The Workshop
Journal
Personal Briefing

🌅Personal Briefing - Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Good morning. Here's your personal read.

🏃Training

🏃Today's Plan

Training data unavailable today - Strava may be down.

☘️Notre Dame Sports

🏈Football

Big day on the recruiting trail. Five-star OT Oluwasemilore Olubobola committed to Notre Dame this afternoon at a ceremony at Saint Peter's Prep in Jersey City, NJ, pulling a green ND cap from under the table. The 6'6", 295-pounder is ranked the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 15 overall player in the 2027 class by the 247Sports composite, and chose Notre Dame over Florida, Miami, Penn State, and Texas A&M from a list of 42+ offers. He's now the highest-ranked player in ND's 2027 class, which sits at 15 commits, ranked No. 4 nationally. Joe Rudolph's in-home film breakdown reportedly sealed it.

This caps a Champ Monds IV / Aidan O'Neil / Olubobola three-pack at the top of the 2027 class, and there's another decision queued up Friday: five-star Illinois DL David Folorunsho announces May 15. Notre Dame is among the favorites. If Folorunsho lands too, this becomes the recruiting week that defines Marcus Freeman's 2027 cycle.

Other notes: USC and Notre Dame are in fresh discussions to revive the football series that ended in 2026. Worth tracking, but nothing scheduled yet. And the ACC announced 2026 Week 0 international matchups today - North Carolina-TCU in Dublin, NC State-Virginia in Rio de Janeiro, both on Aug. 29 - but that's an ACC headline, not ours. Notre Dame opens Sunday Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau (the Shamrock Series), which remains the big-picture countdown.

Upcoming:

  • Fri May 15 - 5-star DL David Folorunsho commitment announcement
  • Sun Sep 6 - vs. Wisconsin, Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field (season opener)

Last Result: Blue-Gold Game - Blue 41, Gold 40 (Sat Apr 25)

🏀Women's Basketball

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

Roster is essentially set for 2026-27: portal additions Anaya Hardy (Louisville) and Madison "Nat" St. Rose (Princeton, two-time All-Ivy) join the No. 1-ranked HS class headlined by McDonald's All-Americans Jacy Abii and Jenica Lewis. ND replaces four of five starters after Cassandre Prosper went to the WNBA and Vanessa De Jesus, Iyana Moore, Malaya Cowles, and KK Bransford all moved on. Niele Ivey is coaching Team USA's U18 squad at the FIBA AmeriCup June 8-14 in Mexico. Hannah Hidalgo (24.6 PPG, leads ACC, 3rd nationally) was named to the Naismith Trophy Late-Season Team, and ND is in the inaugural Eternal City Tip-off doubleheader Nov. 1 on Fox.

Upcoming: Summer workouts begin in late May.

🥍Lacrosse

Men: quarterfinal locked in. No. 2 Notre Dame draws Johns Hopkins on Saturday, May 16 at noon ET on ESPNU from James Shuart Stadium at Hofstra in Hempstead, NY. Hopkins got here by knocking off defending champ Cornell 9-8 in OT - so this is not a soft draw despite the seed line. The Irish are coming off the 18-5 dismantling of Jacksonville at Arlotta (Luke Miller's five-goal day), and it's their fourth straight quarterfinal. Win and the semifinal is Saturday May 23; championship Monday May 25 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.

Four ACC teams advanced to the quarters (Notre Dame, North Carolina, Syracuse, Duke) - only the fifth time that's happened in tournament history. UNC-Syracuse follows ND-Hopkins on Saturday at Hofstra; Duke-Georgetown plays Sunday in Newark, DE; Princeton-Penn State is the other Sunday game.

Women's season ended last Friday with the 13-12 first-round loss to James Madison in Evanston - final record 12-6, no new follow-up news.

Upcoming:

  • Sat May 16 - Men's NCAA Quarterfinal vs. Johns Hopkins, noon ET, ESPNU (Hofstra)
  • Sat May 23 - Men's NCAA Semifinal (if advances), Scott Stadium, Charlottesville
  • Mon May 25 - Men's NCAA Championship Final (if advances), Charlottesville

Last Result:

  • Men: Beat Jacksonville 18-5 in NCAA First Round (Sun May 10)
  • Women: Lost to James Madison 13-12 in NCAA First Round (Fri May 8) - season over, 12-6

📋Around the Program

  • Baseball won its 8th in a row. Notre Dame beat Dayton 16-6 at Prasco Park tonight in an 8-inning, run-rule midweek win - Danny MacDougall led off with a solo HR. The Irish keep climbing into postseason positioning ahead of the ACC stretch.

