Notre Dame Football

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish recruiting class for 2020 received a major boost Thursday with a commitment from coveted running back Chris Tyree. 

CBS Sports HQ shared his decision between Notre Dame, Alabama and Oklahoma:

The No. 1 all-purpose RB in the country @chris_tyree4 officially commits to Notre Dame.

Tyree also held offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, among a handful of others.#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/xYDhgyfnwC

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 23, 2019

Tyree is a 4-star prospect and the No. 29 overall player in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also rated as the top all-purpose back in the group and the best recruit from the state of Virginia.

While the 5'9'', 178-pound rusher lacks prototypical size, he makes up for it with terrific acceleration and blazing speed. Those traits were on full display at The Opening Finals in July 2018:

They give the fastest man to 2020 RB Chris Tyree pic.twitter.com/qpdmNfIaDD

— Luke Stampini (@LukeStampini) July 2, 2018

The Thomas Dale High School standout hasn't shied away from attending national events in order to put his skill set on display against other top prospects. He explained his mindset in those situations to Brian Dohn of 247Sports after accepting an invitation to the 2020 Polynesian Bowl.

"I think it is important for me to showcase my talents, just to see where I am as an individual and compare it (to talent) around the country," Tryee said. "Once again, it is the opportunity to travel again and see new places."

It also helped him show few players in the 2020 class can match his game-breaking potential.

Tyree's first impact for the Irish figures to come on special teams. He owns experience as both a kick and punt returner, giving him the potential to make an instant impact while trying to carve out a niche for himself offensively.

Whether he'll ever become a three-down weapon in the backfield is still a mystery at this stage. His frame could make that difficult. But at minimum, he'll eventually become a valuable third-down asset for head coach Brian Kelly and Notre Dame in the coming years.

The 90th annual Blue-Gold game on Saturday offered Ian Book and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a chance to put a disappointing Cotton Bowl showing behind them and move on to the 2019 season.

Notre Dame ran the table in the regular season last year en route to capturing its first College Football Playoff berth. However, a 30-3 thrashing in the semifinals at the hands of eventual champion Clemson put an end to a promising season for Brian Kelly and Co.

There are still nearly five months until the regular season kicks off, but the spring game gave Fighting Irish players a chance to show the coaching staff and fans what they could do.

Book put together a solid season in his first year as starter, completing 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,628 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a junior in 2018. On Saturday, he looked as sharp as the signal-caller who led the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 regular season last year.

The senior led the Blue squad right down the field on the opening drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Michael Young:

🔴SIDELINE CAM

Take another look at the first TD of the game from the end zone.

📺 NBCSN#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/taoo9QGOCy

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2019

Ian Book completes all five pass attempts on the opening drive of the #BlueGoldGame , hitting Michael Young for a 12-yard TD.

— Pete Byrne WSBT (@PeteByrneSports) April 13, 2019

The second drive was just as efficient, though Book put his mobility on display this time around:

BOOK IT.

This first quarter TD from Ian Book helped put the Blue Team ahead. They lead 21-13, LIVE on NBCSN.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/FYmLFtknoX

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2019

He wasn't done, though. The 6'0", 208-pound quarterback put his arm on display with a deep ball to receiver Chase Claypool in the first half.

Counting our blessings that we didn’t have to wait until September to see that again.

Book connects on a sweet pass to Claypool for a huge gain in the Blue-Gold Game.

📺 NBCSN#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/bDC7QLqOps

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2019

He finished the day having gone 16 of 21 on his pass attempts for 220 yards and two total touchdowns.

Earlier this week, offensive coordinator Chip Long let it be known he had lofty expectations for his senior signal-caller.

"I expected a lot from Ian this spring," Long said, per the Associated Press' John Fineran. "I told him, 'Hey, challenge it. Challenge the offense. Test your arm.' Ian has been challenging himself with all of his throws. There hasn't been a fear to turn it loose. You’ve got to push yourself to do that if you want to be considered an elite quarterback."

So far, so good.

Long previously downplayed any notion of a quarterback competition by saying, "One's on advanced calculus, the other one is still getting past algebra right now," in reference to Book and Phil Jurkovec. And Saturday did nothing to change that.

Jurkovec showed some flashes at times during the day, completing 14 of 20 passes for 122 yards in the first half while splitting time with the first and second units. However, he was also subject to 11 "sacks" on the day, according to Mike Berardino of the Indianapolis Star.

Jonathan Jones sacks Jurkovec.

11 of 14 sacks today have come at the redshirt freshman's expense.

In fairness, he's getting a lot more snaps than Book.

— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) April 13, 2019

Also of note, Claypool hauled in four catches for 92 yards in the first half, while running back Jahmir Smith found the end zone twice. Running back Jafar Armstrong also had himself an impressive performance, piling up 156 total yards and a score.

While the defense was not allowed to actually sack the quarterbacks, it was a promising showing for the Notre Dame pass rush:

Make waaaay, make waaaay, Moala. 🌀#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/CgfNupAdIq

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2019

TFW you’re making some 💪 defensive plays.

The Blue Team leads the White Team, 28-18, LIVE on NBCSN.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/Zng6ItdpZK

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2019

In the end, the Gold prevailed, 58-45.

With the spring game in the books, Notre Dame fans will start the countdown to Sept. 2, when the Fighting Irish will hit the road for a showdown with the Louisville Cardinals.

Per Vegas Insider, the Fighting Irish own 33-1 national title odds, which is tied for the eighth-best preseason line in the nation.

Notre Dame took another step forward during the 2018 season by qualifying for the College Football Playoff with an undefeated regular season, but it all ended on a sour note after falling to Clemson 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl. 

Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish will try to build on last year's campaign, and the three 10-win seasons in the last four years, starting with Saturday's spring game at Notre Dame Stadium. 

Quarterback Ian Book is one of the top returners for the Fighting Irish, and unlike last season, he will have the reigns of the offense at the start of the regular season.

While the offense appears to be in good shape, the team has plenty of work to do defensively after losing a handful of key pieces to the NFL. 

                        

2019 Notre Dame Spring Game Information

Date: Saturday, April 13

Start Time: 12:30 p.m. ET 

TV: NBCSN 

Live Stream: NBC Live app 

                  

While the high standard for Notre Dame football remains in place, the Fighting Irish aren't seen as a favorite for the national championship at +3,300 (bet $100 to win $3,300), per Oddschecker.

Book's play will be one of the main reasons why Notre Dame could be in the mix for a College Football Playoff position again. 

By all accounts, the 21-year-old is improving on the play that earned him the starting position over Brandon Wimbush during the 2018 season. 

Book has one of his top targets back in wide receiver Chase Claypool, and a few other offensive weapons are expected to shine Saturday. 

Jafar Armstrong, Chris Finke and Tommy Tremble are among the other stars the quarterback will rely on to keep Notre Dame's offensive production high. 

With confidence in himself and his offensive teammates, Book is aiming for a return to the College Football Playoff, per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg.

"Last year, we set the standard for what it's got to be, but obviously not enough," Book said. "You can tell the guys are motivated ... just getting back there and feeling like we truly belonged in the playoffs, no matter what people say."

While the offense appears to be in good shape, the Notre Dame defense is a work in progress after losing Jerry Tillery, Drue Tranquill and Te'von Coney among others. 

The biggest hole comes at linebacker, where progress is slowly being made in spring practice. 

Since more improvements still have to be made at the position, it will likely look like the team's weakest position Saturday. 

Defensive coordinator Clark Lea knows there is potential at linebacker, but that unit is far from a finished product, per Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune.

"Am I pleased with our level of execution right now? No," Lea said. "We have a long way to go, but the potential's there. We've got to keep working at it." 

Notre Dame wide receiver Javon McKinley, 20, is reportedly facing two charges of misdemeanor battery and one count of misdemeanor underage drinking.

TMZ Sports reported the news, noting the charges stem from a Sunday morning arrest. According to the report, Notre Dame University Police officers tried to help McKinley to his dorm after he passed out in the back of a car, but he allegedly punched the two officers—one male and one female—during the walk.

He was taken into custody after attempting to flee and is due to be arraigned in court Tuesday.

WNDU in South Bend, Indiana, shared his mugshot:

Notre Dame football player Javon McKinley was arrested early Sunday morning for battery and resisting law enforcement. https://t.co/PxrHv17y1W

— WNDU (@16NewsNow) February 11, 2019

"The incident is being handled by the criminal justice system," Notre Dame spokesperson Dennis Brown said, per Mike Berardino of the Indianapolis Star. "As for internal discipline, we do not publicly discuss specific cases and impose sanctions as warranted."

McKinley arrived at Notre Dame as a highly regarded recruit and 4-star prospect in the 2016 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. However, he has not lived up to expectations on the field.

He played six games as a freshman before suffering a broken fibula, missed the 2017 season and played just four games with zero catches in 2018.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush has decided to transfer to the University of Central Florida, he announced Tuesday.

Wimbush has already earned his degree and will be eligible to play as a graduate transfer in 2019, which will be his final season of college ball.

Wimbush entered the 2018 season with high expectations after starting 12 games in 2017 for the Fighting Irish, throwing 16 touchdowns while adding 14 rushing touchdowns. However, he lost his job to Ian Book after three games.

Notre Dame won each of its first three games, but Wimbush only had one passing touchdown with four interceptions in this time. He showcased his upside with three touchdown passes against Florida State after Book went down with an injury, but he still had two interceptions.

In four years with the Irish (including a redshirt season in 2016), Wimbush had 2,606 passing yards and 20 touchdowns plus 1,156 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. These are disappointing numbers for a player who came to the program as a 4-star recruit rated the No. 46 overall player in the country, per 247Sports.

Still, his upside as both a runner and passer is obvious, and he will get a chance to create a new legacy with a different program.

Brett McMurphy of Stadium first reported Wimbush's intentions to transfer in December.

According to Mike Berardino of the Indy Star, Wimbush had "some tremendous opportunities lining up" with several Power Five teams interested in the veteran player. A deciding factor was finding a program that would allow him to showcase his ability for NFL teams before the 2020 draft.

Although he likely won't be guaranteed a starting spot with the Knights, the team's quarterback situation is wide open after McKenzie Milton suffered a devastating leg injury at the end of last season. The issue has required at least five surgeries, and it's unknown whether he will be able to return to the field in 2019.

Wimbush could fill the gap and keep UCF as one of the most dangerous teams in college football.

The AAC team has gone 25-1 over the past two seasons and has enough talent to make a New Year's Six bowl game again next year.