Single High Notre Dame Football Podcast from UHND.com

Greg and Frank were able to pod together again this week to talk about Notre Dame's game against Central Michigan and to look ahead to this weekend's showdown with Ohio State. The lads discussed:

• Why the CMU performance wasn't really indicative of anything but was annoying
• Concerns from the first four games heading into the Ohio State game
• How much fun it was to see some deep ball passing
• Why the defense struggled at times on Saturday
• Stats that would be indicative of a Notre Dame upset this weekend
• What a win over Ohio State would mean short-term and long-term
• An unplanned rant on Michigan's Charmin soft schedule
• Why we didn't like the decision to kick a long field goal at the end of the first half
• Snack talk

*Note: we recorded BEFORE the big news of the commitment of Deuce Knight to Notre Dame on Monday afternoon.

This week scheduling conflicts derailed the lads again, but Greg was able to record a solo pod and cover all of the questions you all submitted this week. Greg talked about the win over NC State and looked ahead to this weekend and next.

• Evaluating how good the Irish defense is after NC State

• Sack numbers are low, but pressure rates are high - should we be concerned?

• Should Notre Dame fans be more worried about Duke or Clemson?

• Corned beef or pastrami? 

• Will we see a little more of Antonio Carter this weekend?

• Any lingering concerns with the wide receivers and separation?

• Could Jaden Greathouse be in line for an increased role?

• Preparing the team to peak against Ohio State in a couple of weeks

Frank and Greg are back in action this week breaking down the Tennessee State victory, looking ahead to NC State, and looking at things big picture after two easy wins.

• Should we be concerned about wide receiver separation and a lack of sacks?
• What even is targeting?
• Food talk and some attempted cheesesteak slander
• Thoughts on Steve Angeli's first real stint
• Are there any concerns with the rush defense?
• How much can we take from beating up on two inferior opponents?
• Thoughts on Marcus Freeman's progression and aggressiveness in year 2
• All the Brian Kelly LOLs for getting blown out
• Much more...

Single High is back this week with just a single host, as Frank went solo this week.

• Don't be worried about Tobias Merriweather
• Early Sam Hartman reactions
• NBC's bad coverage and Jason Garrett's lack of game awareness
• Not caring about the "FCS streak" ending
• Questions about hot chicken
• Production in limited snaps for Notre Dame WR
• Not overreacting to the Navy game
• Q&A

Notre Dame and Navy are set to square off as the first game of the 2023 college football season on Saturday. Frank and Greg return to talk about fall camp wrap-up and more.

• In-depth on Notre Dame linebackers
• Sam Hartman's recent public NIL deals
• What to expect from the wide receivers this year
• The Notre Dame pass rush and potential concerns
• Similarities to 2012
• Predictions on the game
• A delicious beer from Treehouse

Fall camp is underway for Notre Dame football in 2023 and the UHND podcast returned to talk about some early camp impressions along with a reaction to the new green jerseys Notre Dame unveiled on Monday. As luck would have it, we finished recording BEFORE reports of Notre Dame staying with Under Armour surfaced, so ignore our daydreaming about Nike.

• The ceiling of the wide receiver corps remains high
• How the cornerback position has become a strength
• Where will the pass rush come from in 2023?
• Which freshman will play early and use their redshirts?
• Which game is THE most "must-win" of the year?
• Q&A

After a two-month hiatus, Single High is back with some vibe checks on Notre Dame and why this off-season is basically a 180 from last off-season when the vibes were immaculate.

• What to expect with the Notre Dame offense
• Lots of talk about expectations for Sam Hartman
• Positions Notre Dame is better/worse
• Players Notre Dame needs to take a big leap this year
• Recruiting vibes now versus a year ago

The pod returned after a brief hiatus with Notre Dame spring football in full swing. Frank and Greg talked about a few positions where starting positions and playing time are to be decided.

• Playing time and starting positions up for grabs at receiver
• Whither Rocco Spindler at guard?
• Rotations at defensive end
• What to watch at safety
• Who could be this year's Benajmin Morrison?
• Some hot takes on the NYT op-ed from Jack Swarbrick

Notre Dame officially announced Gerad Parker as the next OC for Notre Dame this week after a very public bungling of their search that - right or wrong - has created a perception problem for Marcus Freeman and the program. Greg and Frank dive into that and a lot more. 

