Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

Notre Dame has seen its tight end production climb the last two seasons, and the 2019 unit has a chance to make even further strides. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the position.

The staff starts off with a conversation about the trends at the position and then dives into a discussion of each tight end on the roster. A key theme is the tight end that holds the key to the group in 2019, and it's probably not the player you are thinking of.

Boston College has won seven games in five of the last six seasons. The Eagles will look to improve upon that number this season, and if they do it will be largely because of the dominant running of junior running back AJ Dillon. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down what the Eagles will have to do in order to make those improvements.

Blue & Gold Illustrated recruiting insiders EJ Holland and Mike Singer break down the commitments of CB Caleb Offord and WR Xavier Watts, answer questions from the message board, and more.

Despite the return of Troy Pride and a roster full of young and talented players, there seems to be concern about the cornerback position around Irish Nation. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the position. The BGI staff begins talking about the unit from a big picture standpoint and the analyze every player on the roster and what to expect from them in 2019.

Navy is coming off its first back-to-back seasons with fewer than eight wins since 2001-02. The Midshipmen are looking to bounce back in 2019, but will have to do that with a roster that returns just six total starters. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell talk about Navy's decline, how important the 2019 season is for the Midshipmen, and what to expect from them this fall.

BGI recruiting insiders EJ Holland and Mike Singer break down Notre Dame's recent commitments, discuss the June 21 official visit weekend, and break down Irish recruits at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge.

The running back position was a major question mark going into the 2018 season, but the unit performed well, led by the big play running of the now-departed Dexter Williams, the emergence of converted receiver Jafar Armstrong and the clutch playmaking of Tony Jones Jr.

With Williams gone there are once again questions at the position, but also more cautious optimism about how good this group can be. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the position and share their thoughts, as well as what they are hearing, about the running backs heading into the 2019 season.

In November the Notre Dame Fighting Irish head down to Durham, NC for the first time since 1961 to take on the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is led by one of the best coaches in the country, and this game will be a tougher test than some think.

Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, break down the 2019 roster and talk about why they think the Blue Devils could be a surprise team in the ACC this season.

Recruiting insider EJ Holland and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Notre Dame's big commitments from the weekend and preview the upcoming official visit weekend.

The linebacker position is probably the biggest question mark for the Irish defense heading into the 2019 season. There is talent, but the group is incredibly inexperienced. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss what the position lost, what it returns, who is expected to compete for time and what needs to happen for the unit ti flourish in 2019.