ND 2010 Opponents - 2011 NFL Draft Results

Here's a look at how many players were drafted from everyone of the teams that Notre Dame played this season.  The first group of teams make up the eight teams we beat (26 players drafted), while the second group of teams make up the teams we lost to (9 players drafted):

TEAMS WE BEAT IN 2010 -- PLAYERS DRAFTED INTO NFL:

• Purdue:  1
• Boston College:  1
• Pittsburgh:  5
• Western Michigan:  0
• Utah:  2
• Army:  0
• USC:  9
• Miami:  8

TEAMS WE LOST TO IN 2010 -- PLAYERS DRAFTED INTO NFL:

• Michigan:  2
• Michigan State:  2
• Stanford:  4
• Navy:  0
• Tulsa: 1

Notre Dame Players Drafted (NFL) Since 2000

As you can see below, this is the third time in the last twelve drafts that there was only one Notre Dame player drafted into the NFL.  The lack of players being drafted this year -- also cost the Irish the top spot in the All-Time NFL Draft list of most players drafted from one college.  A school in Los Angeles can now claim that honor.  Notre Dame now has had 466 players drafted into the NFL, USC with their 9 player drafted this year is now at 472.  Here's the Draft by year for Notre Dame -- since 2000:

2000 NFL DRAFT:
Round 7 (214): Jarious Jackson - Denver Broncos

2001 NFL DRAFT:
Round 3 (68): Mike Gandy - Chicago Bears
Round 3 (86): Brock Williams - New England Patriots
Round 4 (119): Jabari Holloway - New England Patriots
Round 6 (178): Tony Driver - Buffalo Bills
Round 6 (195): Dan O'Leary - Buffalo Bills
Round 7 (213): Anthony Denman - Jacksonville Jaguars

2002 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (52): Anthony Weaver - Baltimore Ravens
Round 4 (133): Rocky Boiman - Tennessee Titans
Round 5 (138): John Owens - Detroit Lions
Round 6 (198): Tyreo Harrison - Philadelphia Eagles
Round 6 (206): Javin Hunter - Baltimore Ravels
Round 7 (253): David Givens - New England Patriots

2003 NFL DRAFT:
Round 1 (21): Jeff Faine - Cleveland Browns
Round 5 (153): Jordan Black - Kansas City Chiefs
Round 5 (168): Sean Mahan - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 5 (170): Shane Walton - St. Louis Rams
Round 6 (182): Gerome Sapp - Baltimore Ravens
Round 6 (197): Arnaz Battle - San Francisco 49ers
Round 6 (212): Brennan Curtin - Green Bay Packers

2004 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (43): Julius Jones - Dallas Cowboys
Round 2 (60): Courtney Watson - New Orleans Saints
Round 4 (122): Glenn Earl - Houston Texans
Round 6 (170): Vontez Duff - Houston Texans
Round 6 (180): Jim Molinaro - Washington Redskins

2005 NFL DRAFT:
Round 3 (74): Justin Tuck - New York Giants
Round 5 (144): Jerome Collins - St. Louis Rams

2006 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (53): Anthony Falsano - Dallas Cowboys
Round 3 (90): Maurice Stovall - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 6 (205): Dan Stevenson - New England Patriots

2007 NFL DRAFT:
Round 1 (22): Brady Quinn: Cleveland Browns
Round 2 (57): Victor Abiamiri - Philadephia Eagles
Round 3 (70): Ryan Harris - Denver Broncos
Round 5 (166): Derek Landri - Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 6 (202): Mike Richardson - New England Patriots
Round 7 (230): Dan Santucci - Cincinnati Bengals
Round 7 (253): Chinedum Ndukwe - Cincinnati Bengals

2008 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (38): John Carlson - Seattle Seahawks
Round 2 (47): Trevor Laws - Philadelphia Eagles
Round 3 (86): Tom Zbikowski - Baltimore Ravens
Round 6 (186): John Sullivan - Minnesota Vikings

2009 NFL DRAFT:
Round 4 (114): David Bruton - Denver Broncos

2010 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (48): Jimmy Clausen - Carolina Panthers
Round 2 (60): Golden Tate - Seattle Seahawks
Round 6 (179): Sam Young - Dallas Cowboys
Round 6 (183): Eric Olsen - Denver Broncos

2011 NFL DRAFT:
Round 2 (43): Kyle Rudolph - Minnesota Vikings


Here's a link listing all of the players drafted from Notre Dame, by year -- just scroll down:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ALL-TIME NFL DRAFT BY YEAR

A Propsed Design Enhancement to ND Stadium!