• Why Gerad Parker deserved a better first unofficial first week as Notre Dame OCs
• Why Notre Dame made mistakes - regardless of what happened with the buyout
• Marcus Freeman taking the shrapnel for Notre Dame's swings and misses at Colin Klein and Andy Ludwig
• Why we didn't love Freeman saying Notre Dame would never be a pass-first offense
• Frank's slow and painful recovery from witnessing his beloved Eagles losing the Super Bowl in person
• Why Gino Guidugli was a low-key big move for Notre Dame

Notre Dame is in search of an offensive coordinator after Tommy Rees decided to leave the program for the same job at Alabama. We take a look at the move itself, what it means for Notre Dame, and look back at Rees time at Notre Dame. 

• Why we think the move was just a bit weird, given what Notre Dame has lined up on offense
• Touch on the weirdness of the arranged marriage between Rees and Marcus Freeman
• A few grips about Rees over the years, including misjudging his personnel constantly 
• Rees the playcaller
• Why this is a huge opportunity and risk for Freeman 
•  The Eagles being NFC Championships and Frank losing his mind leading up to the Super Bowl 
• Why the open OC position should be attractive to any aspiring OC

Go BIRDS!

Greg and Frank hoped on the podcast machine this week to talk about the biggest news of the Notre Dame off-season - the addition of Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman. 

• How does the ceiling of the 2023 team change with Hartman?
• Just how good can the offense be in 2023 with Hartman running the show?
• Who benefits the most from the addition of Hartman on the roster
• The incredible job of salvaging a quarterback room that looked bleak just a few months ago
• Concerns on the defensive side of the ball
• Where might Notre Dame keep looking to supplement its roster via the portal?

The big news on Tuesday was Pete Thamel's report that Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman was in the transfer portal with an eye on Notre Dame as his landing spot. We discussed what that would mean for Notre Dame in 2023 if it were to happen since nothing is official, and things can change in an instant in college football these days. We also discussed:

• Breakout players in the Gator Bowl
• How Hartman coming in 2023 could impact WR recruiting 
• A look back at Notre Dame's team awards in 2022
• A general tangent on NIL + the transfer portal and the state of college football
• Predictions for the Gator Bowl 
• Frank's horrible holiday travels - or lack there of because of cancelations 

Signing Day did not go exactly as planned for Notre Dame. Neither did the day after NSD with Peyton Bowen spurring the Irish on Wednesday and then ultimately signing with Oklahoma on Thursday. Even with the loss of its lone 5-star recruit, however, Notre Dame landed an impact class Notre Dame fans should be excited about. Frank and Greg talk about the class and more. 

• Favorite offensive and defensive players
• Should Marcus Freeman change his approach after losing three 5-star commits/silent commits
• The Peyton Bowen saga
• Chansi Stuckey being a boss on the recruiting trail
• Notre Dame landing two Kaleb Smiths
• Drayk Bowen, future Notre Dame captain giving Greg Manti Te'o vibes.
• Q&A 

This week's beer was Full Stack from Singlecut Brewery since Notre Dame landed a fully stacked class this week.

Notre Dame's late-season surge came to a halt on Saturday night in LA, with the Irish unable to slow down Heisman front-runner Caleb Williams and USC. The Irish had their chances in the game, but critical mistakes doomed their chances. In the aftermath, we reflected on the realities of the Irish roster and where it stands today.

•  The lack of production at the linebacker position against USC and most of the season
• Notre Dame's abundance of good players, lack of game wreckers
• Drew Pyne's near-perfect performance ruined by two brutal mistakes
• How big the loss of Cam Hart and Tariq Bracy was
• The continued rise of Deion Colzie
• Assessing the assistant coaches on the season
• Lots of portal speculation 
• Coffee preferences and turkey leftover ideas
• Lots of Q&A from Twitter

Note: this was recorded before news broke of Cam Hart's return to Notre Dame for the 2023 season.

Notre Dame beat down Boston College this weekend, and all was right in the world. The Irish are back to beating the Eagles on the regular and the games are rarely close anymore. Frank and Greg talked about how fun that was and how much fun Greg had taking the game in in the pressbox. 

