Print Edition of the Irish Insider of The Observer for Friday, November 11, 2018

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INSidER Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Te’Von coney | lb | palm beach gardens, florida

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and ANN CURTIS | The Observer

By TOBIAS HOONHOUT Managing Editor

Full circle.

As Irish senior linebacker Te’von Coney comes to the end of a Notre Dame career marked by both highs and lows, it’s easy to see that the Florida native has come a long way, both on and off the field.

But, perhaps more surprising, it’s revealing to see his mentality has never changed.

“Anything that I endure or experience, to always overcome it,” Coney said of his mentality.

“And that’s something that I always did when I was younger, something my dad instilled in me as well. No one’s perfect — whenever you make a mistake, it’s not about doing another mistake, it’s about moving forwards and finding a way to get better.”

Coney was a late bloomer in high school, during which he transferred to Palm Beach Gardens High School. Heading into his junior season without a single offer, Coney put in the work over the offseason — in the weight room, on the field and in the film room. The result?

One-hundred-seventytwo tackles his junior year, 136 the following season as a senior and an invite to the Under Armour All-American game.

Heavily recruited by a number of local schools, including Miami, Coney wasn’t initially on Notre Dame’s radar, and vice versa. But when then-recruiting coordinator Tony Alfred direct messaged the then-junior on Twitter, Coney was all ears. “[He] asked to just talk to me, just to give the whole idea of Notre Dame a chance, knowing that I’m a Florida guy, knowing how far it is from Florida,” Coney said. “I gave him the opportunity, heard him out and loved a lot of the things he talked about, as far as education, and valuing family, friends and a high level of football. So that was something that I was interested in coming out [to explore more] and coming up here and

checking it out.”

Notre Dame’s unique blend of academic and athletic prestige was an immediate selling point for Coney and his work ethic, and the Irish soon had his commitment, followed by his early enrollment. For Coney, it was the perfect opportunity to grow with the team, especially behind star linebacker and eventual-Butkus award winner Jaylon Smith.

“I kind of got it right away. I always had a really good mentor, Jaylon Smith, who always had my back,” Coney said on the transition. “Any time I had any questions, he was there to answer them all, so I would say it was an easy transition for me from high school to college. All the veteran guys, they loved me, I loved those guys, they treated me like a little brother.

Any time I needed a ride somewhere, needed help, they were always there for me.”

Coney’s relationship with Smith blossomed, but the success on the field stagnated.

With the talent in front of him on the depth chart, Coney’s role was largely reduced to special teams, and a shoulder injury sustained in the Fiesta Bowl then kept him out of spring ball.

But the real damage came in August. Just before the Irish kicked off the 2016-17 season, Coney and five other players were arrested after a traffic stop discovered marijuana and a unlicensed handgun.

Of the six mugshots, Coney’s is the only one with face downcast. As someone who had never had any run-ins with the law, Coney was ashamed. But instead of slipping further, he rose to the challenge of growing from the mistake.

Smith backed him every step of the way.

“Just putting it behind me.

Just growing from it,” Coney said on what Smith told him after the incident. “He always told me that my four years here wouldn’t be perfect. … That’s one thing that Jaylon also told me as well, is that to move on,

just learn from mistakes and do better in the future, and everything will be fine.”

While the Irish sputtered that season to a 4-8 record, Coney pushed himself to get better.

Even after wholesale offseason changes saw the system implemented by former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder — and Coney’s starting role — abandoned under new coordinator Mike Elko, the thenjunior stayed focused.

“Keep going. Never stop.

That’s always been my mentality growing up, is to always better, and then when that adversity hits, and challenges come to me, never give up, never break and continue to get better,” Coney said on his approach. “In that offseason, I found a lot of ways to get better. I was in the coaches’ offices, finding ways, how can I improve, how can I be a better player, on and off the field.

I listened a lot, and learned a lot that offseason and got a lot better as well.”

Of the seven new coaches hired by Brian Kelly that offseason, two became particularly important for both Coney and Notre Dame. Strength coach Matt Balis, known for his pedigree, ushered in a new era, an era that Coney, perhaps more than any other, benefited from.

“I’m so happy that I had a guy that came in during that time who’s seen where my future can go if I put a lot of hard work in,” Coney said on his relationship with Balis. “He constantly challenged me each and every day I came in the weight room, not to be average, to find a way to get better at something. He’s seen a lot of weaknesses that I’ve had that I could turn into strengths easily if I continued to just work on them … he pushed me to the limit, to new levels I never thought I could get to. To this day, I thank him for finding me ways to get better to help me with my success on the field.”

Another key mentor for Coney was Clark Lea, who followed Elko to be linebackers coach. When Elko left after 2017, Lea took over defensive coordinator duties as well, and has been particularly demanding of Coney, as the senior has emerged as a key player on defense. Through all the hard work, Coney has great respect for Lea’s desire to help him get better.

“We have a guy that you can’t ask more from,” Coney said on Lea. “He comes in each and every day and he challenges me, as a person, as a young man, to grow. And on the field, he challenges me as well to continue to get better, to find ways to move the meter. ‘To move the meter,’ that’s what he always says. It’s someone who’s always been there for me, his door is always open, whenever I want to talk about anything, outside of football, whatever it is. It’s great to have a guy like that.”

Under their tutelage, Coney has blossomed into a force for the Irish. Despite not starting the season as the starter in 2017, he led the team in tackles as Notre Dame remade itself on defense. While there was talk on whether Coney would declare early for the draft, Coney was far from satisfied with his Notre Dame career.

“I wanted to finish, I wanted to graduate and I felt like I didn’t do what I really wanted to do,” he said on his decision to return for senior year. “I wanted to be a national champion, and I wanted to come here and graduate. Those are two things that I set as goals before I came here, and just having the opportunity to be at this University for another year, I decided I couldn’t pass it up. It’s a special place with special people, and I would’ve missed it a lot. So just having the opportunity to come back, with a great group of guys, try to get a national championship and also graduate, it was something I

couldn’t turn down.”

This year, Coney and the Irish have emerged as one of the nation’s premier contenders for an elusive playoff spot.

Now starting at inside linebacker — once again leading the team in tackles — and having younger players look up to him as an example, Coney recognizes how his mentality has paid off.

“It’s been great. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, to be a leader for this great university, and for this great team as well,” he said. “Just having the opportunity to lead these guys, it’s been awesome. We all learn from each other, from every level of the defense. We challenge each other each and every day to get better. We got D-linemen challenging me, I’m challenging the DBs and vice versa. We are always trying to find ways to get better.”

With his growth, both on and off the field, tied so much to important inf luences, Coney hasn’t lost sight of what got him to where he is today — he and Smith still talk regularly. Relationships like theirs are something that he now stresses to the next crop of Irish football players.

“I know that any time I need to talk to someone, I can pick up the phone and call him, and anytime he wants to talk to me as a big brother and give me advice, he always picks up the phone and calls me,” Coney said of his current communication with Smith. “We have a great relationship, and I’m really happy to have a guy here to teach me the way, teach me the way of how I can become great at this great University like he did. To this day, I tell the younger guys some of the same things he told me when I first came in, and to help those guys be great players, on and off the field as well.”

Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

3

Miles Boykin | wr | tinley park, Illinois

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and ANN CURTIS | The Observer

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Oct. 5 edition of The Observer.

The ball was on the Notre Dame 45-yard line. There was 1:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Irish down 17-14.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long dialed up the first-down play. Thenjunior wide receiver Miles Boykin split out as the lone receiver on the boundary, facing a one-on-one matchup with LSU junior cornerback Donte Jackson.

Ian Book took the snap, looked off LSU safety John Battle, and lofted a ball to Boykin’s back shoulder along the near sideline. Boykin turned his body and leapt up, snagged the ball with one hand, avoided Jackson, juked the oncoming Battle, made Jackson miss again and took off toward the end zone — scoring the winning points in Notre Dame’s thrilling 21-17 win over the Tigers and vaulting himself into Notre Dame lore.

“I was really tired, I had run two go-routes before that,” Boykin remembered. “They called the play … and I just went up there trying to make a play, and everything else kind of unfolded. It was like tunnel vision, I don’t remember actually making the play, I just remember being in the end zone celebrating with my teammates.”

For Boykin, a 6-foot-4, 228-pound wide receiver, going up and making big plays is something he has a special ability to do. However, because of his size and skill in addition to his various passions growing up in Tinley Park, whether he would choose football as a career path was always in question, much less playing football at Notre Dame.

“I’m from the Chicago area, and a lot of people there either love or hate Notre Dame, and I was definitely one of the people that hated Notre Dame, just because everybody loved them,” Boykin said. “When I was growing up I was a basketball player mostly, and I didn’t play football until I was in the fifth grade. After that, I just fell in love with it. When I got to high school, I still thought I would be playing basketball in college, but I was getting recruited for both.

Sophomore year I got my first offer for football, and so I decided to just focus on football from then on. “ … My first visit to Notre Dame was for the [2013] BY U game — I forget how cold it was, but it was one of the coldest games they’ve ever had here — and my mom was like, ‘OK, I know you don’t want to come back here,’ and I was like, ‘No, I kinda liked it.’ I came back a couple months later, and they offered me, and then I committed that summer, but yeah — fell in love with it off of my first visit.”

Throughout his entire journey, Boykin’s family has been with him and continues to support him to this day. The senior wide receiver especially draws strength and inspiration from his older brother, George, who suffered a serious head injury while playing tight end for Providence High School in 2011. George Boykin hasn’t played a snap of football since the life-threatening hit, but continues to support Miles’ football career as the two brothers both aim to take f light in their own way.

“They mean the world to me,” Boykin said of his family. “My brother had a bad injury and couldn’t play football anymore, so he lives vicariously through me playing football. He’s still doing awesome things. He’s a pilot right

now, getting his masters in aviation, but yeah he’s definitely my No. 1 fan … and one of my biggest supporters.”

W hile Boykin’s production has certainly taken f light as of late, for much of his Notre Dame career he was grounded — stuck in the depth chart behind other notable Irish receivers. After spending his freshman season on the scout team, Boykin caught just six passes for 81 yards his sophomore year and nine passes for 151 yards during the 2017 regular season — unable to see much significant action. However, because wide receivers Chase Claypool (shoulder injury) and Kevin Stepherson (suspension) were unavailable for the Citrus Bowl, Boykin prepared intensely for what would be a much greater role against the Tigers.

“We were practicing for the bowl game here, and we were down two receivers, and so I was obviously going to have to start, so they moved [Equanimeous St. Brown] to the field and me to the boundary,” Boykin said. “Bowl games are fun, because in the scheme of things, a bowl game’s really just for fun. But also what you have with a bowl game, which a lot of people don’t know, is a whole month dedicated to one team that you’re spending time on — just one team. We knew LSU pretty well, they knew us pretty well … I was extremely locked in — that’s what I try to carry over to my preparation now — but I knew everything LSU was going to do before they did it, I had seen all the looks and studied their personnel, so really at that point [the question was]: ‘W ho’s going to win the one-on-one [matchups]? ’ So that’s what I went into the game intending to do.”

Boykin indeed won the most important one-on-one matchup in his career so far,

and pointed to that moment as the one where Brian Kelly and the coaching staff began to see him and rely on him as an integral part of the offense moving forward.

“Not necessarily for me, but for everyone around me [it was a turning point],” Boykin said. “Started putting a lot of confidence in me. For me, I always knew I could play this game at this level …

I knew what I could do and never doubted myself. It was definitely a huge play for this program, but I’m on to better things now this season — hopefully it’s a national championship.”

Boykin is already on to better things and bigger stats this season, having most recently caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown against Stanford on Saturday.

The senior wide receiver noted that since Stanford was daring the Irish offense to throw the ball, it was his responsibility to go make plays for his quarterback and the team. “[Stanford] played a lot of

one-on-one coverage, offpress man — and that job on the boundary, you’ve got to win your one-on-one’s,” Boykin said. “Ian was throwing some great balls and making it easy to make plays for the team. So really, as a receiver, you just kind of hope you’re put in that position and get the chance to make plays for the team, and that’s all you can ask for.”

With a 5-0 start, Boykin and the Irish are f ly ing high, but the senior has his eyes set on the ultimate prize.

W hen asked about the potential this team has going for ward, Boykin says the Irish can go much higher.

“We’ve gotten better ever y single game,” Boykin said.

“I don’t think we’ve hit our ceiling yet — I don’t think we’re even close. We’re still working up to that week-byweek, but if we continue to progress at this level, then I think we’re going to have something special.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Miles Boykin catches the ball during Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 at Notre Dame Stadium.

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Insider Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Chris Finke | wr | dayton, ohio

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and ANN CURTIS | The Observer

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Sept. 7 edition of The Observer.

For Irish senior wide receiver Chris Finke, it’s always been about making the most of the opportunities you are given.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound slot receiver from Dayton, Ohio walked-on at Notre Dame despite only having 12 total catches. Not just his senior year — his entire high school career.

With little-to-no recruiting attention, Finke managed to meet Irish head coach Brian Kelly thanks to the recruiting buzz surrounding high-school teammate and current Irish defensive back Nick Coleman at Archbishop A lter High School. After being told he could apply and potentially walk on, Finke followed through and spent his freshman season as a valuable member of the scout team.

Fast for ward to late August 2016.

Notre Dame dismissed safety Ma x Redfield and indefinitely suspended cornerback Devin Butler, opening up a scholarship spot. Finke, who impressed coaches with his speed and ability to play as both a slot receiver and punt returner during spring camp and throughout the summer into August, received that open scholarship the ver y next day. Now, having experienced two full years of college football, the senior ref lected on his journey to get where he is today.

“It’s been a long road,” Finke said. “In high school I didn’t have a lot of colleges recruiting me, and I got the opportunity to come here basically through my teammate who had a scholarship offer here. Coaches came to

see him and I met them and they told me I could walkon here ... it was a ver y hard opportunity to pass up with such a great school and football program, so I came here and it’s been a short four years. It’s gone really fast, and I’m tr ying to cherish ever y moment this senior year.”

The senior also cherishes the fact that he hasn’t gone through this journey alone.

For Finke, it was the support and love of his family that helped him make it down that road.

“My whole family’s incredibly close,” Finke said.

“My mom, dad, two sisters and then my little brother — we’ve been so close growing up. We’re all relatively close in age so we do ever ything together, we still tr y to get together as much as possible, and we’re just a great support group for one another.

We can always rely on each other in good times and in bad, and ever ybody’s always so happy for each other’s successes, so it’s just such a blessing to have a group like that.”

A walk-on for one year and a proud advocate of the “Walk-On Players Union,” Finke detailed exactly what it means to play without a scholarship at Notre Dame and the mindset it takes to be ready when any opportunity comes knocking.

“It’s definitely a disadvantage,” Finke said. “You have to come in with the attitude that you’re going to work a little harder than ever yone else, and also the knowledge that you’re not the first priority. There’s 85 guys that have scholarships when you come here, and if you accumulate tuition for four years a half a million dollar investment in one kid, so multiply that by 85 — you’re definitely not the first in the coaches mind, so you have to tr y to do some things to stick out,

whether it be working extra hard or just taking advantage of the few opportunities you do get, because you get some opportunities. “ ... But like I said, you don’t have preference over other people, so when something comes your way you got to tr y to take advantage of it. That mindset is where I tr y to keep myself working as a walk-on.”

Notre Dame has quite a storied histor y with football walk-ons, the most famous of these walk-ons being Rudy Ruettiger. However, as much as the stor y of “Rudy” has become a staple of Irish lore, Finke wants to aim higher, and instead draws inspiration from a much more recent Irish walk-on.

“Rudy’s a great story, but I kind of try to distance myself from that,” Finke said.

“I guess I didn’t like it when people would call me ‘Rudy’ because I think I had some aspirations to — not to knock Rudy and his story — achieve as much as possible and set my sights really high ...There’s definitely inspiration [from Rudy] to draw from, and I draw from other guys that have come before me, in particular [former Irish linebacker] Joe Schimdt, who was here when I was a freshman. He was someone who really gave me a lot of guidance as someone who had gone from a walk-on to a key contributor — a team MVP and captain — so he did a lot coming from [where he started].”

Not only does Finke draw motivation from walk-ons who have gone before him, but also from those who have revolutionized and popularized the role of the slot receiver — and who prove its heart, not height, that matters.

“I try to break the stereotype of what people think of someone my size, but honestly the short, white slot receiver has good name for itself,”

Finke said. “If you look at guys who have done it so well in the pros — Wes Welker, Julian Edleman, Danny Amendola, now guys like Cooper Kupp and Ryan Switzer, Braxton Berrios, Hunter Renfroe — I try to keep tabs on and pay attention to them because …

I want to be like them. They inspire me.”

The Irish (1-0) are looking for Finke to blossom into a star slot receiver. There are signs that the senior is already reaching that level given his play against Michigan — a game Finke loved to be a part of, but has already moved on from.

“It was a really fun game, great atmosphere — our fans are the best in the country,” Finke said. “They were so loud and so passionate in the stadium. It was a big game, but we kept preparing for and tried to block out all the noise and all the distractions — treat it like business as usual.

That’s what we’re trying to do going forward — it’s great to start out like that, but that’s behind us and we’re going one day at a time, practice by practice, preparing for Ball

State. “ ... As for the touchdown in the game, it was a play we worked on in practice all week. Coach Long saw the right look and called it up, Brandon threw a beautiful ball, and I went up with the mindset that ‘I just gotta catch this.’”

Ultimately, Finke and the Irish want to make the most of the opportunity they’ve been given this season. The senior ref lected on how he and the Irish can continue to actualize their aspirations.

“We have really big goals here — coach [Kelly] is always preaching our two main goals, which are to graduate from the University of Notre Dame and win a national championship,” Finke said.

“In order to do that we have a process that we’ve built since Januar y and we’re tr y ing to stick by that. Day by day, week by week, not looking ahead, not looking to anything behind us — truly focusing on what’s important now, in the present.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Chris Finke changes direction down the field during Notre Dame’s 56-27 victory over Wake Forest on Sept. 22.

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

5

Tyler Newsome | p | Carrollton, Georgia

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

By TOBIAS HOONHOUT Managing Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Sept. 21 edition of The Observer.

Tyler Newsome doesn’t always get the chance to produce with the game on the line.

But this past Saturday, with five seconds left in the game, the graduate student captain was tasked with punting from deep in Irish territory to seal the win. And while it may be more consistent than placekicking, punting’s end product is not always a guarantee — just ask Newsome about NC State over the last two seasons. But one kick later, the Commodores were faced with scoring from their own 10-yard line with the clock expired.

While the results aren’t always as good as last Saturday’s, one thing that has never changed is Newsome’s mentality about punting.

“I was glad to do my job.

You’ve got 10 other guys doing their job, and I’m just a puzzle piece, one out of 11,” he said. “ … I have the same mindset every time, whether it is good or bad, the most important one is the one I’m on. So if it is bad, I still go out there with the confidence that the next one is going to be a boot anyways.

I don’t let the bad ones get to me or anything like that. The same as the good ones, you can’t get the good ones get to you, because if you’re thinking about that you’re not aware of what’s currently going on.

“Lou Holtz said it, ‘What’s important now?’ You have to be aware of where you are and you have to be aware of where your feet are, the good and bad. That last game wouldn’t have been a good game had I messed up the last punt, so I’m just focusing really on the one I’m on.”

Living life in the “now” has

played a huge role in getting Newsome to where he is today.

In high school, his blossoming career was put on hold after he was involved in a serious car accident that left him hospitalized for over two weeks. And on the field, he did little punting, serving mostly as a placekicker.

It took a last-minute invite to punt in a summer camp at Notre Dame for Newsome to even get a chance to show what he could do, and despite the lack of experience, he earned himself a scholarship. In many ways, Newsome has embraced the adversity thrown his way.

“The mentality that I’ve always had, even since I was younger and high school, is nothing is given to you, everything is earned. And if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will,” Newsome said.

“So for me, I didn’t really care what anybody has to say negatively because I believe in myself and I know what this team is capable of, I know what I’m capable of, so even when I was younger and I told myself, ‘Look, I don’t care that I haven’t punted in a game, I’m coming here to compete.’ I got an email from Notre Dame, so that must mean that I still have a chance, even if that chance would have been one percent of the time.

You never know if you don’t try, and fortunately enough God blessed me to get to be here at this University, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

With such a combination of hunger and humility, Newsome has been able to master the art of punting, which in many ways is one of the most mentally tough positions on the team.

“I mean sometimes you’re not hitting the ball like you want to be hitting the ball, but I really don’t let that get to me because it’s not going to do me any good, it’s not going to do the team any good. If I have poor body language and am feeling bad about myself that’s not going to help anybody out,” he said. “So even if I’m not

having my best day I’m not going to let that physically or outwardly affect me because it’s not going to help anybody out at all. I still have to bring the same energy. “ … You can’t let good or bad affect you, you just have to focus on the one that you’re on. And if it is poor, you have to analyze it and know what’s going on so you can make adjustments.”

Such an approach to the game hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially among Newsome’s teammates. This past spring, he was voted as one of Notre Dame’s captains for the season, the first full-time Irish punter to ever earn such a distinction. For Newsome, it was an opportunity to implement the wisdom he’d gleaned from

past peers and mentors.

“All of the teammates I’ve throughout my time here at Notre Dame have influenced me in some way, shape or fashion,” he said. “I think about when I first got here you had leaders like [former Irish captains] Austin Collinsworth, Cam McDaniel, you saw guys who did it right, and you saw guys that cared … you have guys that you see that just work. I could go on and on about different guys. … For me as I’ve gotten older, any time a young guy or anybody wants to get work in, in that kind of situation I’m always there, because it’s going to better this team.”

Ultimately, through all the ups and downs, Newsome’s biggest goal as a player and

leader has never changed — showing others how to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

“For me, it’s just one of those things that I’d want to be the leader that I would want to look up to when I was a freshman, that I would want to look at and say ‘Hey, he’s the guy that’s representing Notre Dame,’ and for me, that’s something that I think about a lot,” he said. “I just want to be a good representation of Notre Dame, throughout all aspects, on and off the field. If I can be an example for the young guys and the older guys and they say ‘He’s a good representation of Notre Dame,’ that would mean the most to me.”

Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

Irish senior punter Tyler Newsome punts the ball during Notre Dame’s 56-27 victory over Wake Forest at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, N.C. Newsome punted three times in the game for a total of 101 yards.

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

DRUE TRANQUILL | LB | Fort Wayne, InDIANA

DOMINIQUE DeMOE | The Observer

By ELIZABETH GREASON Assisting Managing Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Aug. 31 edition of The Observer.

It’s a rivalry of old.

Saturday’s matchup is going to look much like the storied Notre Dame–Michigan games that have been etched into the history books: dark, under the lights and rainy.

When the Irish take the field against the Wolverines, it may mark a return to the good old days and recall memories of the Notre Dame student section bidding farewell to Michigan during a 31-0 shutout four years ago. But for graduate student linebacker Drue Tranquill, these four years have marked some of the most important and influential of his life.

Since he last played against Michigan in that famous shutout, Tranquill graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a stellar GPA in mechanical engineering. He tore his ACL. Twice. He got engaged to the love of his life: Jackie Gindt.

He got married to the love of his life: Jackie Tranquill. He started his own charity, the 5th Quarter.

Oh, and he has played a bit of college football and was named a team captain. Twice.

Now in his fifth year on the team, Tranquill was able to graduate from Notre Dame in December of his senior year — a semester early.

“I think life can become overwhelming, but I learned from a young age from my mom that with faith in Jesus, anything is possible,” Tranquill said of the accomplishment. “So, I just took that at a young age and kind of prioritized what was important to me in life, which was getting my degree and taking advantage of that opportunity to play here at Notre Dame and obviously my relationships with my friends and my wife. So, everything kind of external to that, I kind of put to the side for four years and

just kind of put my head down.

Anything’s possible.”

Despite having a variety of opportunities open to him after his graduation, Tranquill eventually made the decision to stay at Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility, a decision he announced at the Echoes, Notre Dame’s annual football awards ceremony.

“I think that after talking it over with my family, my wife, my coaches, it was going to be best for me to come back,” he said.

“College football is my dream.

It’s been a dream for me to play here, and to have another shot to win a national championship means everything to me.”

