This time Tom Zbikowski had to work for the win. The former Notre Dame football All-American and current Baltimore Ravens got past former cage fighter Caleb Grummet Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., in a four-round unanimous decision. It's the first time that Zbikowski (3-0) hasn't won in a first-round knockout since turning pro in the summer of 2006.
Notre Dame players, especially quarterbacks, are used to being in the spotlight and having cameras on them. Now they will literally have a camera on them during practice.
That was the biggest buzz of the Irish's first practice on Wednesday, the South Bend Tribune reports. Quarterback Dayne Crist wore a small camera on the side of his helmet that will allow coaches to see where his eyes were looking when they review the film
SOUTH BEND — Eventually, Notre Dame’s quarterback reality show will likely play out as the centerpiece of Irish spring football practice, as had been long anticipated.
Tuesday, though, less then 24 hours before the Irish kick off with the first of many 8 a.m. sessions, the aftermath of the Michael Floyd arrest was still the trending topic.
Brian Kelly: Excited to be here today obviously as we begin spring practice. It's a lot different in year two for us. Last year at this time, we had names taped on the helmets, were not really sure about a lot of the positions. We clearly had an understanding that we needed to hit the ground running last year, because we had to get our systems installed.
Notre Dame recruiting target Dan Voltz of Barrington (Ill.) High School, has verbally committed to Wisconsin, the Arlington (Ill.) Daily Herald reported Tuesday.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Voltz visited ND for last month’s junior day. In addition to Notre Dame, Voltz had a number of other offers, including from Auburn and Alabama.
This St. Patrick's Day, VERSUS will "Celebrate the Irish" by televising three of the most legendary Notre Dame football games to ever air on NBC Sports: the 1992 Penn State game, since dubbed "The Snow Bowl"; the "Bush Push" game vs. USC in 2005; and the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup against Florida State in 1993. The games, chosen by a "Green-Ribbon" panel of experts, will be shown during the network's six hours of non-stop coverage beginning Thursday, March 17, at 5 p.m. ET.
Former Notre Dame All-America football player Tom Zbikowski’s return to boxing was a triumphant one Saturday night.
And extremely short.
It took the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Baltimore Ravens safety all of 105 seconds to dispatch 225-pound Richard Bryant of London Ky., in a scheduled four-round bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Notre Dame got off to a roaring start to their Class Of 2012 by landing two commitments in the last week.
The first to pull the trigger was cornerback prospect Tee Shepard from Central East High in Fresno California. Shepard is a major commitment for the Irish at a spot where there is a huge need this upcoming recruiting term. He is a good bet to be a Top 100 ranked player nationally by recruiting services. At 6-1 175lbs , Shepard provides great size and athletic ability to matchup against larger opposing receivers.
The second to commit to the Irish Class of 2012 is offensive lineman Taylor Decker from Butler High in Vandalia Ohio. Decker is a physically massive prospect who measures 6-8 and 270lbs. Decker had 7 scholarship offers from the likes of Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College along with his Notre Dame offer. Notre Dame running back coach Tim Hinton was the primary recruiter of Decker and the two formed a solid bond. Decker told Irish Illustrated's Jake Brown "Ever since my first visit it's been the school where I wanted to get an offer from and where I wanted to go."
Below are highlights of the first two Irish commitments to the Class of 2012. Keep in mind, the Taylor Decker highlights are from his sophomore year.
Last week we mentioned 5 offensive players that the Irish coaching staff will have their eyes on for the upcoming Class of 2012. This week, we move over to the defense. Lets take a look at five of the more heralded prospects Brian Kelly and Company will be courting in the coming months.
Tommy Schutt is a 6-3 301lb defensive lineman from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Schutt currently lines up at defensive end in high school, which is definitely a testament to his athletic ability, but he will probably move inside if he chooses Notre Dame. Schutt appears to be a perfect compliment at the defensive tackle/nose guard position that looks to be manned by Louis Nix this year. The Irish did not sign a player at that position in the 2011 recruiting campaign, so this will be a position of need in the 2012 class. Schutt currently holds 15 scholarship offers from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Nebraska in addition to his Notre Dame offer.
Ifeadi Odenigbo is a 6-4 210lb defensive end/linebacker from Centerville, Ohio. Odenigbo lines up purely as a defensive end in high school, but with his athletic ability, may likely move to linebacker in the Irish 3-4 defense. Odenigbo visited the Irish campus this last weekend (Feb' 25th-27th) as part of the Notre Dame Junior Day. Word is that he came away thoroughly impressed with everything ND had to offer. As many people know who happen to follow college recruiting, pulling a top player from the state of Ohio, and away from Ohio State is no easy task. Along with an Ohio State and Notre Dame offer, Odenigbo holds 11 total offers from the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma, and Stanford.
Tee Shepard is a 6-1 175lb cornerback from Central East High School in Fresno California. Shepard holds scholarship offers from the entire PAC-10 along with Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn,and Miami. Shepard will be tough to get out of PAC-10 country, but he has consistently mentioned the Irish in interviews. Cornerback is a major necessity for the Irish this recruiting campaign, so Brian Kelly and coaching staff will undoubtedly pursue Shepard very hard.
**EDIT: The following day after this article was written, Tee Shepard verbally committed to Notre Dame.
Alex Carter is a 6-1 180lb defensive back from Briar Woods High School, in Ashburn Virginia. Carter is the son of former Notre Dame great and NFL first round pick Tom Carter. Many remember the elder Carter as one of the best Irish defensive backs in the last 20-30 years. The younger Carter looks to follow in his fathers footsteps as a great defensive back. Even though the young Alex Carter is a Notre Dame legacy, he is definitely not a lock to sign with the Irish. Carter holds 9 total scholarship offers from the likes of Penn State, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Tennessee along with his Notre Dame offer.
Terry Richardson is a 5-9 160lb cornerback from Cass Tech High School in Detroit Michigan. Richardson trekked to Notre Dame this past weekend (Feb' 25th-27th) for the Irish Junior Day. Notre Dame is also heavily recruiting Richardson's teammate James Ross (linebacker). Richardson holds 13 scholarship offers from perennial powers like Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, LSU along with his Notre Dame offer.
