Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

Notre Dame will look to improve to 10-0 this Saturday when they face the Florida State Seminoles in the final home game of the regular season. The Irish will be without starting quarterback Ian Book, and the Blue & Gold Illustrated staff discusses what that means for Notre Dame. Senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss the keys to winning with Wimbush and coming out on top.

Ira Schoffel, managing editor of Warchant.com, joins BGI recruiting reporter Corey Bodden to discuss Florida State and the upcoming matchup between the Seminoles and Irish.

Notre Dame moved up a spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. A Notre Dame road win over Northwestern and a LSU loss to Alabama opened up the opportunity for the Irish to jump up in the rankings. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell and recruiting reporter David McKinney discuss where things stand for Notre Dame. The staff also discussed the rest of the rankings and where things stand around the country.

Notre Dame improved to 9-0 after a gritty 31-21 road win over Northwestern. It was a tight game early before the Irish started to pull ahead, but a special teams blunder allowed the Wildcats to get back in the game. But no worry for Notre Dame, as the Irish offense answered and put the game away. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell begin the show talking about what this win means for Notre Dame as a program, and what it means for the Notre Dame playoff resume. Following that discussion the staff breaks down the performance of the Irish offense, defense and special teams.

The BGI recruiting staff discusses the latest news in Notre Dame recruiting and answers questions from the message board 

Notre Dame returns nine starters from its 2017 defense and another three players with at least three career starts. It's a deep group, but there remain questions that must be answered if the Irish D is going to become one of the nation's best in 2018. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell breakdown those questions, which include depth at linebacker, the ability to pressure with the front four, the strongside end position and the safety position. The BGI staff also discusses the potential impact of the incoming freshman class before moving onto BGI subscriber questions. 

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

Notre Dame found many important answers on off this spring, but a number of key questions still remain, and we won't find those answers until the fall. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell discuss those questions and what role they will have in the team's success next season. Topics like the play of Brandon Wimbush, the running back depth chart, the productivity of the offensive line and many others are discussed. Following those key questions, the BGI staff answers subscriber questions, which includes an explanation of why Notre Dame is actually more of a pro-style offense and not a spread offense. That and much, much more.

The BGI reruiting staff discusses all the latest happenings in the world of Notre Dame recruting     

The BGI recruiting staff discusses the commitment of Rivals100 OT Quinn Carroll and what it means for Notre Dame going forward 

The 2018 NFL Draft has only been over for three days, but that's not too early to start looking at next year's draft. Notre Dame should have an even bigger draft class when things roll around next April. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down all the players that are set to be in next year's draft, where their current range is and what they need to do to maximize their draft status. The staff also discusses some potential underclassmen who could leave early with big seasons.

Notre Dame made draft history this weekend, becoming the first team since 1991 - and just the third all-time - to produce a pair of offensive linemen to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in the same year. That happened when guard Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey were both selected. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior edtior Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down all of Notre Dame's selections, and the staff also discusses the Irish players that were signed after the draft as free agents. The show wraps up with a discussion of what current players will be tasked with replacing those standouts next season.

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

The BGI recruiting staff breaks down the commitment of Atlanta safety Kyle Hamilton to Notre Dame and what it means for the Irish 

The BGI recruiting staff discusses the commitment of offensive tackle Andrew Kristofic and what it means for Notre Dame