• The play of Benjamin Morrison
• Quarterback play - again (note: this was recorded BEFORE the commitment of Kenny Minchey)
• A lot about what a potential commitment of Minchey would have meant - it all still applies
• One sad thing about an otherwise great game
• The emergence of Deion Colzie
• Notre Dame's chances against USC 

Notre Dame jumped out to a 35-13 half-time lead only to nearly squander it to a weak Navy team before holding on to a 35-32 victory in Baltimore. It was a tale of two halves for the Irish that was a microcosm of the season. Frank and Greg talk through:

• What happened to the Irish offense in the second half
• Why Notre Dame missed JD Bertrand more than Brandon Joseph'
• The terrible state of officiating in every level of football
• The development of Jayden Thomas
• Why Notre Dame fans need not expect perfection from the offense given its obvious faults
• Braden Lenzy's insane catch 
• Lots of Q&A

Note: We talked a lot about the QB position moving forward at Notre Dame, but recorded before all the news of the Kenny Minchey decommitment from Pitt and visit to Notre Dame this weekend.

Notre Dame did a thing this weekend - they kicked the crap out of a top-5 team for the first time in years. Greg and Frank had some fun on this one since it had been 27 years since the Irish beat a top-5 team the way they did on Saturday night.  The lads discussed:

• Benjamin Morrison's other worldly performance
• Notre Dame's power rushing attack
• The job Al Golden did keeping Clemson off the scoreboard for most of the day
• Notre Dame wide receivers (note: this was recorded before the news of Joe Wilkins's transfer)
• ACC officials - awful at their job
• Clemson's chippiness
• Potential impact on recruiting

Notre Dame went on the road this past weekend and beat a ranked team (and the ACC officials) by 17 points just two weeks after a downright dreadful performance against Stanford.  It wasn't perfect, and at times it was far from pretty, but a 17-point road win over a ranked team is always something to be happy about. Frank and Greg broke down:

• The continued struggles from the quarterback position
• The emergence of Deion Colzie and why it could be huge for the future
• Jordan Botelho entering the chat this weekend with a monster 2-sack performance
• Why Brain Mason should take over playcalling in the red-zone
• Some criticisms of offensive philosophy and playcalling
• More talk about the quarterback position beyond 2022
• Philadelphia sports just continuing to carry Frank through the up and down 2022 Notre Dame football season but why he needs a lot of naps this week.

Notre Dame beat UNLV by 23 points last weekend, but the Irish offense had a chance to put up 70 points and ended up leaving a lot of points on the field. Frank and Greg talk about some of the frustrating aspects of the game and look ahead to Syracuse. They discussed.

• The lack of play action despite Drew Pyne excelling at it
• Missed opportunities for the offense
• The quarterback position moving forward and the need for a grad transfer
• Notre Dame's jeykl/hyde defense 
• Red zone woes on both sides of the ball
• Lack of RPOs this year versus other years
• Tommy Rees role in the offensive struggles
• Audric Estime's fumbles
• Philadelphia sports keeping Frank calm and upbeat this fall

Notre Dame's inexplicable loss on Saturday to Stanford had Frank in an existential crisis over the weekend, but thankfully Philadelphia sports's recent run of dominance along with Greg's more rational breakdown of what ales the Irish have gotten him through it. The lads talk about what went wrong, not just on Saturday, but so far this season as the Irish sit at a disappointing 3-3 on the year. 

• Marcus Freeman's role in the loss 
• Why quarterback play has been the key to everything this year - and why it might not change much the rest of the year
• Resetting expectations for the third time this season
• Notre Dame's lack of creativity on defense leading to a lack of disruption 
• Missed opportunities 

David Shaw hit us with the "many people are saying" nonsense regarding his team getting stuffed at the goalline in 2012 as his program continues to sink back deep into the depths of the abyss of college football. Notre Dame on the other hand has beaten Stanford three straight times and looks for their 4th in a row over the Cardinal and of the 2022 season on Saturday night under the lights of Notre Dame Stadium. Greg and Frank breakdown:

• What Notre Dame needs to do to avoid a letdown against the 1-4 Cardinal
• Will Jayden Thomas continue to emerge for the Irish
• Why the defense is struggling more than we expected
• Tommy Rees's creative use of the Notre Dame running backs
• A little bit of news on the recruiting front
• Why it's fun that Stanford football is bad at football again

After Notre Dame's disastrous 0-2 start, the Irish have reeled off three straight wins after Saturday night's 28-20 win over #16 BYU.  Even with the win though, Notre Dame still has a lot of work to do in October before its November gauntlet. 

