The Irish Huddle: Notre Dame spring football observations, quarterback notes
BlueandGold.com is back with another edition of The Irish Huddle, a podcast covering all things Notre Dame football hosted by Blue & Gold beat writers Patrick Engel and Tyler Horka.
Tuesday’s show starts by diving right into everything the hosts saw while observing the first half hour of last Thursday’s Notre Dame spring practice — the first of 15 the Fighting Irish will go through in a session that culminates with the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 23. The shows wraps up with a handful of questions from BlueandGold.com message board users.
Listen to The Irish Huddle: A Blue & Gold Notre Dame football podcast
The hosts make observations about head coach Marcus Freeman, his new Notre Dame assistant coaches and the overall vibe of the practice environment. Then they get into quarterback talk, of which there is a lot to unpack. That conversation begins at 5:15.
Reporters spoke with Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, junior quarterback Drew Pyne and sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner this past Saturday. The hosts break down the manner in which that trio went about their respective interviews and what Freeman’s role in building relationships will look like over the course of the spring and leading into the summer and fall.
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“This is a group effort in determining not only who the starting quarterback is going to be but what Notre Dame wants out of these quarterbacks — all four of the scholarship guys,” Horka said.
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“Be that voice,” Engel added. “Jack Coan was that because he had done it before. Ian Book was that because he had grown into that. They want to see Buchner grow into it too.”
The hosts wrap up the spring practice conversation with injury and roster notes (14:00). Senior running back C’Bo Flemister is no longer with the Irish, but senior cornerback TaRiq Bracy is locked in for a fifth year. Starting defensive players Cam Hart (corner) and Jayson Ademilola (defensive tackle) will not participate in spring ball as they rehab shoulder injuries.
Sixth-year offensive lineman Josh Lugg is back from his knee injury, as is fifth-year wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. Sixth-year wide receiver Avery Davis is still recovering from ACL surgery. He looked good doing agility drills on his own off to the side.
The hosts answer these questions (19:47) from BlueandGold.com subscribers to wrap up the latter half of the podcast:
- GoIrish52: Who handles kicking and punting duties? Who will be the kick and punt returners?
- Irish4life: Which underclassmen defensive backs have been impressive?
- Toe Fuzz: Which players do you anticipate switching positions?
- Frank Serra: Do you think Notre Dame will land a graduate transfer defensive tackle with the news of Aidan Keanaaina’s ACL tear?
- MikeSinger: What’s your favorite fast food chain? Who has been your favorite Notre Dame player to cover? Who is a secret breakout candidate this season?