It is my understanding the gentleman who did this work is a Notre Dame grad in the Chicago area who's obviously an architect (I don't know his name).  A few months ago I showcased an earlier design of his -- that I really liked.   He took some of the comment he received, an incorporated them into a new design.  I like this work too!  Here's a number of architectural renderings of his latest design.  Enjoy!

Vikings GM Talks About Drafting Kyle Rudolph

The Minnesota Vikings' General Manager Rick Spielman sat down with the Vikings.com's Mike Wobschall to talk about Kyle Rudolph.  Here's the link:

LINK:  VIKINGS' GM TALKS PICK OF RUDOLPH

Who Wears the Carolina Panthers' Uniform #2?

This will be the first clue of where Jimmy Clausen stands with the front office of the Carolina Panthers.  Clausen, who wore uniform #7 with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, wore uniform #2 with the Panthers last year.  Friday night, the Panthers drafted Cam Newton #1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and he wore uniform #2  at Auburn. 

Who wears #2 for the Carolina Panthers?  Here's a link to the brewing controversy in Charlotte:

LINK:  WHO WEARS #2?

The Reaction to Vikings Drafting Kyle Rudolph

Took a lap around the world wide web this morning to see what some of the media experts had to say about the Minnesota Vikings taking Kyle Rudolph with the #43 pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Here are the links:

LINK:  PRO FOOTBALL TALK

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Vikings Head Coach Talks About Kyle Rudolph

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier discussed the selection of Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph with the #43 pick in last night's NFL Draft.  Notre Dame fans will enjoy this.  Here's the video interview:

LINK:  LESLIE FRAZIER TALKING ABOUT PICK OF RUDOLPH

Minneapolis Star Tribune -- Talkin' Kyle Rudolph

Notre Dame star tight end, Kyle Rudolph was selected at pick #43 of the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.  Here's a link to a Minneapolis Star Tribune "video" story of Rudolph's selection:

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH GOES TO VIKINGS

"Must See TV" For Notre Dame Fans Today

The 2011 NFL Draft will enter its final day today -- the coverage on ESPN begins at Noon EST.  Notre Dame fans will want to see where Ian Williams, Chris Stewart, Armando Allen and their teammates end up!

If you're watching the NFL Network's coverage of the NFL Draft between 2 PM EST and 4 PM EST today -- you should catch Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly on the air as a guest commentator.

Later today at 7 PM EST -- the #1 ranked Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse team travels to Syracuse to take on the #4 ranked Orangemen.  The game will be televised live on ESPNU.  This will be the "game of the year" in college lacrosse.

Brian Kelly Meets With ND Club of Dallas

You're going to love watching these YOUTUBE videos of Coach Kelly speaking last night in Dallas, TX with the Notre Dame Club of Dallas.  He gets it!  The video is in three sections -- PLEASE NOTE:  I apologize that the initial link I posted didn't work, that's what happens when you do something "in between meetings" and get a little sloppy!  Sorry!

LINK:  COACH KELLY -- PART ONE

LINK:  COACH KELLY -- PART TWO 

LINK:  COACH KELLY -- PART THREE

Kyle Rudolph: Should He Have Stayed at ND?

I feel sorry for Kyle Rudolph and his family tonight.  The young man did the GOLD HELMET proud, just wish he was wearing it one more season!

What four months ago seemed like a "lock" to be a NFL first round draft pick -- Kyle was not among the 32 first round picks.  So, he will wait another 19 hours to learn what helmet he'll wear this fall.

What a shame -- Rudolph deserved much better that this.

Kyle should have stayed one more year at ND and proved he could play 13 games injury free.  I wonder how the "experts" who told him he was ready -- feel tonight.  Were there any players taken in the 1st round of the NFL Draft that were injured in each of the last two seasons -- injuries that required surgery -- that missed as many games as Kyle?

I truly believe you don't leave early, to get second round money, if you're a Notre Dame football player.