• How much higher is Drew Pyne's ceiling
• Breakdowns in the secondary are making Greg mad
• Jayden Thomas's breakout - sustainable or one-game blip?
• Blake Fisher's progression 
• Notre Dame's lack of pass rush
• Why Notre Dame isn't getting much out of their linebackers

Notre Dame is back in action this weekend after an early season bye week, facing off against #16 BYU in Vegas. Frank and Greg are both feeling eerily confident heading into the matchup. 

• Why Notre Dame should win the game
• BYU's defensive deficiencies 
• Tobias Merriweather's potential path to playing time
• Some concern over how Marcus Freeman will handle his first bye-week prep
• Anything to worry about with the game in Vegas?

(Note: this was recorded before news of Jacob Lacey's transfer news otherwise, it would have been covered)

Notre Dame finally had the kind of offense performance we've been waiting for, but it came against one of the worst defenses in the entire country, statistically speaking. We break down what's sustainable and can carry over into Notre Dame's next game in two weeks and reevaluate what the floor and ceiling of this team might be.

• Drew Pyne's big game and reason for optimism
• Audric Estime, human bowling ball
• Breakdowns in the secondary that had Greg very upset
• Discussing whether or not Notre Dame needs more from the WRs
• Why UNC's defensive gameplan was so, so bad
• Tommy Rees finding the fun plays 

Greg and Frank were back in action to break down Notre Dame's first win of the season - and first of the Marcus Freeman era. While winning is always better than losing, there is still quite a bit of work ahead of the lads for the rest of the season - especially on offense. Frank and Greg talk about that and more:

• Tommy-Gate: Big neal or necessary move to wake up a stumbling QB?
• If/when we'll see the WRs more involded
• Chris Tyree: good at football
• Jacob Lacey: also good at football
• The inaugural "Did Their [bleeping] job" awards for offense, defense, special teams, and coaching
• Signs of life from the OL

Frank recorded solo this week to preview Notre Dame's matchup with Cal, and the first career start for Irish junior quarterback Drew Pyne. The Irish are off to a much worse start to the season than anyone could have imagined, but Frank finds some reason to believe things can start to turn around this weekend.

• Expectations for Drew Pyne's first career start
• Some players Notre Dame needs to get more involved on offense
• Why the strengths of the Cal defense align somewhat well with Notre Dame's
• A misconception of Drew Pyne that could be broken this weekend
• Why Notre Dame has to be patient on offense 
• Reason to believe the Irish defense will have it's best outing

Frank and Greg discussed the aftermath of the Marshall game and where Notre Dame goes from here under first-year head coach Marcus Freeman. The lads discuss:

• Officially launching the Drew Pyne fan club
• Why what Notre Dame is doing offensively right now just doesn't make much sense
• Getting Chris Tyree more touches
• Dispelling any cupboard being bare notions
• Revised expectations for the season
• A delicious IPA from Treehouse 

Greg and Frank preview Notre Dame's home opener against Marshall this weekend while Greg comes around to Notre Dame scoring a lot of points after predicting the Irish would only score 31 on our last pod. The lads talk about the offense a lot with most of the questions this week pertaining to an offense that scored 10 points last weekend. They discuss: Marc

• Will Notre Dame air it out more this weekend? 
• Who will lead Notre Dame in rushing?
• Will Notre Dame have a 100-yard receiver or maybe more than one this weekend?
• Thoughts on Jarrett Patterson possibly playing against Marshall
• Marcus Freeman playing to the fanbase with his first few press conferences

Greg and Frank break down the week one loss to Ohio State now that Frank is back state-side and working on normal hours. We talk about the opportunities lost for the Irish, but why we're still cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season following the close loss on the road at the Horseshoe. We discuss:

• Why the offensive line was the biggest concern coming out of week 1
• Why the defensive line was a close second in terms of concern for Notre Dame moving forward
• How impressed we were with sophomore QB Tyler Buchner
• Thoughts on the RB rotation moving forward
• How good both Jaden Mickey and Benjamin Morrison were and are going to be
• Why we both hate the double safety blitz in any circumstance

Frank had to pod solo this week to preview the season opener against Ohio State, but that didn't stop him from holding back on the media's crowning of Ohio State this season as some unbeatable team coming off a 2-loss campaign in 2021. Frank broke down the matchup by covering topics such as:

• Tyler Buchner's first career start & Marcus Freeman's first regular season game on the road in Columbus not being ideal
• Why Notre Dame has an advantage in the trenches
• Position flexibility of Notre Dame's front seven 
• How Notre Dame's secondary will determine the outcome
• Specific players to watch this week

We spent the last week of Notre Dame's off-season before our first game week of the season to dive into a slew of Notre Dame football prop bets, over/unders, and predictions provided to us by our friends over at OneFootDown.  We tackled questions such as:

• Which freshman scores first this year for Notre Dame?
• Who leads the Irish in rushing yards & TDs this year - a RB or Tyler Buchner?
• Will Tobias Merriweather have a better freshman season than Lorenzo Styles did in 2021?
• Who makes the playoffs and who are the Heisman finalists?
• Who is the next Notre Dame villain this year?
• Will Buchner have a 3:1 TD/INT ratio?

And a whole lot more. Buckle up, because this was a fun one. 

Frank and Greg return to action this week to talk about why the Notre Dame offense is versatile enough to sustain the loss of Avery Davis, even though the injury is devastating for Davis as an individual. In addition, they dove into over an hour's worth of Q&A from listeners, which revealed a mind-boggling take on wings by Greg which had Frank reconsidering so much. 

• We aren't talking about Braden Lenzy enough but he could have a huge year
• Why we'll see more 21 and 12 personnel from the Irish offense
• Why it made sense for Tyler Buchner to be named QB1 now
• Ranking some of the best players from the last decade of Notre Dame football - JOK, Manti, or Jaylon Smith for instance.
• A hypothetical involving replacing 1 current starter with 1 current commitment
• Our most memorable Notre Dame games we've been to

Notre Dame decided to head into fall camp for 2022 on another hot streak on the recruiting trail. The Irish picked up a huge commitment on Thursday night and are expecting two more before the weekend is over. Frank podded solo this week but held down the fort. 

• Why landing a recruiting in Bayou Brian's backyard was so sweet
• What adding Ben Minish and Dylan Edwards would mean for the class
• Poaching season is here with all the big boys coming after Keon Keeley and Peyton Bowen
• Players that have Frank excited with fall camp starting
• Why the defensive line, linebacker, and offensive line positions should have Notre Dame fans excited for this season
• Lots of Q&A 

With Greg unavailable this week, Frank is joined by Ryan Ritter (@ndtex) from Her Loyal Sons. Ryan dusted off his Notre Dame podcasting mic after retiring from the HLS pod after last season to talk about the Shamrock Series jerseys and rant about the Big 10 along with a whole lot more. 

• Talking about the quarterback depth chart after Tyler Buchner
• Players deep down the depth chart that will open eyes
• Begging Under Armour to release the Marcus Freeman collection
• Why the Notre Dame OL will step up in big games this year (and it's not just b/c of Harry)
• Lots and lots of snack talk
• Preferred game watch environments

Special thanks to Ryan for joining us this week!

Fall camp is just two weeks away for Notre Dame football, meaning we're inching closer and closer to the start of the 2022 Notre Dame football season.  This week we talked the position groups we'll be watching heading into fall camp as the Irish begin prep for Ohio State and the rest of the 2022 schedule.

• Why field corner and slot corner are two of the few unsettled positions
• Will Jaden Mickey push upperclassmen and force his way on the field?
• Depth at linebacker and defensive line being the best its been in years for Notre Dame
• Why some reserve front seven players would have started in some other years at Notre Dame
• Obvious depth concerns at receiver and whether or not Tobias Merriweather forces his way onto the field
• Why every hinges on Tyler Buchner's progression
• Floor and ceiling projections for the Irish
• Biblical breakfast burritos in Southern Cal
• An impassioned 5-minute burger rant from Greg 
• Lots of more Q&A

We officially celebrated Independence Day a little here at UHND with a pod devoted to calling out the national media for the BS takes on Notre Dame's independence and spent a good amount of time talking about beer, brats, and BBQs. 

• Dismissing more clickbait from The Athletic
• The best & worst Notre Dame Shamrock Series jerseys
• Always Green or Never Green debate
• Questions on the Notre Dame RB room that has mounting injuries
• Lots of food and beverage-related questions

Notre Dame football's independence status feels like it's in a perilous state at the moment with conference realignment potentially sending the Irish on a collision course with either the B1G or ACC in the near future.  We talked at length about the pros and cons of each and how we think this all plays out. We also dove into the commit-a-palooza that happened last week. 

