Wake Up The Echoes -- Show Released Yesterday

Highlights of Notre Dame vs. Pitt -- ACC Tournament

Aaron Banks Signs Huge Contract w/ Packers!

Former Notre Dame star Aaron Banks just signed a four-year $77,000,000 contract with the Green Bay Packers!  It moved Banks to #8 all-time on this Notre Dame list!  Here's the list

• Ronnie Stanley:  $168,645,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2028
• Monty Williams:  $125,900,000 
• Harrison Smith:  $122,735,243 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026 
• Quenton Nelson:  $118,819,452 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
• Mike McGlinchey:  $116,981,966 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
• Jeff Samardzija:  $116,341,666
  
• Zack Martin:  $113,240,531 
• Aaron Banks:  $85,565,019 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2029
• AJ Pollock:  $78,498,337
• Anders Lee:  $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  
• Troy Murphy:  $66,000,000 
• Kyle Rudolph:  $59,936,853 
• Cole Kmet:  $59,161,763 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2027
  
• Golden Tate:  $56,421,672
  
• Stephon Tuitt:  $55,710,551 
• Pat Connaughton:   $55,542,117 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
• Brad Lidge:  $55,335,000 
• Kyle Palmieri:  $50,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  
• Bryan Rust:  $46,670,000 -- guaranteed contract to 2028 
• Bryant Young:  $44,000,000
• Justin Tuck:  $43,248,463 
• Ian Cole:  $37.849,694 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
• Romeo Okwara:  $36,855,601
  
• John Sullivan:  $35,800,027
• Jerome Bettis:  $35,122,500
• Jeff Faine:  $34,456,892 
• Will Fuller:  $34,246,582
  
• Jaylon Smith:  $33,316,297 
• Joe Alt:  $33,160,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2027
  
• Matt Carroll:  $29,537,032 
• Tim Brown:  $28,432,686
• Laphonso Ellis:  $27,939,000
• Rocket Ismail:  $27,885,021
  
• Tyler Eifert:  $26,310,317
  
• Joe Montana:  $26,000,000 
• Nick Martin:  $25,185,579 
• Steve Beuerlein:  $22,238,265

Notre Dame Shocks the Big Ten Hockey World!

 

The Fighting Irish came into the Big Ten Hockey Tournament with a record of 10 - 23.  Their two wins over the weekend to defeat Minnesota (the #3 ranked team in the country) -- shocked the hockey world!  

Notre Dame now advances to play the #2 ranked Michigan State Spartans -- the Big Ten regular season champs -- this Saturday in East Lansing, MI.  The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is Honoring Notre Dame

Here's the story... 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME -- PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

Micah & Players Talk 4OT Victory Over California

Ivey's Irish Under Perform in ACC Tournament...

 

The Fighting Irish -- ranked #1 in the country just two weeks ago -- continued their losing ways dropping their third game in the last five...

Going to need to up their game in the NCAA Tournament.

Irish Win In Four OT's Over California Today!!!

Ronnie Stanley's Big Contract Extension Today!

It was just announced that Ronnie Stanley has signed a three-year $60,000,000 dollar extension with the Baltimore Ravens today -- moving him back up to the highest paid former Notre Dame student-athlete all-time.  Here's the list:

• Ronnie Stanley:  $168,645,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2028
• Monty Williams:  $125,900,000 
• Harrison Smith:  $122,735,243 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026 
• Quenton Nelson:  $118,819,452 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
• Mike McGlinchey:  $116,981,966 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
• Jeff Samardzija:  $116,341,666
  
• Zack Martin:  $113,240,531 
• AJ Pollock:  $78,498,337
• Anders Lee:  $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  
• Troy Murphy:  $66,000,000 
• Kyle Rudolph:  $59,936,853 
• Cole Kmet:  $59,161,763 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2027
  
• Golden Tate:  $56,421,672
  
• Stephon Tuitt:  $55,710,551 
• Pat Connaughton:   $55,542,117 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
• Brad Lidge:  $55,335,000 
• Kyle Palmieri:  $50,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  
• Bryan Rust:  $46,670,000 -- guaranteed contract to 2028 
• Bryant Young:  $44,000,000
• Justin Tuck:  $43,248,463 
• Ian Cole:  $37.849,694 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
• Romeo Okwara:  $36,855,601
  
• John Sullivan:  $35,800,027
• Jerome Bettis:  $35,122,500
• Jeff Faine:  $34,456,892 
• Will Fuller:  $34,246,582
  
• Jaylon Smith:  $33,316,297 
• Joe Alt:  $33,160,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2027
  
• Matt Carroll:  $29,537,032 
• Tim Brown:  $28,432,686
• Laphonso Ellis:  $27,939,000
• Rocket Ismail:  $27,885,021
  
