Montana's son Notre Dame walk-on
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2008 05:37AM ET
At the same time wideout Michael Floyd was checking into his dormitory at Notre Dame last weekend, former Irish quarterback Joe Montana was checking on his 6-foot-5 son Nate, who will be a freshman walk-on quarterback. Montana also has two daughters already at Notre Dame.
NBC contract extended............ good news for me, bad news for the haters.
Let the haters hate. Even though I'm a Florida fan I'm grateful to ND sinece Urban Meyer was once an assistant there, and so was our current DC (Charlie Strong) and our strength/conditioning coordinator (Mickey Marotti).
By Teddy Greenstein
Tribune reporter
12:29 AM CDT, June 7, 2008
Chris Zorich doesn't feel like a jilted lover. But he can relate to a college football recruit who signs a letter of intent only to watch the head coach bolt for another school.
In this case, it was athletic director Kevin White who traded Charlie Weis for Mike Krzyzewski. Goodbye, Notre Dame. Hello, Duke.
The news broke three days after Zorich began his role as Notre Dame's manager of student welfare and development.
"I was absolutely amazed," Zorich said. "I know there had been some issues with the whole [Tyrone] Willingham and Coach Weis thing, but I had no idea he was looking around and more importantly, leaving. I thought I'd have the opportunity to learn from him, but that was not the case."
Not that Zorich is bitter.
"The reason I came to Notre Dame is because of Notre Dame," Zorich said of his alma mater, where he emerged as the nation's top lineman in 1990.
"And we're in a very good state right now. We graduate kids and we're not on probation of any sort. Often when folks leave it's because things aren't in order. In this case, it's not. Kevin is a phenomenal person and has a great reputation in the athletic director community."
Zorich hopes to build a similar reputation and one day be entrusted with an athletic department of his own.
That ambition is why he left the comfort of hometown Chicago, where his career emphasis was motivational speaking and his work as chairman of the Chris Zorich Foundation.
Now his main tasks are to direct Notre Dame's summer sports camps and develop programs for student-athletes that stress personal development and career preparation.
Years ago Zorich could have joined Lou Holtz's coaching staff at South Carolina. But then he considered the sacrifices his own high school coach, Chicago Vocational's John Potocki, had made.
"He was a father to a lot of us," Zorich recalled. "He wouldn't get home until 11 o'clock. If I got in coaching, I'd want to put 24 hours into it. I'd have to put my foundation on the back burner. I want to work in athletic administration but also help people in economically deprived areas. I want to do both."
What he also wants is to become an athletic director. And he's not shy about letting that be known.
"A lot of people are like: 'Wow. You haven't started Day One and you're coming into this wanting to be the head guy,' " Zorich said.
"I have goals. And when you let people hear your goals, that puts more pressure on you. That is not a bad thing."
Post-Spring Projection: Jimmy Clausen
by TODD D. BURLAGE
Assistant Editor
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The odds to win the 2008 Heisman Trophy were recently released and Jimmy Clausen checked in as an 80-to-1 play. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for his chances at taking top player honors, but at least he was named on the 45-player list.
Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State, and incoming Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor were both 100-to-1, but other than that, Clausen was about the longest shot on the board. Even Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis has better odds at 60-to-1, and he is suspended from the team indefinitely.
The Heisman list means nothing to anyone around the Notre Dame program, and it shouldn’t. But it does shed some light on the outside expectations of the Irish quarterback and his offense entering the 2008 season.
Let’s face it, if you base anything off of the play of Clausen as a freshman and the offense during the 2007 season, it’s hard to place the bar very high, and maybe 80-to-1 seems generous.
But there is much reason for hope with the momentum Clausen gathered at the end of last season. After throwing just one touchdown with five interceptions in his first six appearances, Clausen hit for six touchdowns and just one interception in his last three games.
It won't be much of a surprise if Notre Dame emerges from the wreckage of its 2007 season and regains some respectability by going 6-6 or 7-5, but a look at the Irish's schedule shows it isn't so far-fetched to think they could do even better than that.
Instead of beginning the season with a "Big Six" program the way they usually do, the Irish open the 2008 slate with a near-certain victory against San Diego State. Then, they play host to a Michigan team retooling its offense under a first-year coach. If the Irish pull off a victory in those first two games, they should have plenty of confidence as they face the meat of a schedule that includes only one program (USC) ranked among the top 24 teams in Rivals.com's preseason countdown.
Notre Dame returns just about everyone on offense other than center John Sullivan and tight end John Carlson. Assuming Jimmy Clausen lives up to expectations in his sophomore season – and that the line gives him enough time to throw after allowing an NCAA-leading 58 sacks last season – the Irish should at least be average, which would represent a major upgrade.
The defensive line is a major question mark, but the pass defense could be solid with David Bruton and Darrin Walls in the secondary. There are plenty of potential losses on this schedule, and you have to think the Irish will slip up at least four times while facing the likes of Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Boston College.
But when you study that schedule, the only near-certain loss is the season finale against USC. So maybe that 6-6 or 7-5 finish everyone's forecasting might be more like 8-4 or 9-3.
more (free): Rivals.com College Football - Looking for a sleeper outside the Top 25
Mike Brey agrees to 2-year extension at Notre Dame
July 07, 2008 3:53 PM EST
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame's Mike Brey, the Big East basketball coach of the year the past two seasons, has agreed to a two-year contract extension to remain with the Irish through the 2014-15 season.
"As his peers have acknowledged by selecting him coach of the year the past two seasons, Mike has built one of the top men's basketball programs in the Big East Conference," the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said in a statement Monday. "His quiet confidence and class are a perfect fit for Notre Dame, and I am sure that we'll enjoy still more success in coming years."
The 49-year-old Brey has coached the Irish to five 20-win seasons in his eight years as coach, including five NCAA tournament appearances, and has a 167-86 record. He guided the Irish to a 25-8 record last season, the third-most wins in a season in school history, and this season will return all but one player.
"I love the momentum of our program and the facility improvements that we are making at the Joyce Center," Brey said.
Brey's career record as head coach is 266-138 in 13 seasons, including five years at Delaware before coming to Notre Dame.
Last week, Notre Dame also signed women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw to a two-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.
David Bruton Named To Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
Senior safety one of 40 defensive backs named to preseason list
July 8, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY - Notre Dame senior safety David Bruton was one of 40 players named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, the Jim Thorpe Association announced. The Thorpe Award is given annually to college football's top defensive back.
Bruton is Notre Dame's top returning tackler in 2008 after ranking third on the squad last year with 85 tackles. In 2007, Bruton added one sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two passes broken up, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while starting 11 of the 12 contests he played. He was a key member of an Irish secondary that ranked second in the nation in passing yards allowed per game, permitting just 161.6 yards per game.
Voted a 2008 team captain by his teammates following spring practice, Bruton is one of 11 free safeties to make the watch list. He enters 2008 with the second-most career tackles on the team and has been a special teams stalwart for the Irish, excelling as a gunner on the punt coverage team.
The Thorpe Award is named after history's greatest all-around athlete, a man who excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on offense, but also was an awesome defensive back. Recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame simply as "The Legend", Thorpe also played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
The Jim Thorpe Award "watch list" is determined by analysis of the pre-season All-American teams listed in at least six pre-season college football annual magazines. Four points are awarded for First Team, three points for second team, two points for third and one point for fourth teams and honorable mentions. This procedure determines approximately 40 players on the pre-season watch list. This list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses.
The finalists are submitted to a national panel of about 50 sports writers, sportscasters, coaches and former players who vote to determine the winner. The three finalists are invited to the ESPN College Football Awards Show, and the winner is announced during the show.
Formal presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award takes place at ceremonies in Oklahoma City on the first Tuesday in February following the national signing date for college football recruits.
Jimmy Clausen Named To Maxwell Award Watch List
Sophomore quarterback one of 75 players placed on watch list for outstanding college football player award
July 2, 2008
ROSLYN, Pa. - Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen was one of 75 players named to the 2008 Maxwell Award Watch List, announced Monday by the Maxwell Football Club. The preseason list was based on individual performances during the 2007 season.
Clausen was one of 26 quarterbacks to make the list and one of only three sophomore signal-callers honored (a total of 12 sophomores made the list). The 6-3, 212-pounder started nine of the 10 games he appeared in last year and made his mark on Notre Dame's freshman passing records. Clausen started the second game of the 2007 season, the earliest any Notre Dame quarterback had started at that position since freshmen regained eligibility in 1972. He completed 138 of 245 passes for 1,254 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his rookie season. Clausen ranks second on Notre Dame's freshman quarterback single-season lists for completions, attempts, yards and completion percentage.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the outstanding collegiate football player in America since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell. Notre Dame has had the second-most recipients of the award as five former Irish players have been honored six times, most recently Brady Quinn in 2006.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced in early November and three finalists will be announced Nov. 25. The winner will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City on March 6, 2009.
WINNIPEG - B.C. quarterback Jarious Jackson threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions got their first victory of the season in a 42-24 mauling of the Blue Bombers Friday night
A vote for Obama is a vote for Communism!! 
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