ND FANS: Vote For Manti Teo Magazine Cover!

Phil Steele's 2011 College Football Preview Magazine is running an online contest to see what college football player should be on their upcoming national cover.  Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Teo is one of fifteen players up for this honor.  And, he's in the lead!  Here's a link to the website that has the contest -- look to the right hand column of the website:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FANS -- VOTE FOR MANTI!

The All Time Winning Percentage -- Very Close!

At present, the school in Ann Arbor is the #1 ranked college football program in the land in regards to overall "winning percentage."  The Wolverines have a 73.295% winning percentage, our Fighting Irish are in second place with a 73.223% winning percentage.  It's that close...

THANK YOU RICH ROD!!!

So, if we win our first game -- and then we beat Michigan on September 10th -- the IRISH will take back the #1 ALL-TIME winning percentage in college football history!

LINK:  HERE'S THE ALL TIME WINNING PERCENTAGE GRAPH

Katenda Commits to Mike Brey's Irish!

Eric Katenda, a 6'-8" small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, KS) committed to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame yesterday afternoon.  Katenda chose the Irish over Wake Forest, Iowa and Georgia Tech -- at a press conference at his high school. 

Here's a link to a South Bend Tribune story along with a link to an ESPN recruiting profile of Katenda:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  ESPN RECRUITING PROFILE

Two Domers Need the Irish Nation to Vote!!!

Jarrett Haley and Tom Chilcote -- who earned their MFA's at the University of Notre Dame -- have teamed up to create Bull:  Men's Fiction, an online journal dedicated to publishing men's fiction.  Their efforts have placed them into a contest sponsored by Dockers called "Wear The Pants Project."

They're in the running to win a big cash prize from Dockers -- to help them towards that goal -- you just need to vote.  Let's GO IRISH and vote for Jarrett and Tom's work!

LINK:  VOTE HERE FOR THE IRISH!!!

LINK:  THE BULL:  MEN'S FICTION -- OFFICIAL SITE

A Penn State Student -- Tells It Like It Is...

A Penn State student named Jared Shanker -- who writes for their student newspaper The Collegian -- told a story today that the regional bank in Indianapolis BANK NCAA, nor the self proclaimed "world leader in sports" in Bristol, CT -- has the guts to tell.  Thanks Jared!

Here's a link to Jared's story:  UGLY TREND -- GRADUATION RATES

Notre Dame Still Sells Magazines at Newsstand!

The gang at Athlon Sports announced today that they would begin their "pre-season" countdown of the top 25 teams in the country for the 2011 college football season on May 2nd. (WHAT TOOK SO LONG?)  While doing so -- they couldn't pass on the opportunity to talk about Notre Dame Football -- for this simple reason -- NOTRE DAME SELLS.


Here's a link to their story:  DOES ND DESERVE A TOP FIVE RANKING?

ND Still Leads All-Time NFL Players Drafted!

The University of Notre Dame still holds a slight lead over the University of Southern California -- for the total number of players drafted into the NFL.  Here's a link to the Cleveland Plain Dealer story:

LINK:  IRISH -- THE ALL-TIME LEADER!

Will Rudolph Go In the NFL Draft's First Round?

What seemed like a "given" a few months ago when he decided to leave Notre Dame early for the NFL Draft -- that Kyle Rudolph would be a first round draft pick -- is not such a sure thing anymore.  I've seen a number of "mock drafts" that don't have him going until the "Jimmy Clausen zone" of the second round.

The "injury thing" has been raised during this long evaluation period that each NFL hopeful must endure.  Kyle Rudolph has yet to play a full season since his freshman campaign with Notre Dame.  He missed a couple of games his sophomore season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and he missed most of last season due to a hamstring injury that required surgery.  NFL teams take note of that.

So, the question of the day is this -- if Kyle doesn't go in the first round of Thursday's NFL Draft, did he make a huge mistake by leaving early?  Here are links to stories over the past twenty-four hours about where Kyle might go:

LINK:  ST. LOUIS RAMS?

LINK:  BALTIMORE RAVENS?

LINK:  ATLANTA FALCONS?

Garrick Sherman Transfers to Notre Dame!

