Michigan football staffer throws Twitter shade at Notre Dame
Call it the battle for South Africa.
On Thursday night, the @NDFootball Twitter account shared an image celebrating the fact that five current Notre Dame football players are spending 19 days studying abroad in South Africa. Accompanying the image, which included photos of the players, a course description and highlights of the itinerary, the tweet read, “When you choose Notre Dame, the (world) is your classroom. #GoIrish.”
When you choose Notre Dame, the is your classroom.#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/QPfftrC7H0
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 17, 2019
Apparently that didn’t sit well with Michigan director of recruiting Matty Dudek.
Thirty-six minutes later, he tweeted a photo of the Michigan football team from its recent trip to South Africa. With the photo, Dudek wrote the same words as @NDFootball, but switched out Notre Dame for Michigan and #GoIrish for #GoBlue. Then he added a pair of hashtags: “#ImitationIsTheGreatestFormOfFlattery #NiceTryThough” with a shrugging emoji and a laughing emoji.
When you choose Michigan, the is your classroom. #GoBlue〽️ #ImitationIsTheGreatestFormOfFlattery#NiceTryThough ♂️ pic.twitter.com/3jp85HlINP
— Matty Dudek (@Thee_Matty_D) May 17, 2019
The Wolverines spent a week in South Africa earlier this month for what they call an experiential learning trip. It’s the third straight year Michigan’s football program has taken a trip abroad under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The team traveled to France in 2018 and Italy in 2017.
While Notre Dame doesn’t make similar trips as a whole team, studying abroad isn’t a foreign concept for the Irish football program. It’s been a regular occurrence since at least 2015, when Jaylon Smith, Jerry Tillery, Corey Robinson, Scott Daly, Mark Harrell, Doug Randolph and Josh Anderson studied in South Africa and Romeo Okwara studied in Greece.
In the years since, several players have made trips to Brazil, England, Israel, Japan, Russia and Germany. The Irish currently have players studying in South Africa and Brazil.
Perhaps Dudek could have done more research before accusing Notre Dame of imitation, but that wouldn’t be as fun.
Notre Dame and Michigan will meet Oct. 26 in Ann Arbor. The Irish have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams, including last season’s 24-17 victory at Notre Dame.
Eventually our guys studying abroad in South Africa will start having some fun. #Cheesing#SouthAfricaBouNDpic.twitter.com/bMbQlXvGSy
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 29, 2015
Rising senior Romeo Okwara is studying abroad in Greece for 3 weeks as part of the Student Athlete Opportunity Fund https://t.co/7TTAKUEWgC
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 19, 2015
Our campus is in Indiana,
Our classroom is the world.
Check out where we're studying abroad this May.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 19, 2016
From BRAZIL to GREECE to SOUTH AFRICA to JAPAN!
Our guys have the chance to see WORLD through our Irish Abroad program!#4for40pic.twitter.com/L4LzKSsYHq
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 23, 2017
Notre Dame will take you places!
Four of our players are spending their summer breaks studying abroad. #GoIrish ☘ #4for40pic.twitter.com/kSs7Jpwzo7
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 22, 2018
