Rakes Report: A Notre Dame podcast
228 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 71 ratingsA conversation about Fighting Irish football and basketball. An audio supplement to the Rakes Report newsletter, available at https://rakesreport.substack.com/. Hosted by Chris Wilson.
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Episodes
2024 Mega March Madness Preview
March 20, 2024 04:01 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBHoops hoops hoops. Supersized episode to get you ready for the tournament and review the first season of Micah Shrewsberry's tenure. Segment 1: Sabreena Merchant (The Athletic) on Notre Dame's chances and what she's most excited for this March. Segment 2 (33:11): Jessica Smetana on storylines to follow, pre-tournament nerves and how the coverage of the women's bracket has evolved. Segment 3 (57:14): Sam Werner (Three-Point Jesus podcast) and Joe Schueller (18 Stripes) on whether expect...
State of the Notre Dame Union with Pete Sampson
February 27, 2024 05:01 - 54 minutes - 40.3 MBThe Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to talk about many things including but not limited to Max Bullough, Mike Denbrock, where support for Marcus Freeman stands among both the administration and fans, NIL and transfer portal, a change in approach to strength and conditioning, bowl selection chicanery and the large expectations for 2024. Subscribe to the Rakes Report newsletter here.
Notre Dame Football January Wellness Check and TV Club: Reacher
January 23, 2024 05:01 - 1 hour - 53.9 MBGreg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily) and Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) join to talk about early offseason thoughts, 2023 numbers that stand out, what the offense might look like in 2024 and Depth Chart Power Ranking accountability. Then (48:00) a discussion of the Amazon Prime series Reacher.
Notre Dame Oregon State Sun Bowl In Review
December 31, 2023 17:04 - 47 minutes - 37.1 MBJessica Smetana joins to talk about the dominant 40-8 win in El Paso and how to feel about the Fighting Irish program going into the offseason. Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Christmas Giving 2023: Riley Leonard Checked Off Notre Dame's Wishlist
December 12, 2023 20:14 - 50 minutes - 37.6 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here. Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama stops in to talk about what Duke quarterback Riley Leonard coming to Notre Dame means for the 2024 offense. Other topics include Kris Mitchell, Beaux Collins, Jordan Clark and what we're hoping to see in the bowl game. The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Christmas Giving 2023: Eric Hansen on Notre Dame's Early Offseason Drama
December 08, 2023 05:01 - 1 hour - 36.2 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here. Inside ND Sports' Eric Hansen joins for a conversation on the confusing Sun Bowl selection process, Marcus Freeman's handling of his coaching staff, signs of transfer portal progress and much much more. The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Christmas Giving 2023: Hannah Hidalgo and Jackie Young Appreciation Hour
December 07, 2023 05:01 - 42 minutes - 30.4 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here. The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to talk Hannah Hidalgo, early thoughts on this Notre Dame, where they fit into the ACC hierarchy, Jackie Young being awesome and where the sport of women's hoops sits after a big year. The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Christmas Giving 2023: Taking A Portal To The Sun Bowl
December 06, 2023 05:01 - 46 minutes - 34.4 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here. Jessica Smetana and Mike Golic, Jr. join to talk about processing 9-3, Sun Bowl memories, transfer portal frenzy, the potential of Riley Leonard, Sam Hartman's legacy and much more. The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Christmas Giving 2023 Kickoff
December 04, 2023 13:18 - 59 minutes - 43.9 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here. Jessica Smetana joins to talk about the committee finally being put into a tough spot, the ACC's normal bowl selection process, how to approach the early craziness of the Notre Dame offseason and a whole lot more. The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Instant Reaction: Stanford
November 26, 2023 22:21 - 40 minutes - 26.1 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 56-23 win over Stanford and early takes on the season as a whole.
A Post-Clemson Loss Bye Week Assessment
November 07, 2023 05:01 - 50 minutes - 34 MBJessica Smetana and 18 Stripes' Michael Bryan join to talk through the state of things after Notre Dame fell to 7-3. What should we want from the final two regular season games, offseason checklist, potential bowls, all of that and much more in an extended therapy session.
