Showing posts with label Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Show all posts

Friday, June 3, 2011

Offensive Tackle Matt Romine Transfers to Tulsa

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New Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coach Bill Blankeship received great news on Thursday night. Matt Romine, an offensive tackle at Notre Dame, has transferred from South Bend back home to Tulsa and will use his final year of eligibility to play for the Golden Hurricane.

Matt Romine and Michael Floyd - Tulsa v Notre Dame
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Why is that good news? Blankeship used to be the head coach at Union High School in Tulsa. The same high school Romine attended and played at while Blankeship was still the head coach. Romine was listed as the 12th best offensive guard prospect in the country and third best player in the state of Oklahoma.

Romine, listed at 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, played in 24 games during his career with the Irish including nine games last season, three of which he started.

Nate Montana In Trouble Again, Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

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Nate Montana has been no stranger to the spotlight and not in any way his father, legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana, would be proud of.

Back in February of this year, Joe's son decided he would transfer out of Notre Dame and ended up at the most ironic of places. Montana. Yes, Montana. Apparently Nate figured out he was not going to see any playing time with the Irish so why not go somewhere he would be able to have a chance to play. 

Nate Montana Nate Montana #16 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throws a pass against the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 11, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
In July of last year, prior to his departure from Notre Dame, Montana was one of 44 others arrested a party for underage drinking. Now, almost a year later, he is in trouble again because of alcohol.

According to the Associated Press, Nate was arrested Missoula, Montana early Friday morning and charged with suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into Missoula County jail and released 30 minutes later after posting a $685 bond.

Of course the University of Montana is using public relations language and telling the media they are going to wait and see how the courts handle the situation before they make a determination of their own.

Whether or not this affects Montana's future with the school is up in the air at this point.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Still Suspended From Football, Michael Floyd Returns to Notre Dame

Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd was cleared to return to school by the disciplinary panel according to the Associated Press. However, he still remains suspended from the team head coach Brian Kelly says Floyd has more hurdles to jump over before he's allowed to return to football.

“Everybody has jumped to conclusions that Mike Floyd is going to play football," Kelly told the media. "Mike has so many things on his plate that he has to handle before he can even think about football. Academics, and personally, he’s got a lot of things in front of him that he has to go through before we even start thinking about football.”

It's the third time Floyd has been in trouble with alcohol and the third time he's had a run-in with the law because of it. Though the perennial "three strikes" might come into the conversation, it doesn't seem to have mattered to the school as a whole. Would Notre Dame expel a normal student after three alcohol related arrests? Especially for under age drinking?

We can't answer the question and we shouldn't put words in the mouths of the university. But if anyone thinks Kelly isn't going to be the next to cave and allow Floyd to return to the team prior to the start to the 2011 season, I'll say naive is the right word to describe such a thought.

The Irish need their leading wide receiver and Kelly knows it. He'll stay strong until he absolutely has to but Floyd will be allowed to return to the team. Maybe not now and maybe not next month, when September rolls around either the head coach or the school's athletic director himself will release a statement reinstating their start wide receiver to the team.

In a statement released by Floyd after the decision to allow him to return to school, it seems Floyd already believes he has a chance to return to the team. “I’m grateful that I still have a chance to earn my degree from Notre Dame and be a member of the football team."

I'm not going to say Floyd hasn't learned from his mistakes, though I might have said that two times ago. After three run-ins with the law I would hope there would be more than just a lesson to be learned from his experiences.

Some might argue college kids drink. Some might say college kids drink a lot. But not all college kids represent a nationally known football program and they're not a recognizable face and name with said football program. There is more expected from Floyd than, in my opinion, any other student at the school save for maybe the Dayne Crist, Notre Dame's quarterback.

If he keeps his nose clean and is able to stay out of trouble, than Kelly will have a decision to make as to whether Floyd has done enough to be able to return to the team. Make no mistake, there will be some, myself included, who already know that day is coming regardless of how tough the head coach wants to talk.

We have a long way to go before the start of the 2011 season and the start wide receiver has a lot to prove to himself, to his head coach, his team, but more importantly the university itself.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann on Twitter or find him on Facebook

Monday, March 21, 2011

Breaking: Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd Arrested for DUI

According to a report on ESPN.com this morning, Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd was apparently arrested on campus Sunday morning and charged with driving under the influence.

Not good timing for the returning senior just three days before spring practice was scheduled to get underway.

It's not the first time Floyd has had a run in with law enforcement. In January of 2010, he was cited in Minneapolis, Minnesota for underage drinking after police said he and former Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Shady Salamon had been involved in a fight in a car.

Floyd became the Notre Dame's all time leader in touchdown receptions (28) last year, passing Jeff Samardzija, finished with the second most receptions in a single season (79) behind former Irish wide receiver Golden Tate, and set school records with 5.7 catches and 84.6 yards per game in 2010.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Michigan's Tate Forcier May Not be the Only Big Name Quarterback to Transfer Schools

Nate Montana Nate Montana #16 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throws a pass against the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 11, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

When Tate Forcier departed Michigan, everyone wonderered where he might end up. Eventually, he narrowed his choices down to schools like Washington, Arizona, Kansas State, Miami, and Montana, deciding to take his talents to South Beach and transfer to the University of Miami.

The news was announced early today through several news sources and the speculation began as to how good Forcier could be and how much of an impact he could make with the Hurricanes.

Now there's a new story that is being talked about and it has to do with another big name quarterback transferring from one major school to possible a not so major school.