• Greg has a rational take on which conference he'd prefer (if forced into one) while Frank's rationale is a whole lot pettier
• How surprised we both were with the suddenness of USC & UCLA's move
• Why we don't like where all this is headed
• Notre Dame's five massive commitments in six days 
• Some bad news on the recruiting front re: Jason Moore and Richard Young
• A multiple QB system in 2022 or nah?
• Lots of Q&A

The signs were not looking good for Notre Dame with Dante Moore for the last few weeks following the commitment of CJ Carr to Notre Dame.  Now it looks like Dante Moore is trending heavily to Oregon leaving Notre Dame to reassess its 2023 QB recruiting.  We dove into that and a whole lot more this week. 

• Why no Notre Dame fan should really be surprised Moore looks to be headed elsewhere
• Why CJ Carr is doing the things you want a 5-star QB commit to do
• Could Carr reclassify for 2023 and if so, what are the implications?
• Other recruiting news as Notre Dame is on the verge of a number of commitments
• Lots of Q&A

We thought we'd just talk some recruiting this week on the pod, but Ohio State fans got all upset over Dennis Dodd and CBS misquoting Marcus Freeman so we had to address their overreactions, but still managed to talk lots of recruiting and lots and lots of snacktalk. 

• Why the whole Freeman/OSU academic nonsense was just that - nonsense
• Looking back at Notre Dame's monster official visits weekend 
• A somewhat deep dive into the Caleb Downs recruitment
• Richard Young's official visit and why Freeman's Ferrari is cooler than BK's Tesla
• Previewing another big recruiting weekend
• Crafting the perfect burrito for every away game this year based on the opponents food specialties
• Lots more Q&A

Notre Dame landed its first 5-star commitment in almost a decade on Thursday and he just so happens to be a Michigan legacy who did not have much interest in playing football in the state of Michigan. We broke down the commitment of CJ Carr and what it means for Notre Dame football. 

• Why the early commitment of Carr is massive for Notre Dame
• What is Notre Dame getting in Carr as a player 
• What might follow for the Irish in the wake of Carr's commitment
• What does all of this mean for Notre Dame's '23 recruiting - specifically Dante Moore
• Should Notre Dame start targeting more quarterbacks instead of being all-in on Moore
• Breaking down why Michigan fans are in their denial stage of grieving at this point

Last week we took a look at each position on offense and broke down which will be better or worse.  We did the same on defense this week, but spoiler alert: we think the defense is going to be quite a bit better this year versus the 2021 version.  The question is how much?\

• Does Isaiah Foskey get the single-season and/or career sack record?
• How will linebacker shake out and where does Jordan Botelho play? 
• How does Notre Dame overcome the loss of Kyle Hamilton?
• Lots and lots of snack talk 
• Which Notre Dame season we'd watch on a deserted island if we could only pick one since 2000
• Why does Notre Dame struggle to land elite skill position players? 

On this week's pod, we go position by position on the offensive side of the ball and debate which positions will be better or worse in 2022.  

• How do coaching changes impact which positions will be better or worse?
• Is Notre Dame's ceiling at QB a lot higher but its floor a lot lower?
• Can depth overcome the loss of a high-end talent like Kyren Williams at RB?
• Numbers aren't great at receiver, but with injuries to returning players will WR be better or worse?

Q&A

• Favorite sports movies of all-time 
• Ideal RB & WRs for this year's class
• More q's on Dante Moore
• One play, outcome, or event that if there was a different outcome would have led to a championship

Back-to-back weeks for us here at Single High as we continue to get closer and closer to the 2022 Blue & Gold game. This week our old pal Bayou Brian gave us more material, but so did Notre Dame's recruiting at the ever-critical QB position. 

• The Kyle Hamilton draft slander continues and Greg has had enough
• Why does BK keep talking about Notre Dame and why is he so awkward now?
• Breaking down Notre Dame's all-in approach with Dante Moore and thoughts on how it plays out
• Positions we think take big steps forward in 2022
• Plenty of Q&A

The podcast returned just in time to weigh in on Brian Kelly's mini media tour in which he made excuses for his failures on the field and on the recruiting trail at Notre Dame while simultaneously saying he will be recruiting less at LSU than he did at Notre Dame.  Bold move, Brian.  While Kelly told anyone in the media who would listen about how he didn't like spending time recruiting at Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame continue to thrive on the recruiting trail with momentum building for their already #1 overall ranked class.