Michigan State Spartan, Garrick Sherman announced today that he would be transferring to the University of Notre Dame to play basketball for the Irish!  The 6'-10" forward will have two years of eligibility left after sitting out the 2011-2012 season.  Here's a link to his bio on the MSU site:

LINK:  GARRICK SHERMAN

A Nice Story -- An Annual Pilgrimage to ND!

Gerald LaVaute and his son Matthew made their annual pilgrimage to Notre Dame to watch the Blue Gold Game.  Gerald, a staff writer with Heritage Media in Southeast Michigan (in Wolverine country) wrote about their trip and produced a video as well.  Thought you'd enjoy the story and video of their day at "America's Holy Land:"

LINK:  A PILGRIMAGE TO NOTRE DAME

Game Of The Year -- College Men's Lacrosse!

The #1 ranked and undefeated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame travel to Syracuse, NY this Saturday to take on the #4 ranked and once-beaten Orangemen.  The game will be played in the Carrier Dome -- and Syracuse's athletic department is expecting a huge crowd.  Here's a link to an alert that went out this afternoon to fans planning on attending the game:

LINK:  BETTER COME EARLY TO SATURDAY'S GAME!

Robert Hughes -- A Wonderful Story Today...

University of Notre Dame senior running back -- Robert HUUUUUUGHES was featured today in a Chicago Sun Times story.  Robert is one of nine former Irish football players waiting to learn later this week if they'll be given the chance to play in the NFL.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- CHICAGO SUN TIMES

OT -- Cam Newton Offered $1 million...

To answer "no" to four questions "truthfully" about his recruitment to Auburn and Mississippi State.  I'm guessing this is a "Bama Fan" who made the $1 million offer to Cam if he can pass a lie detector test.  A very clever approach, that the "Newton camp" may have to deal with -- leading up to the NFL Draft on Thursday.  Here's the link:

LINK:  JUST SAY NO -- EARN $ 1 MILLION!

Zibby Wins Again -- Now 4-0 as a Pro Boxer!

Tommy Zbikowski scored a first round knockout last night over Blake Warner at WinStar Casino in Thackerville, OK!  If you're counting, he's now 4-0 as a professional boxer.  Here's a link to the coverage of his fight last night -- as well as a YouTube video of the fight:

LINK:  NFL.COM

LINK:  BALTIMORE SUN

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  YOUTUBE VIDEO OF ZIBBY'S KNOCKOUT!

HAPPY EASTER to the Notre Dame Family!

Thought I'd share a link to one of my favorite Notre Dame websites this morning -- PRAY ND.  If you've never been to this site, find the time sometime today.  Here's the link:

LINK:  HAPPY EASTER TO THE NOTRE DAME FAMILY!

Tulsa's Bowl Rings -- Refer to Victory Over ND

The University of Tulsa handed out their "bling" to this year's football team -- and the big topic of discussion was the ring given to the players and coaches.   As you'll see in the pictures --  the ring commemorated more than the Golden Hurricane's win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.  I'll leave the photo to do the explaining...

Here's a link to the Tulsa World story:  A WIN THEY'LL NEVER FORGET

The "Mike and MIKE Bowl" -- I Missed This!

The renewal of the Notre Dame vs. Northwestern football series took a unique path in how it was introduced to the sports world.  ESPN Radio's Mike and MIKE Show had the honors of announcing that ND and NW would play each other in 2014 and again in 2018 live -- on their show.  I missed all the fun that took place -- so I thought I'd provide a link to Greeny and Golic's segment with Coach Kelly and Coach Fitzgerald.  Here you go:

LINK:  THE MIKE AND MIKE BOWL

Brian Kelly Ranked 13th Best College Coach

The folks at College Football News recently ranked the top college football coaches in America and our man Brian Kelly made their Top 15.  Here's a link to the story and what they had to say about Notre Dame's head football coach.  Here's hoping his ranking is LUCKY for the IRISH this year!

LINK:  COACH KELLY PICKED #13

What's Jimmy Clausen Thinking?

A year ago, Jimmy Clausen was thought to be a sure-fire first round NFL draft pick.  He left Notre Dame early to cash in on the big bucks that goes with being an early pick in the annual NFL talent auction.  Most draft experts felt Jimmy was a lock to be the first QB taken in the draft -- probably among the top ten picks.  It was the right decision to leave Notre Dame early...