Instant Reaction: Pittsburgh
October 29, 2023 15:08 - 40 minutes - 28.2 MBSam Werner joins to break down Notre Dame's 58-7 win over the Pitt Panthers.
Instant Reaction: USC
October 16, 2023 02:11 - 48 minutes - 38.1 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's massive 48-20 win over the Trojans. (There's a weird vibration in the audio in the first 15 seconds but then it goes away don't worry, truly have no idea what it is. Happy Bye Week.) More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
2023 Notre Dame vs. USC Preview
October 11, 2023 04:01 - 48 minutes - 39.6 MBOur USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to talk Caleb Williams, Alex Grinch, how Trojan fans feel about Lincoln Riley midway through his second year, players to know for Saturday night's primetime clash and much more. More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Instant Reaction: Louisville
October 09, 2023 01:00 - 47 minutes - 36.6 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's second defeat of the season, as well as offensive coordinator hypotheticals, a brief schadenfreude tour and a consideration of how the fortunes of head coaches are always rising and falling in America. More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Instant Reaction: Duke
October 01, 2023 14:24 - 44 minutes - 31.7 MBJessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's very normal victory against the Blue Devils. More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Instant Reaction: Ohio State
September 24, 2023 17:25 - 53 minutes - 38 MBYou're probably going to delete this immediately and that's totally okay but if your misery would like company Jessica Smetana is here to try and talk through things a bit. Note: Jess forgot to mention cell service was very bad on Saturday so if you're going for games maybe plan ahead a little bit for coordinating purposes. More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Reviewing Raleigh and Notre Dame's Q1
September 14, 2023 04:01 - 45 minutes - 35.7 MBBreaking down the Fighting Irish victory at NC State and the first quarter of the season.
(Fighting) Irish Eyes Smiling After Opening Win
August 30, 2023 19:49 - 46 minutes - 33.2 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss the trip to Ireland, a fun Notre Dame victory and what we're looking forward to in Week 1. (This is a loopy one, sorry.) More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
2023 Notre Dame Football Excitement Draft
August 24, 2023 04:01 - 59 minutes - 41.7 MBJessica Smetana joins for our annual offseason closing tradition: Drafting things we're excited to see this Fighting Irish football season. Topics include jinxing, the potential of the offense, Marcus Freeman Year Two, how many times can you play "Shipping Up To Boston" in a row, tough choices on big wins, Week 0 NIMBYism and much more. Note: At one point run game success rate is mentioned a second time when it should be explosive play rate, read about it here. More from the Rakes Repor...
2023 Notre Dame Football Schedule Preview
August 21, 2023 04:01 - 1 hour - 51.5 MBAlex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule. You know the three Big Ones, but what are the toughest challenges outside of that? More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Freshman Orientation: 2023 Offense
August 15, 2023 04:01 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBJamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part 2 of Frosh O, our run through every scholarship freshman on the Notre Dame offense. Included: Wide receivers you need to know right now Sorting through a lot of options on the line What if a running back was really fast? The potential for a freshman tight end to be in the mix Pat Narduzzi finds sowing more enjoyable than reaping More from the Rakes Report: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Freshman Orientation: 2023 Defense
August 14, 2023 04:01 - 43 minutes - 31 MBJamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part 1 of Frosh O, our run through every scholarship freshman (and one walk-on) on the Notre Dame defense. Included: Christian Gray is the best corner prospect since...*? Wyoming tourism tips Boubacar Traore's breakout camp Canadian power at tackle Knockout linebacker duo The overall talent of this freshman and sophomore class * The answer to this is pretty easy but it doesn't mean you can't ask the question. More from the Rakes Rep...
2023 Notre Dame Depth Chart Power Rankings
August 10, 2023 04:01 - 57 minutes - 42.5 MBMichael Bryan (18 Stripes) and Greg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily) join to break down the Fighting Irish in order of our confidence in each position group. Who ya got: Hartman or Morrison/Hart? Estime or Alt/Fisher? The linebackers or the DL? Those and many more difficult questions.
