Fortuna Files: Week Zero takeaways, depth chart drama and much more
Fortuna Files: Week Zero takeaways, depth chart drama and much more
It’s Week 1. Talking season is over.
This free story is brought to you by Luxee, a subscription box that helps you discover game-changing fitness + wellness brands. All members get a newly curated box of 5-8 full-size products that help improve performance, recovery, and longevity each season. Best of all, readers of The Inside Zone get $15 OFF when they subscribe to Luxee using the code: INSIDEZONE. Subscribe here today!
Twelve early week thoughts in honor of me making my first visit to see the 12th Man this weekend in College Station:
1. Amid all of the depth chart gamesmanship from Monday, I am reminded of this quote, from a former personnel director in this very space last year: “If I had a show or podcast I’d easily spend an hour today explaining to some of the less informed media people that a coach’s unwillingness to release details pertaining to his depth chart is usually because he doesn’t want to have to talk to a disgruntled parent and absolutely nothing to do with the game itself.”
2. Now that that’s out of the way, a word about No. 7 Notre Dame, which released a fairly revelatory depth chart ahead of its highly anticipated contest at No. 20 Texas A&M.
3. The Irish will be starting a true freshman left tackle and a redshirt freshman left guard Saturday against the Aggies’ ferocious front. How did they get here? Presumed starting left tackle Charles Jagusah — successor to top-five draft pick Joe Alt — suffered a season-ending pectoral injury early in camp, leading to fifth-year senior Tosh Baker taking over. That promotion proved to be short-lived, with four-star freshman Anthonie Knapp playing his way into the starting role.
4. That on its own is noteworthy, but when you add in the fact that redshirt freshman Sam Pendleton — who entered camp behind both of last year’s starting guards, Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler, who themselves entered camp in a battle for the starting spot on the left side — won the starting left guard spot, that is some serious turnover up front for the Irish. They will now enter this season with a starting five that boasts six career starts among them. Incredibly enough, the entire second-string (per Monday’s depth chart) has 26 combined starts.
5. Then there is four-star second-year freshman Adon Shuler, who beat out sixth-year senior and Northwestern grad transfer Rod Heard for the starting safety spot opposite returning Nagurski Award winner Xavier Watts. Add all of that up, and it is clear that Marcus Freeman means business in Year 3 as Notre Dame’s head coach — and he needs no reminder of the importance of Year 3 for coaches in South Bend.
6. It wouldn’t be the eve of a new season without realignment news — remember, Cal, SMU and Stanford were admitted to the ACC on the Friday of Week 1 — so it only makes sense that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s interest in UConn has gotten a second wind. I’m told that the vast majority of UConn’s presentation to Big 12 ADs earlier this month focused on how the Huskies will ramp up football investments in time for their proposed 2031 admission into the conference. Can UConn essentially ensure that football won’t be a negative to the rest of the league by then?
7. Like I wrote back in March: What are you waiting for, ACC?
8. Northwestern’s AD search has been relatively quiet, but I am told it has picked up steam recently, with the school interviewing a handful of candidates last week. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wildcats had a hire in place within the next two weeks.
9. Oh, right. Actual football was played this past Saturday — four games that featured double-digit underdogs, with four covers by those ‘dogs. There was one outright winner (Georgia Tech over FSU) and two more that came close, with both New Mexico and Nevada surrendering double-digit fourth-quarter leads against Montana State and SMU, respectively. It was just one week, and there is almost always an emotional bump from a new head coach, but it is easy to see how both Bronco Mendenhall and Jeff Choate are going to be really good hires, especially at places that have historically been difficult to win at.
10. There’s no excusing FSU’s loss to Georgia Tech, but can we at least acknowledge that the Seminoles were without OC and O-line coach Alex Atkins, who was serving the first game of a three-game suspension for allegedly driving a recruit to a meeting with a booster? Iowa and Michigan have both gotten a lot of attention for their recruiting-related coach suspensions — mostly for how each has handled its respective situation — so it’s strange to see this one get overlooked.
11. For what it’s worth, the ‘Noles rushed for 58 yards (11.6 ypc) on the game’s first drive and just 40 (1.53 ypc) the rest of the way.
12. Former Minnesota player Casey O’Brien has been an inspiration to so many. Who could forget his emotional moment as the Gophers’ holder in 2019? Please, help him if you can.
Thanks to all who subscribe to The Inside Zone. Please consider a paid subscription or gift a subscription to a friend or family member here: