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The observer | FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Irish secondary rounding into form during spring ND set to hit trail, lands 2020 recruit RECRUITING
By ELIZABETH GREASON Assistant Managing Editor
As spring practice continues for Notre Dame, the pieces of the puzzle are continuing to come together on the defensive side of the ball, as the Irish are looking to make up for losses at a wide variety of positions, from the line to the secondary. At linebacker, there are two big holes to fill with the graduation of Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini. However, with graduate student Drue Tranquill staying on for his fifth year, he will be moving from Rover to an inside linebacker spot alongside senior Te’Von Coney. There will also be holes to fill on the line, as Jay Hayes recently announced he will graduate transfer to Oklahoma, and Andrew Trumbetti also graduated. Junior Khalid Kareem has appeared to step up over the course of the spring season and could see starting action. Defensive backs coach Terry Joseph, who is beginning his first year with the Irish, said he told all of his players they are not being evaluated based on past performance, instead simply based on how well they progress and play during the spring season and throughout training camp. “I think the big thing for the guys, like I told them, everybody starts with a clean slate. Everybody was starting from zero, and every day is a day to get evaluated,” Joseph said April 5. “And so, at the end of the day, we want to have a good grasp on who is our top-four guys at the position, where we can know how to rotate. Obviously, if we start putting nickel in, we want to get the best five [defensive backs] on the field at the point, so we start moving some guys around.” One of those guys both Joseph and fellow defensive backs coach Todd Lyght have been especially impressed by is freshman defensive back Houston Griffith, an early enrollee who arrived on campus in January. Griffith began his career practicing with the cornerbacks, but a few practices in, was moved over to Joseph and the safeties. “We think that he can be a guy who can compete for a starting job at free safety, so we want to make sure — because he’s such a good athlete, and we want put all our best athletes on the field — anyway we can get him on the
field, and we feel like moving him to the free safety spot will do that,” Lyght said of Griffith on April 5. Joseph has been impressed with what he has seen of the freshman so far and feels he is adjusting well to the learning curve at the new position. “You like that he has the cover skills because, when you play a quarter system, you want a guy at safety who has those cover skills,” Joseph said of Griffith. “He’s big enough to hold up in the run game; he’s shown he has some physicality; and with how deep we are at corner, it’s one of those situations where we want to get the best guys on the field, and we wanted to give him the opportunity and look at him at safety. He’s done a great job as far as picking it up. He’s a smart kid — really happy how he’s progressed so far.” Another fresh face Joseph has been happy to see progression from has been junior safety Alohi Gilman. Gilman, who was forced to sit out his sophomore year after transferring from Navy and not being granted eligibility to play, spent the past season on the scout team. As a result, he was almost too eager to get back on the field, Joseph said. “I think he was so excited to get back in the mix after spending the year on scout team. And like I told him, one of the things that he had to adjust to is on the scout team, you’re looking at a card, you’re really just following the line,” Joseph said. “Now, it’s more about processing what’s going on, how to match routes, how to get yourself in the right position, how to read what’s happening [and] what the offense is trying to do. So that’s been our deal with him these first two weeks of practice.” When it comes down to choosing starters, however, Joseph said he has a wide variety of players to pick from, including juniors Jalen Elliott and Devin Studstill and senior Nick Coleman, all of whom have seen significant amounts of playing time in the past. Joseph said the starter decision will come down to talent and nothing more. “At the end of the day, I love them all, but the truth of the matter is, the best two guys are going to run out there against Michigan on Sept. 1,” he said. “And the truth of the matter is this: I don’t care what grade they’re in. I don’t care what jersey number. I don’t care how long they’ve been here. Because at the end of the day, the two best
guys are going to run out there, and I’ve been very truthful with those guys about that. So value every rep because, at the end of the day, the two best guys are going to play. If one of those guys gets hurt, the next best guy is going to go in. It’s going to be an open competition. I really see this deal going on hopefully until about the middle of training camp, and hopefully that keeps every one of the players involved in it every day.” While there are fewer fresh faces at the cornerback position, there is still a lot up in the air because of defensive coordinator Clark Lea’s encouragement of competition at each and every position. Currently, Lyght has junior Julian Love and graduate student Nick Watkins playing the perimeter, while senior Shaun Crawford and juniors Troy Pride Jr. and Donte Vaughn have been playing the interior. When the incoming freshmen arrive for training camp in the summer, Lyght said