2023 Notre Dame Football Camp Kickoff w/ Eric Hansen
July 31, 2023 04:02 - 52 minutes - 30.8 MBEric Hansen of Inside ND Sports stops by to talk about Sam Hartman, the depth at running back, how the offensive line is shaping up, finding playmakers on offense, also finding some playmakers on defense and a little women's basketball.
College Football Personnel 101
June 26, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBIn a supersized episode, Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily drops by to get into the nitty gritty of football positions. This is a nerdy deep dive into the skills and traits you're looking for to fill in different spots on the roster during which the host embarrasses himself with a litany of dumb questions. Topics include the intricacies of defensive line play, what you need in modern linebackers and safeties, different types of corners and how they match up to different types of receivers ...
Post-Spring Notre Dame Football Roster Assessment
May 03, 2023 04:01 - 48 minutes - 32.5 MBMichael Bryan of 18 Stripes joins to walk through the depth chart and discuss whether we feel better, worse or the same about the various position groups versus the start of spring practice.
Sign of the (New York) Times: A Lesson on College Sports and Labor
March 30, 2023 04:01 - 55 minutes - 40.9 MBAn unofficial Part Two with our previous episode, this is a How Did This Get Made? for the New York Times op-ed written by Father Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick on the future of college sports. Jessica Smetana joins to talk with Notre Dame professor Katherine Walden about the history of sports labor, amateurism, potential Congressional action, gender equality with NIL and much more. (Note from Walden: She mentions The Daily in this episode but meant to refer to this episode of What's Next.) ...
Dan Wetzel on the Swarbrick Interview, NIL and ND Independence
March 29, 2023 04:01 - 58 minutes - 44.2 MBJessica Smetana joins for a conversation with Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel about his interview with Jack Swarbrick, the doomsaying about NIL's effect on college sports, Notre Dame's chances at staying independent and Marcus Freeman's second season.
The Start of Spring Football & Micah Shrewsberry's Hire
March 27, 2023 04:01 - 46 minutes - 32.5 MBPatrick Engel of Blue and Gold and the On3 network joins to talk about early impressions from spring practice and the hiring of Micah Shrewsberry as Notre Dame's new men's basketball coach. Topics include Sam Hartman, development at wide receiver, the ceiling for the offense under Gerad Parker, potential breakout players on defense and how long a hoops turnaround might take.
2023 March Madness Preview + Coaching Search Update
March 16, 2023 04:02 - 1 hour - 52 MBGetting you prepared for the start of the tournament and beyond with an all-star lineup: Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic breaks down Notre Dame's corner of the bracket and their chances at making it to a second straight Sweet Sixteen. Then, Chantel Jennings of The Athletic stops by to talk about her great profile of Niele Ivey and what she learned about the Irish program while writing it. (30:22) (Read it here.) Finally, our friend Sam Werner joins for an update on the end of Mike Br...
Tommy To Tuscaloosa and the Search for a New OC
February 06, 2023 05:01 - 1 hour - 48.5 MBJessica Smetana and Jamie Uyeyama join to discuss Tommy Rees heading to Alabama and what Marcus Freeman should ideally look for in a replacement offensive coordinator. Jamie's list of potential candidates at Irish Sports Daily.
New Year, New Schedule, New Roster w/ Pete Sampson
January 19, 2023 05:01 - 42 minutes - 31.4 MBThe Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to talk about the finalized 2023 Notre Dame football schedule and how this fall's roster compares to last year's team.
Notre Dame Basketball 2023 Kickoff Mega Episode
January 11, 2023 05:01 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBLet's chat about a good basketball team and also a bad basketball team. First, Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic (2:07) joins for a fun talk about Niele Ivey's top ten women's squad and Irish alumnae in the WNBA. Then our friend Sam Werner hops on (38:45) to discuss the rough situation on the men's side and the likely end of Mike Brey's tenure.
A Very Blessed Bowl Season
January 04, 2023 05:01 - 55 minutes - 41.1 MBJessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's thrilling win over South Carolina, enjoying the Fiesta and Cotton results, a Mini Movie Club on Glass Onion and much more.