A fifth season under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium means Tranquill will have the chance to do what just two other players have done during head coach Brian Kelly’s tenure at the school. This year will mark Tranquill’s second as a captain, making him the third two-time captain under Kelly, along with former offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Zack Martin.

The responsibility of being a captain is not one Tranquill takes lightly, especially the second time around.

“It’s such an honor at a place like this. Notre Dame would go on without me and they will go on without me, so just to be able to put that ‘C’ on my chest this year and represent this team means everything to me,” Tranquill said of being selected as a captain. “And like I said, this University will go on without me and do great things, but for the time being, if I can make my mark and make this place just a little bit better, that’s what I’m trying to do and that’s what I’m striving to do.”

Tranquill is coming into the role this season with experience and is excited to use that experience to benefit his teammates.

“I know that my outlook and perspective on the role is a little bit different,” he said. “Having some experience at it this year, knowing what worked well and what didn’t work well, I definitely

bring that to the table.”

While his role as a captain may not have changed between this season and last, for the second one in a row Tranquill will be tackling a completely new position — moving from rover to buck linebacker this season.

Tranquill said the move to linebacker was part of the reason he stayed on for his fifth year, as he thinks he fits the position more naturally and it is where he is being projected at the next level.

“That’s where my instincts lie and where I think my traits show up best,” Tranquill said.

“In my nose for the football, in finding the football, my physicality, my toughness, all the things that kind of make me who I am as a player.”

Moving to the buck linebacker position is just another example of the progress Tranquill has made in his time at Notre Dame since beginning with the team in 2014 after not being very highly recruited.

“I’ve come a long way,” he said. “I came from a high school where I did a little bit of everything, so to come to Notre Dame and focus in on one position and really learn ins and outs, I think just my knowledge of the game has grown so much and my knowledge of defense and the structure of defense and how it works and how 11 guys play as one has really grown here while at Notre Dame.”

As a graduate student, Tranquill has the rare advantage among the members of the Irish squad of having played against Michigan before — he was present when Notre Dame sent the Wolverines back to Ann Arbor with their tails between their legs in 2014.

Tranquill said he is thrilled to have the opportunity to do so once again.

“It’s awesome. Last time we played them I was a true freshman and we won 31-0,” Tranquill said with a grin. “It would be awesome to be able to relive that again this year. But

really looking forward to a historic rivalry and to be a part of that twice here at Notre Dame would mean a lot.”

He has also taken on the responsibility of making sure the underclassmen understand the significance of the Michigan game.

“I think rivalries become and mean more to you as your years go on. Whatever place you choose to go to, you kind of take part in that tradition year-in and year-out, and a lot of these guys haven’t played Michigan yet and all they have is the years passed and the stories,” he said. “To verbalize to my guys what that meant when we beat them last [time] and what this meant in years past to play them means a lot and guys are excited and know they’re a great football team and they’re going to bring the best out of us and we’re sure going to bring the best out of them.”

But when the two teams bring their best to the turf at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, Tranquill cannot guarantee the same 31-0 outcome as four years ago.

What he can control, however, is his effort. Something the

6-foot-2 linebacker takes solace in is knowing that he is giving his all in every single thing he does, both on and off the field.

It’s what keeps him hungry and what allows Tranquill to stay in control of each and every aspect of his life.

“We always say around here, ‘effort is the price of admission.’ You can always control your effort, it doesn’t matter how talented you are,” Tranquill said. “I wasn’t a top recruit coming out of high school. I’ve been [overlooked] by plenty of people. I’ve had two ACL injuries, but effort is something that you can control day in and day out and it’s something my coaches have really appreciated and taught me. Older guys like Matthias Farley, Joe Schmidt have taught me that as a younger player here. And that’s something I try to model here on a day-to-day basis. If I’m the captain of the football team and I’m not being consistent in that on a day-today basis, how can I possibly demand that from them? I’m ready to go.”

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

MICHELLE MEHALES | The Observer

Irish graduate-student linebacker Drue Tranquill runs across the field during Notre Dame’s 24-16 victory over Ball State on Sept. 9.

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

7

Nic weishar | TE | midlothian, illinois

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and ANN CURTIS | The Observer

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Oct. 26 edition of The Observer.

Regardless of the obstacles Nic Weishar has faced, one thing has remained steady — his dedication.

The graduate student tight end was recently honored for the work he’s done with Weish4Ever, a foundation in honor of his late brother, Andrew Weishar, who lost his battle with colon cancer in 2012. The youngest of three boys, Weishar, a fourstar recruit out of Marist High School, said his family support was a big reason he chose the Irish.

“Notre Dame kind of had the best of everything,” he said. “I’m from Chicago so being so close to home that was one thing. I wanted my family and friends to be able to come see a lot of my games, that was one big reason.”

That decision to commit to Notre Dame followed the tragic loss of his oldest brother, who died during Nic’s junior year of high school, after a two-year long battle with cancer. In honor of Andrew, the Weishar family established Weish4ever, an organization that provides financial assistance to families with children and young adults battling cancer.

Weishar was recently recognized for his efforts with Weish4Ever as one of 11 FBS players to be selected to the Allstate & AFCA Good Works Team, an honor reserved for college football players who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to community service and a desire to leave a positive impact.

“Before Andrew passed, his last wish was to pay forward the kindness and generosity he was shown throughout his battle,” Weishar said. “To be

given that award shows that the foundation is doing what Andrew asked us to do and making a difference in people’s lives. To be able to honor Andrew in that way, to keep his legacy alive has been so humbling and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

In the six years since Andrew’s death, Weish4ever has provided donations to numerous families. Their feature event is an annual music festival in the suburbs of Chicago that many of Weishar’s teammates attend.

“They’ve been unbelievable. Anything that we need, whether it be donated gear for Weishfest or the silent auction or having 30, 40 guys at Weishfest itself,” he said.

“We’ve had several community service events, just visiting hospitals and visiting families that the guys always want to get on board with. The platform that Notre Dame here has, when Notre Dame tweets something about Weishfest or Weish4ever 500,000 people see it. Little things like that ...

It just shows the character of the people here.”

Although he described his time at Notre Dame an “incredible experience” there was reason to believe that Weishar wouldn’t be returning after last season. Playing for a program notorious for producing NFL-caliber tight ends has its drawbacks.

Entering this season, Weishar was largely considered to be the fourth string, behind Mack and sophomores Cole Kmet and Brock Wright.

Despite considerable uncertainty over playing time, Weishar returned for his final year of eligibility, displaying that same dedication.

“I love all the guys on this team so much that I couldn’t see myself going away from them when I had the opportunity to come back,” he said.

One of those friendships goes back well before the

days of the blue and gold.

Weishar met senior wide receiver Miles Boykin on the hardwood f loors, playing basketball together since fourth grade. It’s hard to believe as Weishar is currently pursuing his Master’s of Finance, but he said he never thought they’d be playing football at this level. “[Mile’s was] obviously such a good player in high school and grade school,” Weishar said. “... I think we brother kinda grew up thinking we’d be basketball players so it’s funny to see how things worked out. We have a great relationship, we have so much fun out there together.

W hen he’s in the end zone or I score or something we give each other big hugs. It’s pretty cool experience.”

Those end zone celebrations didn’t come easily for Weishar.

After redshirting his freshman season, Weishar appeared in 12 games each of his sophomore and junior seasons, but struggled to establish himself in the rotation, only starting a single game each season.

“Being in that redshirt position is kinda humbling, especially coming out as highly touted high school player,” he said. “You always come in expecting to play right away but you know that freshman year humbles you sometimes.

That’s just something I can relate to with these younger guys, talking with them about not playing stinks but just to make sure their focusing on really honing their craft and just using this year to focus on making sure they’re getting bigger, faster and stronger and working on their technique.”

Weishar also said his experience has taught him hard work pays off and to make the most of opportunities when you get them. One of those opportunities came earlier this season when Notre Dame

took on Stanford in their first top-10 matchup at home since 2005. With seconds left in the first quarter and the Cardinal having just tied the game 7-7, Weishar lined up on the six-yard line. He broke for the end zone where he secured the high pass from junior quarterback Ian Book to give the Irish the lead.

“We’ve ran that play so many times before in practice so at that point it’s just taking it back to practice and making sure you get your job done,” he said. “For me, my job is to run a simple six yard hitch and Ian put it on me and I was fortunate enough to make a play. Obviously a really cool experience scoring but even better knowing you got the job done for the team.”

As the Irish head west to take on Nav y this Saturday, they’ll be looking to Weishar’s team-first attitude and commitment to community to maintain their perfect

record.

“There’s definitely unfinished business,” he said.

“Winning a national championship is something that I felt this team could do and obviously we’re in a good position to still do that … Coach Long told me they really see me as an asset and a leader to this team. That’s something I’ve worked hard to become and I couldn’t walk away from that.

“It’s what we’ve worked for.

We want to be in this position. You think back to winter workouts and summer workouts and all the gruelling stuff we’ve gone through as a team. To be in this position right here, it’s what we want to do. Every goal, every week is the same — beat the team in front of us and move on.

Being 7-0 is great and we’re looking forward to Nav y, it’s gonna be a great battle.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Irish senior tight end Nic Weishar runs down the field during Notre Dame’ s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 at Notre Dame Stadium.

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Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Dexter williams | rb | orlando, florida

DOMINIQUE DeMOE and EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

By ELIZABETH GREASON Assisting Managing Editor

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Oct. 12 edition of The Observer.

For Dexter Williams, the journey to — and through — Notre Dame hasn’t been a road that’s been easy to travel. Except when he’s heading to the end zone.

The senior running back has seen the field in all four of his seasons at Notre Dame, and has seen a steady increase in his playing time and in his impact on the team over his four years. However, some of Williams’ actions off the field have distracted from his accomplishments on it.

Williams did not play in the first four games of the current season due to a rumored internal suspension, a potential second disciplinary issue after he was arrested before the start of his sophomore year along with four other players and was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

But through the good times and the bad, he’s had a stellar support system in place, led without fail by his mother, Cheryl.

Cheryl and Williams do not have your typical mother-son relationship. Williams lights up when talking about his mother, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness, myasthenia gravis, in 2006.

When Cheryl heard that her son would not be able to play football for the first month of his senior year, she left her treatments behind in Florida and moved in with Williams in South Bend to provide support for him.

“It’s been great having her, just having her emotional support and just being here with me, just being able to just stay with me — and also she’s been cooking for me a lot, so I love that as well,” Williams said.

“I love my mom’s cooking and just having her here just helped me to just stay humble and just keep my mind on the right track, so I can just continue to focus and push hard.”

Williams is not the only member of the Notre Dame squad who has benefitted from Cheryl’s homecooked meals during her time living with her son. He said seniors

Alizé Mack and Shaun Crawford, in particular, take advantage, but the entire team is welcome to join the Williams family for meals, just as any children from the neighborhood were welcome in the Williams house while he was growing up.

“Dexter’s home was kind of the safe sanctuary for all the kids in the neighborhood. So she would have — I know when I visited that home — 10, 15 kids in that home, just because it was a safe sanctuary. And [Cheryl] was the matriarch of that neighborhood,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said Oct. 2. “So there’s a very strong relationship there.

If I have ever had a problem, I just call her and it gets fixed like that.

There’s no debating when it comes to his response to his mother.

Certainly, she’s going through a difficult time right now, but she’s very strong and inspirational to Dexter.

His fight to get back to where he is is certainly personal. But family had something to do with it as well.”

Cheryl has been there for Williams through all the ups and the downs, but he has been there for her just as much. While Williams was in high school, Cheryl’s condition took a turn for the worse. She fell into a three-month coma and was nearly taken off life support.

“It was definitely a hard process, just her not being there for three months. It was kind of hard just dealing with it, and then she wasn’t there on my birthday,” Williams said. “So it kind of hit home — hit hard, really. And I just had to continue to just stay focused and just continue to fight for her and just believe that everything is going to be OK and just stay the course, because I know she’ll be happy with me doing what I’m doing now.”

And happy she was. It was Cheryl who ultimately nudged Williams in the direction of attending Notre Dame after the Orlando, Florida, native had already committed to Miami.

“Just getting up here to see Notre Dame and having a chance to see Miami as well, I just fell in love with Notre Dame. It was just something about the school and the tradition and just the players [who] were here. It was just a lot of love and I felt like I belonged here,” Williams said. “And then on top of that, my

mom, she was really pushing for me to come here as well. So I had that support from home and it was kind of hard to leave home. But I knew it was a better choice, a better opportunity for me here. And so, I decided to just leave home and come to Notre Dame and just enjoy this process.”

