Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

Notre Dame must become a more explosive offense if it wants to take the next step and compete for a national championship. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss what has held Notre Dame back from being an elite offense, the things Notre Dame has shown that makes them believe it can be an elite offense, and what the next steps are for the Irish in order to get to that level.

The BGI recruiting staff discusses all the latest news in the world of Notre Dame recruiting 

It has been a busy week for Notre Dame's football program. Former great Raghib "Rocket" Ismail was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame, and several players announced their plans to return or leave the program in 2019.  Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss the career of the Rocket to begin the show. That is followed by a discussion of who Notre Dame lost early to the NFL, and who will step into their shoes. Finally, the staff discusses who returns and how that will impact the team moving forward as it tries to put together another playoff run in 2019.

The BGI recruiting staff checks in with another show from the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas

Notre Dame lost to Clemson by a 30-3 score in the Cotton Bowl. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the game. The staff discusses what went wrong in the matchup and then finish the show with a big picture discussion of the game and what it means for Notre Dame moving forward.

The BGI recruiting staff recaps the action from the first two days of the All-American Bowl in San Antonio 

Larry Williams, senior writer for TigerIllustrated.com, joins BGI recruiting reporter Corey Bodden on the show to discuss Saturday's semifinal matchup between Notre Dame and Clemson.

We have broken Clemson down, so now it's time for our official Cotton Bowl preview. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell talk about the opportunity that awaits Notre Dame in this game. That is followed by a breakdown of the Notre Dame offense against the Clemson defense. Key matchups and keys to the game are the primary topics of conversation. Next is a breakdown of the Notre Dame defense and how it stacks up against the Clemson offense. The discussion revolves around what the Irish defense - especially the defensive line - must do to slow down the vaunted Tiger offense. Finally, before giving predictions, the staff discusses how important special teams could be in this game.

The Notre Dame/Clemson matchup in the Cotton Bowl is still eight days away, but there is plenty to discuss regarding the playoffs and recruiting. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell talk about the College Football Playoffs, and whether or not the playoff format should be expanded. After that the pair discusses Notre Dame's 2019 recruiting class, and whether or not Notre Dame is closing the gap between elite programs like Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. They also discuss how important the 2020 class its to that objective.

Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell is joined by recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden to discuss Notre Dame's success in the early signing period. Notre Dame landed 21 players in the 2019 class, with 10 set to enroll early. The BGI staff begins the show by discussing the class from an overall perspective. That is followed by a position by position analysis that goes over the recruitment of each player and then is followed by analysis of the talent the Irish staff landed at each spot.  The show ends with the three BGI staff members handing out superlatives for the class.

Clemson has one of the nation's best defensive lines, if not the very best. But there are areas where Notre Dame can have success against the highly ranked Tiger defense. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the Clemson defense. They talk about the defense as a whole before breaking down the Tigers position by position.

The BGI recruiting staff previews a huge Junior Day coming up for Notre Dame

Notre Dame faces the #2 Clemson Tigers in the Cotton Bowl, and the winner gets a chance to play for the national championship. The Clemson offense is one of the nation's most dynamic units and the Irish will have to bring their A game on defense.  Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the Clemson offense and discuss what makes the unit just so good. They talk big picture about the offense and then go position by position breaking down the Tigers.

Corey and David talk about Notre Dame commits going for state championships this week, preview the upcoming junior day and answer questions from the message board.    

Notre Dame earned its right to be in the College Football Playoffs, although some in the national media are pushing back against that. Before diving into Notre Dame's first opponent - the 13-0 Clemson Tigers - Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell talk about why Notre Dame is clearly one of the four best teams in the country. The BGI staff also discusses the opportunity to permanently change the narrative that is in front of the Irish football team. They conclude with an introduction into the Clemson Tigers and what makes them such a dominant program.