Thanks for another strong turnout this week for the weekly Notre Dame chat. A full transcript can be found here.
And onto some highlights ...
And onto some highlights ...
- BW (Colorado): Matt,Why is it when a young man like D. Neal waits to sign & then signs with ND do all the haters and others come out and slam
- Matt Fortuna (2:10 PM): BW, Neal was going to get plenty of heat regardless of where he signed. I don't know the full circumstances of the kid's situation so I'm not going to slam him or speculate, but anytime a top recruit waits until after the pack on national signing day to announce his choice he will get some heat for trying to stand out and draw more attention. Add in the fact that he was a no-show without notice to anyone for his morning announcement Tuesday -- and that 600 elementary school kids were pulled out of class for virtually no reason -- and the kid is going to take some criticism, regardless of where he ends up. In the time between his scheduled announcement and actual one, several ND fans had said they didn't even want him anymore because of the circus.
- Casey (South Bend, IN): Hi MattJust wondering what the advantages would be, if any, for "redshirting" Kiel this season?
- Matt Fortuna (2:15 PM): Casey, if multiple guys prove they are more game-ready than Kiel, then what would be the point of playing him just a little bit? The kid's clearly talented, and you'd like to maximize the potential amount of time he could play. Better to have the possibility of four strong years after he learns the offense and playbook on the sideline this year than only three more years after a handful of meaningless snaps.
- Evan (Indiana): Matt, I've been an Irish fan since I was young and I feel Coach Kelly has the program positioned to be a contender. Outside of the question at quarterback right now, do you see an offense that is more talented than the Irish will be this Fall?
- Matt Fortuna (2:31 PM): Evan, I'm not sure I do. Quarterback aside, how do you expect to get better when you lose possibly the greatest WR in school history? Tyler Eifert won't sneak up on anyone again, either. And we don't what's behind Cierre Wood yet. Then again, if this team does a much better job of protecting the ball than last year's, it could have more success.
- Darren (Peoria, Ill.) If you could only take one, between Davonte Neal and Deontay Greeberry. who are you takin?
- Matt Fortuna (2:42 PM): There's no right answer here (at least that we know of yet), but I say Greenberry given the circumstances. Any coach will tell you losses hurt more than wins feel great, and losing a top recruit at a position of need to a school like Houston at the last minute stings.
Matt Fortuna | email
College Football- ESPN.com Notre Dame blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Wrote for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Matt Fortuna
Fortuna joined ESPN.com in 2011 after working for MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he covered college sports. He grew up in New York and is a Penn State graduate.
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