• Tyler Eifert:  $26,310,317
  
• Joe Montana:  $26,000,000 
• Nick Martin:  $25,185,579 
• Steve Beuerlein:  $22,238,265

 

Notre Dame TV Schedule For Saturday -- March 8th

 Here's where you can watch the Fighting Irish on TV Saturday -- March 8th:

 SATURDAY:

 2:00 PM ET: #2 Men's Lacross hosts #15 Ohio State on the ACC NETWORK

 2:30 PM ET:  #6 Women's Basketball vs.  #11 Duke on ESPN2

4:00 PM ET:  Men's Basketball vs. California on ACC NETWORK

Ivey's Irish Beat Cal Bears Tonight In ACC Tourney

 

Notre Dame advances to take on Duke tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

Notre Dame Football's 'GM' Talks W/ Media Today

Kyle Hamilton Talks "Best and Worst" Skills...

Zack Martin's Retirement Press Conference Today

Hey Zack Martin, I saw your article in the Players’ Tribune and I can’t believe you remembered that!

I wanted to say congratulations on a heck of a career, and that you are with a DOUBT a Hall of Famer in my book! pic.twitter.com/nphwyFlOGb

— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) March 6, 2025

Here is the story Zack Martin penned for PLAYER'S TRIBUNE regarding his retirement.

Notre Dame Players at Combine: Media Sessions

Riley Leonard's NFL Combine Media Session

Louisville's Head Coach Talks Loss to Ivey's Irish

Meet Notre Dame's Chris Ash & Ja'Juan Seider

J.D. PicKell Talks Notre Dame's 2025 QB Battle

ESPN's Ryan Clark "I Wanted To Go To Notre Dame"

Wake Up The Echoes -- Men's Basketball

NC State's Wes Moore Talks 2OT Win Over #1 Irish

1/10th of a Second Away From A Win vs. NC State

 

At the end of the 1st OT -- Maddy Westbeld got fouled going up for a rebound put back -- only to learn it came 1/10th of a second after the game was over.  Westbeld would have been at the line needing to make one of the two free throws to win the game... 

Nice Win for Micah's Irish Last Night Over Pitt

J.D. PicKell On the Value of Jeremiyah Love to IRISH

Jeremiyah Love is explosive enough to carry the Irish offense back to the playoff but Marcus Freeman using his playmaker blueprint in recruiting is scaryhttps://t.co/DERuprwIF0 pic.twitter.com/cLsrTVcYTQ

— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) February 22, 2025

Men's Lacrosse & Now Women's Hoops Ranked #1

More Talk About Will Notre Dame Join a Conference?

.@Matt_Fortuna gives us the latest on if Notre Dame is closer to joining a conference 👀 ⬇️@Jbooty88 | @mrjoshuaperry | #BigCFBShow pic.twitter.com/lzFf7miTeh

— Chicago Sports Network (@CHSN__) February 18, 2025

Indian River County's Finest -- Saved Our Night's Sleep!

Our heroes L to R:  Lt. Mario Henderson, John Cobb, Lt. Josh Bender, Sheena Klaus, Robert Skok and Bobby Thompson.

At 10:31 PM ET on Monday night, our fire alarm shattered the silence—a loud, ear-piercing screech that jolted us out of bed. Adrenaline kicked in as we ran through the house, searching for any sign of smoke or fire. Thankfully, there was none.

Relieved but still on edge, we called ADT, hoping they could turn off the alarm. No luck.

Next, we reached out to our go-to electrician from Redline Electric in Vero Beach, FL. His advice? Shut off the circuit breaker to our Master Bedroom and Alarms. We held our breath, flipped the switch… and waited.

The alarm kept blaring.

Now we had a new problem—how do you silence an alarm that refuses to be turned off?

At 10:56 PM, my wife gave me the best advice of the night: Call the Fire Department.

Within minutes, the Indian River County Fire Rescue arrived in full force—two massive trucks and six of our community’s first responders, ready for action. They stepped inside, scanning every corner of our home, determined to track down the source of the relentless, ear-piercing screech.

Then, finally—a breakthrough. In our Great Room, they spotted a flashing red light on one of the alarms. The culprit had been found. The only problem? It was mounted 14 feet, 4 inches off the floor.

Without hesitation, three firefighters sprinted back to the truck, returning with a towering 24-foot ladder. Meanwhile, the others got to work clearing furniture, making space for what felt like the most dramatic rescue mission of the night: silencing that alarm once and for all.

Lt. Josh Bender—clearly the most electrically inclined of the group—climbed the ladder, unhooked the alarm, and pulled out the batteries.

And just like that… SILENCE.

What felt like an inevitable sleepless night—waiting until an electrician might arrive the next day—was suddenly avoided. Every alarm in our house had been blaring, an unbearable, unimaginable sound. But thanks to these six incredible first responders (pictured above), peace was restored.

Our heroes didn’t just show up—they rescued us from what could have been one of the loudest and longest night of our lives.  We can't thank Indian River County Fire Rescue enough!!!

____________________

As they were getting ready to leave, John Cobb glanced around my office and noticed the memorabilia on the walls.

"Are you a Notre Dame fan?" he asked.

I smiled and replied, "I had the great honor of working there for nearly 12 years."

That’s when John mentioned that he has an old friend whose son, Luke Talich (Wyoming), is currently playing football for the Fighting Irish. (Notre Dame fans will remember Luke's "pick six" versus Florida State this past season.) Without hesitation, I grabbed the iconic Notre Dame gold helmet and handed it to him so he could snap a photo to send to his buddy.

Somehow, Notre Dame always finds its way into many of the stories I tell… and this night was no exception.

FYI:  We just moved into our new home in Vero Beach on December 5, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Micah Shrewsberry Reacts To Critics Last Night

I asked Micah Shrewsberry what the biggest issues in Notre Dame’s last five games have been. The Irish were 10-10 and have fallen to 11-14.

This was his response, which turned into a heated, 2:40 rant.

(🎥: @mattfreeman05_) pic.twitter.com/PZOuHiJKDc

— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) February 17, 2025

Missed This: Rich Eisen on Notre Dame...

Pete Bevacqua Looks Back at Landmark Year...

Penn State Podcast on Loss of Seider to Notre Dame

Al Golden's Broyles Award Acceptance Speech!

Notre Dame Fan Patrick Reed Talks Hole-In-One!

First Look: The New Golf Car Arrives Saturday

 

 

The new golf car is a Denago -- a new line of golf cars that debuted January 2023 at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.  It's 'dual branded' beyond the gold and blue coloring -- you'll see some Notre Dame references (front hood, hub caps, slow moving vehicle decal on back) and references to my consulting business; The Small Things Consultancy (sides and back).

 

I will be adding marks from clients (before my time at Notre Dame and after) over the next few months -- along with some sub-brands our team created for the University -- in spots around the golf car.

 

If you live in Florida -- and see this running down a sidewalk or road -- please give me a honk and yell "Go Irish!"

 

 

This is the previous golf car we sold to a ND grad, along with our home near campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domer Skylar Diggins-Smith Wins 1-on-1 Battle

SKYLAR DIGGINS SMITH BEATS DEARICA HAMBY 🔥🎯

pic.twitter.com/sesesF39sR

— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) February 11, 2025

Skylar plays for the Lunar Owls in the Unrivaled League a 3v3 women's basketball league.  Here's their TEAM ROSTER.

Photo of ND's New Football Facility's Walls Going Up!

 

One of my former colleagues at the University of Notre Dame (Brandon Tabor) was kind enough to send me this photo today of the construction going on of the new football facility.  It's going to be great!

That's the GUG to the left and the new Indoor Practice Facility on the right...

Ivey's FIGHTING IRISH Roll Over Another Top 25 Foe

Notre Dame Is Apparently Targeting This RB Coach

 

 

Domer Yared Nuguse Sets Mile World Record Today!

 

The former Notre Dame all-time great ran the fastest indoor mile in history today at the Millrose Games!

Notre Dame alum Yared Nuguse set a new world record in the Wanamaker Mile with a time of 3:46.63.

Per NBC: Nuguse is the first American to hold an indoor and outdoor mile world record on the track since Mary Slaney in the 80s. pic.twitter.com/piAvPRBCur

— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) February 8, 2025

OT: A Very Special Moment for the Sharpe Brothers

I love this: Here’s the incredible video of Shannon Sharpe surprising his brother Sterling with the news that he’s headed to the Hall of Fame.

For the first time ever, two brothers are in the Hall together. What a moment.

(🎥 @ProFootballHOF @CBSSports) pic.twitter.com/K6mYVkBsqk

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 7, 2025

Great Interview of Brady Quinn by Dan Patrick...

Chad Bowden Talks About His Move to Southern Cal

Here’s the full clip of USC GM Chad Bowden explaining why he left Notre Dame for USC.

“Notre Dame did everything they could to keep me there. USC, for me, it meant more to me. … USC kind of held something in my heart.” pic.twitter.com/DiKCz43iJ1

— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) February 5, 2025

ESPN's McElroy On Notre Dame's Hiring of Chris Ash

Louisville Coach Talks Loss to Ivey's Irish Sunday

Ivey & Hidalgo Talk Road Win Over Louisville

ESPN's Rece Davis & Ryan McGee Talk CFB Playoff

Big Time IOL Merrill Commits to Notre Dame Today!

Texas Tech Podcast Talks Blanchard to ND Rumors

 

This Texas Tech Fan Podcast talks about the rumors around James Blanchard being pursued by Notre Dame Football for its vacant GM position -- fast forward the video to the 19:51 mark...

Allstate TV Spot Featuring ND & Hannah Hidalgo