Williams de-committed from the Hurricanes and promptly signed with the Irish. And he has not looked back since.

“I definitely feel like it’s the right decision,” he said. “Just being here with these guys, it’s just a wonderful group of guys and we grind each and every day. It’s a lot of love here, and the tradition and the fans here, it’s crazy. And just being on this campus, it just gives you a feeling that you don’t get anywhere.”

Another helpful — and lighthearted — element of Williams’ life throughout the process has been his pet bearded dragon, Rocco.

“That’s been my buddy, he’s been with me through this process and we be kicking it every day,” he said, beaming. “That’s been my guy.”

During the time he wasn’t available as one of Notre Dame’s most talented running backs, Williams knew he still had a role to play on the team. He needed to step up and be a leader in the locker room, no matter how hard he found the time.

“I just had to remain humble and just trust God’s timing and also just continue to just trust my teammates and just continue to just trust this process, because it was a hard process not being there the first four games,” he said. “But at the same time, I had to just continue to think about I had to just grind each and every day and just continue to take things day-by-day. I didn’t really want to force anything, and I just had to continue to be that leader for my teammates. And also, just continue to just grind. And so when I did step on the field, I knew I would be ready.”

As a leader for the Irish, Williams considers himself to have a specific role: That of hype man, or, in his words “juice man.”

“I just really have to be the juice man. I have to really just be the spark for my team, because

I know they need me,” he said.

“They feed off my energy. So, I know if I get going, they’re going to follow along. And then the energy is just going to spring from the offense to the defense, so just having them and just being a guy that they need on the team is being helpful.”

That “juice” Williams is referring to? It’s also his nickname.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pounder has gone by “Juice” since well before he got to Notre Dame, another impact his mother has had in his life.

“I have gotten the nickname ‘Juice’ because I like orange juice,” he said. “So my mom would call me ‘Juice.’ A lot of my teammates in high school called me ‘Juice,’ and I just brought their name here with me as well. So it just stuck with me ever since.”

While that juice is loose any time Williams steps foot on the field, it might have been poured out like never before as four games’ worth of pent-up energy was unleashed against Stanford on Sept. 29, when he took the field in Notre Dame Stadium for the first time as a senior. And on his first touch, he took the ball 45 yards to the house to put the Irish up 7-0.

“I was just really so happy just to be out there with my teammates again and just being able to just play football and just do the thing I love and just, really, just take the field,” Williams said. “And just get a chance to beat Stanford because we hadn’t beat Stanford my three years here. And for my senior year, to beat them, it was a great accomplishment.”

In his two games since returning, Williams has continued his successful start, nearly totaling his season yardage from last year. He has already picked up four touchdowns, including a 97-yard touchdown run against Virginia Tech last weekend, and he is averaging nearly 170 yards per game — leaving his 36 yards per game from last season in the dust. “[My impact has] definitely been a good impact, and I just can’t really just thank my teammates enough, because they’ve

been there with me through this whole process,” he said. “So just having them there, just having them showing the love and support and I just do everything for them because I know they will do a lot for me, so I’m sacrificing every carry I can get.

Despite the success, Williams has remained humble, perhaps in part due to another off-thefield incident before the start of his sophomore season — his aforementioned arrest with four other Notre Dame players. Williams said his arrest has helped him mature and learn about himself, as well as improve his work ethic.

“I just had to hold myself accountable and just really just know that everything doesn’t just fall around me. This world doesn’t just revolve around me so I have to continue to hold myself accountable and just continue to push, continue the grind,” Williams said, dropping his signature smile. “And also just really know what I have ahead of me. So just the whole process, I just had to keep my head down and just keep grinding. I can’t give up because if I give up then I will let my family down, so I have to continue to just push and just let my teammates know that they can count on me.”

Having left the incident in the past, Williams is focused on the future and has his eyes on the prize. And the person who has given him the encouragement to get to that future?

“My mom, she always just tells me to trust and believe in myself that I’m a king’s kid and to always continue to push and to never give up,” Williams said.

“And that’s just how I’ve just been going through this whole process, is never giving up and just continue to trust her and just be with her. And also, she wants me to continue fighting. And I know she’s fighting through her illness.

So just, her feeding off my energy and me feeding off her energy is just something special, and she’s just been a big part of my life.”

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

9

Alex bars | og | nashville, tennessee

Despite injury, Bars leads O-line by example

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish graduate student offensive lineman and captain Alex Bars assumes his stance on the line during Notre Dame’s win over Michigan on Sept.

1 at Notre Dame Stadium. Bars tore his ACL against Stanford on Sept. 29, but has remained involved with the team as a leader and role model.

By GRANT DELVECCHIO Sports Writer

W hile the Irish are in the midst of a perfect 9-0 season, Notre Dame’s undefeated run over the last 10 weeks hasn’t come without its losses in other ways. Most notably, the loss of senior starting offensive guard A lex Bars to a season-ending knee injur y.

A loss that head coach Brian Kelly described as “devastating” to the team.

Bars, who started in ever y game over the past two seasons leading up to his injur y, was named captain of the 2018 team and a Preseason First-Team A llAmerican. Bars is the ty pe of player ever y coach wants on his team, which is why the morale of the coaches and players took a hit when he went down. Despite the major setback Bars had to face after sustaining his injur y in Notre Dame’s week-5 victor y over Stanford, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder has remained positive.

“Even though I can’t be out there on the field battling with my brothers, I tr y to help in any and ever y way possible,” Bars said. “I’m talking to the guys in the locker room constantly, tr ying to help with their techniques, and even though I want to be out there, I’m doing ever ything I can to help our team win from the sidelines.”

This team-first attitude began early for Bars, who comes from a football family. His dad played for Notre Dame from 1981 to 1984, and his two older brothers both played collegiate football

as well, at Penn State and Michigan.

“Since my dad played here during the ’80s, I grew up loving and rooting for Notre Dame,” Bars said. “W hen it came to recruiting, I was a freshman in high school when Notre Dame first started looking at me, and with my two older brothers at Penn State and Michigan, I knew I wanted to follow through and play for the Irish.”

Despite the adversity he’s faced in his five years with the Irish, Bars has felt “100 percent” affirmed in his decision to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“The teammates and friends that I have been able to make over the last couple of years are incredible, and I’ve had an unbelievable experience during my time here,” Bars said.

That connection to his dad, Joe, who he described as the single-most-inf luential person in his life, was one of the deciding factors in joining Brian Kelly’s program, Bars said.

“My dad has always taught me to be the best possible person I can be, and instilled in me a lot of values that make a great man,” he said. “He was obviously a big inf luence in my decision to come play football here at Notre Dame, and I couldn’t be happier that he pushed me for ward in the right direction.”

Ref lecting on his time spent playing at Notre Dame, Bars noted that he has learned lessons that he will carr y with him forever.

“I’ve learned that you have

to constantly develop yourself in order to become the best version of yourself possible,” he said. “There are no limitations to what you can do if you put yourself in a position to succeed, and to be who you are and get where you want to be it takes hard work and dedication to the craft.”

W hile Bars has experienced many highs and lows during his time at Notre Dame, he said two games

stand out in his career.

“I’d say the most memorable experience I’ve had here would either have to be our win in the season-opener against Michigan this year or our win against USC last year,” Bars said. “Both games were hard-fought, and I’m glad we were able to come out on top in both cases, especially against two of our biggest rivals.”

From the ver y beginning of his Notre Dame career,

Bars was taken aback by the brotherhood and camaraderie in the locker room.

“You can’t find a culture like the one we have here at Notre Dame any where else,” he said. “Ever ybody in the locker room is focused on the same goal — winning in any way that we can — and my teammates are friends that I know will be in my life forever. W hen I was a sophomore first starting, the older guys took me in and kind’ve showed me the way, and now it is my job to do that for all of the young guys here now.”

In terms of his future, Bars is doing ever y thing he can to get healthy and back into playing form. That for wardlooking perspective has led Bars through much adversity throughout his time in South Bend, but it’s also proving to be the thing that lifts him over this obstacle.

“I’m rehabbing at Notre Dame right now, and so far it’s been going well. The goal for me is still to get to the NFL and play at the next level, and I’m working ver y hard to make sure that happens,” Bars said. “I have my finance degree in case things don’t go as planned, but I am still hoping for the best. At the same time, we have a national championship to play [for], we’re taking it one game at a time and I’m focused on our season right now.”

Contact Grant DelVecchio at gdelvecc@nd.edu

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish graduate student offensive lineman Alex Bars attempts to prevent a Michigan defender from reaching the quarterback during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over the Wolverines at home on Sept. 1.

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Insider Sports

asmar bilal | lb | indianapolis, indiana

Bilal blazes his own path, forges friendships

By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer

Sitting at No. 3 in the current College Football Playoff rankings, it’s no secret Notre Dame has had a successful season thus far. On the defensive side, the team has thrived thanks to a strong veteran presence among its juniors and seniors. One of those seniors is linebacker Asmar Bilal, a soft-spoken contributor who, despite what his on-field presence might suggest, did not come from a family with a rich football tradition.

“Football wasn’t always in my family,” Bilal said. “I had a couple of distant cousins that had played, but other than that not really. The only other member of my family that played football was my older brother who played high school football, and then from playing with him I started playing, too.”

Bilal took to the sport quickly, as he had a tremendous high school career at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, winning a state championship his senior year and being named to the All-USA Indiana Football Team as Defensive Player of the Year. Despite his proximity to Notre Dame, he didn’t exactly grow up an Irish fan, but he eventually found the school to be the right choice for him.

“I wasn’t much of a college football guy growing up.

I knew the big time schools, and Notre Dame is one of those, but I just didn’t follow much,” Bilal said. “For me, it was once I got all of my scholarships it was like, ‘OK, I’m going to college,’ and I just wanted to factor in what was the school for me. Proximity was important because I wanted my family to be able to come to all of the games, and Notre Dame was the best of both worlds with good football and good academics.”

As a freshman in 2015, Bilal was a member of the scout team, where he performed well and earned himself defensive scout team player of the year. As a four-star recruit, scout team was not the start to his collegiate career that he had pictured, but Bilal learned a lot along the way that helped him develop.

“It was different for me because I was coming from high school where I was that guy … coming from that position being highly recruited and everyone telling you you’re going to play, you expect that,” Bilal said. “Once I came here, it was just another level of football and I just had to accept my role and do

what was best for the team.

In terms of the football process in general, it was helpful in learning what it takes to be a team and the roles we have to take on.”

Bilal showed the coaches what kind of player he can be, as his role has become bigger and bigger each year.

In his sophomore season, he became a key special teams contributor and ranked third on the team in special teams tackles. By his junior year, Bilal had taken on a greater workload at linebacker, registering 16 tackles in 12 games as a reserve. Now this season, Bilal has appeared in every game — starting in most — and has been critical to the defense’s success. With the bigger impact he has been able to make with each season, Bilal feels he has learned a lot along the way to get himself to this point.

“Each year you just learn more,” he said. “The more reps you’re getting, the better prepared you are and the better everyone feels about it. It’s all about getting more reps and being around if you want to learn more about the game.”

Now playing in his final season, Bilal has a lot to look back on over the last four years. Ultimately, what he believes will stick with him the most are his memories with the team and how he has been able to grow as a person at the University.

“W hen I think about it, I just think about everything we’ve been through together between the workouts and the music in the locker room,” Bilal said. “It’s just a collective thought of all of the good times. I think one of the biggest things for me coming to this school was being able to open up. Coming in, I was kind of anti-social and just had my select circle, but what I’ll take away from this ND experience is opening up, talking to new people and different groups and getting to branch out.”

Before he does too much ref lection, however, Bilal recognizes he still has the end of the season ahead of him.

In this last stretch, he’s hoping to find more success with his teammates and, if all goes well, write their way into the Notre Dame history books.

“I hope to see everybody do their job and make plays and have fun with it,” he said. “We just want to take it one game at a time and hopefully win a national championship.

That’s our goal, so for that to manifest itself and come true is what I hope for.”

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior linebacker Asmar Bilal attempts to bring down the ball carrier during Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 at Notre Dame Stadium. Bilal recorded six tackles, one for a loss, in the game.

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

Irish senior linebacker Asmar Bilal races to tackle an opponent during Notre Dame’s 24-16 win over Ball State on Sept. 8 at Notre Dame Stadium. Bilal’s 39 tackles for the year are good for fifth on the team.

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

jonathan bonner | dl | chesterfield, missouri

Bonner refuses to allow pain to hinder journey

By GRANT DelVECCHIO Sports Writer

For senior defensive tackle Jonathan Bonner, playing football at Notre Dame was a lifelong goal.

In a letter he wrote to his future self in eight-grade, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder from Chesterfield, Missouri, noted, “Hopefully you played hard enough to go to Notre Dame.”

In the summer going into his freshman season in 2014, the possibility of playing for the Fighting Irish seemed slightly out of reach.

According to Bonner, “Notre Dame was definitely on my radar, but I don’t really know if I was on their radar.”

After spending the summer traveling to different college camps across the country, Bonner was on his way toward Chicago after a camp at the University of Tennessee, when he received a call from his grandmother making sure that he was going to the camp at Notre Dame.

“After the trip to Tennessee I wasn’t really feeling like going to the camp at Notre Dame, but my grandma told me it was already paid for and I had to go, so I said okay, I had to do it for grandma,” he said.

Bonner ended up attending the camp and participating in the defensive lineman challenge. At the camp, Bonner noted, “I went out there and started doing my thing, and started catching the eyes of the coaches as we were going through drills throughout the day.”

The coaching staff eventually put him through a couple of extra drills, and at the time, Bonner was put up against guys like Alex Bars, Quenton Nelson and Jerry Tillery — when he was still an offensive lineman — and was winning the battle in the trenches,

further turning the heads of the coaching staff. For Bonner, he just loved practicing at the school he dreamed of going to.

“I went to the camp and after they showed me around campus,” Bonner said. “Notre Dame had always been my dream school; while I was being recruited I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go, but Notre Dame always was the one school I knew I would go to if given the opportunity.”

Three days later, Bonner got the call from coach Kelly offering him a spot on the roster. He committed the same day.

Bonner also had family members play football at Notre Dame.

His uncle, Dan Knott, is a former Irish running back who played on the 1977 National Championship team. Bonner’s cousin, Sergio Brown, also attended Notre Dame and spent some time as a free safety in the NFL for the Patriots, Colts, Falcons, Jaguars and Bills.

“I’ve always had a connection with Notre Dame, and I’m so happy it just so happened to work out in my situation,” Bonner said.

When asked to describe the feeling he gets every time he puts on his jersey and runs out of the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium, Bonner was effusive.

“Oh man. It’s a special one, and I feel like it’s something that you don’t get running out of a tunnel at every school. I know there’s a lot of history behind our school and our football team, and being behind that history and tradition along with the high standard that Notre Dame has, I really cherish running out onto that field every time, and take a lot of pride each time I put on my uniform,” he said.

Bonner spent his first three seasons moving up in the Irish depth chart, and despite breaking his right wrist three games into the

2017 season, Bonner put off the surgery, swallowed his pain, and had his best season by far as a member of the Irish. He started all 13 games in 2017, recording 30 total tackles — 15 of which were solo tackles — and added two sacks and three and a half tackles for loss to his resume, which earned him the team’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year award.

After graduating with a degree in IT management from the Mendoza College of Business in December of 2017, Bonner faced a daunting decision: utilize his fifth and final season of eligibility and return in 2018, or take the degree and secure a job in Chicago to support his mother, who is undergoing her third battle with cancer. It is therefore no surprise that she is the most influential person in Bonner’s life.

“She’s always been there for me, and she always tells me I’m like her twin because we kind of look alike, she understands me, and she knows what I’m thinking before I even tell her anything,” Bonner said. “She knows how to handle and move me along when I’m having tougher days, and she never pressures me to do anything I don’t want to do and is always 100 percent supportive of me.”

Bonner’s mother, Consuelo Hampton, is a single mother, doctor, a huge fan of Notre Dame and a two-time survivor of breast cancer.

She is the ultimate fighter, and has served as an incredible example for Jonathan and his sister Cherokee.

Consuelo’s life has been full of obstacles, and in October of 2017, she was diagnosed with endometrial (uterine) cancer — her third bout with cancer.

Bonner got his fight, his love for Notre Dame, his facial features and plenty more from his mother, who would go to Notre Dame games frequently with her father, Elton Paid Advertisement

Hampton in the ‘80s. “Seeing her fight makes me want to fight even more,” Bonner said.

Bonner’s mom is the one who encouraged him to continue with his football career, and is the reason why he returned for his last year of eligibility in the 2018 season. Bonner calls his mom two-tothree times every day, and visits her frequently. Bonner doesn’t have to call, he doesn’t have to visit, but he is what keeps his mother going, and she is what keeps him going.

It is clear that Notre Dame has helped Jonathan not only on the football field, but also in becoming a better man, having been instilled with an unwavering work ethic and great listening skills.

“Working hard doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t listening to your coaches, and I’ve been trying to make myself useful in every capacity possible to make my coaches want to put me out on the field,” Bonner said.

In terms of his future, Bonner still wants to train and do everything

possible to pursue a career in football on the next level.

When Bonner’s not on the football field, he’s a regular at Ruth Chris steakhouse on Thursdays for the weekly defensive lineman dinners. “It’s a fun atmosphere, everyone is kind of laid back and the burgers are pretty amazing,” noted Bonner, who also always enjoys when Wiz Khalifa comes on the speakers.

For the graduate student defensive lineman, the bond he has formed with his unit will carry forward for a long time.

“I think I’ve had a lot of memorable experiences while here at Notre Dame, but one thing that I’m going to take away when I leave here is the brotherhood that we’ve created in the D-line room,” Bonner said. “We’ve been through the ups and downs of this program together, and I think that we really created a strong bond with one another.”

Contact Grant DelVecchio at gdelvecc@nd.edu

ANNIE SMIERCIAK | The Observer

Irish senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner breaks through the Pittsburgh offensive line during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Pitt.

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13

nick coleman | s | dayton, ohio

Coleman develops on, off field, acts as captain

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish senior safety Nick Coleman wraps up the Navy ball carrier with one arm during Notre Dame’s 44-22 win over the Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego. Coleman has recorded nine tackles and one broken-up pass so far this season, as he has gradually earned playing time. He also acted as a captain during the Oct. 27 victory against Navy.

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

Senior defensive back Nick Coleman has started at all three positions — corner, nickel and safety — and has been the “Swiss Army knife” of defensive backs since he joined the team in 2015, bringing his versatility to the field and fitting in wherever the Irish need him.

“During 2016 I even talked

to Coach Kelly about playing running back cause we were down on them,” Coleman said. “But having that versatility has worked out for me and the team. Playing different positions helps me help guys like [freshmen defensive backs] Houston Griffith and Tariq Bracy.”

With a dad who played football at Notre Dame in 1983 as a tailback, Coleman said he was an Ohioan raised

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in a Notre Dame family.

“I remember the 2005 Fiesta bowl, it was a big game for me and my family,” Coleman said. “And years later I got the offer to come here, and it was pretty hard to turn down. There were two other schools I really liked, but Notre Dame was for me.

My dad did not sway my decision, he wanted to stay out of it, but of course he was happy when I chose to come here.”

Coleman’s first game was the 2015 season-opening 38-3 win over Texas under the lights in Notre Dame stadium, and he added a pair of tackles and one solo stop to his f ledgling resume.

Although Notre Dame finished that season 103, Coleman and the rest of his senior class have been through the low 2016 season going 4-8, but he said being part of the program’s rebuild has only added to his Notre Dame football career.

“It’s been really cool to be a part of the rebound season, and it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life,” Coleman said. “We put a lot of work during the offseason after 2016, and after having a good season last year, we’ve upheld that standard for this season. As much as that down-year hurt and sucked, it made the second half of my career that much better.”

Similar to working his way through the team’s highs and

lows, Coleman said his biggest achievement is working up the ranks, building his leadership and serving as a captain against Nav y.

“Being a captain a couple weeks ago meant a lot to me,” Coleman said. “I’m not a full time captain, but building my role every year and being able to have my hand over guys like Griffith and Bracy and have an impact on them means a lot.”

On the f lip side, Coleman said older players have had as much of an inf luence on him when he started his Notre Dame football career, one being former cornerback Cole Luke.

“I looked up to Cole Luke and [former linebacker] James Onwualu,” Coleman said. “Cole was in my position group, and he is a guy who I will have as a friend for the rest of my life. He taught me how to be a mature player and act like a professional, and now he is at the [Carolina] Panthers doing great things.”

Developing as a person on and off the field, Coleman said attending Notre Dame has had an impact on his faith life, specifically his assistant strength and conditioning coach David Grimes and running backs coach Autry Denson’s fellowship group.

“It’s like a Bible study group that meets every week after practice on Thursday,”

Coleman said. “We have certain passages we look at and digest and it brightens every Thursday for me. We talk about the passages and our walk with Christ together, and that experience will always stick out for me.”

W hen Coleman is not around the Guglielmino Athletics Complex or LaBar Practice Complex as much during the spring semester, he can be found at Strikes and Spares on Grape Road.

“W hen I have more free time, I love to bowl,” Coleman. “I am decent and I get over 100. My best is around 145. I’m not crazy good and I don’t have my own ball. But my friends and I almost got a membership at that bowling alley because during the cold months we bowl and go to the movies all the time on the weekend.”

As post-graduate life becomes more of a reality, Coleman will finish his four years balancing life as a student athlete and hope to play at the next level or use his managing consulting degree to own AT&T Stadium.

“My dream job is to play at the next level, but my end goal is to be an executive manager of a stadium, specifically the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium,” Coleman said.

“They have the cream-ofthe-crop stadium.”

Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

14

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Shaun crawford | cb | lakewood, ohio

Crawford stays positive in spite of injuries

By HAYDEN ADAMS Sports Writer

Despite being initially committed to Notre Dame’s rival, the Universit y of Michigan, senior defensive back Shaun Craw ford couldn’t resist when the Irish came calling.

“I was originally committed to a different school, but later in my recruiting process I got recruited by Notre Dame and Coach [Brian] Kelly … But after [the prev ious defensive coordinator] had left and [Brian] VanGorder came, the coaching staff was high on me,” he said. ”So I took a v isit, loved it … I just felt this was the perfect place for me.”

Craw ford says Notre Dame means so much to him, because it reminds him of his high school.

“I went to a Catholic high school in Lakewood, Ohio, and we were big on communit y, and coming here, I just felt like it’d be a step up from that, and it was. Immediately when you get on campus, you’re brought into a communit y w ith your dorm. It’s just like a brotherhood.”

The former Siegfried Hall resident still has close bonds to his old high school teammates. He says he still talks to guys from his senior class “all the time,” and several of them are also play ing Div ision I football.

“We went deep in the playoffs ever y single year,” he said. “My junior year we were one game away from the state championship, and my senior year we got it done, and it was w ith a great group of guys … it was great building that bond and

Observer File Photo

Irish senior cornerback Shaun Crawford brings down the ball carrier during Notre Dame’s 35-14 win over N.C. State at home last season.

sharing that experience w ith them.”

Craw ford was a highly touted cornerback out of high school and a top 100 recruit by many sources. He played w ide receiver as well, and he was an integral part of his varsit y team, even as a freshman.

Craw ford was not only ver y successful on the gridiron in high school, but on the track as well. He won a state title in the 4x100 relay as a freshman. His talent caught the eye of many other schools that wanted him to run for them, but his passion for football was too strong.

“I was recruited for track by a few schools, but I think they knew I had intentions on play ing football as well.

Football was always my first love, so I didn’t have any aspirations to run track in college,” he said.

He says that his favorite memor y may have been when he forced a fumble against Michigan State at the goal line last year, especially because t wo of his best friends were on their roster. However, probably his favorite memor y was play ing against Texas in the 2016 season opener.

“I had just come off the ACL [tear] from my freshman year and it was the first game of the season,” he said.

“I really had no expectations on how I would play, I would just go out there and just play fast and have fun w ith it … it was an amazing game.”

