ESPN College Football

Notre Dame has commitments from some of the most talented offensive linemen in the nation, according to Tuesday's release of the 2013 ESPN 150.

Two Irish verbals, Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo), check in at Nos. 91 and 95, respectively. They are ranked as the seventh- and eighth-best offensive tackle prospects for the 2013 class.

Both committed to Notre Dame on junior day (March 24). The Irish have two other commitments from offensive linemen and 10 total commitments for the 2013 class.

Michigan leads all schools with 11 committed players on the ESPN 150 list.

Congrats to Devereaux Peters and Natalie Novosel.

• Ball State's new athletic director is former Notre Dame deputy AD Bill Scholl.
• Scouts Inc.'s Kevin Weidl says if the Bills take Michael Floyd, they're going for need over best-available talent.
• As the South Bend Tribune's Tyler James notes, Ben Turk is stronger than you.
• Braxston Cave is emerging from injury, Wes Morgan writes on BlueandGold.com.
• The Irish's backfield is in with the old and the new, Tim Prister writes on IrishIllustrated.com.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Andrew Hendrix is a pre-med major, so forgive him for the long-winded analogy. But the way the rising junior sees it, being a quarterback is both an art and a science.

By the staff adding checks to Saturday's open practice for the first time this spring, Notre Dame's quarterbacks were able to reveal just how far along they had come in each subject.

"The science and the board, doing things in the playroom, it has to translate on the field," Hendrix said. "And today that was that art piece of it, where you can know it on the board but if you can't do it on the field, guys have to look back and see you being confident. I think that was the opportunity today to really show that you're a leader of the offense."

That last point, leadership, was the No. 1 thing coach Brian Kelly was looking for from his four signal-callers Saturday.

"It's like anything else: If you're confident and you walk up there and you know what you want to do and you're making the check, you're commanding your presence, that obviously goes a long way to the unit," Kelly said. "That was the thing that we wanted to see today: Who commands that respect. Who goes up there and, as I told them, even if you're wrong, go up there with a certainty that you know what you're doing."

The quarterbacks were live Saturday, and Kelly said they will be during this weekend's Blue-Gold spring game. Such situations create a better barometer for progress.

In the case of Tommy Rees, it sometimes means breaking free, as the junior has looked to add an element to his game that has been lacking through 16 starts the past two seasons.

"It's something that I definitely focused on developing, having designed runs," said Rees, who broke off an 8-yard run Saturday. "It's different when you're live -- you've got to figure out how to get down, have your pads down, not take hits. It's something that I definitely need to improve on, but it's something that's been a big focus for me. [I'm] trying to get better at that, and it's something that really can help this offense."

Hendrix added that having the extra sense of urgency helps force all of the quarterbacks out of their comfort zones.

"For a quarterback, when you know it's not live, it's sort of a different mindset," Hendrix said. "You can do your best, but it's really never the same thing. When you put on the blue jersey instead of the red, your clock ticks a little bit faster, maybe you feel a little more jumpy. But at the end of the day I'd say that the best barometer is to go live."

Notre Dame deputy athletic director Bill Scholl was named Ball State's athletic director Monday, Ball State president Jo Ann M. Gora announced.

Scholl worked at Notre Dame for more than two decades, supervising a number of sports in addition to leading fundraising efforts and growing external revenue.

"I share an ambitious vision with our student-athletes, fans and donors," Scholl said in a release. "Our programs will be competitive at the national level, and our student-athletes will succeed incompetition and in the classroom. I pledge no less than my very best effort to ensure their success. It has been my honor and privilege to serve Notre Dame over 23 years. That experience has prepared me to lead Ball State athletics to even greater success, and I look forward to the opportunity with great anticipation."

A Notre Dame graduate, the 54-year-old Scholl will start at Ball State on April 30.

Notre Dame fans in the United State will have to get their early-season tailgating out of the way Friday night.

The Irish's Sept. 1 opener against Navy, to be played in Dublin, Ireland, will kick off at 9 a.m. ET, which translates to 2 p.m. local time.

CBS Sports will have the broadcast from Aviva Stadium, with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson on the call.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Aaron Lynch would often call Manti Te'o his big brother, the two most talented Notre Dame defensive recruits in years bonding over the high expectations and even the distance away from home that each had to deal with in college.

So Te'o was a little surprised once he heard the news Friday that Lynch would be transferring at semester's end. But the linebacker knows there is a line that should not be crossed, and he is protective of his former teammate when it comes to the vitriol Lynch has dealt with from outsiders in light of his decision to go to another school.

