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Notre Dame at Texas A&M Spring Talk

36,511 Views | 106 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by TxAg76
USAF9705
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First game of the year always is fun to discuss because there is literally months of anticipation leading up to it.
And it's even more fun when it's an actual real game, not a preseason warmup against HS teams.

Notre Dame coming to Texas A&M will be a national game with CFP implications opening weekend.

I figured I would start a thread since spring practices have begun & actual roster movements & development have started.

Im a ND guy who is originally from Indiana & ND was my local team growing up. This was long before the NBC contract & back when Holtz was hired in '86.
I didn't know ND was national program & hated until I lived in Texas in the mid 90's.

I'm back in Indiana now & ND football is my vice, pretty much the only team I still follow from my youth.
But I have really good connections to the program now & get to see some practices & reports & can answer most questions about the team.

Funny enough, I'm close friends with someone who covers ND and was texting him back & forth at the exact same time he was texting back and forth with Elko about Elko leaving for the DC job at A&M from ND after the '17 season. That guy is still friends with Elko & a huge fan of his.

Anyways, any questions are welcomed. I truly enjoy talking college football, not just arguing with opposing fans or trolling.

I noticed a lot of talk on here about A&M's OL being a weakness? Is that a legit problem?

Sidenote: I was going to Subscribe, but when reading the notes it said to be able to post on some of the boards you have to have a pass (either A&M grad or associated with the university). Is that true? If I subscribe can I post on the forums? Thanks
DimebagsGhost
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AG
What size shoes do you wear?
lil_frog8
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AG
USAF9705 said:


Sidenote: I was going to Subscribe, but when reading the notes it said to be able to post on some of the boards you have to have a pass (either A&M grad or associated with the university). Is that true? If I subscribe can I post on the forums? Thanks
Welcome... Looch would love a subscriber but no matter what you would have to be a verified aggie to post in the Varsity or all aggie forum... not much content there that you wouldn't get on twitter or this forum a day or so later same goes for a premium subscription for that matter.
StinkyPinky
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AG
Welcome! Looking forward to the game and thanks for the engagement. Apologies in advance for some of the knuckleheads that'll you'll meet here.

My father in law is about as big of a ND fan there is. So this game is pretty high on the radar with the family (his daughter is an Aggie which is where we met).

OL has been our Achilles last couple of seasons. Great prospects/talent, but sub par scheme and OL coaching has prevented them from being cohesive. New OL coach and offense will hopefully remediate the issue. Other biggest weakness has been our secondary. As you can imagine Elko attacked it hard in the offseason and portal so hoping to see a marked improvement.

BTHO ND!
TX_Aggie37
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AG
The OL has been bad under the previous coach. TBD on whether or not that will continue under Cushing. My takeaway was that it wasn't necessarily a talent problem, but technique and scheme/execution was brutal.

Looking forward to the game against ND. It'll be an opportunity for A&M to make a statement early in the season and obviously early in Elko's tenure.

I'm not very familiar with Notre Dame's roster. The OL will always be good. I wonder how difficult it'll be to fill the hole left by Estime. I wonder if Riley Leonard's success will translate, or if he will be just another highly regarded transfer that is an OK QB like Devin Leary, Spencer Rattler, and others.

I think Elko having played Notre Dame last year helps, but won't have a material impact on the game. Film is film, and he'd have the game film from last season either way. He may have picked up on a couple things that he wouldn't have seen on film, though.

Should be a great start to the year. Can't get here soon enough.
Josepi
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Thanks for posting.

You don't have to be an Ag grad or associated with the university to subscribe. There are certain perks to having those, but anyone can subscribe and post in the Premium forum which typically has better conversation. Lord knows there are plenty of paying Longhorns lurking around.

As others have pointed out, the OL has been brutal the past couple of seasons, but it seems like the talent is there. We are hoping that a new coach will come in and fix it. Our last OL coach hadn't actually coached OL in 15 years, and also had an illness, so who knows how much coaching they were actually getting.

My question for you is about Elko and Riley Leonard. Who do you think has the advantage there given their familiarity? Elko because he knows Leonard's tendencies or Leonard because he likely knows the type of defense he will see? I think that will be an interesting twist for game 1.

wangus12
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ND by 35. Trev Alberts puts the football program out to pasture where it belongs
LatinAggie1997
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Ags slide down the rainbow, take the pot of gold, eat a biwl of Lucky Charms, and pat the leprechaun on the head, in a two score victory.
VP at Pierce and Pierce
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I would like to know how ND thinks of all the new starters they have. They lost a great RB, very good QB, lots on defense, solid WRs. I know they have talent, I wonder if this is somewhat of a rebuilding year with how young they will be.
Craigy
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How does the running back room look? I know your best rb in going to the NFL but you guys have several nice backs. I've followed Jadarian Price through hs and ND and I'm wondering if you have any specific info on him?
NewEra2023
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Jeremiyah Love is the real deal. They also return one of the best CBs and best Safetys in cfb. They have a stud at LB as well.
USAF9705
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Thanks for all the replies!
Sorry it took me a minute to get back to you, I just got back from the practice. Today was an open period where we could see the first 5 periods of practice. I will talk about that at the end.

Sorry this post will be long, but I saw during the probationary time you can only post 3 times in 24 hours, so I might subscribe just to get around that. But I will try to answer the previous questions now & then talk practice.

First question, my shoe size is 11.5
Thanks for asking.

It's interesting the questions about ND's roster and the OL being good as always but so many other questions. Funny thing is, the biggest question mark for ND this year will be OL.
Some asked about RBs and Leonard. Others about the defense losing players. So I will try to go over each.

Leonard had surgery a couple weeks ago. But he was at practice throwing today. The surgery he had actually makes the ankle stronger than it was before, so he should be fine.
As for him an Elko; ND brought back Denbrock at OC (his 3rd stint at ND) who had the #1 offense last year & it will be completely different than what ND ran or what Leonard has ran before. I don't think either will have an advantage with all the new circumstances.

RBs were asked about, including Price (from Texas). First of all, I'm a huge Price fan. I thought he was 5 Star talent. Here is an interesting fact about him. He actually, as a true freshman, passed both Estime and Diggs in the depth chart and was the number one RB going into 2022. Then he blew his Achilles and missed over a year. He did really good last year (96 yard return against USC was awesome), but wasn't 100% yet. He looks more like his old self now pre-injury. The other RB Love is just speed. He was a sprinter & a WR who ND plans on throwing to out of the backfield a lot.

The OL is the question mark. They lost both OTs to the draft & the Center to the portal.
The Center left because he got passed up. But ND will be starting two new OTs this year.
Interestingly enough, if you want to see ND's OL, or offense in general, watch the Bowl game. The entire OL, QB, TE, & Estime all sat out that game.
So the OL and RBs that started that game will be the starters against A&M.
The bad news is they are inexperienced. The good news is they are a bunch of 5 Star & high 4 Star recruits. But they aren't the typical veteran ND OL.

TE is a question mark because nobody knows when Evans is back from injury. They are hoping fall camp, but no one knows. WR is the biggest upgrade because ND hammered the portal there.

Defense is my favorite, since that is what I played in college, so I'm more like Elko.

There is a narrative ND lost so much on Defense that I don't get? They are expected to be better this year. Last year they were 5th nationally & 1st against the pass.

They bring back the defensive national player of the year in Safety Watts. They bring back All American CB Morrison. They bring back CB Gray, a top 50 recruit who played great as a true freshman last year, they got an All Conference Safety in the portal to go next to Watts.

They bring back Mills & Cross at DT who both got NFL draft grades & I still don't know why they came back? They are rated the 2nd best returning interior DL by PFF. ND got DE Oben in the portal, who Elko said was the best player he coached last year.
ND brings back a 5th year Senior Captain at MLB.
I think ND's defense will be the strength this year and top 5 nationally again.

My worries this year revolve around the offense.
New QB, new OL, new OC, new WRs.
Very talented group, but haven't had time together.

I think ND will lean on their defense the opening week to allow their offense to gel against easier opponents the next couple weeks afterwards.



VP at Pierce and Pierce
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Thanks for the thoughtful update! Sounds like two talented and experienced defenses will line up at Kyle. Will be a slugfest where the winner likely is the one that makes the big play on special teams and has less mistakes. Points will be at a premium.
smstavinoha88
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My father in law played for Notre Dame in 1977 when they won the national championship. We have been looking forward to this game since it was announced! Planning to go to both games if possible.
USAF9705
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That was before my time, but I've seen those games many times since. I grew up a huge Montana fan & always hated Texas (which I'm sure is a popular view here), so blowing #1Texas out in the Cotton Bowl to win the title was a favorite of mine, just in front of beating #1 Bama in the Sugar Bowl to win the title in '73.
USAF9705
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Do you guys have open practices at all?
ND has a handful. Most are just the first 5 periods, which is mostly warmups & drills.
Then they have two fully open practices.
The spring game is now pointless, they actually do the real scrimmage beforehand with good on good behind close doors. (But some of us still manage to find out what happened).
Today's practice was unique for the open 5 periods because they actually went at it pretty early. It was a very physical practice from what we saw.
They literally sat the football on top of an upside down trash can, with the defender standing in front of it a few yards away. The offensive player just grabbed it & either ran right or left of the trash can, then they collided. It was just two dudes trying to run the other over.
Then they did special teams with a lot of starters on the field as gunners, wings, rushers, etc… So it looks like ND is going to play a lot of the two-deep on special teams, which is something Marcus Freeman is a big believer in.

I know some of you remember Greathouse from HS. He is standing out early and looks great again after a string freshman season.
A fun one, not that he will play this year, is Brian Urlacher's son, Kennedy Urlacher, a true freshman, is a lightning bolt out there. ND is hoping he grows like his dad did, but the kid is actually pretty fast & athletic, but he straight goes at the ball carrier like they stole something from him. Just lays the lumber with anger every single time.

Watts and Morrison are back, but Christian Gray, who was the jewel in his class that everybody wanted, is the standout so far. 6'2 Cornerback with arms that touch the ground. I've been most impressed by him of any ND player so far this spring. He will start opposite of Morrison at CB.

