Gardner projects as a first-round draft pick with the strong potential to end up in the top 15, according to NFL scouts. His productive junior year thrust him in the conversation among the top corners.
The current version of the four-team playoff appears in its twilight, and it will be remembered as a positive incremental evolution that bested its predecessor but ultimately became stale.
The hiring of Denbrock reunites him with Kelly, as the two first worked together in the late 1980s at Grand Valley State. Denbrock also spent seven years on the Notre Dame staff with Kelly.
Ridder could be in the NFL today. Instead, he's still making money, becoming a star and perhaps winning a national championship. Will this be a trend?