Notre Dame/Navy is currently the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in all of college football. Both schools have met one another each year dating all the way back to 1927, when Hebert Hoover was roaming the White House.

The Irish and the Midshipmen will meet in South Bend on odd years and on Navy’s home field, which is usually a NFL stadium, in even years. This season’s game will be held on Oct. 29 in South Bend while 2012′s game will be played in Dublin, Ireland.

For the better of 43 years, the rivalry was clearly one-sided in Notre Dame’s favor, but that changed back in 2007 when Navy defeated Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in a three overtime thriller. Since that point, the Midshipmen have really owned the games between the two sides.

After the Irish rebounded with a win on the road in 2008, the Midshipmen have won each of the last two seasons. They won another close one in South Bend back in 2009 and then blew out the Irish last season in the Meadowlands in Brian Kelly’s first season.

No matter who wins the games each season, this remains one of the most special rivalries in all of sports because of the great games and players who have taken part over the years.

It has become that much more special in recent years after Charlie Weis started the tradition of joining with the Navy players when the Naval Academy’s alma mater is played. Kelly continued on with that tradition in 2010 and for the years to come.

Ian Williams has signed a deal with the 49ers. (Photo Courtesy of Matt Ondecker, Flickr)

Kyle Rudolph may have gotten all the attention from Notre Dame fans with being the only Irish player drafted during April’s NFL draft, but several Notre Dame players still wanted to continue on of living their dream of playing professional football.

That dream came true for four different former Irish players on Tuesday, the first official day when NFL teams could sign undrafted rookie free agents.

Ian Williams signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers, Brian Smith signed with the Cleveland Browns, Darrin Walls with the Atlanta Falcons and Chris Stewart with the New York Jets. There is still no word on Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and other players who have since left the school, but look for that to come out in the coming days.

Williams was the favorite out of the four signed yesterday to be drafted, but his late season knee injury probably ended any possibility of him being drafted within the seven rounds of the draft. He may not stick around as a Niner, but Williams is good enough to be on a 53-man roster when the season opens up in September.

One of the most frustrating players in Notre Dame history, Smith came on late last season and played really well down the stretch when the Irish won four straight games to close out the season. Cleveland isn’t exactly loaded on the defensive side of things, so there is always a possibility that he remains a Brown going forward. At the very least, he could be an effective special teams player.

Walls and Stewart have to be thrilled with ending up in Atlanta and the Big Apple respectively, even if they don’t remain on the rosters. Both the Falcons and Jets are two of the favorites to make a Super Bowl appearance and both seem like great spots for two very smart and hard working players.

Photo Courtesy of AnnArbor.com

With the start of training camp just a few short weeks away, I will examine the Notre Dame roster, position-by-position, over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the regular season on the first Saturday in September.

First up will be the quarterbacks, which was a position that had a lot of turnover during Brian Kelly’s first season at the helm in South Bend. By only the second game of the season in 2011, Kelly had already used three quarterbacks due to an injury to his starter and poor play from one his backups.

This group may be short on game experience, but it is one of the most talented units on the Notre Dame roster. Lets take a look at the position shall we?

Dayne Crist: 2010 was suppose to be the season where Crist showed why he was so highly thought of by coaches when he came out of high school. He was finally the starter after spending his first two seasons behind Jimmy Clausen backing up the now Carolina Panther. All of it ended up being was a season of disappointment.

The now senior QB only managed to play in nine games after suffering a season ending knee injury in the game against Tulsa. Crist suffered a serious knee injury the year previous in a game against Washington State on the turf in San Antonio.

The injuries don’t end there for him. Crist suffered an eye injury in the Michigan game, which made him miss significant time in the first half against the Wolverines. If the quarterback would have stayed healthy, there probably have been a much different result in the game and instead of starting the season off at .500, the Irish would have been 2-0.

Despite the injuries and the complaints from many fans of his inconsistent play, Crist had a pretty solid season in his first season as the team’s starter under center. Remind you, he was playing n a new system that he has never played in before. Kelly’s spread system needs a quarterback to make quick reads and adjust to defenses quickly. Crist struggled early on, but he got better as the season went on.

Even though his season ended in the Tulsa game, Crist finished up the year with some good numbers throwing 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His best game came on the road against Michigan State where he threw for 369 yards and four TD’s with only a lone pick. Sadly for Crist and his teammates, the Irish would lose on a last second fake field goal that went for a TD.

From all indications, Crist appears to be 100 percent ready for the start of training game slated for the first week of August. He was actually ahead of schedule coming off the surgery all the way back in the beginning of the season. That is a testament to his work ethic and the drive he has to be this team’s starter going forward.

Final 2010 Stats: 2,033 Yards, 59.2 Percent Completion Percentage, 15 TD’s, 7 INT’s

Tommy Rees: After Crist went down with the knee injury during the Tulsa game, things were looking pretty bleak for Kelly and company going forward the rest of the season. After Crist on the depth chart, the remaining Irish QB’s had zero game experience, which was clear in the Michigan game

Rees was one of thee guys who saw action in that game, but was taken out quickly after throwing two incomplete passes. He saw some action in garbage time against Navy a few weeks later, completing six of his seven passes for 79 yards, but it was the Tulsa game where we really saw what the then freshman could do under center.

In his first meaningful time at the collegiate level, Rees would go on to throw an eye-popping 54 passes in that game against Tulsa. He would complete 33 of them and also threw for four scores, but Rees also forced many passes, three of which were picked off by Tulsa defenders. That would be the last time we would really see Rees struggle the rest of the season.

After the Tulsa loss, the new freshman starter would go on to lead his team to four straight wins to close out the season, which included a huge win on the road against Southern Cal and a blowout bowl win against Miami in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso.

Over those four wins, we really learned what Rees was made of. Not highly recruited coming out of high school, Rees didnt feature a big arm and he didn’t have great speed or height. Heck, it is hard to find one thing that Rees did tremendously well, but the kid proved he is a winner and one of the smarter players on the entire roster.

Those are two of the big things you ask for out of your starting quarterback and Rees certainly showed that he has both of those features.

Final 2010 Stats: 1,106 Yards, 61 Percent Completion Percentage, 12 TD’s, 8 INT’s

Andrew Hendrix: Hendrix is actually the complete opposite of Rees in every way possible. He was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the country two recruiting seasons ago, he has ideal height for a QB at 6’3″ and he has very good arm strength and good enough speed in and out the pocket to cause some teams problems.

Unlike Rees though, Hendrix didn’t get to see any time on the field in 2010, despite the clamoring of many Irish fans for him to do so.

That doesn’t mean he won’t see any meaningful minutes during his sophomore season though. Most would agree that Hendrix is probably the best fit for Kelly’s system out of the first four quarterbacks on the depth chart because of his size, his very good athleticism and his knowledge of the spread system.

Only time will tell, however, if Hendrix can skip over two guys on the depth chart to become this team’s starter for the season opener. Most oddsmakers would bet against it.

Final 2010 Stats: No Stats

Everett Golson: There wasn’t a more talked recruit from Irish fans in 2011 class than Mr. Golson. Listed at about 6-foot, but actually around 5’11″, Golson showed during the Blue-Gold Game in March what Notre Dame has for the future at the position going forward.

Even though he may be short in stature, Golson more than makes up for it with his presence in the huddle. Despite only going to be a true freshman, several of his teammates have already said how great of a leader that Golson is when he calls plays in the huddle.

Golson is also a freakish athlete as well. In the snaps that he received during the spring game, the young QB showed how explosive he can be whenever he gets out of the pocket. Golson had a number of beautiful runs, juking out defenders to grab extra yardage.

Along with his athleticism and his speed getting out of the pocket, Golson has underrated arm strength as well. When he wasn’t scrambling for a first down in the game, the first-year collegiate player showed zip on passes and solid accuracy when he needed to do so.

The Irish haven’t had a quarterback like Golson in years with his mixture of athleticism and arm strength. He may not see the field in his first season under center, but don’t be surprised to see Kelly get him involved in the offense in some way throughout parts of the 2011 campaign.

Final 2010 Stats: High School Senior

Final Predictions for 2011 Season: Despite fans wanting to see Hendrix and Golson under center for 2011, I highly doubt we will see either this season, unless of course injuries happen to both Crist and Rees. Hendrix and Golson are the future, Crist and Rees are the two who should be given starting consideration now.

Mr. Kelly has a better feel for his quarterbacks than me though and I trust his judgment whatever his decision ends up being.

I am high on Rees, especially when you get the opinions of the majority of Irish fans. I think he has tools that you need out of your quarterback, but I see Crist being this team’s starter when the season opens up in September. At the very least, he deserves to be this team’s starter with all the work that he has put in to get back from yet another knee injury.

Year Two in Kelly’s offense will do wonders for Crist on so many levels. We saw him make tremendous strides in the latter half of the season, but the unfortunate knee injury cut his season short again. If he wouldn’t have suffered that injury, he would be this team’s unquestioned guy under center at the moment.

The injury may have been bad for Crist and of course the Irish at the moment, but it could do wonders for them if Crist were to go down once again in 2011.

Just imagine if Crist would have played in every single minute last season and he suffered an injury at some point this year? Rees wouldn’t have that experience he got last season. The Irish season would suddenly be jeopardy if Crist were out for an extended period of time.

That wouldn’t be the case now. Rees has the experience and the record to back it up. Can anyone actually remember the last time an Irish QB finished off the season with four straight wins, including a bowl win? You have to go back a couple of decades to find the answer to that question.

The quarterback position will be the biggest question for many critics of this Irish team heading into the season, but if Crist is 100 percent and plays like he is capable of playing, Kelly and company could very well be celebrating a BCS bowl victory in early January.

Photo Courtesy of CoachBrey, Flickr

The University of Notre Dame will always first be known for its football program, but the basketball program has had its fair share of good moments throughout the years as well, especially in recent years under head coach Mike Brey.

In the 11 years under Brey’s leadership, the Irish have made it to seven NCAA tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteeen appearance back in 2003. His 238 wins ranks near the top for Notre Dame coaches and he clearly has been the school’s best head coach in the sport since the days of Digger Phelps.

Despite all the success that he has had while in South Bend, the head coach’s lack of recruiting prowess is disabling the Irish from taking that next step to make deep runs in the tournament year in and year out.

Reports over the last couple of days have come out that Brey sent out an assistant coach to go attend a game of Gary Harris. The shooting guard out of Indiana is a five-star player on Scout and one of the best players in the country. If he picks Notre Dame as his school of choice, Harris would be the top player that Brey has gotten in his 11 years at South Bend.

Unfortunately, grabbing Harris is a long shot at this point, especially after Brey’s bad decision of not attending one of his games over the weekend. Tom Izzo and several other coaches at top schools throughout the country were reportedly there. It just looks bad when several schools have their head coaches at the game and Notre Dame just has an assistant.

From the reports that I have read, this isn’t the first time that Brey has pulled something like this either. It is understandable if he made the mistake once, maybe even twice, but to do it numerous of times is just inexcusable for a man who coaches at such a great school.

This isn’t to take away from all the great things that Brey has done for this program. He has changed Notre Dame basketball from a bad program before he got to South Bend to one that has competed for Big East titles the last couple of seasons.

Since Brey became head coach more than a decade ago, the university has put a significant amount of money into the basketball program to build new facilities as well as remodel the Joyce Center. It is hard to compete with schools throughout the country when you have subpar facilities and it’s good to see that both Brey and the school see that.

However, Brey’s recruiting must improve if the Irish want to take the next step going forward. The now 52-year-old is a very good developer of talent, which is evident by a number of teams overachieving because of a lack of great talent, but Brey must start grabbing some of this top level kids, especially one that is in his backyard like Harris.

For too long, the Irish have not had a top level scorer to close out games and get points when the rest of the offense was struggling. That was one of the major problems with this team at parts during last season, including in the last game against Florida State in the tournament.

Lets just hope Brey changes his ways and improves his recruiting tactics or else Irish fans are going to get tired real quickly of first and second tournament exits from his teams over the long haul.

Pete Duranko played in the 10-10 tie against Michigan State in 1966. (Photo Courtesy of Michigan State University Archives, Flickr)

Pete Duranko, a starting defensive lineman on Notre Dame’s 1966 National Championship squad and longtime Denver Bronco, passed away yesterday after a 11-year bout with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was only 67 years old.

Duranko was a star and All-American member of Ara Parseghian’s first championship team in 1966. During that season, the big man had 73 tackles and help led a defense that only gave up 3.8 points per game and had six shutouts in 10 games that season.

A few months later, Duranko was drafted by the Broncos during the fourth round of the 1966 NFL draft. He would go on to spent his entire seven-year career in the Mile High City. During his seven seasons in Denver, he started 76 of 98 games.

After he retired from football following the 1974 season, the Pennsylvanian became a steel company executive. Following being diagnosed with ALS in 2000, Duranko became a key spokesman to try and raise money for the terrible disease.

Okwara is in his senior season at the same high school that produced Irish linebacker Prince Shembo. If he can turn into the type of player that Shembo has already become, the coaching staff is going to be thrilled with this pick up.

The youngster comes a bit under the radar. He is a four-star on Rivals and a three-star with a 77 rating on ESPN’s recruiting service, but he has yet to be ranked by Scout for some reason. His young age might have something to do with that.

Despite not being ranked by Scout, Okwara still had a very impressive offer list before committing to the Irish. His offers include Michigan, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Virginia Tech and a couple of others who are considered to be top football programs in the country.

The newest member of the Notre Dame family is expected to be an onside linebacker in Bob Diaco’s 3-4 defense. Already nearly 6-foot-5 at only 16, it is very likely that he could grow an inch or two before he even gets on campus. That could mean that Diaco might switch him to the defensive line, but we will have to wait and see.

Whatever position he plays, it looks like the Irish got a diamond in the rough with Okwara. It may take him a year or two to turn into a productive player on defense, but the raw talent and skills are there for the coaching staff to work with.

The Irish are just fine at the QB position. (Photo Courtesy of Danny Wild, Flickr)

With Maty Mauk now out of the picture after committing to Missouri yesterday, many Irish fans are left wondering whether or not Brian Kelly and company will be taking a quarterback for this season’s recruiting class.

Giving that answer right now, you would have to say no at the current moment.

According to Scout’s web site, the Irish still have three offers out two three quarterback’s who have yet to commit to a school. The highest rated of the bunch is Gunner Kiel, who is the best high school senior QB in the country by most recruiting sites. Despite his family’s ties to the school, his interest in Notre Dame has gone down significantly in recent weeks though.

At the moment, Kiel’s interest in the Irish is low on the Scout site and it is more than likely that the Irish coaching staff have stopped recruiting him altogether. The two other players holding Irish offers, Devin Fuller and Bennie Coney, are longshots at best.

Yes, it would have been nice to get a player of Kiel’s caliber in this class, but grabbing a quarterback wasn’t't exactly a priority heading into the 2012 class. Looking at the Irish roster, all four quarterbacks on the current roster have significant eligibility remaining.

Dayne Crist will be going into his senior season, but he will be eligible to come back for a fifth season at Notre Dame because of all the games that he has missed due to injuries. Both Andrew Hendrix and Tommy Rees are only sophomores and Everett Golson will be heading into his first season in an Irish uniform.

You have nothing to worry about Irish fans. Kelly has the QB position well stocked for the next couple of seasons and the Irish staff already have several offers out to some of the top high school juniors in the 2013 class.

Photo Courtesy of Neon Tommy, Flickr

Irish tight end Tyler Eifert was one of 34 players named to the Mackey Award preseason watch list in an announcement from the Nassau County Sports on Wednesday. The Mackey Award is given each year to the nation’s top tight end at the yearly ESPN College Football Awards Red Carpet Show at the end of the season.

The junior really came on during 2010 after it was learned from the Irish training staff that Kyle Rudolph would miss the remainder of the season. Up to the point when Rudolph went down with an injury, Eifert had only one catch in his collegiate career.

That would all change though.

Eifert would go on to grab 26 catches over the final seven games of the season, including the bowl win over Miami. In those seven games, the tight end also had 335 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which included a beautiful TD catch against Army at Yankee Stadium.

Now in his junior season, big things are expected out of Eifert. Besides Michael Floyd, it is now out of the realm of possibilies that Eifert becomes the next most popular receiver for Irish QB’s. He certainly was for Tommy Rees to close out last season.

Here is to Eifert becoming the next great Irish tight end behind Anthony Fasano, John Carlson and Rudolph.

Photo Courtesy of Danny Wild, Flickr

Preseason awards continue to pile up Notre Dame players for the upcoming 2011 season. The university announced on Tuesday that junior Dayne Crist and senior Michael Floyd were named to the Maxwell Award Watch List and junior Manti Te’o was placed on the Bednarik Award Watch List.

The Maxwell Award is given each year to college football’s best player. The last Irish player to win the award was Brady Quinn back in 2006. The Chuck Bendarik is given to the defensive player of the year in college football.

Crist started the first nine games of last season for the Irish before a ruptured patella tendon against Tulsa ended his sophomore season. The junior quarterback completed 59 percent of his passes for more than 2,000 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2010.

Floyd heads into his senior season the leader of many Notre Dame receiving records and in contention for others. He stands alone in touchdown receptions, second in total receptions and third in receiving yards. Floyd was just recently graded by scouts as the top receiver for next year’s NFL draft.

Te’o heads into the season highly touted of as well.  The Irish linebacker was named to the second team All-American squad after last season as well as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Butkus Trophy, which is given to the best linebacker in the country.

Starting all 13 games during the 2010 campaign, Te’o lead the team in tackles with 133, including 9.5 for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass deflections.

Out of the three, Floyd and Te’o have to be the two favorites to win their respective awards. Floyd is clearly a top receiver in the country, whether it be Crist or Tommy Rees throwing to him. Te’o only gets better and better as the seasons go by and he should only improve with more pass rushers around him on the Irish defense.

Here are all 23 freshmen in ABC order followed by their new number.

RB/WR – George Atkinson #4
DB – Josh Atkinson #43
K – Kyle Brindza #27
CB – Jalen Brown #21
OL – Brad Carrico #56
OLB – Ben Councell #30
WR – Davaris Daniels #16
WR – Matthias Farley #41
QB – Everett Golson #5
MLB – Jarrett Grace #59
OL – Conor Hanratty #65
S – Eilar Hardy #34
OL – Matt Hegarty #77
DL – Chase Hounshell #50
TE – Ben Koyack #18
DL – Aaron Lynch #19
OL – Nick Martin #72
RB – Cam McDaniel #33
DL – Troy Niklas #58
OLB – Anthony Rabasa #56
DL – Tony Springmann #69
DL – Stephon Tuitt #7
OLB – Ishaq Williams #1

Daniels, Lynch, Tuitt and Williams are the four guys to keep an eye on since they are the most likely to see significant playing time in their first seasons in blue and gold.

The number 16 for Daniels is a bit strange considering you very rarely see receivers with that kind of number. Most receivers usually have their numbers in single digits or in the 80′s. The only guy that I can think of off the top of my head with a number similar to Daniels was Duval Kamara, who wore 18 for all four seasons.

Lynch’s and Williams numbers come as no surprise considering both were wearing them during the spring game. It is cool to see Tuitt wearing #7. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about defensive lineman wearing single digit numbers that I like.