🔴Utah Utes

🏈Football

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

Spring camp is wrapped (no spring game by Morgan Scalley's call) and Utah came out of it largely healthy - the rebuilt offensive line under first-year coach Jordan Gross took the most visible step forward. Devon Dampier's command of new OC Kevin McGiven's offense is still the offseason variable to watch; Daniel Bray is being talked up at RB and Nate Johnson continues his QB-to-WR transition. Recent transfer additions include kicker Tanner Cragun (UTEP) and Arizona DL recruit Tiki Teeples in the 2027 board. McGiven sits at $1.1M and DC Colton Swan at $850K on the now-public salary sheet. Sept. 26 at Iowa State remains the Big 12 tone-setter; Sept. 3 vs. Idaho is the opener.

Upcoming:

  • Sept. 3 - vs. Idaho (season opener, Rice-Eccles)
  • Sept. 26 - at Iowa State (Big 12 opener)

🤸Gymnastics

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

Utah finished 2026 10th nationally, missing the NCAA Championship by 0.125 at the Corvallis Regional Final - the first time in 51 years the Red Rocks didn't make nationals after 49 consecutive appearances. Avery Neff was Big 12 Gymnast of the Year (7th AA, 4th floor at nationals as an individual qualifier); Ana Padurariu was Big 12 Specialist of the Year. Carly Dockendorf signed an extension through 2031, USA National Team coach Steve Arkell joined as bars coach, and Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum is on staff as Student Assistant Coach. The 2027 freshman class is headlined by five-star Bailey Stroud plus internationals Gabrielle Black (Canada) and Ayla Miller (Minnesota).

Upcoming: 2027 season begins in January.

📋Around the Program

  • Baseball winds toward Big 12 Tournament May 19-23 at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, AZ. Utah is 11-16 Big 12 / 24-22 overall after getting swept at TCU last weekend - the bullpen has been the bleed point. One final weekend series stands between now and Surprise.
  • Men's basketball roster nearly set. Craig Smith's rebuild has three perimeter transfers (Holcombe / Chatman / Burch), Noam Yaacov at the point, four other internationals, plus 2026 signees. Still hunting a true center.

🌰Ohio State Buckeyes

🏈Football

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

The 2026 transfer portal window closed with Ohio State adding 17 portal pieces to a roster that lost 47 of 91 scholarship players from 2025. Headline addition: Alabama IDL James Smith - the No. 1 IDL in the portal. Other tracked arrivals: kicker Connor Hawkins (Baylor, 18-of-22 FGs), WR Kyle Parker (LSU), TE Hunter Welcing (Northwestern) replacing NFL-bound Max Klare, CB Dominick Kelly (Georgia), RB Ja'Kobi Jackson (Florida). 11 Buckeyes were drafted in 2026, all four top OSU prospects in Round 1. CBS Sports has OSU at No. 2 nationally post-spring; offense returns Sayin and Smith and four of five OL starters.

The 2026 HS class sits at 21 commits, No. 9 nationally - two 5-stars (Chris Henry Jr. headlines), 12 4-stars, seven 3-stars. The class missed on Champ Monds IV (ND) and tonight's Olubobola decision to Notre Dame too - back-to-back high-profile losses to Freeman at the top of the board.

Upcoming:

  • Aug 30 - season opener (Week 1)

📋Around the Program

  • Baseball wraps the home slate tonight against Wright State (Tue May 12, 6:00 p.m. ET at Bill Davis Stadium - 614 Night, $6 tickets/$1 dogs/$4 beers, B1G+). The Buckeyes (26-22, 11-13 B1G) then travel to Michigan May 14-16 for the regular-season finale. Michigan State took a series in Columbus last weekend, snapping OSU's winning streak.

🏔️Treasure Valley

🍽️Food & Drink

The big restaurant headline is now official: Seattle's Cactus Southwest Kitchen & Bar is moving into the former P.F. Chang's space at 391 S. 8th St. in BoDo with a fall opening target. Permits show a $690K interior remodel on the 6,575 sq-ft space - updates to bar, seating, restrooms, and kitchen. It's Cactus's first location outside Washington (they run six in the Seattle area), and their team reached out to the unrelated Cactus Bar on Main before pulling the trigger to avoid stepping on a longtime local. Good etiquette.

Carryover pipeline: Descanso opens Fri May 22 at The Boardwalk, with Spitfire and Ground Rules soft-opening at the end of the month; Peregrine Rooftop is also moving toward opening (giving downtown a second meaningful rooftop alongside The Boise Post atop the new AC/Element hotel on Grove). Anesso, Boise Thai Noodle House (908 W. Main), Hemlock steakhouse, Coa Cantina (Barber Valley), Cán Coctelería speakeasy above Amano, Bobby's Cafe, Idaho Burrito, Schnitzel Fritz, and Handel's Ice Cream (1581 E. State, Eagle - first Idaho location) are all on the spring/summer opening list. Eastside Tavern still wraps this Saturday May 16 after 15 years.

🎉Events & Things to Do

  • Tonight (Tue May 12): Farm to Fork Market downtown every Tuesday evening - 30+ vendors, Tuesdays on the Creek live music nearby. Sir Woman at Shrine Social Club, 7 p.m. Oh He Dead, 7 p.m.
  • Wed May 13: FC Naples at Athletic Club Boise, 7:00 p.m. - USL League One on home turf. Watch the weather - strong cold front coming through with potentially damaging winds, isolated storms, blowing dust, and elevated fire danger.
  • Thu May 14: John Butler Trio at Knitting Factory, 8 p.m. (long-form jam-rock). Blueface with O.T. Genasis at Revolution in Garden City, 8 p.m. Arms Length at The Shredder, 6 p.m.
  • Fri May 15: Matt Maeson: Watch My Step Tour at Knitting Factory, 8 p.m. Idaho Capitol - Dirk Kempthorne lies in state at 10 a.m. with full Boise services running through May 15-16. Emo Nite at Knitting Factory. Last day of early voting for the May 19 primary.
  • Sat May 16: 208 Night Market Summer Kickoff at Shindig Farms (Sat-Sun May 15-16). Idaho's Largest Garage Sale at Expo Idaho - hundreds of vendors. Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home AFB Sat-Sun - U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headlining. You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees tribute at Knitting Factory, 9 p.m. Capital City Public Market 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and Boise Farmers Market 9 a.m.–1 p.m., plus Eagle/Meridian/Nampa.

Forecast: today's the heat day - widespread mid-90s and record-watch territory. Wednesday brings the front through with damaging-wind potential, isolated storms, and sharply cooler air. Thursday tops out at 73°F, Friday near 72°F mostly sunny and pleasant - the weekend looks ideal for the air show.

📰Local Headlines

  • Meridian breaking ground on District at Ten Mile - a 200-acre shopping and dining hub is moving forward, the biggest near-term retail master plan in the valley.
  • Three Democrats are vying for Sen. Jim Risch's U.S. Senate seat in the May 19 primary. Early voting closes Friday May 15 - strong first-week turnout in Ada County (5,000+ ballots in the opening week).
  • Boise Hawks home opener Tue May 19 at 7:05 p.m. at Memorial Stadium vs. Ogden Raptors (six-game series May 19-24, followed by the brand-new Modesto Roadsters May 26-31). First 1,000 fans get a magnetic schedule; $5 General Admission + hot dog combo.
  • Public health note from KTVB: Idaho's melanoma rates are now ranked #1 in the U.S. - local dermatologists are pushing sun-safety messaging heading into summer.
  • Carryover reminders: Dirk Kempthorne services Fri-Sat May 15-16. New Expo Idaho park (wetlands, skate features, Greenbelt connection) still in design. ITD director Scott Stokes retiring June 30. HP confirmed exit from its Boise site in 2027 - long-term redevelopment story to watch.

🔗Worth Reading

Generated on Tuesday, May 12, 2026

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