Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden take a look at the Notre Dame commits and targets that will compete in Nike Football's The Opening Finals this week in Beaverton, Ore. 

Notre Dame's offensive line returns four starters from a season ago, and the unit contains two players in seniors Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson that will be All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick caliber players. Their play - and the development of returning starters Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars - will determine whether Notre Dame's offensive line can live up to its lofty preseason expectations. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview the line heading into the 2017 season. They discuss the expectations of the group, what must happen for it to meet expectations and then dive into a player-by-player breakdown before answering subscriber questions.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden talk all things Notre Dame football recruiting. 

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long doubles as the program's tight ends coach. In the last five years Long did not coach a single four-star player at the position. His 2017 Notre Dame roster will have five former four-star recruits, but what will that mean in regards to college production? Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the tight end position, discussing the individual talents of the players and how the position will be utilized in Long's offense.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden recap the Irish Invasion weekend and answer fan questions from the message board. 

BGI recruiting reporter David McKinney is joined by BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell to dicuss Braden Lenzy's flip to Oregon and George Takacs' commitment to Notre Dame. 

Notre Dame has a chance to have a much improved receiving corps, but there remain a number of unanswered questions. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the wide receiver depth chart, discussing which players much emerge for Notre Dame's unit to provide the production it needs this season.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden take an in-depth look at the upcoming Irish Invasion at Notre Dame. 

BGI recruiting repoters David McKinney and Corey Bodden are joined by BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell to discuss the commitment of defensive tackle Ja'Mion Franklin to Notre Dame 

Notre Dame does not return much experience at running back outside of junior Josh Adams. What the Irish do have coming back is a talented group of runners that are looking to break out in 2017. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview the Notre Dame backfield, breaking down each player, going over how the position will be used in Chip Long's offense and answering subscriber questions.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden take a look at the Notre Dame defensive line board, and answer fan questions from Rockne's Roundtable.     

Notre Dame will start the season with a new starter at quarterback for the sixth straight season as junior Brandon Wimbush begins his tenure as the program's lead man. Wimbush is a highly-touted and talented quarterback, but what he can do on Saturdays remains a question. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell talk about the expectations surrounding the new signal caller. What can fans expect from Wimbush this season? How might the Notre Dame coaching staff use him, and will he be asked to carry the team? What happens if Wimbush goes down? All that and more is discussed, and the staff finishes the show answering subscriber questions.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden take a look at the Irish safety board for the class of 2018, and give a breakdown of Rivals100 shooting guard Prentiss Hubb's commitment to Notre Dame basketball. 

Notre Dame's defense has a new man in charge, and new coordinator Mike Elko is expected to create a major turnaround for a group that has had trouble stopping opponents the last three seasons. The question is does Elko have the talent to bring about the kind of improvements needed for the Irish to make a playoff run. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the Irish defense, beginning with a spring overview before going into detail about what makes Elko's defense so effective. They finish up the show by answering subscriber questions.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden take a look the Notre Dame cornerback recruiting board, and anser fan questions from BlueAndGold.com