Took a lap around the worldwide web this morning to see what the media has to say about the news that Marcus Freeman would be named the Dick Corbett Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame. Here's what I found:
Here are some of the highlights of Brian Kelly's deal that apparently makes him the "highest paid coach" in college football:
10 year base salary worth $95 million
A "stay at LSU" bonus of $500,000 -- paid out every July 1st he is employed at LSU
A "bowl bonus" of $500,000 for every bowl game LSU plays in
A "SEC Championship game appearance" and he gets a bonus of $75,000
A "SEC Championship" win and he gets a $150,000 bonus
A "National Championship" win and he gets at $500,000 bonus
Win the first "SEC Championship" and his compensation increases $250,000 -- every year for the life of his contract
Win a "National Championship" and his compensation increases $500,000 -- every year for the life of his contract
Two car allowance of $1,000 a month
An interest free loan of $1.2 million to purchase a home
50 hours of travel per year on private jets
If Kelly is fired "without cause" -- LSU still owes him 90% of the balance of the ten-year salary
If Kelly leaves while the current Athletic Director is employed:
He would pay a $4 million "buyout" if he left in the next year
He would pay a $3 million "buyout" if he left in year two of his contract
He would pay a $2 million "buyout" if he left in any year after two years into his contract
If the LSU Athletic Director leaves while Kelly is the Head Coach -- Kelly does not owe LSU a contract buyout fee if he leaves before his contract ends.
If the stories are true that Brian Kelly is leaving Notre Dame to coach Louisiana State University -- good for him. He did us right and if he's all about chasing a great contract to end his career -- he's earned that.
Here's why I'm excited tonight -- I believe college football is all about the "Jimmy's and Joe's" not the "X's and O's"
Have you ever heard this phrase: "Dabo Swinney is a great offensive mind." I never have -- Dabo is a great recruiter and a great promoter. Kids want to play for him, they see him running around that sideline hugging his players, laughing and having fun...
I believe we need a head coach that makes recruiting a PRIORITY -- to win that next National Championship. It's been the team with the best TALENT that has been winning the titles.
So, be happy for Coach Kelly and his family. And, pray we find a great coach -- who will recruit, recruit, recruit!!!
I am happy for Notre Dame tonight -- we'll be returning one of the top teams in all of college football next season -- and we'll do so with some new energy at the top.
There is plenty of talk right now about what "one loss" teams should be selected for the College Football Playoffs -- so, I thought I'd give the Committee some background on each of these teams:
TEAM A (Michigan):
Their one loss was to the currently ranked #11 team (9-2) by 4 points
Strength of schedule is: #13
Wins over FBS opponents: 11
TEAM B (Alabama):
Their one loss was to the currently ranked #24 team (8-4) by 3 points
Strength of schedule is: #50
Wins over FBS opponents: 9
TEAM C (Oklahoma State):
Their one loss was to a currently un-ranked opponent (7-5) by 3 points
Strength of schedule is: #5
Wins over FBS opponents: 9
TEAM D (Notre Dame):
Their one loss was to the currently ranked #4 team (12-0) by 11 points
Strength of schedule is #9
Wins over FBS opponents: 11
So, right now -- two (2) ONE LOSS teams are set to make the College Football Playoffs -- how do you pick among these four teams?
The two teams with the "best losses?"
Notre Dame lost to #4
Michigan lost to #11
Alabama lost to #24
Oklahoma State lost to an un-ranked opponent
The two teams with the most wins over FBS opponents?
If Michigan beats Iowa they will have 12 FBS wins
Notre Dame has 11 FBS wins
If Alabama beats Georgia they will have 10 FBS wins
If Oklahoma State beats Baylor they will have 10 FBS wins
The two teams with the highest strength of schedules?
The NCAA National Championship in Division II for football -- might just be played today in Big Rapids, MI -- as #1 Ferris State takes on #3 Grand Valley in today's NCAA Playoff game...
The game kicks off at 1 PM ET -- you can watch it LIVE right here: FERRIS TV
Our guy Dick Vitale (father of two Notre Dame graduates) made his return to the broadcast booth last night after being treated for cancer these past few months...
Dick -- we're glad you are back doing what you love -- and what we all love!
We made the decision this year to recognize the thousands of "unsung heroes" here at the University of Notre Dame. Their efforts kept the university up and running during the pandemic, while many other schools decided it was not worth the risk...
ln May of 2020, I watched singer/songwriter Jeffrey James (Brownsburg, IN) perform his song "We Can Be Heroes" on NBC's Songland. I immediately fell in love with the song and contacted Jeffrey's agent the very next day and suggested that we shoot a music video of this song on the Notre Dame campus.
I quickly learned that because Jeffrey had just performed the song on NBC and the show's staff had helped him re-write some lyrics and change up the melody -- that the song was off limits for a year...
Well, a year passed and Jeffrey's agent -- Chris Ferren reached out to me and as they say -- the rest is history.
The same week we shot the music video on campus, Jeffrey performed at our Friday Night Bash at Notre Dame Stadium -- the night before our game against Purdue.
Hope you like the music video and the story it tells. Please note, you're going to want to hang around and watch all of the credits...
Notre Dame Football is now #6 in the College Football Rankings -- so, here's what it's going to take for us to get into the TOP 4 and earn a playoff spot...
1. Notre Dame clobbers Stanford -- wouldn't it be nice if we kept Stanford without a TD!
2. Georgia beats Alabama by two TD's or more in the SEC Conference Championship game.
3. Cincinnati loses to Houston in Conference USA Championship game.
4. Then we have the Big 12 -- we need an Oklahoma State loss either this week or Big 12 Championship game...
So, here's what happens:
Georgia handles Alabama and Oklahoma State loses a game -- WE ARE IN
Georgia handles Alabama and Cincinnati loses to Houston -- WE ARE IN
Cincinnati loses to Houston and Oklahoma State loses a game -- WE ARE IN
Here's a photo of the Rector of St. Edward's Hall -- Fr. Ralph Haag, C.S.C. (in his cowboy hat) with his "Gentlemen" of St. Ed's after their combined team win of the Notre Dame Interhall Football Championship with Dunne Hall "under the lights" last night in Notre Dame Stadium!
The former Fighting Irish baseball star missed the 2020 baseball season due to colon cancer -- and he came back this year, hitting 21 homers and knocking in 71 RBI's in 147 games this season.
If you follow this blog -- you would have seen this post a couple weeks ago. It laid out Notre Dame's journey to the College Football Playoffs -- BELOW IN RED. Let's see how it's going so far:
Now, I will preface this exercise with I truly don't feel we have any
chance of making the College Football Playoffs this year -- because of
the lack of perceived quality wins...
Yet, the "fat lady's not
singing" -- so, let's walk through the next five weeks of college
football and show how our Fighting Irish could end up in the TOP 4...
Our Fighting Irish sacked the Georgia Tech QB -- 6 times today. Making that 13 sacks in just the last two games and 37 for the season. Should move Notre Dame close to the TOP 5 in the country in this defensive category!