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell this to the guys running the draft for each of the NFL teams in the first round -- as Jimmy fell to the 48th pick (second round) to the Carolina Panthers.  This cost Clausen more than $40 million in his first NFL contract negotiation.

The best decision Clausen and his handlers made was not to have him sitting in the NFL Draft's "green room" -- like Brady Quinn three-years prior.

Notre Dame fans will recall these same NFL draft experts "spinning" that Clausen ended up in the perfect situation for a rookie QB.  The Carolina Panthers offered Jimmy a good offensive line, strong running game a talented wide receiver and the opportunity to play early.

Once again, all of the experts were wrong -- as Carolina's season went BAD FAST.  Clausen was forced to play early and he didn't play well.  For the season, Clausen threw for 1,558 yards, three TD's and nine interceptions.  He completed 52.5% of his passes for a QB rating of 58.4.  He started 10 games winning just one -- as the Panthers went 2-14 for the season, securing the #1 pick in next Thursday's NFL Draft.

Now, a year later -- all of the people who made the decision to draft  Clausen are gone in Carolina.  And, those same NFL Draft experts believe the Panthers may take Auburn's Cam Newton -- the Heisman Trophy winning QB -- with their first overall pick.  Can't be easy for Clausen.

Here's a link to some of the more recent stories about what Carolina might do with the #1 pick Thursday -- and it's impact on Clausen:

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

LINK:  NBC

Notre Dame's Top Student -- From Michigan!

Edward Larkin was selected as the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2011's Valedictorian.  The East Lansing, MI native carries a 4.0 GPA in Biological Sciences and a supplementary major in Classical Civilization.  Here's a link to a ND Newswire story on Larkin's honor.

LINK:  ND'S CLASS OF 2011 -- VALEDICTORIAN

Ever Wonder How Many Days To ND Football?

The folks at AgencyND -- the talented "in-house" ad agency at the University of Notre Dame, created a "widget" that counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to every kick-off for the 2011 football season.  Thought you'd enjoy seeing this.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  COUNTDOWNS TO NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

The One Game He Won't Root For the IRISH!

Every Saturday morning in the fall since 2005 -- Notre Dame football fans can always count on Louis Leo Holtz picking the Irish to beat their opponent on ESPN's College Gameday.  Well, that might change 134 days from today.

On Saturday, September 3, 2011 -- Skip Holtz will bring the Bulls of the University of South Florida back to his alma mater to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  And earlier that day -- I fully expect Lou Holtz will pick the Bulls to upset his beloved Irish for the first time ever on College Gameday.  Irish fans, brace yourself -- because I also expect Mark May to pick ND to win that day!

Lacrosse History This Week -- ND #1

The University of Notre Dame's men's lacrosse team made history this week -- as they were voted #1 in college lacrosse for the first time in school history!  The undefeated IRISH -- the only undefeated team in college lacrosse -- were ranked #1 in both major lacrosse polls; Nike/Inside Lacrosse Poll and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Poll.

The "cool" thing about the number #1 ranking of the Irish is this -- this sport has been dominated by schools on the east coast.  In fact, Notre Dame is the "furthest school west" to ever be ranked #1 in lacrosse.  Here are links to the polls along with a link to a South Bend Tribune story:

LINK:  INSIDE LACROSSE POLL

LINK:  UNITED STATES INTERCOLLEGIATE LACROSSE COACHES POLL

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

NFL Draft -- One Week Away For IRISH Nine

Nine members of this year's Fighting Irish football team will know next week if there's going to be an opportunity to play in the NFL.  For players like Kyle Rudolph and Ian Williams -- the question's not "IF" it's where.  For the balance of the Irish -- it's not so clear cut if the NFL is going to come calling.  Here's a link to a story in the Bleacher Report that lists where each of the nine ND student-athletes stand in the NFL Draft process.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME PLAYERS -- IS THERE AN NFL IN THEIR FUTURE?

Jewell Loyd's Press Conference Yesterday

The folks at the CSLInsider were present yesterday at Jewell Loyd's press conference where she selected the University of Notre Dame over UCONN and Tennessee.  The 5'-9" guard is one of the top players in the country in the Class of 2012 -- she's a huge "get" for Muffet's Irish!  Here's a link to the story and video of her press conference.