"It hurt, because like I said, I cared about Aaron the kid, not the player," Te'o said. "Everybody else cares about what he does and it's obvious, because the poor kid is getting heat. That's not fair. That's not fair for a 19-year-old to be hounded by people online on his Facebook and stuff like that. So as an older brother I look at that and I'm just there for him — 'Hey, don't read that stuff. Just you do what you've got to do. And your family here at Notre Dame will always love you no matter what.' And he knows that, and like I said, I'm going to miss the kid."

Defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, who had been working with the second team this spring, will move into Lynch's spot. The fifth-year senior started a majority of the past three seasons for the Irish anyway, though he missed the last six games of 2011 because of a right knee injury.

"It's always shocking when you have somebody that talented leaving this university," Lewis-Moore said. "We're really going to miss Aaron, but at the same time we wish him the best. But we've got to kind of move on from that, there's no hard feelings."

Kelly said several times following Saturday's practice — the team's first since Lynch announced he would transfer — that the transition without the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end had been "seamless."

The third-year Irish coach acknowledged that the balance of coaching football and playing team psychologist is part of his job description, something he has gotten used to doing every day in what is going on a 22-year college head-coaching career.

"They're 18-21 year-olds, and they're going to have good days and bad days, so I think I'm constantly trying to be in touch with it," Kelly said. "I know our coaches try really hard, but that social worker, that psychologist, I think that all goes into being a good coach and a good teacher."

Lynch, who had not been shy in acknowledging the difficulties of his transition to college in a new region, is likely transferring to a school closer to his hometown of Cape Coral, Fla.,

Te'o dealt with many similar challenges upon his arrival to Notre Dame three years ago, especially coming all the way from Laie, Hawaii.

"When I was young there were many times after practice where I just said, 'I don't want to be here,' you know what I mean?" Te'o recalled. "But it's a growing process, you have to mature. It's hard. I think it's hard wherever you go, whether you're at Notre Dame, you're at USC — you're away from home. And for a young 18-, 19-year old, not being able to come home and see Mom and Dad and your siblings and have a home-cooked meal waiting for you, and coming here and you finish practice and you have to find out, what are you going to eat? Where am I going to go? Do I got to wash my clothes? Do I got to wash the dishes?

"It's a culture shock, so there were those days though. Fortunately for me, I just fought through it and I stuck it out, and that's one thing I want my little brother to experience. I wanted him to stick it out and reap the benefits of sticking it out and being here at Notre Dame and taking care of his family, but I know he'll take care of his family wherever he goes."

Yup, still laughing at this.

• The South Bend Tribune's Al Lesar says there has been no looking back for Dan McCarthy.
• Notre Dame has found safety in its new leaders, Tony Krausz writes in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.
• Punter Ben Turk is going back to the basics, Tim Prister writes on IrishIllustrated.com.
• The Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton says the Irish must get top talents to accept the program's challenges.
• The Observer's Matthew DeFranks says Notre Dame's running backs can alleviate some pressure from the quarterbacks this season.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame's coaches clinic Saturday made for a crowded audience inside the LaBar Practice Complex, as media members and more than 600 high school coaches were allowed to watch the Irish's 12th spring practice in its entirety.

John Goodman, Troy Niklas and Luke Massa were the latest players to be injured. Brian Kelly said afterward that Goodman had a right ankle sprain and probably could have practiced; the Irish were just being cautious. Niklas, meanwhile, had been battling flu-like symptoms.

The prognosis is less favorable for Massa, who suffered what Kelly said was an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament that would likely require surgery.

Prince Shembo, who had been suffering from turf toe, had surgery to insert a screw, which will likely shelve him for the next six weeks. Dan Fox was out once again because of the effects of a PCL injury suffered this spring.

Both DaVaris Daniels and Daniel Smith saw some time with the first-team receivers with Goodman out. The right side of the offensive line consisted of Braxston Cave, Mike Golic Jr. and Christian Lombard during tempo drills, with Golic, Nick Martin and Lombard facing off against the defense while scrimmaging. Cave does not yet know whether he will play in Saturday's spring game.

Kelly said that with the way things are playing out right now, Lombard has the inside track for the starting right tackle spot, with Golic and Martin likely battling it out for right guard.

The linemen had a little more riding on them Saturday, with the quarterbacks going live during scrimmaging. The biggest roars from the crowd, however, came during the rodeo drill and kick-coverage drill, with walk-on cornerback Joe Romano at the center of attention during two separate returns.