Christmas Song Draft (Re-Release)
December 25, 2022 05:01 - 1 hour - 87.7 MBA re-release of our carol draft from 2018. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Christmas Giving 2022: Niele Ivey
December 09, 2022 18:59 - 18 minutes - 13.2 MBNotre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey joins to talk about the big win over UConn, her relationship with Muffet McGraw, coaching Olivia Miles, the joy of fast breaks, the Mabrey sisters and her experience at the NBA Draft. Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com. Purchase the Christmas Giving design shirts (with all proceeds going to the CFH) here.
Christmas Giving 2022: Reviewing Marcus Freeman's First Season w/ Eric Hansen
December 08, 2022 05:01 - 1 hour - 39.8 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com. Eric Hansen of Inside ND Sports joins to talk about Marcus Freeman's first season, his outlook on Freeman's potential for the future, how the Irish are approaching the transfer portal, NIL opportunities for Notre Dame athletes, a bunch of Charlie Weis stories and much more. Purchase the Christmas Giving design shirts (with all proceeds going to the CFH) here.
Christmas Giving 2022 Kickoff
December 06, 2022 05:01 - 1 hour - 54.2 MBDonate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com. It's a full house to start the week as Jessica Smetana and Jamie Uyeyama join to run through all the news including but not limited to the playoff field, Drew Pyne's transfer, bowl opponent South Carolina, transfer portal crashing into recruiting, bowls we're excited to watch, who Jamie considers to be "low-rent Ian Book," spicy bowl sponsors, the war for Toledo, Northwestern completing i...
USC Week 2022
November 23, 2022 05:44 - 43 minutes - 25.2 MBOur Trojan insider Nick Tresnowski joins to preview this weekend's Top 15 matchup between Notre Dame and USC. A tremendous offense and sketchy defense await the Irish in Los Angeles for their season finale.
Instant Reaction: Clemson
November 07, 2022 02:49 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBJessica Smetana joins to recap a 35-14 victory over the No. 4 Clemson Tigers.
Rakes Rewatch: 2012 Pittsburgh
November 03, 2022 04:01 - 1 hour - 51.1 MBOn the tenth anniversary of a wild fourth quarter comeback and perfectly officiated overtime session, Jessica Smetana and Paul Rigney join to talk about 8-0 Notre Dame trying to stave off an upset by Paul Chryst, Aaron Donald, Tino Sunseri and the Pitt Panthers.
Instant Reaction: Syracuse
October 30, 2022 15:17 - 49 minutes - 36.3 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 41-24 road win against the Orange.
Card Sharks, Notre Dame Stats Edition
October 25, 2022 04:01 - 1 hour - 39.8 MBJessica Smetana joins to partake in Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes' new game show: LepreCard Sharks (sorry) where the categories are all Fighting Irish stat rankings. Also, field reports are filed from the UNLV and Stanford games plus big picture thoughts seven games into Marcus Freeman's first season.
Notre Dame Offense Bye Week Evaluation
September 30, 2022 04:01 - 52 minutes - 38.4 MBJamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to review the offense through four games. Discussed: What from the UNC game might work going forward, slow starts under Tommy Rees, how a roster is built, Marcus Freeman's overall philosophy, Tobias Merriweather snaps and much more.
Instant Reaction: North Carolina
September 25, 2022 01:18 - 40 minutes - 28.7 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 45-32 victory in Chapel Hill, a fun day of college football (go Blue Raiders) and how we're feeling going into the bye week.
Marcus Freeman's First Notre Dame Win
September 18, 2022 21:01 - 45 minutes - 34.9 MBJessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's 24-17 victory over the Golden Bears.
Week One In Review w/ Carter Karels
September 09, 2022 04:01 - 39 minutes - 31.2 MBOur old friend Carter Karels, now covering the Seminoles for the Tallahassee Democrat, stops by to talk about the wild Florida State/LSU opener, how things are going for Brian Kelly in the bayou, his thoughts on Marcus Freeman and the potential of Tyler Buchner.
2022 Notre Dame Football Excitement Draft
August 31, 2022 04:01 - 55 minutes - 45.1 MBJessica Smetana joins to pick the things we're most excited for about this Fighting Irish season, plus bonus fun we're looking forward to from around college football.
2022 Notre Dame Football Schedule Preview
August 29, 2022 04:01 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBAlex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule.