During the broadcast there will be interviews with head coach Brian Kelly, and former Irish football players including ex Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis. We as fans are given the opportunity to visit NBCSports.com (http://irish.nbcsports.com/2011/03/07/vote-for-your-favorite-10-memorable-moments-on-nbc/) is the direct link to watch clips and vote for the “10 Greatest Notre Dame moments” on NBC. These results will be revealed during the six hours of coverage on VERSUS.

In addition to the St. Patrick’s Day special, VERSUS just announced it will also broadcast the 82nd annual Blue-Gold Spring Game, which is on April 16, at 2PM ET. This will be the first time in the history of the game that it will be televised nationally. There is quite a bit of extra national interest in the Irish coming into this season as they are returning 17 starters and ended last season on a four game win streak. The national media is looking to get their first looks at guys like Malcolm Floyd, Harrison Smith, and Manti Te’o, as well as get a look at the QB battle in camp as Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees should provide plenty of excitement themselves this spring.
Here is the list in order for the St. Patrick’s Day ND Football Celebration.

1. 5PM ET. “Snow Bowl” vs. Penn. St.
2. 7PM ET. “Bush Push” vs. USC
3. 9PM ET. #1 Florida St. vs #2 Notre Dame

Saturday, April 16 2PM ET. 82nd Annual Blue-Gold Spring Football Game.

As you can see through this breakdown the Irish coaching staff put a heavy emphasis on recruiting to the defensive side of the ball. As a fan who saw the Irish give away countless leads, along with not getting big stops when needed, and struggling to get off the field on third down, I could not be more pleased to see this many recruits coming in together at the same time. This should allow these youngsters to learn the scheme and grow together as a unit as time goes on, and with this recruiting class,  the defense has potential in the years to come for the Irish.Five of the recruits were early high school graduates and have already enrolled in classes for this spring semester and will be in spring practice. Kyle Brindza (K), Brad Carrico (DL), Everett Golson (QB), Aaron Lynch (DL), and Ishaq Williams (LB) are the five that are already on campus. The other 18 have officially signed their letters of intent.

Two of the recruits are 5 star prospects and both are on the defensive side. Stephon Tuitt is 6’5” 260lbs and could be a force to reckon with starting early in his career. Physically he appears to look like an experienced college player rather than someone who is only a recruit. He is big enough to the point where his future may be at defensive tackle, but for his size his speed is impeccable. He uses his weight extremely well and has great feet and it should allow him to cause match up issues against some of the best offensive linemen in college football. His versatility is key to being a big contributor for the Irish during his time in South Bend. If he goes along with what is best for the team and willing to possibly learn a different position, he could see playing time almost immediately and could begin making strong impacts on the defensive side of the ball.

Ishaq Williams also could find himself at defensive end if he bulks up a little bit as he could use some more strength and weight training will be very important for him to get stronger because that is about the only area he could use some improvement. He has great speed, athleticism, and his intensity is unmatched for someone at his age. His speed is what could make him dangerous at linebacker as he has the ability to run down the quickest of backs and also has the determination to fight through blocks and never quit on a play. Williams is the total package and it will be interesting to see where he ultimately ends up on the defense for the Irish, but whether it be linebacker or defensive end, this kid has the potential to be a very special player. Overall we are pleased with the recruiting class Coach Kelly and his staff have been able to bring in this season and we only see it continuing to get better as time goes on. GO IRISH!

The Irish were originally thought to have 6 options at QB coming into spring practice, but that number has dropped down to four in recent weeks as freshman Luke Massa (did not see action first season on campus) has been moved to wide receiver which could prove to be a very valuable move as his 6’4” 215lbs. frame should make him a very large target for the guys that will be battling it out this spring and if Massa can learn the offense and run good routs, there is a chance you could possibly see him lining up at wideout come fall. The other loss for ND at the QB position is the son of ND legend Joe Montana. Nate Montana has decided to transfer from Notre Dame and pursue other opportunities and it has been revealed he will attend the University of Montana starting in the fall. Montana played sparingly in a few games for the Irish this season, and was average at best during his playing time and with the talent at the QB position the Irish are showing, it appears he realized he may not be competing for playing time in Brian Kelly’s offense anytime soon. Brian Kelly had this to say about Nate Montana’s departure from the university. “After much discussion with Nate regarding his future with our football program, Nate decided it was in his best interests to leave Notre Dame and pursue opportunities at a different school, I enjoyed working with Nate and he was a valuable member of our team this past season. I wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”

This brings us to the current QB competiton and the four candidates are Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, and Everett Golson. Hendrix sat out last season which was his first on campus and Golson has just recently arrived on campus as he graduated high school early last month to get to campus and be ready for spring practice. This leaves Crist and Rees who both saw extended playing time during the season and both showed signs of how good they can be, and how good this offense could be with either of them leading the charge. Crist started 9 games last season throwing for 15 touchdowns before injuring his knee in the game against Tulsa this past season. Rees took over the reigns for the remainder of the season and led ND to four straight victories including their Sun Bowl victory against Miami on New Years Eve.

Spring practice doesn’t always bring out the excitement of your everyday fan, but at ND Pick’em, we have been waiting for practice to get going since the Irish walked off the field in the Sun Bowl. There are always many personnel decisions that need to be made this time of the year, and once they are on the field we will start getting a better feel for where everyone may fall on the depth charts, but as we are on the horizon of spring practice, the QB battle is definitely one of the most interesting in the Irish camp.

Any of the Top 3 (with exception of smcabaj who is ineligible) finishers that did not make at least 6 wagers in total throughout the season will be disqualified, with the next eligible user with the most credits then moving up for prize distribution.  Please keep your eyes peeled on the site for the next couple of days as we expect to have this completed in time to give the winners some good holiday news for Christmas.

On a side note, we are thrilled to get an early edition Catholics vs Convicts on New Year’s Eve, and even though the Hurricanes are favored by 3, we like our chances against the coach-less “U”.

And now, the UNOFFICIAL regular season results…..