First, Romano got lit up by Justin Utupo, going to the sideline to recover for a few plays. Upon his return, Romano absorbed a vicious hit from Josh Atkinson, leaving the would-be tackler in his wake and firing up his teammates, who all gathered around him.

Following practice, Kelly clarified a comment that he made one night earlier during a speaking engagement at the Rockne Athletic Banquet in Chicago, as the rumor mill had swirled about the coach allegedly saying he was shooting for eight wins in 2012.

"No, that's not accurate," Kelly said. "What I said was that Notre Dame had not strung together three years in a row of eight wins or more, so if we win eight games next year or more, it will be the first time in 16 years [actually 19]. Thank you for getting that accurate.

"You shoot for eight wins around here, you won't be around very long. Believe me, trust me. My boss is up there, he already told me that. No 8-win seasons around here. We can build towards that, that's part of what we're doing is the building blocks of putting together a football program. We want consistency. The point of that whole statement was you need consistency, you need stability. Consistency is you can't have a 10-win season and then a three-win season, you've got to build consistency, and that's what we're all shooting for."

Anthony McDonald is the latest Notre Dame player who will extend his career this upcoming season in Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas announced Friday that McDonald, a former Irish linebacker, will become a Jayhawk after graduating in May, joining high school teammate Dayne Crist in reuniting with coach Charlie Weis.

Former Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone is reportedly Lawrence-bound as well.

All three players were recruited to Notre Dame by Weis, with both McDonald and Crist coming from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

McDonald appeared in 27 games for the Irish the past three seasons, totaling 24 tackles.

A very busy chat today, and a big thanks to those who stopped by. You can read it all here.

Some highlights:

• Adam (South Bend): I don't know about you, but I liked Stephon Tuitt better anyways. Did you know Aaron Lynch lost more yards on penalties than he gained on sacks?
• Matt Fortuna (2:10 PM): That's certainly an interesting way to look at it, one that I haven't thought about. Given the fact that most of his penalties were worth 15 yards -- and that he made little apology for them -- you're likely right. And yes, Tuitt, though it won't show in the numbers (good or bad), is a an absolute stud, one ND should be thankful to have.

• Johnny A (Rochester, Mich.): FOCUS ON THE PLAYERS WE HAVE, LYNCH IS GONE. Progress report on Ishaq please, haven't heard much this spring and he played far less than I expected last season.
• Matt Fortuna (2:42 PM): Lynch is the big news of the day, and of the spring, quite frankly -- and that's what 90 percent of today's questions have revolved around -- so that's what I'm going to cover. Ishaq had an opportunity with Prince Shembo sidelined a bit this spring, and he figures to see a lot of action this fall. As mentioned early, Kelly dropped a nugget today about sending him home earlier this year to make sure his head and heart were in it and he came back recharged. I'd expect big things from him soon.

• Pat (NY): I know they play different positions, and I might be too much of an optimist right now. But can't we look at the surprise commitment of Neal equaling out the loss of Lynch?
• Matt Fortuna (2:47 PM): Not exactly, Pat. Lynch was an immense talent, among the best the program has landed defensively in a long time (along with Te'o). He's a future first round draft pick, which you can't say with any degree of certainty about Neal. Not now, at least.

• Krystal (Raleigh, N.C.): Matt, Why is it that other ND fans want to blame Coach Kelly for something he has no control over like Aaron Lynch transferring? I praise Coach Kelly for the way he has handle the situation because he could have acted the way Les Miles did when Gunner Kiel decided to sign with ND.
• Matt Fortuna (2:53 PM): Because it has the look of a trend, Krystal -- Shepard leaving, Greenberry (and three others) de-comitting. It greatly hinders momentum within your program and creates a negative national perception, one that says some of these talents from warm weather cities won't fit in or like it at Notre Dame. I'm sure other coaches will point that out on the recruiting trail, and ND may have to re-examine who or how it is going after kids and what will be the right fit.

Talk about a bad start to Friday the 13th.

Aaron Lynch is gone from the Notre Dame football program, the Irish's best pass-rusher electing to take his talents back home to Florida upon semester's end. (Speculation is that South Florida could be the beneficiary. Coach Brian Kelly said he won't hold Lynch back, though he didn't say if Lynch would have an unconditional release.)

What started with an excusal from practice last Wednesday and Kelly denying that Lynch quit the team ended nine days later with the head coach beginning a last-minute press conference moments after Lynch's release by saying: "As you know, Aaron Lynch has quit the football team."