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD GOES IRISH!!!

Coach Kelly With WNDU's Jeff Jeffers

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, sat down with WNDU-TV's Jeff Jeffer's yesterday to talk about the Blue Gold game.  Here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY INTERVIEW

Muffet's Irish -- Get their Jewell!

One of the top players in the country, Jewell Loyd committed to the University of Notre Dame women's basketball program today!  Loyd, who plays for Niles West High School is the 6th ranked player in the country in the Class of 2012 -- and she chose the Irish over UCONN and Tennessee in a press conference at her high school.  Here's a link to the story and a recruiting profile:

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD PICKS NOTRE DAME!

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD RECRUITING PROFILE

Forbes: ND Does Quite Well On Their Own...

The folks at Forbes finally put a "positive" twist on Notre Dame Athletics -- pointing out that they could make "millions more" if they joined a conference.  Yet, they're still one of only 14 NCAA Athletic programs that turn a profit annually.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  HOW DOES ND DO FINANCIALLY?

The Best Boxer In NFL History...

That's the headline in an article this morning about former Notre Dame football star Tommy Zbikowski and his return to the boxing ring during the NFL lockout.  Zibby has another fight this Saturday at a casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.  Thought you'd enjoy this Wall Street Journal article.  Here's the link:

LINK:  TOMMY Z

Here's What ND Learned From Investigation...

The University of Notre Dame outlined its findings this morning from a nearly six-month investigation of the Declan Sullivan tragedy.  Here are the key points stressed in this conference:

1. The weather was last checked by the ND staff at 2:46 PM ET on October 27th -- the eighth time they had checked the wind that day -- prior to practice
2. The scissors lift blew over at 4:54 PM ET
3. The wind gust that blew the scissors lift over was estimated as a 53 mph wind gust

The major finding was this -- the data that Notre Dame was looking at online regarding weather -- was updated every hour at approximately 54 minutes after the hour.  Thus, when the football staff was last looking at a weather update at 2:46 PM ET -- they were looking at a weather report from actually 1:54 PM ET.  If, the ND staff had checked the weather reports at approximately 2:55 PM ET instead of 2:46 PM ET -- they would have seen wind gusts exceeding 35 mph -- and probably would have lowered the scissors lifts at practice.

A sad day for the Sullivan family and the Notre Dame family.

Here's a link to the University of Notre Dame's report:  DECLAN SULLIVAN TRAGEDY FINDINGS

Former Domer Sam Young -- Back at ND

Former Irish offensive lineman Sam Young, now with the Dallas Cowboys -- was in town for the Blue Gold game this weekend.  The gang at 960 WSBT-AM caught up with him on the sideline.  Sharp young man -- here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  SAM YOUNG INTERVIEW

The NBC VERSUS -- BLUE GOLD Highlights

Here's the game highlights from yesterday's BLUE GOLD game at Notre Dame Stadium.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

NBC's Keith Arnold VERSUS Sideline Interview

Notre Dame fans will enjoy this interview that took place during the BLUE GOLD game yesterday afternoon.  Keith Arnold is the ND beat writer at NBC.  Here's the link:

LINK:  KEITH ARNOLD INTERVIEW

Fastest Player in America -- COMMITS IRISH!

He's been timed as fast as 4.31 in the 40 yard dash -- he was being recruited by every major football program in America -- and yesterday morning he decided the University of Notre Dame was the place to take his talents.

His name is Ronald Darby and he hails from Potomac High School in Oxford Hills, Maryland.  Recruiting expert Tom Lemming calls him "the fastest player in the country."

Here's a few links to stories about Darby and his commitment to Notre Dame:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- DARBY COMMITS TO ND!

LINK:  ESPN -- "POTOMAC'S SPEED DEMON"

LINK:  RIVALS -- "BORN TO RUN"

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST

LINK:  MAX PREPS

LINK:  HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

LINK:  ESPN RISE -- FASTEST 60 METER TIME IN THE COUNTRY

LINK:  NATIONAL RANKINGS -- 200 METERS

LINK:  NATIONAL RANKINGS -- 60 METERS