFER MIGUEL DELGADO Georgia Must Become A Bigger Priority By Bryan Driskell There is no doubt the Mid-Atlantic Region that consists of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina has been far better to Notre Dame over the last decade, but the state that could have the biggest impact on the Irish building an elite roster is Georgia. Since Brian Kelly was hired in December 2009, Notre Dame has signed just four players from the Peach State, and all have been impactful. Wide receiver TJ Jones was signed out of Gaines- ville as part of the 2010 class, and all he did was finish his career as Notre Dame's second-leading all-time receiver. A year later, the Irish added defensive end Ste- phon Tuitt from Monroe, and the massive end was a driving force behind Notre Dame's elite 2012 defense. Tuitt led the Irish with 12 sacks that sea- son, the second best single-season mark at Notre Dame since sacks were first recorded in 1982. Isaac Rochell, a 2013 signee, was a three-year starter at defensive end, and Tyler Newsome, a 2014 signee, is the team's starting punter and was 13th nationally in punting average through seven games this fall. Georgia is also a fast-rising state that is producing more and more top-level players. Twenty-six members of the Rivals250 hail from Georgia, six more than North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina combined. Notre Dame must tap into that talent pool. The Irish already have a 2018 commitment from Marietta Lassiter safety Derrik Allen, the No. 82 overall player in the country according to Rivals. They also are the current leader for Norcross Wesleyan tight end Tommy Tremble. Notre Dame Must Keep Rolling In North Carolina By Corey Bodden North Carolina hasn't produced a high volume to Notre Dame's recruiting classes, but the Tar Heel State has produced several standouts in recent seasons. Prince Shembo, a 2010 signee, started at outside linebacker on Notre Dame's 2012 defense and was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the At- lanta Falcons. In 2011, the Irish landed safety Matthias Farley from Charlotte, and he is now a key contributor for the Indianapolis Colts. End Romeo Okwara followed Farley in 2012 and now plays for the New York Giants, while his younger brother Julian Okwara has been a top pass rusher for the Irish this season. Notre Dame holds a commitment from San- ford Lee County running back Jahmir Smith in the 2018 class. With its affiliation in the ACC, the Irish will continue to have a presence in the state. They will play nine games in North Caro- lina over the next 10 seasons (2018-27). Heading into the 2017 NFL season, per Cleveland.com, North Carolina ranked No. 11 in terms of states producing the most NFL players (born in the state). It should be noted the state doesn't have a traditional in-state power like South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, Texas, California and others that are higher on the list — which makes pulling recruits easier when the draw to stay home isn't always there. North Carolina is a state Notre Dame can take advantage of and pull in talented players on a consistent basis. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT STATE COULD HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON NOTRE DAME'S RECRUITING EFFORTS? STEPHON TUITT ROMEO OKWARA Delgado finished the fall season with a career best 70.5 scoring average in 15 rounds played. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS