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Mahone Sets Announcement Date

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WillMahoneEdit2Ohio RB Will Mahone (Austintown, Ohio/Fitch) has set his announcement date.  The four-star running back will announce his college decision on August 7th. 

Mahone will choose between Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh. He received offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia.

He was ranked the No. 7 overall running back on Coach D's Big Board and the No. 1 big back.

Here is Coach D's evaluation of Mahone.

"Mahone is the top power back on Notre Dame’s board. He has good size at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds. Mahone also runs with impressive power and is a strong downhill runner. He possesses good balance and runs with good pad level, making him an effective between the tackles runner. His ability to put his head down and ram forward will make him an effective short yardage back as well. Mahone is more than just a power back. He has solid speed, which he combines nicely with his good size and powerful running style. Mahone is a one-cut runner that gets downhill quickly and runs with a good forward lean. He anticipates contact well and is able to dip and rip through defenders in space. He has enough quickness and agility to make defenders miss on the second level as he works for extra yards. His game is best suited for a more traditional offense, but he could be a weapon in the spread offense. The extra creases and room he would get would allow him to bully defenses between the tackles, and if he gets a crease he could make big plays. He reminds me of a faster and a bit more explosive version of Jacob Ramsey, who was a solid running back for Kelly at Cincinnati."

Pro Day Results

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Armando Allen
Vertical: 31.5”
Broad Jump: 10’
Bench Press: N/A
40-Yard dash: 4.58/4.59
Pro Agility: 4.12/4.15
3-Cone Drill: 7.10
60-Yard Shuttle:11.45/11.57

Robert Hughes
Vertical: 32”
Broad Jump: 9’4”
Bench Press: 26
40-Yard Dash: 4.89/4.89
Pro Agility: 4.66/4.69
3-Cone Drill: 7.26
60-Yard Shuttle: 12.14/12.13

Duval Kamara
Vertical: 32.5”
Broad Jump: 10’1”
Bench Press: 11
40-Yard Dash: 4.84/4.75
Pro Agility: 4.49/4.48
3-Cone Drill: 7.41
60-Yard Shuttle: 11.78/11.70

Kerry Neal
Vertical: 27.5”
Broad Jump: 9’3”
Bench Press: 24
40-Yard Dash: 5.17/5.15
Pro Agility: 4.60/4.54
3-Cone Drill: 7.43
60-Yard Shuttle: 12.41/-

Kyle Rudolph
Vertical: 34.5”
Broad Jump: 9’5”
Bench Press: 19
40-Yard Dash: 4.78/4.80
Pro Agility: 4.37/4.37
3-Cone Drill: 7.24
60-Yard Shuttle: 12.30/12.23

Brian Smith
Vertical: 30.5”
Broad Jump: 9’5”
Bench Press: 15
40-Yard Dash: 4.72/4.82
Pro Agility: 4.31/4.30
3-Cone Drill: 7.18
60-Yard Shuttle: 11.89/11.84

Chris Stewart
Vertical: 28”
Broad Jump: 7’8”
Bench Press: 24
40-Yard Dash: 5.57/5.58
Pro Agility: 4.92/4.90
3-Cone Drill 7.69
60-Yard Shuttle: -/-

Darrin Walls
Vertical: 28.5”
Broad Jump: 10’2”
Bench Press: 15
40-Yard Dash: 4.39/4.42
Pro Agility: 4.18/4.15
3-Cone Drill: 6.88
60-Yard Shuttle: 10.85/10.82

Ian Williams
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
40-Yard Dash: 5.10/5.20
Pro Agility: N/A
3-Cone Drill: 7.75
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Notre Dame Announces 2011 Kick Times, Ticket Prices

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EthanvsBarkleyNOTRE DAME, Ind. – Look for a couple of new wrinkles connected with football at the University of Notre Dame in 2011.

The Irish for the first time in 21 years will play a night game at Notre Dame Stadium – and the University for the first time will go to variable game ticket pricing for its home football schedule.

The Notre Dame-USC game slated for Oct. 22, 2011, at Notre Dame Stadium will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to play host to a home night game. While we will do this only on a selective basis, we think it is important to occasionally use the platform of a prime-time game to promote the University and our football program,” said Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick.

“When you look back at the previous home night games we’ve played, a number of those have been hallmark events in the history of our program. We are confident this year’s USC game will continue that tradition.”

Meanwhile, tickets for three of Notre Dame’s six home football games in 2011 – Sept. 17 against Michigan State, Oct. 22 versus USC and Nov. 19 against Boston College – will cost $80. Prices for games Sept. 3 against South Florida, Oct. 8 versus Air Force and Oct. 29 against Navy will be $70, the same as the single-gameprice in 2010 for all games at Notre Dame Stadium.

“The reality of our budgeting process is that football ticket revenue is critical to our ability to contribute to the University’s academic programs and finance our other varsity sports. We are fortunate in that every Notre Dame home football game has been sold out formore than four decades,” said Swarbrick.

“In that light, we’ve determined this is the most prudent model to enable us to accomplish our overall budgeting goals while continuing to make sure that our games remain affordable. This approach allows us to provide our fans with options.”

The Oct. 22 Notre Dame-USC game will mark the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium since Michigan came to Notre Dame to play under the lights in 1990 (top-ranked Notre Dame won that game 28-24 over the fourth-rated Wolverines).

The other previous home night games came in 1982 against Michigan (Dave Duerson’s late interception preserved the Irish win), 1984 against Miami, 1985 and 1987 against Michigan State (Tim Brown returned two punts for touchdowns in ’87 to kick-start his Heisman Trophy bid), and 1988 against Michigan (Reggie Ho’s late, game-winning field goal opened Notre Dame’s national championship campaign) and Stanford.

A number of other late-afternoon starts between ’82 and ’96 required the portable Musco lighting system at Notre Dame Stadium before permanent lights were added when Notre Dame Stadium was expanded in 1997.

Here’s the complete 2011 Notre Dame home schedule, including both kickoff times and ticket prices (the Nov. 19 game against Boston College is a late-afternoon start in conjunction with NBC Sports coverage of the Presidents Cup golf event from Melbourne, Australia):

2011 University of Notre Dame Home Football Schedule

Date Opponent Kickoff Ticket Price

Sept. 3 South Florida 3:30 p.m. EDT $70

Sept. 17 Michigan State 3:30 p.m. EDT $80

Oct. 8 Air Force 3:30 p.m. EDT $70

Oct. 22 USC 7:30 p.m. EDT $80

Oct. 29 Navy 3:30 p.m. EDT $70

*Nov. 12 Maryland 7:30 p.m. EST $50 to $130

Nov. 19 Boston College 4:00 p.m. EST $80

*(at FedExField, Landover, Md.)

Irish Injury Updates

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CamRobersonInjury1Notre Dame running back Cameron Roberson and linebacker Anthony McDonald will both miss the remainder of spring practices due to injuries. Roberson suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament and partially torn anterior cruciate ligament while McDonald sustained a partially torn pectoral muscle. The injuries to both players will be surgically repaired. McDonald should be ready for the start of training camp in August while Roberson's return date is uncertain at this time.

E.J. Banks No Longer Enrolled

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On Tuesday, Notre Dame confirmed E.J. Banks is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame. 

Banks lost his scholarship for undisclosed reasons during the summer, but remained enrolled in school and competed on the scout team with the hopes of eventually rejoining the team later.

A three-star prospect out of Pittsburgh, Banks came to Notre Dame as a safety, but saw most of his reps at cornerback. Banks underwent knee surgery before arriving at Notre Dame, but had been working his way back to full health and was contending for playing time in the secondary.

Banks entered summer camp as Darrin Walls’ backup at cornerback and the depth at the position quickly thinned as freshman early enrollee Spencer Boyd had already decided to transfer. Barry Gallup was moved from offense to cornerback to add depth.

Bowl Bound Blog

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Notre Dame's postseason destination appears to be set for El Paso. You can read about the ramifications of each game here. In this space, we’ll give you the updated scores of each game and what they mean for the Irish.

West Virginia 35, Rutgers 14, F: Notre Dame probably needed a win from South Florida over UConn in order to receive an invitation to the Champs Sports Bowl. The common thinking is the Champs Bowl will take a 9-3 Mountaineer squad instead of a 7-5 Irish team while preserving the right to select Notre Dame in coming years.

Oregon 37, Oregon State 20, F: The Irish can now do no worse than the Sun Bowl.

Washington 35, Washington State 28, F: The Huskies become bowl eligible, meaning the Irish will not be going to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Notre Dame could still scoop up the Pac-10's open spot in the Sun Bowl.

UConn 19, USF 16, F: Dave Teggart drills a 52-yard field goal to give Huskies the lead.

Notre Dame will likely be headed to the Sun Bowl.

Keep coming back for updated scores and scenarios.

Kelly Responds To Allegations

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BK1030S1Late Saturday night, the Chicago Tribune released a story claiming a 19-year-old St. Mary’s student may have committed suicide nine days after telling University of Notre Dame police that she was sexually assaulted by an Irish football player.

The allegation was reportedly made on Sept. 1 of this year, a day after the incident was said to have taken place. The Tribune did not name the player accused, but did say the female student was found unconscious in her dorm room on Sept. 10 before being pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital in South Bend. The Tribune cited authorities, who believe the death was caused by an overdose of prescription medication.

The Tribune says the unnamed player “has remained on the field.”

During his Sunday afternoon teleconference, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was asked about the situation, but refused to go into specifics.

“I saw the story, but anything that this article alleges would be a university matter,” Kelly said. “Anything of this nature is a university matter. I think the University made it pretty clear in that article...The University has a process in place and that process is one that I’m respecting.”

The University issued a statement on the matter to the Tribune:

"Any time we are made aware of a student potentially violating university policies, we implement a process that is careful and thorough so that facts can be gathered, rumors and misinformation can be sorted out, and an informed decision can be made about what action to take — if action is warranted. We take our obligation seriously, we involve law enforcement officials as appropriate, and we act in accordance with the facts."

Kelly would not say when he learned of the accusation.

“I’m not going to get into specifics,” he said. “I can tell you this, from my standpoint as the head football coach, I think it was made clear that the University is going to deal with any matters of this nature. One of the reasons why I came to Notre Dame is that I have the same standards that our University does. We are in lockstep relative to the standards that we hold here at the University of Notre Dame.”

One shared standards is treating women with respect, which is one of the “Irish Commandments” Kelly instituted.

“We have those commandments in our locker room,” he said. “I’m a dad, I’m a father, I have a daughter. Those are very, very important things to me and very, very important to the culture within our football program.

“The commandments that we have are very, very important. I’ve been a head football coach for 20 years and I can tell you emphatically that I want the right kind of guys. Those values are important to me. They’re the cornerstone of everything I’ve done in my football program and I will continue to do that here at the University of Notre Dame.”

Kelly reiterated the fact that any potential discipline would come from above his head.

“Again, it’s a university matter,” he said. “We are both in accord relative to the standards that we hold here. Again, we’re going through that process. I don’t want to be short or seem that I’ve got canned answers because I don’t, other than the fact that I know the University has got a process in place.

“Anything that the article alleges would be a university matter. That process is in place. That process is to dispel rumors and misinformation and get to the facts. That’s what our University is doing.”

Kelly declined to offer public support for the accused player.

“All I can tell you is I support, within my program, a value system and principles that I’ve articulated,” he said. "Those commandments are important to me and, certainly, those are the things that I espouse on a day-to-day basis within our program.

The head coach did say he believes he has the right kind of guys at Notre Dame.

“I inherited a lot of things when I came to Notre Dame, what I didn’t inherit were kids that weren’t great kids,” he said. “I’ve got great kids and they show that every day to me in the way they come to work, the way they go to class, the way they do things.”

1 Hinton Hitting High Schools

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hinton2Just got word that Notre Dame assistant coach Tim Hinton will be at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., today before he goes to check out Alexandria, Va., offensive tackle Jay Whitmire at T.C. WIlliams High School later this afternoon.

Good Counsel has four top prospects in the Class of 2012 in DE Ryan Watson, RB Wes Brown, OT Mike Madaras and ATH Stefon Diggs. As of now, the Irish haven't offered any of the four, but all four sport impressive offer sheets. Watson has offers from Georgia Tech, Stanford, Maryland, Purdue, West Virginia and more. Brown has offers from Boston College, Maryland, Pitt and West Virginia among others. A sampling of Madaras' offers includes Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Stanford, Pitt and Maryland. Diggs has offers from Miami, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Pitt and Virginia Tech along with others.

Earlier today Hinton was at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., to check in on one of the nation's finest offensive tackles Cyrus Kouandjio. The 6-foot-7, 322-pound Kouandjio has offers from virtually everyone in the country, but DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor said that he isn't going to really focus on recruiting until after the high school season concludes. Kouandjio's brother Arie is a freshman at Alabama. Kouandjio recruitment should get furious at the end of the season as he plans to take five official visits, make a decision at the Under Armour All-American Game in Jan. and then enroll early at the school of his choice.


Floyd Expects To Play

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Floyd96Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd thought he’d be ready to play against Navy last weekend, but he wasn’t. On Wednesday, Floyd said he certainly expects to play against Tulsa this weekend.

“I think my chances are real high Saturday,” said Floyd who attempted to play through a hamstring strain last Saturday, but didn’t feel 100 percent. “I just don’t think my hamstring was strong all of the way to where I wanted it to be last week, so I kind of took it easy.”

Nobody is more excited about the prospect of the stud wideout returning than quarterback Dayne Crist.

“He’s the best receiver in the country,” Crist said. “Having a guy like that out there making plays is a huge help. He does so many things for us even away from playmaking and things like that. Having his presence out there as a leader, helping the other guys and really bringing those guys along is huge for our offense.”

Floyd returned to practice on Tuesday.


“I feel good,” he said. “Yesterday was my first practice since I messed up my hamstring. The only thing that kind of held me back in practice was just my stamina.”

Floyd said he was a full contributor at practice on Tuesday.

“I think I contributed more than the doctors wanted me to, but I felt good so that’s what I did,” he said.

Crist didn’t see any signs of Floyd struggling at practice.

“I think he looked great,” said Crist. “I have a ton of confidence in him and his ability as always. There was nothing yesterday where I said, ‘Aw man, it’s not the same Mike.’ From that regard, we’re just happy to have him back.”

Floyd has caught 44 balls for 624 yards and six touchdowns in the seven games he’s appeared in this season. His numbers have not always been as eye-popping as they have been in the past, but the junior is just five catches, 172 yards and four scores away from posting career-highs in each category.

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