Sports

2021 Draft Preview

2021 Draft Preview

Author: Matt Cotner

The coronavirus pandemic has made scouting and player evaluations even more difficult this year than in years past, so the upcoming NFL Draft will be filled with heightened uncertainty. After a second trip in three years to the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish will graduate a large swath of the talent that has sustained their success over the past few seasons.  Many of those graduating are hoping to hear their names called this spring at the NFL Draft.

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Behind the Playbook

Behind the Playbook

Author: Daphne Saloomey

The 2020 football season was one of unprecedented changes for top programs across the country, including the Fighting Irish. The season marked the beginning of Tommy Rees’ tenure as offensive coordinator as well as the departure of Clark Lea, the defensive coordinator, after Notre Dame’s Rose Bowl defeat.

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Looking Ahead: Where Do the Irish Go From Here?

Looking Ahead: Where Do the Irish Go From Here?

Author: Englehart, Matthew

Notre Dame finished the season at 10-2, marking its fourth straight season with 10 wins and its second trip to the College Football Playoff in three years. To add to that, the Irish haven’t lost at home since September 2017, yet we enter 2021 with an uncertainty of where the program will go from here. The Irish closed the season with back-to-back losses by three possessions to two of the best programs in the last decade. They also have to replace the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history, the team’s best defensive coordinator in recent history and four of five starters on the offensive line. That’s the bad news, but there is also much to look forward to.

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Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl

Author: Caroline Pineda

If there was a search for an image to encapsulate the talent gap between Alabama and Notre Dame, it would end with the picture of Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris hurdling cornerback Nick McCloud.

After the 31-14 loss in the relocated Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, head coach Brian Kelly was adamant that the final score wasn’t an issue of talent but an issue of making plays — or failing to do so.

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Duke

Duke

Author: Grant DelVecchio

For Notre Dame football, the 2020 season promised to be unlike any other in the team’s 133-year history — and not just because it was set to be played during a pandemic.

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Featured Performer: Kyren Williams

Featured Performer: Kyren Williams

Author: Emma Ferdinandi

Kyren Williams’ journey to being named the ACC Rookie of the Year didn’t come easily. Redshirted as a freshman and facing a pandemic as a sophomore made his position within the running back room an uncertainty at the start of the season.

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Guest Column: Waiting for the Perfect Storm

Guest Column: Waiting for the Perfect Storm

Author: David Korzeniowski

This time last year, during my senior year at Notre Dame, I typed away on this same keyboard following Notre Dame’s 11-2 season. I made the argument that Notre Dame fans needed to recognize the elite position the program was in and that the team could win a national championship in the next two seasons.

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2020: The Year of the Conference

2020: The Year of the Conference

Author: Nick Pesce

Notre Dame football has a long, proud history. The Fighting Irish are a national brand, attracting fans from all corners of both the United States and the globe. They regularly sell out Notre Dame Stadium, and often contend for major bowls and national championships. What’s also impressive about all this is that Notre Dame is the only significant football program to do this without joining a conference of other collegiate teams.

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Notre Dame's 2020 Season Football Recap: A Season of Many Firsts
Letter from the Editor: Football Issue

Letter from the Editor: Football Issue

Author: Caroline Pineda

A usually raucous stadium atmosphere was muted this year, as 11,000 fans sought to simulate the energy of 80,000. The limited capacity was one of many restrictions brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions that went far beyond the stands and permeated classrooms, dorms and locker rooms.

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A Race for Change: Women’s Basketball Marches for Unity
Sports Rundown

Sports Rundown

Author: Sean Lonergan

The coronavirus has radically transformed the landscape of college sports, and after initial worries, Notre Dame fans are fortunate to still enjoy a 2020-21 season. Student attendance at games, even in a limited capacity, has helped to elevate the atmosphere and maintain the feeling of excitement despite coronavirus-related adjustments. 

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Sports Feature: Volleyball

Sports Feature: Volleyball

Author: Daniel Paglia

With an impressive 6-1 record at the conclusion of the fall ACC volleyball schedule, Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 heading into their spring schedule, which will allow them to compete for a national championship.

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The Wide Receiver Room

The Wide Receiver Room

Author: Caroline Pineda

Despite COVID-19 disrupting countless aspects of a normal season, all of the pieces appear to be falling into place for the Notre Dame football team as they approach the season’s marquee matchup against Clemson.

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The Grudge Match: Notre Dame vs. Clemson 2.0
By the Numbers

By the Numbers

Author: Englehart, Matthew

100 — The percentage of Notre Dame football players who have registered to vote. One way to make change is through voting, and the Irish football players are leading by example at the moment.

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Irish Defense Is as Strong as Ever
Featured Performer: Daelin Hayes

Featured Performer: Daelin Hayes

Author: Englehart, Matthew

A graduate defensive end, Daelin Hayes has played a significant role on the stout Notre Dame defense throughout his collegiate career. Hayes was a top-300 recruit coming out of high school from Bellville, Mich., and in his freshman year, he played in all 12 games.

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Future of the Season

Future of the Season

Author: Daniel Paglia

The second week of March saw the sports world grind to a complete halt. In just one week, athletes went from preparing for tournament runs, an upcoming season or the biggest event of their lives, to sitting home waiting for what would come next. But no one knew what the future would hold for collegiate and professional athletics in the United States.

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Women’s and Men’s Soccer Update
Fans in the Stands: The New Gameday Experience

Fans in the Stands: The New Gameday Experience

Author: Matt Cotner

“These unprecedented times” are the words that seem to populate every email and TV advertisement seen today. The four-word phrase may be overused and somewhat annoying to hear so often, but it nevertheless rings true, and is felt very heavily on a game day in South Bend.

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By the Numbers

By the Numbers

Author: Katharine Flanagan

525 – The jersey numbers of Jack (5) and Nick (25). The name was inspired by a photo of the two in their jerseys displaying these numbers.

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Update on Fall Athletics Practices

Update on Fall Athletics Practices

Author: Matt Cotner

Throughout the summer, questions about the state of college athletics popped up around the country. Although NCAA President Mark Emmert stated, “We cannot, at this point, have fall NCAA championships,” the NCAA is hoping to host fall championships in the spring. Notably, this statement does not apply to college football, as the NCAA does not have oversight of the Football Bowl Subdivision championship, the College Football Playoff. While details surrounding various fall sports seasons and championship formats remain unclear, Notre Dame fall sports athletes have begun to practice.

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The State of College Football and Notre Dame’s New Look Schedule
Muffet in the Classroom

Muffet in the Classroom

Author: Grant DelVecchio

As a young girl growing up in West Chester, Pa. during the 1960s, Ann “Muffett” O’Brien was constantly reminded of what she couldn’t do, especially when it came to athletics and playing basketball with the boys.

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Featured Performer: Graham Slaggert

Featured Performer: Graham Slaggert

Author: Katharine Flanagan

In the summer of 2015, rising college freshman Jack Savage and rising sophomore Nick Savage consumed oxycodone and alcohol at a grad party, and then went home and went to bed. When their mom woke up the next day, both were dead.

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Featured Performer(s): The Notre Dame Baseball Team

Featured Performer(s): The Notre Dame Baseball Team

Author: Grant DelVecchio

As the team jogged off the diamond after securing their first midweek win of the season and their seventh in a row, everything seemed to be going right for Notre Dame baseball and first-year Head Coach Link Jarrett at the start of the 2020 season. The 9-8 away victory over Radford moved the No. 24 ranked Irish to 11-2 on the season and marked the 10th time out of their 11 wins that the offense scored eight or more runs. After three straight disappointing, losing seasons, and five out of the last six under former skipper Mik Aoki, Jarrett and his team seemed to have turned the page on the team’s recent losing ways.

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By the Numbers
The Future of Sports

The Future of Sports

Author: Englehart, Matthew

Like almost everything else, the future of sports may be changed forever because of COVID-19. Currently, all professional and collegiate sports have been postponed or canceled; Wimbledon and The Open have also been canceled. This has led to the question: when will we get sports back?

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A Thank You to the Ushers of Notre Dame

A Thank You to the Ushers of Notre Dame

Author: Daniel Paglia

The lack of collegiate and professional sports during this pandemic has allowed the writers of Scholastic to reflect on aspects of athletics that usually do not get placed in the spotlight. This story provided me the opportunity to thank members of the gameday experience that seldom receive recognition: the ushers.

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