Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the latest happenings from Notre Dame's spring practices. Standouts from Saturday's open practice are discussed, and subscriber questions are addressed. Topics range from who should start at quarterback, to who is the most irreplaceable player on the roster and of course, whether or not Notre Dame has the talent to be a Top 10 program in 2016.

It was a big week for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program. Today, head coach Brian Kelly updated where his team stands now that the Irish are a third of the way into spring practice. Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Kelly's comments, which included revelations about freshman safety Devin Studstill's ascent and the decision by sophomore safety Mykelti Williams to leave the program. On the recruiting trail, Notre Dame hit a home run with its Junior Day this past weekend, which garnered five commitments for the 2017 recruiting class. Driskell and recruiting editor Andrew Ivins break that down.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss the suspension of safety Max Redfield and injury to cornerback Devin Butler, and what this means for Notre Dame against Ohio State.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview the matchup between the Notre Dame defense and the potent Ohio State offense. After the initial breakdown of the matchup, subscriber questions about this matchup are answered and discussed.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the matchup of the Notre Dame offense and the Ohio State defense. The Irish have one of the nation's best offenses and the Buckeyes field one of the top defenses. The winner of this matchup will have a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Subscriber questions takes up the final portion of the show.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss what the Fiesta Bowl - and a potential win over Ohio State - means to the future of the program. Also discussed is what a loss would mean, which is followed up by discussion of the five players considering making an early leap to the NFL. The discussion concludes with answers to Blue Gold Illustrated subscriber questions.

After wrapping up the final College Football Playoff rankings, Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview Notre Dame's matchup against Ohio State. The pair takes a big picture look at the game and what it means for Notre Dame before diving into the personnel for the Buckeyes.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Notre Dame's 38-36 last second loss to Stanford. After discussing what worked - the run game and slowing down Christian McCaffrey - and what did not work, the conversation turns to what needs to happen moving forward for the Irish to take that next step. Just two last second plays not going in their favor turned a possible 12-0 season and a playoff berth into a 10-2 season. So what can Notre Dame do to get over that hump on the defensive side of the ball?

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview Notre Dame's upcoming game against No. 9 Stanford. It will be Notre Dame's last chance to impress the CFB committee, and this week's most recent rankings saw the Irish drop from No. 4 to No. 6. Those rankings, and why the Irish fell, are also discussed.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Notre Dame's sloppy 19-16 victory over Boston College. The Irish did some good things on both sides of the ball, but turnovers on offense and big plays allowed by the defense made the game closer than it should have been. The pair also discusses other games that occurred this past weekend and how it all will shake out when the latest College Football Playoff rankings are released tomorrow.

Blue Gold Illustrated recruiting editor Andrew Ivins welcomes Rivals.com recruiting analysts John Helmholdt and Woody Wommack to the podcast. He discusses Notre Dame recruiting with both guests and gets updates on the latest with Daelin Hayes, Demetris Robeteron, Robert Beal, Ikenna Okeke and others.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss the latest College Football Playoff rankings and preview Notre Dame's upcoming matchup against Boston College. The Irish were No. 4 in the most recent raking, and Irish Huddle discusses how secure that spot it - or isn't - and who could challenge the Irish for that spot in the next two weeks. Also discussed is Boston College's dynamic defense, which ranks first in the nation in total defense.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Notre Dame's 28-7 victory over Wake Forest. It was not the prettiest win, but the Irish got the job done, which can't be said for other Top 10 teams. Somogyi and Driskell also discuss other results from this past weekend, including four Top 10 teams getting beat.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview Notre Dame's upcoming matchup against Wake Forest and breakdown the latest College Football Playoff Poll, which was released Tuesday night (Nov. 10). Notre Dame is now fourth in the poll, but the Irish are still not entirely in control of their own destiny.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell recap Notre Dame's 42-30 road victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers. Notre Dame's win gives it a resume builder, and showed off an offense that continues to gain confidence. The play of freshman running back Josh Adams and the early aggressive game plan by defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder are just two of the many topics discussed.