Unfortunately, that torn ACL that cost Craw ford his freshmen season was not a one-time problem. He suffered the same

Observer File Photo

Irish senior cornerback Shaun Crawford records a tackle during Notre Dame’s 35-14 win over N.C. State on Oct. 28, 2017.

injur y the week leading up to the season-opener against Michigan this year. Despite this hardship, he adjusted and found a way to continue helping the team from behind the scenes.

“I was the only senior in the cornerback group, so since the offseason workouts I’ve been tr y ing to lead and tr y ing to get the guys going in a good direction,” he said.

“And then any questions on the field, I tr y to help out, tr y to give them my input on it. I don’t have to stay as focused as they do, so I’m able to just talk to them … about anything really, and just give them my perspective. They hear it from the coaches all the time, but hearing it from their ow n teammates, it might hit them more.”

The bright side to his injur y is that Craw ford still retains a redshirt year of

eligibilit y. After this season, he plans on returning for his fifth year.

“Right now, I’m just focused on graduating and rehabbing, and then I’ll let ever y thing else take care of itself,” he said.

Craw ford said that he believes it was definitely the right choice to come to Notre Dame instead of Michigan, and he is supremely aware of the fantastic opportunit y he has been given.

“It’s a unique experience, waking up ever y day and being able to see the dome, hav ing a chance to go the grotto, seeing touchdow n Jesus. A ll those things that people take pictures of when they v isit us, it’s just an honor to be able to see those things ever y day.”

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

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Observer File Photo

Irish senior cornerback Shaun Crawford chases down an opponent during Notre Dame’s 35-14 win over North Carolina State on Oct. 28, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium. Crawford missed this season due to injury.

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15

AlizE mack | te | las vegas, nevada

Team camaraderie aids Mack in tough periods

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Irish senior tight end Alizé Mack accelerates off the line during Notre Dame’s 24-16 win over Ball State on Sept. 8 at Notre Dame Stadium. Mack has 250 receiving yards so far on the season, which is good for fourth-best on the team. He is also averaging nearly 10 yards per reception. Mack was sidelined with a concussion earlier this season.

By MIKE EVERETT Sports Writer

Senior tight end Alizé Mack’s journey through Notre Dame has been a tumultuous one. It’s had positives and negatives, but one thing is for sure, it’s been a worthwhile ride for him.

“I chose Notre Dame to, really, better myself as a person: spiritually, athletically and academically, which I think I did,” Mack said. “I had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of tough moments here, but at the end of the day I think it prepared me best for the

future – you know they say ‘four for 40’ and when all is said and done I’ll walk away with a degree from here and as a better person. I’ll have achieved my goals.”

Some of the best moments over the course of Mack’s career have come during the current season.

“I’d probably say Michigan to be honest [is my favorite game], because I’d never had the opportunity to play in that game and I understand the rivalry here, knowing how big that is, I think with that being the first game of the season in 2018 there

was so much hype about it, I’d heard it since January.

Walking away with that win at home was just incredible,” Mack said.

With the Irish sitting at 9-0, Mack discussed the energ y of the team in his final year here.

“I say it all the time, I think this is the best team we’ve had in my four years, personally,” Mack said. “I think it’s because we all bond together. I really think the coaches did a great job … this whole offseason and in the spring pulling guys together — and it was a hard offseason, the

ANNIE SMIERCIAK | The Observer

Irish senior tight end Alizé Mack jogs to his place on the line of scrimmage before the snap during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13 at Notre Dame Stadium. Mack made six catches in the game.

hardest offseason I’ve ever gone through, but it forced everyone to come together, and… you have a team that’s willing to fight for each other. You have O-line hanging with recievers and everyone’s just hanging out with each other. Also, we had a lot of guys come back … and it helps out a lot as far as your player development and the chemistry you have with each other, and I just think the way we’re going about our business this year is a lot better than in previous years.

No ego, no guys who feel like they’re entitled to anything, we all just want to win and it’s been working out well for us.”

Mack also elaborated on the group focus of the team this year and his role in it. “[Irish head coach Brian Kelly] always says to just do your job, do what is asked of you,” Mack said. “Not one guy can win you the game, so you just gotta play together.

Those undefeated teams have a team that is rare, they don’t come around that often. I love this team and I’m proud of what we’re doing, we just have to finish it. Hopefully in January we can look up and hold that national championship trophy and bring that back to South Bend, something that hasn’t been done in 30 years. Me personally, to help out the team, I’m just being the best player I can, and that’s on and off the field.”

W hen asked about the significance of his experience at Notre Dame, Mack spoke about the ways in which the University challenged him to grow as a person.

“I’ve thought about it a lot.

I’ve always said that one day I’m gonna have an interview and I’ll sit down and talk

about my time here. Notre Dame is hard, and it’s easy to choose a different school where you might not be challenged as hard as you are here, but Notre Dame is different,” he said. “I’d always heard Notre Dame wasn’t for everyone before I came here and I didn’t really know what that meant, but being a senior and doing four years here you understand that. … You’re gonna have tough times. You’re gonna bend a lot, till you think you might break … but the support system here is amazing.

“I just see the type of person that I am now versus who I was when I first came in, and it’s cool to see — it just prepares you so well for the future; I couldn’t have picked a better school than Notre Dame, without a doubt. W hen I leave here I’ll always come back, walk the campus, come see the guys on the football team, hopefully see some of my professors around. I love Notre Dame, it’s a special place.”

Mack is majoring in Film, Television and Theatre with a concentration in television, and plans on pursuing a career in television after college.

“I know I want to be involved in television, I love sports broadcasting. I actually had a class where we met with NBC staff and learned how that stuff works, and had a conversation with the crew before the Stanford game, so hopefully I can dabble in that,” Mack said. “I know we have a great support system, and I’ll find my way but I know for sure I’m getting my degree.”

Contact Mike Everett at meverett@nd.edu

16

Insider

The observer | FRIDAY, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

HEAD T

7:30 p.m. ET | Notre Dame Stadium ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

SEMINOLES PASSING Florida State is currently embroiled in a bit of a quarterback controversy, as the incumbent starter, junior Deondre Francois, did not play last week against North Carolina State because of injur y. In his stead, sophomore James Blackman threw for 421 yards and four touchdow ns. Head coach Willie Taggart has yet to decide who w ill start on Saturday, but regardless of who is under center for the Seminoles, w ill the competition elevate his play or cause him to falter?

Overall, Florida State has boasted an impressive passing attack this season, as the Seminoles ow n the 22nd-best passing offense in the countr y, averaging 283.2 yards per game through the air. However, the Irish secondar y has been strong this season, ranking 26th in the countr y in passing yards allowed per game (188.4). Given a bit of uncertaint y at quarterback for FSU, as well as the fact that this matchup is strength-on-strength, consider this area of the field a draw, w ith the potential to sw ing either way.

EDGE: EVEN SEMINOLES RUSHING This is a nightmare matchup for the Seminoles, as their 129th-rated rushing offense goes up against the dominant Irish defense, which is currently limiting opponents to fewer than four yards per carr y. With their offensive line being absolutely decimated by injuries this season, Florida State and running back Cam A kers’ average of 55.5 yards per game won’t be enough to overcome the defensive line of senior Jerr y Tiller y, as well as juniors K halid Kareem, Daelin Hayes and Julian Ok wara. That’s just the first wave of defensive linemen, as Notre Dame has enough depth along the defensive line to keep members fresh throughout the entire game and wear dow n the offensive attack in the second half. Meanwhile, Julian Love and company in the secondar y prov ide the deep protection for this defensive line to blitz the offense all night.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

FLORIDA STATE

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

SEMINOLES OFFENSIVE COACHING Florida State offensive coordinator Walt Bell, who was recently given the play-calling reigns by head coach Willie Taggart, and his offensive unit have struggled this season, particularly in running the ball. The Seminoles rank 110th in the nation in offensive efficiency, and they place outside the top 50 in total offense. Notre Dame’s superb defense does not help this dynamic. Plus, although the Seminoles rank 22nd in passing offense, playing in what is sure to be a chilly South Bend night game w ill most likely pose a significant challenge for Florida State. The Irish defense shouldn’t have a problem handling Florida State’s offensive scheme.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME SEMINOLES SPECIAL TEAMS Florida State junior kicker Rick y Aguayo has struggled for the Seminoles so far, going eight-for-13 on kicks this season. On kick returns, Florida State has been relatively average, but sophomore w ide receiver D.J. Matthews is always a threat, averaging 13.8 yards per return w ith one touchdow n on the year. Notre Dame’s special teams has been a liabilit y all season, particularly on kickoff, emphasized by the costly errors against the Wildcats last week.

The Irish have allowed t wo touchdow ns to be returned for touchdow ns, both at home against Michigan and Pittsburgh. Unless Brian Polian’s unit improves, the Seminoles could seize the advantage.

EDGE: FLORIDA STATE

WR Nyqwan Murray WR Derrick Kelly II LT Cole Minshew RB LG Alec Eberle QB C Mike Arnold RG Brady Scott RT Tre’ McKitty TE (Jr.) Keith Gavin 89 (Fr.) Tre’Shaun Harrison 88

8

(Sr.)

(So.) D.J. Matthews

74

(R-Sr.)

(So.) Cam

Akers

3

(R-Jr.) Deondre Francois 12

70

(R-Sr.) Arthur Williams 76

54

(R-Sr.)

1

(So.) James Blackman

(R-So.) Jauan Williams 73

(R-Jr.)

9

(Sr.) Jacques Patrick

29

(R-So.) Baveon Johnson 51

72

(R-So.)

(R-Jr.) Cole Minshew 70

(R-Fr.) (So.)

59

(R-Jr.) Abdul Bello

75

6

(Jr.) Gabe Nabers 32

WR

(R-Fr.) Tamorrion Terry 15 (R-Fr.) Ontaria Wilson 80

(So.) Stanford Samuels III 8 (Jr.) Levonta Taylor 1

(So.) Hamsah Nasirildeen 23 (So.) Cyrus Fagan 24

CB

FS

(R-Fr.) DeCalon Brooks 28 (R-Jr.) Adonis Thomas 22

Sam

(Jr.) Brian Burns 99 (So.) Joshua Kaindoh 13

(R-Sr.) Demarcus Christmas (Jr.) Dontavious Jackson

5

(So.) Leonard Warner III 35

90

(R-Fr.) Cory Durden 16

Mike

(R-Sr.) Frederick Jones 55 (So.) Marvin Wilson 21

(R-So.) Janarious Robinson 11 (Fr.) Jaiden Woodbey 20 (R-Fr.) Zaquandre White 27

(Sr.) A.J. Westbrook 19 (So.) Cyrus Fagan 24

SS

Star

(R-Sr.) Walvenski Aimé 94

(Fr.) Asante Samuel Jr. 26 (Jr.) Kyle Meyers 14

DE DT NG DE

CB

SEMINOLES SCHEDULE (4-5) Sept. 3 Virginia Tech (L 24-7) Sept. 8 @ Samford (W 36-28) Sept. 15 @ Syracuse (L 30-7) Sept. 22 Northern Illinois (W 37-19) Sept. 29 @ Louisville (W 28-24) Oct. 6 Miami FL (L 28-27) Oct. 20 Wake Forest (W 38-17) Oct. 27 Clemson (L 59-10) Nov. 2 @ North Carolina State (L 47-28) Nov. 10 @ Notre Dame Nov. 17 Boston College Nov. 24 Florida

(Jr.) Ricky Aguayo 23 (Jr.) Logan Tyler 21

(Jr.) Logan Tyler 21 (R-Fr.) Tommy Martin 30

(So.) D.J. Matthews 29 (R-Fr.) Khalan Laborn

4

PK P PR

Tobias Hoonhout

Elizabeth Greason

Joe Everett

Managing Editor

Assistant Managing Editor

Sports Editor

Well, it’s not exactly what either program planned it to be, but thanks to recent developments, Notre Dame-Florida State still looks primed to excite.

The bombshell of Brandon Wimbush retaking the starting quarterback position for Brian Kelly’s team will certainly throw off a lot of how the Seminoles’ defense prepared leading up to the matchup, but it isn’t necessarily a radical switch for the Irish. The formula is simple: get the ball to Notre Dame’s playmakers; with Wimbush’s legs adding another threat to the multi-headed beast. The Irish offense should still be hard for Seminoles to stop, particularly in the run game.