• Brian Kelly's lame excuses and loser mentality he displayed in AP & CBS articles
• Dante Moore and how he could be the linchpin for a monster class for Notre Dame
• Notre Dame's decision to add FCS Tennessee State and why it doesn't really bother us at all
• Graduate-transfer DT Chris Kelly and what it means for the Notre Dame defense
• Addressing the Kyle Hamilton draft slander
• Q&A

After a long hiatus, the boys are back to podding on Single High.  WIth spring practice fully underway and recruiting heating up, there was not a shortage of topics for the lads to discuss.

• Spring Access - Less video and access seems to be happening while access to playeres and coaches has done a reversal from the BK era
• Linebackers - Where does everyone fit in, how will reps be split, and will the group look a lot different this year?
• Kyle Hamilton draft destinations - Please just let it be anywhere by the NY Giants for my own sanity
• Secondary - Which young corners step up this spring with Cam Hart out and Notre Dame in need of more playmakers
• Quarterbacks - because is it even a Notre Dame podcast right now if you're not talking about the quarterbacks
• Notre Dame & NIL - Is Notre Dame doing enough - or anything really - to keep up with the NIL arms race
• Breakout Players - Greg is on the verge of a bold prediction for an offensive player
• Under the Radar Players - Look for Mitchell Evans to have a big role this year even though he's not talked about a lot right now
• Plenty of Q&A

Last summer we were joined by Ashton Pollard, now of Blue and Gold Illustrated fame, to make some 2021 Notre Dame football predictions.  This week we looked back at all those predictions and laughed at ourselves a little bit.  

• Marist Liufau - Frank's greatest prediction that never was
• Kevin Austin playing up to some pre-season optimism despite a rough start to the year
• One last "play Kyle on offense" rant from Greg (spoiler alert: it probably won't be the last)
• Really Toledo?  Looking back on why that was the worst game of the year in so many ways
• Who saw Florida State scoring the most points on Notre Dame in the pre-season?  No one.  No one did.  
• More thoughts on Al Golden as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator
• What were we thinking with all our OL optimism in the pre-season?
• What is our top culinary food travel destination?
• How bad all of our pre-season Heisman finalist predictions were

More than two months after Bayou Brian's abrupt departure from Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish finally have a full coaching staff and we're fans of what Marcus Freeman put together.  We broke down the staff, answered some questions, and had some fun talking Irish football. 

• What Al Golden brings to the table for Notre Dame
• How much turnover would their have been even if Brian Kelly stayed at Notre Dame?
• How big of a recruit is Dante Moore for Notre Dame?
• Who is Notre Dame from any time period that you would add to the 2021 Irish if you could?
• Notre Dame being a "dad joke" program to being the "cool uncle" program with the new staff. 
• Why it was important that Marcus Freeman went outside his circle to complete the staff
• Over/under of Notre Dame football players getting draft in April
• What is the one meal both of us wish we could master?

We returned this week after a week off thanks to a hellacious week of work for Frank so there was a lot to talk about.  Notre Dame has two new assistants since the last pod and still needs a DC while USC's Lincoln Riley said some dumb things this week that will make it easy to dislike him. Here's a rundown of everything we covered this week. 

• Some concerns with the relatively young age of the Irish coaching staff
• Forget projecting 2022 starters, we looked ahead to 2023
• What's up with the DC search?
• What early enrollees we're most excited about
• How did Notre Dame's interior DL play relative to expectations in 2021?
• What to expect from Tyler Buchner in 2021
• Our favorite songs from Encanto (thanks to a listener's question)
• Lincoln Riley's ridiculously hypocritical comments on the transfer portal
• Notre Dame and NIL

Frank and Greg are back this week to talk through the latest developments with the Notre Dame coaching staff as Marcus Freeman works on finishing off his first staff as the head coach at Notre Dame.  The lads discuss:

• Has Notre Dame improved overall with the four hires so far?
• How much fun was Notre Dame football in 2021?
• Thoughts on the departure for Lance Taylor and how the DC hire could impact the profile Notre Dame looks for at RB coach
• Why Frank is a big fan of Doug Belk for the next DC
• Should Freeman be more hands-on with the defense moving forward and how that impacts the DC search
• The wide receiver room because of course we have to discuss it until Notre Dame adds help
• Q&A