"I think whether I was at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati -- the dynamics are the same as it relates to your team and making sure that there's a standard across the board," Kelly said. "And I think there is a point where, listen, 'You're either in or not.' Like in recruiting, we're laying our cards on the table: Here's who we are, you know what I mean? This is what you're going to get when you come.

"We're not going to come in and say, 'You don't have to live in the dorms.' No, you've got to live in the dorms. We don't say, 'It's easy in the classroom, don't worry about it.' We don't say, 'Hey, don't worry about it, it never snows here' ... though it doesn't seem like it snows here much anymore. But the fact of the matter is when you're opened up like that, then you have to be that same way within the program, and we wish him the best."

The loss for the Irish defense is immeasurable. Seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries show the mark of a great defensive end. Throw in that Lynch did all this as a true freshman despite admittedly being far from the most coachable player upon arrival, and it's easy to see why Irish fans were excited about the defensive line for the next two years with Lynch as the anchor. (Yes, he is talented enough to go pro after three years.)

More troubling, however, is the lack of momentum that this team has been unable to sustain for nearly two years now.

Close out 2010 with four convincing wins ... give the ball away 10 times in two losses to open 2011.

Stock up on blue-chip prospects for the 2011 recruiting class ... and lose Deontay Greenberry, one of the team's biggest recruits, to Houston on national signing day.

Regain some punch with the late commitment of Davonte Neal ... and lose Tee Shepard, Greenberry's cousin, after he enrolled early.

Gain six commitments in a four-day span following Junior Day ... and watch one of the most talented defensive players in years leave the program a week before the spring game.

The Lynch-is-unhappy saga picked up plenty of steam this spring, some of it probably unwarranted early (he's not the first to dislike South Bend weather) before his early Easter break-departure for home caused a minor panic among the Irish's fanbase.

A return to school this week momentarily calmed everyone's nerves, but in the end, as Lynch had not been afraid to say publicly, the Florida native's marriage with Notre Dame was far from compatible.

"It was his third semester as a mid-year guy," Kelly said. "I think more of it was during this stretch of January, February, March. And again, some of it is, you've got a guy that is young, and you want to see him mature and then you know where you hit a point where it's not about growing up, it's about where your heart is, so that's where we got to this point in the decision.

"But during the season's easy, as you know: you play games, you know what I mean? So that keeps you fired up, and when he got in here as an early enrollee, it's the anticipation of playing and then the unknown when you go to Notre Dame, so I think it was after he got through the season. Then, where's your head at? And that's how we got to a decision."

Just a friendly reminder that our weekly Notre Dame chat returns at 2 p.m. today.

You can submit questions here.

It's Friday the 13th, so I wouldn't take my chances and go out. Especially when you're presented with this great alternative.

Talk to y'all soon.

In a move that should surprise no one following his declaration last week, Michael Floyd will be in New York for the April 26 NFL draft.

A record 26 players will be at Radio City Music Hall for the event, with a record five from national champion Alabama.

Floyd, projected by Todd McShay this week as the No. 10 overall pick to the Bills, said last week following Notre Dame's pro day that he planned to be at the event, adding that he had already picked out a gray suit with a purple shirt and black socks to wear.

Given recent events, a relatively quiet week ...

• From earlier this week: Notre Dame commit James Onwualu (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) is, simply, a workout freak, colleague Jared Shanker writes.
• Running back Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg Catholic), who holds an offer from the Irish, has been busy with track but will visit FSU's spring game Saturday, our Corey Long writes.
• The Irish are showing interest in quarterback Austin Allen (Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville), our Jamie Newberg writes.
• Notre Dame and Stanford are very high on the list of linebacker Brooks Ellis (Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville), Newberg writes.
• The Irish are one of many to offer receiver Torii Hunter Jr. (Prosper, Texas/Prosper), our Bob Przybylo writes.
• Notre Dame shows early interest in running back Lorenzo Collins (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison), but he has no offers yet, Shanker writes.
• Vincent Jackson (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit), a 2014 athlete, already has verbal offers from Notre Dame and several other schools, Long writes.
• Offensive tackle Nico Falah (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco), whom Notre Dame and several others have offered, plans to take his time, our Erik McKinney writes.
• The Irish lost out to Florida for cornerback Tre' Bell (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's), our Derek Tyson writes.
• Notre Dame is one of many to offer Watch List tailback Justin Davis (Stockton, Calif./Lincoln), who plans to commit in May, McKinney writes.

Matt Fortuna says it is way too early for a signal-caller to emerge from the pack for the Irish.