While Florida State still has individual pieces that could produce, the team effort has been lacking all year. Against the undefeated Irish, in the cold of South Bend, on Senior Day, I can’t help but hear the funeral bells ringing already.

FINAL: Notre Dame 42, Florida State 10

Once upon a time, this was supposed to be the matchup of the century. Notre Dame. Florida State. Two national championship contenders, battling it out for a spot in the CFP. Well, that’s not quite how it’s panned out, at least for the Seminoles this season. That being said, they’re on the up-andup. From scoring just three points in their season opener, to switching out their starting quarterback and their play caller last week, they’re getting prepared to play in South Bend and take on the No. 3 team in the country. While the Seminoles have yet to announce a starting quarterback for the week, Notre Dame is in a similar position with a familiar, yet different face under center: Brandon’s back! The senior is ready to take the helm and prove he was passed over improperly.

Notre Dame isn’t a team that blows out its opponents, but I’m confident the Irish have this one in the bag.

FINAL: Notre Dame 35, Florida State 17

(Jr.) Logan Tyler 21 (R-Fr.) Tommy Martin

30

(R-Fr.) Zaquandre White 27 (Fr.) Tre’Shaun Harrison

(R-Sr.) Ken

Burnham

88

40

(R-Fr.) Grant Glennon 61

H KR LS

The Irish are one win away from their third undefeated home record in the past seven years. All that stands in the way is a struggling Florida State team. Seems like a cinch, right?

Perhaps not. Florida State is not a good team, but they’re still a talented, dangerous one. The Seminoles boast the 22nd-best passing offense in the country and also feature sophomore running back Cam Akers. Florida State is still a proud program and is fighting for a bowl berth. They’ll be ready.

However, the Irish are just too good. Notre Dame’s defensive line should eat up Florida State’s struggling offensive line, which should alter the flow of the Seminoles offense. The Irish offense should roll once again, and I’m skeptical that the Seminoles will love playing in sub-30 degree weather. ND sends its seniors out with a win.

FINAL: Notre Dame 38, Florida State 21

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17

O HEAD on NBC

Notre Dame

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

IRISH PASSING

CB

8 Donte Vaughn (Jr.)

BUCK DE NG DT DE

23 2

Drue Tranquill (Gr.) Jordan Genmark Heath (So.)

WR WR RT RG C LG LT TE WR

H KR LS

FS

Khalid Kareem (Jr.) 91

53

Adetokunbo Ogundeji (Jr.)

Jonathan Bonner (Gr.)

55

41 Kurt Hinish (So.)

Jerry Tillery (Sr.)

99

MLB

4

11

Alohi Gilman (Jr.)

14 Devin Studstill (Jr.)

Te’von Coney (Sr.)

52 Bo Bauer (Fr.)

57 Jayson Ademilola (Fr.)

Daelin Hayes (Jr.)

9

SS

42 Julian Okwara (Jr.)

Rover CB

This lopsided matchup begins in the air, as the Seminoles are currently ranked 121st in passing yards allowed with 257, with their last three opponents having posted a blistering 282.6 yards on average. But even with Brandon Wimbush likely replacing Ian Book at the helm on Senior Night, expect the Irish receivers to still get lots of looks over the Florida State secondary, which has youthful promise, but has yet to deliver a statement performance this season. As the tight-end unit continues to develop and pose a threat in closeyardage situations, this could be the key to the Irish making an early statement in their final home game of the season.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Julian Love (Jr.)

27

5

22

21

Jalen Elliott (Jr.)

24 Nick Coleman (Sr.)

Asmar Bilal (Sr.)

33 Shayne Simon (Fr.)

Troy Pride Jr. (Jr.)

35 TaRiq Bracy (Fr.)

83

IRISH RUSHING

Chase Claypool (Jr.)

87 Michael Young (So.)

10

Chris Finke (Sr.)

18 Joe Wilkins (Fr.)

Robert Hainsey (So.)

72

75 Josh Lugg (So.)

Tommy Kraemer (Jr.)

78

57 Trevor Ruhland (Sr.)

53

Sam Mustipher (Gr.)

61 Colin Grunhard (So.)

RB QB

2

Dexter Williams (Sr.)

6 Tony Jones Jr. (Jr.)

7

Brandon Wimbush (Sr.)

15 Phil Jurkovec (Fr.)

Aaron Banks (So.)

69

76 Dillon Gibbons (So.)

Liam Eichenberg (Jr.)

74

55 Jarrett Patterson (Fr.)

86

Alizé Mack (Sr.)

82 Nic Weishar (Gr.)

81

Miles Boykin (Sr.)

4 Kevin Austin Jr. (Fr.)

Nolan Henry (Sr.)

17

12 Ian Book (Jr.)

87

Michael Young (So.)

3 Avery Davis (So.)

54

John Shannon (Jr.)

65 Michael Vinson (Fr.)

chemistr y in the post-A lex Bars era, and now have the chance to make a statement. W hile the Seminoles aren’t the team many thought they would be, Willie Taggart’s defense can still pose problems. Florida State has a particularly strong defensive line, led by junior Brian Burns, redshirt senior Demarcus Christman and sophomore Mar v in Wilson. On the back end, there are play makers as well in sophomore Stanford Samuels III. But the secondar y, and the defense as a whole, is prett y youthful, and the inexperience has show n on the road — home teams are averaging close to 400 total yards of offense against the Noles. In the South Bend cold and on Senior Day, don’t expect that trend to change.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

PK P PR

19

Justin Yoon (Sr.)

39 Jonathan Doerer (So.)

85

Tyler Newsome (Gr.)

42 Jeff Riney (Sr.)

10

Chris Finke (Sr.)

11 Alohi Gilman (Jr.)

Notre Dame vs. Temple

Senior running back Dexter Williams and sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong have proved a powerful duo in the backfield. Armstrong has complemented Williams quite nicely on the receiving end, as the sophomore has recorded 151 receiving yards on 12 receptions thus far. And Williams’ resume speaks for itself — the senior has rushed for 568 yards on 93 carries, and his ground game has been key in a number of Irish victories, especially over Stanford, Virginia Tech and Nav y. That being said, although Florida State’s season hasn’t necessarily lived up to program standards, its defense is still among the top-20 in the nation against the run with a talented defensive line, so Williams, Armstrong and company will certainly have to work for it. There’s no reason this powerful unit can’t do so, but it might not be a walk in the park.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME IRISH OFFENSIVE COACHING Despite struggling in the first half last weekend, Chip Long’s unit found a way to deliver in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame continued to show development offensively against Northwestern, although the change at quarterback could throw a w rench in that progression. The Irish offensive line has continued to develop

Charlotte Edmonds

Connor Mulvena

Associate Sports Editor

Associate Sports Editor

This has been a marquee matchup since the 2018 schedule was announced. Nine games in and the focus has shifted, as Notre Dame holds its College Football Playoff destiny in its hands and the Seminoles are desperately trying to qualify for a bowl game.

Nonetheless, the re-emergence of Brandon Wimbush makes this an interesting meeting, the first for the two teams in Notre Dame Stadium since Florida State shut down the Irish in 2003. This is a match made in heaven for Wimbush. The Seminole defensive line has struggled to contain far less imposing rushers. Paired with the stellar defensive unit both along the line and in deep range, and the unstoppable one-two punch of Dexter Williams and Jafar Armstrong, expect a good ol’ fashioned Irish beat-down.

FINAL: Notre Dame 38, Florida State 14

It’s no secret that Florida State isn’t anything to write home about this year. And weirdly, for the Irish, that makes me nervous, because I think this team has shown it’s prone to playing down to their opponent. Plus, although the Irish earned the No. 3 spot in the second week of the college football playoff rankings, I don’t think we’ve seen them turn on that top-four killer switch. So I’m inclined to be hesitant about predicting an Irish blowout here. But Brandon Wimbush starting for the Irish changes all of that for me.

If you’ve had the pleasure of listening to our staff’s podcast, “The Basement Breakdown,” you’d know that I am a notable proponent of Brandon Wimbush. I think he’ll come out trying to make a statement in this one. Brandon Wimbush will lead the Irish to their first real cutthroat blowout, and the Irish will be reminded that he’s that dude.

FINAL: Notre Dame 65, Florida State 7

IRISH SPECIAL TEAMS Here’s the thing: Notre Dame’s special teams has been prett y abysmal on both sides of the ball this season.

Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer, senior Justin Yoon, has been so-so, missing four field goals on the season, although all of them were from mid to long-range. Yoon was also sidelined w ith an injur y for a bit, and his replacement, sophomore Jonathan Doerer missed the first extra point he went in for. But Doerer is a kickoff specialist for the time being — where he has also struggled this season. On the receiv ing end, the Irish have been reliable w ith senior Chris Finke and sophomore Michael Young, but haven’t show n much big-play abilit y.

EDGE: EVEN

IRISH SCHEDULE (9-0) Sept. 1 Michigan (W 24-17) Sept. 8 Ball State (W 24-16) Sept. 15 Vanderbilt (W 22-17) Sept. 22 @ Wake Forest (W 56-27) Sept. 29 Stanford (W 38-17) Oct. 6 @ Virginia Tech (W 45-23) Oct. 13 Pitt (W 19-14) Oct. 27 @ Navy (W 44-22) Nov. 3 @ Northwestern (W 31-21) Nov. 10 Florida State Nov. 17 Syracuse Nov. 24 @ USC

Follow Observer Sports on Twitter for live updates and analysis during the game this weekend and all season long. @ObserverSports

18

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

sam mustipher | c | owings mills, maryland

Inspired by family, Mustipher enjoys the ride

By KEVIN PEREZ Sports Writer

On August 21, No. 12 Notre Dame was 11 days out from its highly anticipated matchup versus No. 14 Michigan to open the 2018 season.

As the team prepared on campus, Sam Mustipher received news that his grandmother Linda Heatherman had passed away at the age of 70 after a battle w ith liver cancer. Mustipher says that while the situation was tough, he did not lose focus as the season began.

“Obv iously, I have great teammates and they were there for me, but the most important thing for me was that I had been able to spend time w ith my family and celebrate the life that she had and all the people that she impacted, which I’m grateful I got the opportunit y to do. That was really important to me,” he said.

With his grandfather and other family in the stands, and his grandmother watching from above, Mustipher helped the Irish secure the w in that opening night as Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-17. The team has not looked back and has since won eight more games to continue its undefeated season.

Hailing from Ow ings Mills, Mar yland, where he played for the Good Counsel Falcons Football team.

Mustipher, captain and

starting center for the Irish, comes from a football family. His brother PJ Mustipher is a true freshman at Penn State, hav ing appeared in eight games already for the Nittany Lions. His father Sam played football for West Virginia.

Mustipher has loved football all his life, telling his dad he was going to be out there on the field when they attended a Miami Dolphins game when Sam was just 4 years old.

His dream might yet come true this spring, but for now, Mustipher is focused on helping the Irish achieve a national championship.

Now, in his final season as a graduate student — he graduated this past spring w ith a degree in computer science — Mustipher has started the last 34 games the Irish have played, and has been instrumental to Notre Dame’s fantastic season, placing him on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the best center in college football. Ranked third in the nation w ith a 9-0 record, the Irish are enjoying a successful season, and Mustipher is not surprised.

“With the way we prepare in the offseason, we’re hoping for a good year and I believe in what Coach Kelly tells us all the time which is focus on the positives, trust the traits, and I think we did that,” Mustipher said.

“A ll our successes up to this point have followed directly

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

Irish graduate student center and captain Sam Mustipher looks to pick up a block during Notre Dame’s 31-21 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Ryan Field. It was Mustipher’s 33rd-consecutive career start.

from the fact that we followed the process and trusted the process and I think it shows.”

W hile the Irish have been incredibly successful this season, Mustipher said he was most proud of Notre Dame’s effort on the road against Virginia Tech.

Looking ahead, Mustipher

is looking for ward to Senior Day and play ing Florida State this Saturday in his final game at Notre Dame Stadium.

“They’re a talented defense, a talented bunch, and it’s going to be a great opportunit y for us to see it all come together and hopefully send off all of these seniors

out here w ith a v ictor y,” he said.

W hile Mustipher comes from a football family, he wasn’t on the Fighting Irish. But after an illustrious career in South Bend, Mustipher has come to also see Notre Dame as family.