each one will get the opportunity to test out both positions, but he believes Noah Boykin and DJ Brown will test out the boundary and Tariq Bracy will play the field, whereas Joe Wilkins Jr. could do either one. Lyght has been especially impressed with Crawford, who he said reached full health at about the midpoint of last season, coming off the two major injuries of a torn ACL and a torn Achilles. “We want to play Shaun both inside and outside,” Lyght said. “I think that we gain huge benefits by playing him in multiple positions because he’s smart enough to get it done. He’s athletic enough to get it done, and his playmaking prowess as a defender, his ability to dislodge the ball from running backs, his ability to go up and high point the ball, his ability to win in one-on-one situations — you want to keep guys like that on the field.” Lyght said over the course of the spring season, he has been the most impressed with Pride Jr. and Crawford — the former being a pleasant surprise. “As far as these eight practices go, Shaun Crawford and Troy Pride have been our most consistent corners in our group,” he said. “It doesn’t surprise me with Shaun, but very glad to see Troy take a step up with his consistency and with his development.” Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu Paid Advertisement
By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor
Falling short of its College Football Playoff aspirations last season hasn’t seemed to stop Notre Dame on the recruiting trail. After sealing the 11th-ranked 2018 recruiting class on National Signing Day, per Rivals, the coaching staff has used that momentum to shift its focus towards the class of 2019. The 27 commitments the Irish received from the incoming class, the most during head coach Brian Kelly’s tenure, helped earn them their sixth-straight top-15 class. With only three commitments from the class of 2019, compared to the 12 they had at this point last year, the coaching staff can expect the upcoming class to be significantly smaller. Blue and Gold Illustrated recruiting analyst Bryan Driskell said this isn’t a cause for concern, however. “The three biggest months for Notre Dame are March, April [and] the biggest month [being] July,” Driskell said. “In July, you’re getting commitments from kids that visited in May and June.” Driskell said the July surge Notre Dame has typically experienced under Kelly can be attributed to the distance many recruits have to travel to campus, putting it at a disadvantage early in the recruiting race. As the coaching staff prepares to head out on the road to visit recruits, Driskell said these next few weeks will be important to watch how they do as far as picking up commitments. “If it gets to May 1 and they haven’t added four or five more guys, I’m probably starting to get a little concerned,” he said. “But I think right now, they’re right on target for where they need to be.” In the second weekend of this evaluation period, the Irish are set to host nine athletes — five from the class of 2019, three from the class of 2020 and a top pro-style quarterback recruit from within Indiana for the class of 2021 — for the annual Blue-Gold game. In addition to the uncommitted players expected this weekend, five signees from the class of 2018 will also be attendance, including top quarterback-commit Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec, a four-star, dual-threat quarterback, was the first Irish commit during the summer after his sophomore year. Driskell said this allowed him to become a
ringleader for that class and attract other elite recruits. “Top players want to play with other top players,” he said. The Irish seem to be sticking to that strategy of recruiting an elite quarterback heavily in hopes of drawing in other top talent after the recent commitment of Drew Pyne. The No. 7 pro-style quarterback and native of New Canaan, Connecticut, committed to Notre Dame last Monday and was the first Irish class of 2020 commit. “In this day of college football, if you want to win, you have to have a great quarterback. And kids know that, so when a big-time quarterback commits to a school early, you kind of now know who your quarterback’s going to be,” Driskell said. “[Pyne’s a] top-40 caliber player [who was] offered a scholarship before his sophomore year. [The Irish] haven’t offered a single quarterback since.” Beyond kicking off their recruiting classes with top quarterbacks, the Irish have also taken a new approach in their visits — hosting small weekends that often combine uncommitted and committed players, such as this weekend. Driskell said this is only possible due to the small size Notre Dame is focusing on for its upcoming recruiting class. In the first weekend of official visits, the Irish hosted five recruits from the class of 2019 — two of which were committed — this past weekend. Meanwhile, as the Irish continue to build their future classes, they’ve continued to be plagued in the running back search. With the early departure of Josh Adams and the imminent graduation of senior Dexter Williams, the Irish will be left with a shortage on the depth charge in the near future. “They’re having to move some guys around, which is not ideal. … It’s a concern,” Driskell said of the running back position. “It’s the one area on the offense where recruiting has really lagged behind these past three years.” Driskell said there are still some talented players on the board, none of which have indicated Notre Dame as a front runner. “They haven’t really thrown out a lot of offers yet, but you can expect to see that expand in the near future,” Driskell said. Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu
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ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 | The Observer
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Irish need backfield, wideouts to take next step By CONNOR MULVENA Associate Sports Editor
Heading into the 2018-2019 season, the Irish have some holes to fill at wide receiver and running back. Most notably, Notre Dame will be without one-time 2017 Heisman candidate Josh Adams, the team’s star running back last season who declared a year early for the NFL Draft. Adams rushed for a sterling 1,430 yards last season, and he also became the first player in Notre Dame’s history to register five games with over 150 yards rushing. At wideout, the Irish lost key receiver Equanimeous St. Brown to the NFL Draft as well. St. Brown tallied 33 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. On top of Adams and St. Brown, the Irish are without wideout Kevin Stepherson and running backs Deon McIntosh and C.J. Holmes, all of whom were dismissed from the team after the season — Stepherson and Holmes in connection with a shoplifting arrest and McIntosh in connection with a violation of team rules. With all of these pieces of the puzzle missing, the Irish head into the 2018 season looking for a number of guys to step up at wide receiver and running back. At running back, senior Dexter Williams and junior Tony Jones Jr. have shown promise in taking over Adams’ role this year. Williams, who struggled with nagging injuries last season, rushed for 360 yards and four touchdowns on 39 attempts in his junior year. As
his injuries persisted and Adams found success, Williams took a bit of a back seat; but heading into this year, he is likely to be a central figure in Notre Dame’s backfield. Jones Jr., who struggled with injuries as well but was the squad’s second option behind Adams for most of last year, will also be key to the Irish backfield this season. Jones rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 44 attempts last season. Irish running back coach Autry Denson said he has been impressed with how much Williams and Jones Jr. have matured this year, and he feels confident in their preparation for the upcoming season. “[Jones Jr. and Williams are] a year older … and they’ve gone through some adversity. I believe that everything happens for a reason,” he said March 27. “We were afforded a luxury last year for those guys — it wasn’t a luxury for them, but we were afforded a luxury that when they went down, we were still able to pick up and run with it. “They know how to respond to adversity now; they’ve been through it. They’re a year older. They’re a year more mature, and you can see it in their preparation. You can see it in the way they attack the weight room. And we’ve talked about a lot of purposeful preparation in our room, preparing to play late in the season. … So I think what you’re seeing with [Jones and Williams] is because they have that experience now, they’re preparing
with that intentionality.” The team has also been giving carries to sophomores Avery Davis and Jafar Armstrong in the spring. Denson said Armstrong’s size, physicality and strength have stood out to him. “Jafar right now, you’ve been seeing him go between running back, and seeing him play receiver. He’s a big, physical, strong young man. … I hope I can get him in my room full time. I would love to have Jafar in the room, you heard it here first,” Denson said. “On offense, you’ve kind of alluded to the fact that there’s some new faces. So what that creates for us as an offensive staff is we’re doing a good job of trying to figure out how those pieces work together and putting guys in different situations to see how they respond, so that when we come back from the summer and move forward to the fall, you have a good idea of how all those puzzles are going to come together to make the perfect picture.” Although Davis is listed as a quarterback, he has been getting carries this spring, and Denson emphasized that the team is trying to put everyone in a position to use their talents how they best can. “Right now, again, we’re using the spring to basically put guys in position to use their God-given ability,” he said. “He can run, he can throw, we know he knows the position from a quarterback standpoint. He can catch pretty well. So we’re just trying to see what this offense is going to look like in regards
to the different talent sets and the skillsets we have available to us.” At wide receiver, the Irish will look to senior Miles Boykin, junior Chase Claypool and sophomore Michael Young as its leaders. Boykin tallied 253 yards receiving and two touchdowns last season, one of which propelled the Irish to a win in the 2018 Citrus Bowl. Wide receiver coach Del Alexander said Boykin’s conditioning has paid off so far this spring, emphasizing his quickness and explosiveness. “I think that [Boykin] is using his talents daily. I think that every rep, he’s using his quickness, he’s using his size and length,” he said March 27. “He’s showing his explosiveness. And I think that comes from his conditioning and his experience on the offense.” Claypool, who recorded 402 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 29 receptions last season, will also be key to the receiver corps this season. Alexander said it has to be about fundamentals for Claypool, day in and day out. “Chase is similar to Miles. In all receivers, it’s about the daily commitment to the fundamentals,” Alexander said. “There is a little separation there that we talk about. If I were to go to Canada and try to line up and play football there, I wouldn’t know what ‘going in motion’ means. I wouldn’t know how wide the field is [or] ‘Hey, why is this upright here in the middle of the end zone.’ So we’re trying to work through some of the barriers, and before we get to that, we’re just
talking about one day at a time and the fundamentals and the quick feet, and using the techniques that we’re teaching and adjusting to what you’re seeing in front of you.” Young, who wasn’t as large a part of the wide receiver corps last season, will be asked to step up this season. Alexander said Young has grown a lot since his freshman year, and he has shown a lot of promise in spring camp. “He’s out doing great things for us here in spring ball, and he has corrected himself on a number of things. And he takes the coaching,” Alexander said. “I think when he first came in, though, he thought it was — not ‘about me’ in a selfish way, but I have to control me. And he wasn’t as open to coaching. He didn’t see things as clearly as time went on, and as he became more and more eager to play, he started to listen a little bit more, and he started to see a little bit more. And that kind of freed his game up where he was able to make more plays.” With all of these pieces at Notre Dame’s disposal for the 2018 season, it is now only a matter of who will step up. Williams, Jones Jr., Claypool and Boykin especially have some large shoes to fill, stepping up in the face of Adams and St. Brown’s departures. But as of now, it appears the coaching staff is confident in the assets at their disposal. Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu
Kelly must name starting quarterback soon Tobias Hoonhout Managing Editor
For all intents and purposes, the Irish this offseason look an awful lot like the team heading into the fall two season ago. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Heading into the 2016 season, Notre Dame had a number of question marks on both sides of the ball. Gone were the leading wide receiver and running back in Will Fuller and C.J. Prosise. Gone was left tackle Ronnie Stanley, as well as Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith. But perhaps most importantly, gone was any certainty of who would start at quarterback. Both Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer had shown flashes of brilliance in the previous season, one in which the Irish finished the regular season a respectable 10-2 and went to the Fiesta Bowl. While Zaire had started the season as the unquestionable starter and looked the part with a dominant performance against Texas in the season opener, a broken ankle in the Virginia game made way for Kizer, who promptly kept the Irish in the playoff hunt all season with some gutsy performances. So when springtime came
around, Irish head coach Brian Kelly had a dilemma on his hands. One that he didn’t solve definitively until after the Irish fell in a heartbreaker to Texas to start the 2016 season. Now, I’m not questioning the difficulty of the decision. Kelly had two very good quarterbacks on his hands, and throughout the offseason, neither decisively separated himself from the other. “I think I’m going to have to make a judgment call,” Kelly said after the Blue-Gold game in April 2016. “Oh, I don’t know when I’ll make it. But there will be a time when I’m going to have to say, that’s our quarterback, let’s go with him, we’re all in and let’s move forward. They are both that good; I already know that. But there will be a day, and we’re going to have to say: It’s time to go, he’s our quarterback, everybody’s behind him and we need to go, and that’s who the quarterback is.” The thing is, that call came way too late. Sure, hypotheticals aren’t definitive. And the Irish definitely didn’t prove defensively that even if Kelly had named a starter in the spring, Notre Dame would have had a winning season. Regardless, the way the situation was handled seemed to alienate both quarterbacks. There’s no question that Zaire was a shadow of his former self.
He was shaky right from the start against Texas and finished the year with a completion percentage of 47.8 percent, one touchdown and a mere 122 yards. What went wrong? Maybe he wasn’t the guy for the job. But from Zaire’s perspective, the job was his to begin with. To say that Kelly’s decision to wait and not name him starter did not have an effect on his mindset and motivation is just naive. And Kizer wasn’t the same player, either. For while the production was there, many questioned if the fire was. As the Irish lost game after game, Kizer seemed to put his head down and focus on his game rather than that of the team. It was no surprise when he declared for the draft after the season. After all, he had shown time and time again the year before that he was up to the task, and yet it took all the way until two weeks into the season for his hard work to be validated. Fast forward to 2018, and the same indicators are back. Notre Dame has a number of question marks to address on both sides of the ball. And at the quarterback position, Kelly has yet another dilemma. While senior Brandon Wimbush and junior Ian Book have both been getting first-team reps this spring, neither has yet to distance himself as the clear favorite. Enter the Blue-Gold game, which should ideally serve as a
CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
Irish senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush rolls out right and looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 38-20 loss to Stanford on Nov. 25.
good gauge; but with the program recently announcing the rules for the scrimmage, it sounds like neither quarterback will have to deal with that much pressure. So while it may be tempting for Kelly to sit back and hold out on a decision, he shouldn’t. In situations like this, decisiveness is often better than agonizing over the right answer. The reality is, with two starting-caliber quarterbacks and a third on the way in freshman Phil Jurkovec, Kelly and Notre Dame have to be willing to
sacrifice one of its seasoned quarterbacks — potentially even to transfer — for the sake of giving the team a real purpose and direction heading into the season. Because at the end of the day, I’m pretty sure nobody wants a repeat of two years ago. Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | Friday, april 20, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Tobias Hoonhout
Elizabeth Greason
Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
W hen it all comes down to it, Notre Dame’s season will live and die by the quarterback. Maybe it’s cruel, but it’s also football. W hile both senior Brandon Wimbush and junior Ian Book showed glimpses of their potential last season, neither signal caller has yet to come up with a consistent product. And they’ll have to come up with something fast — the Irish open up against Michigan on Sept. 1 in what could be the biggest game of the season. If the Irish can set the tone early, they could cruise into the playoff hunt. A slip up against the Wolverines, though, and we could be in for a long season. Luckily, I’m an optimist.
SEASON PREDICTION: 10-2
I honestly don’t know what to expect out of this Notre Dame team. Sure, a lot of the old stalwarts are back, but enough of the integral members of the squad have gone their own way — Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey and Josh Adams — that this team is a bit of a wild card, especially starting the year with a marquee matchup against Michigan. That being said, I have faith in the players the Irish have left. Miles Boykin is coming into his own as a senior, the two running backs remaining in junior Tony Jones Jr. and senior Dexter Williams have both proven their worth and whichever quarterback is under center — I predict it will be senior Brandon Wimbush — should move on from the struggles of last season. However, I think the Irish will fall into some of the same traps as last season, struggling against some of their perennial rivals in Stanford and USC. SEASON PREDICTION: 10-2
Charlotte Edmonds
Connor Mulvena
Associate Sports Editor
Associate Sports Editor
This is a make or break season for the Irish — at least for the near future. Last season showed glimpses of a contending team, but Notre Dame will need to prove it can do more than just win easy games to shed its reputation as an almost-but-not-quite program. No more excuses for Brian Kelly; a November meltdown (or last year’s three-minute meltdown at Stanford) is unacceptable. Luckily, with the exception of the Michigan season opener, Notre Dame’s schedule allows ample time to work through growing pains over backfield vacancies and the continuing quarterback narrative. That said, I trust the Irish will rise to the occasion, winning their first nine. I hope to be incorrect, but I’m not convinced the Irish can hang with their elite competitors, likely losing to Florida State and USC. SEASON PREDICTION: 10-2
Notre Dame’s defense is very solid, and the combination of senior Dexter Williams and junior Tony Jones Jr. in the backfield is promising. There shouldn’t be any problems at wideout — junior Chase Claypool and senior Miles Boykin are poised for big seasons, and sophomore Michael Young has a ton of potential. That being said, quarterback play could become a problem. With even decent quarterback play, I’d be confident in a 10-win season, maybe even 11. But there are definitely questions surrounding the passing game, and senior Brandon Wimbush will need to prove he is able to utilize Claypool and Boykin through the air. Without a reliable passing attack, Florida State, Michigan and Stanford will be big problems. Overall, though, the Irish will put on a decent performance this year. SEASON PREDICTION: 9-3
Joe Everett Sports Writer
Notre Dame began 2018 on a positive note by defeating LSU in the Citrus Bowl, and it appears ready to carry that momentum through spring and summer practice and into its regular-season campaign. The defense will have most of its starters back — aided by the returns of Jerry Tillery, Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquill — and the secondary should improve with the infusion of new talent. The offense carries more questions. How good will the offensive line be without Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey? Will the thin running back corps hold up? W ho will be the quarterback, and will the passing game improve? Schedule-wise, the Irish face a gauntlet. Everything comes down to quarterback play. I think Brandon Wimbush improves and wins the job. Notre Dame wins every home game, but it can’t get it done against Virginia Tech and USC.
Follow Observer Sports on Twitter for live updates and analysis during the game this weekend and all season long. @ObserverSports
SEASON PREDICTION: 10-2
MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
Former Irish running back Josh Adams carries the ball upfield for an 84-yard touchdown run during Notre Dame’s 49-14 win over USC on Oct. 21 at Notre Dame Stadium. Adams declared for the NFL Draft after last season, despite having a year of eligibility remaining, leaving junior Tony Jones Jr. and senior Dexter Williams atop the backfield depth chart.