Not too much else to glean from a half hour of practice, but at least we got to see them actually hit.
Texmid
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This has an MFBarnes feel.
Ag Tag
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smstavinoha88 said:

My father in law played for Notre Dame in 1977 when they won the national championship. We have been looking forward to this game since it was announced! Planning to go to both games if possible.
Do you recall Notre Dame's only loss in that 1977 season?
USAF9705
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I do.
After going on the road and beating a 10 Pitt team, they returned home for what was supposed to be an easy home opener & lost by 7 to an Unranked Mississippi.
NoahAg
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smstavinoha88 said:

My father in law played for Notre Dame in 1977 when they won the national championship. We have been looking forward to this game since it was announced! Planning to go to both games if possible.
You're married to Rudy's daughter?!?
smstavinoha88
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Nope, but he said that Rudy actually took his spot on the field against Georgia Tech! He was a defensive lineman and had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against USC in the Green Jersey Game..

Aggie Dad 26
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USAF9705 said:

First game of the year always is fun to discuss because there is literally months of anticipation leading up to it.
And it's even more fun when it's an actual real game, not a preseason warmup against HS teams.

Notre Dame coming to Texas A&M will be a national game with CFP implications opening weekend.

I figured I would start a thread since spring practices have begun & actual roster movements & development have started.

Im a ND guy who is originally from Indiana & ND was my local team growing up. This was long before the NBC contract & back when Holtz was hired in '86.
I didn't know ND was national program & hated until I lived in Texas in the mid 90's.

I'm back in Indiana now & ND football is my vice, pretty much the only team I still follow from my youth.
But I have really good connections to the program now & get to see some practices & reports & can answer most questions about the team.

Funny enough, I'm close friends with someone who covers ND and was texting him back & forth at the exact same time he was texting back and forth with Elko about Elko leaving for the DC job at A&M from ND after the '17 season. That guy is still friends with Elko & a huge fan of his.

Anyways, any questions are welcomed. I truly enjoy talking college football, not just arguing with opposing fans or trolling.

I noticed a lot of talk on here about A&M's OL being a weakness? Is that a legit problem?

Sidenote: I was going to Subscribe, but when reading the notes it said to be able to post on some of the boards you have to have a pass (either A&M grad or associated with the university). Is that true? If I subscribe can I post on the forums? Thanks


It was either a bye week or playing a cupcake in 2021 that I decided to fly out and catch a Notre Dame game. Yall played UNC and won. I had an amazing time and plan on going back to see the Ag's play there in the future.

I got invited to some tailgates and had a blast. Campus was beautiful and probably my favorite of all the campuses I've visited for road games.
Maroon Flash
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Surprised Notre Dame signed up to come play at Kyle. The playing surface is roughly 10 feet below grade level and is going to be hot as hades even if the game is at night.

Won't be surprised if this is a 2:30 pm game.
v1rotate92
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USAF 9705. Is 9705 your UPT grad date?
Slick
Josepi
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You're surprised that ND likes money?
USAF9705
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I didn't fly. That was my STS (CSAR) date.
USAF9705
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No money involved, it's a home & home with A&M.
USAF9705
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ND opened in Texas a few years back & it was over 100 the entire time.
USAF9705
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Night game, was an awesome experience. UNC had Sam Howell at QB. Maybe we walked past each other.
USAF9705
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Not Ross Browner? He is one of my favorite ND players ever. Your father-in-law can tell you stories about him.
2 time National Champ, 2 time Consensus All American.
Outland trophy, Maxwell Award, Lombardi Award.
Past away recently.
TylerAg98
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Until I see something that makes me think otherwise, I have ND winning by 10 or more.
Aggie Dad 26
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USAF9705 said:

Night game, was an awesome experience. UNC had Sam Howell at QB. Maybe we walked past each other.

It was indeed a night game. Great atmosphere. I was on campus hrs before and soaked in as much as possible. I was easy to spot too

aggiejim70
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Maroon Flash said:

Surprised Notre Dame signed up to come play at Kyle. The playing surface is roughly 10 feet below grade level and is going to be hot as hades even if the game is at night.

Won't be surprised if this is a 2:30 pm game.
God never intended football to be played in Texas in the daytime in August. I'm pretty sure that's in one of those books in the Bible nobody ever reads.
The person that is not willing to fight and die, if need be, for his country has no right to life.

James Earl Rudder '32
January 31, 1945
The Agly Duckling
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USAF9705 said:

I didn't fly. That was my STS (CSAR) date.
Boy, you've come to the right place to get all kinds of love and respect for our military.

Thank you for doing the job you did in defense of our national security.

I never served but have lots of family who did and you have my ultimate thanks, recognition and appreciation.

CSAR is no joke.
The Agly Duckling
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Aggie Class of 2026 said:

USAF9705 said:

Night game, was an awesome experience. UNC had Sam Howell at QB. Maybe we walked past each other.

It was indeed a night game. Great atmosphere. I was on campus hrs before and soaked in as much as possible. I was easy to spot too


Great pic, Aggie Class of 2026!
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