“I didn’t grow up a Notre Dame fan or any thing like that, but obv iously when you come into Notre Dame as a freshman, at some point you realize it’s going to come to an end. Now that it’s coming to an end, I’m just tr y ing to embrace ever y second of it.”

That goes for all aspects of Notre Dame too, not just football. Mustipher says he’s most enjoyed the communit y at Notre Dame.

“I’ve made a lot of friends both on and off the football team. Ever ybody at Notre Dame looks out for each other, and I know people say it’s the same ever y where else and stuff like that, but I truly do believe Notre Dame is a different place and that the relationships I’ve built w ith people here w ill transcend the little amount of time that we have at Notre Dame,” Mustipher said.

Ultimately, Mustipher is simply grateful for ever yone and their support.

“Thank you to all the fans and the supporters that I’ve had throughout my time here. It really means the world to us, and me specifically.”

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish graduate student center and captain Sam Mustipher blocks a defender during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over Michigan on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. This season, Mustipher has been named to the Rimington Award Watch List, as well as the Outland Trophy Watch List.

Contact Kevin Perez at kperez3@nd.edu

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

19

jerry tillery | dt | shreveport, louisiana

Tillery magnifies love for football, ND family

By ELLEN GEYER Sports Writer

For senior Jerr y Tiller y, Notre Dame isn’t just a school. It’s “one big happy family.”

Tiller y, a defensive lineman out of Shreveport, Louisiana, is no stranger to family as the youngest of four, although at 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, he is anything but the baby of the family. And for him, “the people [are] what makes Notre Dame special, because ever yone loves this place,” he said. “They love ever yone here.”

And Tiller y himself is no exception.

“This is a special env ironment that we’re in … we’re all blessed to be here,” he said.

Being at Notre Dame is a gift, but attending a school w ith such rigorous athletics and academics is difficult.

Tiller y has had to adapt to changes as both a student and a player, particularly as he was recruited as an offensive lineman. But these challenges have taught him as much as they have tested him.

“It’s taught me that any situation that I’m put in in life, like I can adapt and handle it. Like you know there is high demands at Notre Dame like going to class, things are hard, it’s not easy going to school here … but also play ing football

is not easy,” Tiller y said. “We are play ing some of the best teams in the countr y ever y week, so you have to be great there, too. So it’s just, it’s just tough sometimes. But I have been able to put myself in that situation and in these situations at Notre Dame and been successful.”

Tiller y, however, has proven himself to be up to the Notre Dame challenge.

He has excelled in the classroom and on the field — in fact, he already graduated. Last spring, he completed the last of his credits to earn a degree in economics, and he is now a nondegree-seeking graduate student for his fourth and final year of eligibilit y.

On the field, Tiller y is also a phenom, a prime example of his abilities coming this season in a record-t y ing four-sack performance he posted against Stanford at home earlier in the season.

“It felt great. I knew that I wanted to have a good game because I haven’t beaten — we haven’t beaten — Stanford since I’ve been here,” Tiller y said. “Freshman year, we went to Palo A lto and lost.

Sophomore year, we lost here. Last year, [I] got into the game and we lost, but we all were inspired to make it a different outcome this year, so, you know, we’re able to do that.”

Notre Dame has effectively proven itself as a v iable College Football Playoff

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes on mutiple blockers during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over Michigan on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. Tillery has recorded seven sacks and 20 tackles this season.

contender, in large part due to the defensive unit Tiller y leads. Yet despite the huge performances Tiller y has had, he cites his favorite game as “my first game, against Texas, my freshman year, because, you know, first game, running out of the stadium, night game. It’s ver y exciting,” Tiller y said.

Even when he’s not electrif y ing the Irish crowd,

Tiller y’s world revolves around football. His favorite thing to do outside of playing football? “Watch football,” he said.

A lthough he is primarily a Saints fan as a Louisiana native, Tiller y says that “whenever there’s a good game on, I’m always watching it.”

A lways surprising people, Tiller y added that he loves to watch tennis, too,

particularly his favorite player, Gaël Monfils from France. “I like the way he plays, love his st yle,” Tiller y said.

But Tiller y, who has been all smiles, pauses and turns pensive when he considers the end of the season and what Senior Day means for him and his teammates.

“Sad, happy and excited I would say. Sad. It’s our last game at Notre Dame,” he said. “Happy, you know, we’re 9-0. Excited for the future. We’ve got a lot to play for.”

The arrival of w inter means the arrival of the College Football Playoff, and although Tiller y is an xious to compete for a title, the end of the season marks the end of an era for him. He w ill miss “how beautiful it is here,” he said. “ … I like being on campus, it’s just a good env ironment.”

Yet even when the Notre Dame football season is over, Tiller y won’t be retiring his cleats.

“I want to be a professional football player, that’s my goal,” he said. “ … That’s what I’ve been working for, that’s what I’ll be training for.”

But his mother, Mildred, shouldn’t worr y — as Tiller y said, even great football players still love their families.

“Tell my mom I love her, because she’ll definitely be reading,” Tiller y said w ith a smile.

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery rushes the quarterback during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13 at Notre Dame Stadium. Tillery has been named to the Bednarik Award Watch List, the Outland Trophy Watch List and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.

Contact Ellen Geyer at egeyer@nd.edu

20

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The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Brandon wimbush | qb | teaneck, new jersey

Wimbush considers team success paramount

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Do what’s best for the team.

It’s an easy ideal to preach, a much harder one to practice. For Irish senior Brandon Wimbush, being replaced as the starting quarterback three games into this season was perhaps the toughest test he’s ever had to come to terms w ith, but the New Jersey native now sees himself as stronger for it.

“It’s been tough man, personally, but hav ing the perspective that I have — I think it’s been great. We’re 9-0. We’re going to go 10-0 this weekend,” Wimbush said. “Personally, I’ve grow n in that this is just one of the obstacles I’m going to endure in my life. It’s good to see myself go through something like this. Ever y thing’s kind of been smooth sailing for me up to this point, so it’s really good for me to endure and go through something like this and see how I come out of it — I think it’ll make me a better person.”

In his Tuesday press conference, Irish head coach Brian Kelly praised Wimbush for being a great teammate and being totally bought in to helping ever yone, especially

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush scrambles out of the pocket and sprints toward the sideline away from defenders during Notre Dame’s 24-17 victory over Michigan on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. This season, Wimbush has passed for 589 yards and has rushed for 144.

now-starting quarterback Ian Book, be as successful as they can.

“That’s my dut y — [Book’s] one of my closest buddies,” Wimbush said. “That wasn’t that tough, obv iously for maybe the first week it was a little rough on me, kind of took it a little personally, as Paid Advertisement

any competitor would, and I still am — I’m still tr y ing to better myself. I’m still tr y ing to be the best quarterback I can be whenever I get the chance to go out there and compete at a high level. It’s easy supporting Book, and the rest of the guys in the room, because we’re all on

each other’s side. … We’re on the same page. Even from day one, from the Michigan game, I told him ‘whoever, whenever, however — let’s w in games.’ That’s the way it’s been.”

That dedication to the team has stayed consistent for Wimbush as show n through his daily preparation. If Book is ever unable to play, it’ll be Wimbush who w ill be leading the Irish once again, and therefore he understands the importance of his ow n preparation. That preparation w ill pay off this weekend, as the senior w ill start at quarterback this Saturday against Florida State on Senior Day. “I think I tr y to go out there and put forth the best performance ever y day at practice, because I understand it. The next guys have to go in there and play at the level the guys before you played at, or even higher,” he said.

“I know I have to prepare, and show ing that I want to be prepared and get back into games is not too hard for me.”

As much as football means to Wimbush, it doesn’t restrict him from becoming a well-rounded person. In fact, that’s what drew him to Notre Dame: the potential to develop all the aspects that make up who he is — not just to play football.

“I wanted the experience of what it’s like w ithout football. You choose the school based on the kind of life you want to live — the best school gives you the most options,” Wimbush said. “It’s a perfectly timed question because what I came here to do … can be taken away in the

blink of an eye. So you have that second thing to go to, to jump into and take pride in.

Academically and spiritually, I thought this was the best fit for me.”

Another opportunit y that Notre Dame has afforded Wimbush are the people he’s met and the friendships he’s cultivated.

“The relationships that I’ve formed [are what I’ll take way],” Wimbush said.

“I think they’re invaluable, and I think I’ve done a good job of maintaining those relationships throughout this tough time for myself.

I’ve grow n as a person, as a teammate, as a football player, as a student in this time, so I think I’ll take away lessons. Most importantly, always being prepared … for what’s next, the next step, because you’ll never know.

So prepare yourself as much as you can, and hope for the best.”

Wimbush w ill graduate from the Mendoza College of Business in December w ith a degree in accounting. The senior has many options to discern in regards to what he w ill do next year, but he knows that he’ll make the decision that’s right for him in the end.

“I’m going to weigh them all, and decide which one is going to be the best for myself,” he said. “I think it’s a good time to be a little selfish w ith that decision.”

If anyone has earned the right to be selfish, it would be Brandon Wimbush.

Because this season, he has been any thing but.

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

21

justin yoon | k | nashville, Tennessee

Yoon credits personal success to team support

By FRANK ZHU Sports Writer

“I am proud of the fact that I can do what I do ever y day.

A lot of people think it may be footba ll related or academica lly you have achieved a lot. It is not rea lly that for me. The proudest thing to me is that I can k now that ever y day I wa ke up, I do the same thing over and over again, consistent ly. I am proud that I am still focusing on what I need to do, regardless what the situation is,” Irish senior k icker Justin Yoon said.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior k icker from Tennessee says this is the proudest moment in his four years at Notre Dame. He is so proud that he can do what he does ever y day here at Notre Dame consistent ly, no matter what happens.

The No. 1 k icker in his recruiting class came to Notre Dame because he saw opportunit y here. A nd a lot of things at Notre Dame were rea lly attractive him. He rea lly feels comfortable and welcomed at Notre Dame, a place that has ever y thing he needs for his f uture.

“It is like a process of picking universities,” Yoon said.

“It is like the reason why I went to my high school.

The energies and charisma around the school. A nd I rea lly feel welcomed. I got that feeling when I came to Notre Dame. Footba ll is top here and a lot of things are

top here. The biggest thing I saw was the opportunit y.

Notre Dame is a big place for opportunities. I think that is the most important thing you need to look into your future. Ever y thing you are doing is for your future.”

W hen asked about the feeling of brea k ing the a lltime scoring record of Notre Dame, the senior k icker thanked a ll his teammates, coaches and ever yone around him because they give him support to help him do his job.

“I could not have done this w ithout a ll my teammates, the coaches here,” Yoon said. “So many things here a llowed me to do it. The fact that ever yone here, my teammate, support me so well. They are scoring the touchdow n, and w ill say ‘Hey, you just do your thing and we w ill do our thing.’ So I trust them and they trust me. [Head coach Brian] Kelly can trust me. It is a big trust fact and I a lways appreciate it. So do blessings. I think I w ill rea lize the meaning of it at a certain time.”

Ta lk ing about the future, Yoon definitely wants to play at the next level and he wants to be ready if he gets an opportunit y. He is focused on continuing to work ever y day and do his job consistently.

“A ll the work I had done in years before a ll showed that I want to play in the next level,” Yoon said. “But it

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior kicker Justin Yoon winds up to kick off during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over Michigan on Sept.

1 at Notre Dame Stadium. During this season, Yoon has been named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List.

is not like I can choose. It’s about how can you do this on a day-to-day basis. A nd continue to do your job consistent ly. So you can pray for

an opportunit y to get to the next level. Next level is not natura l. It is a ll God-given. ... You are luck y and get the bench. So I am hoping

someone w ill give me the opportunit y. That’s the biggest thing. A nd when you get there, it is a big cha llenge to do your job and maintain the position.”

At the same time, w ith a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a major f inance from Notre Dame, Yoon is conf ident about the f uture, even if he does not end up in the NFL. He believes a ll the resources at Notre Dame, professors, staff and a lumni can a ll prov ide him great resources after graduation.

“This is the reason why I came and study here. If I cannot ma ke it through there, I a lways have Notre Dame support, facult y, whoever it is,” Yoon said. “It is the net work ing env ironment. It is rea lly important and specia l.”

In the end, Yoon believes the Irish w ill tr y their best to continue this journey as long as possible, hopef ully a ll the way to a nationa l championship.

“So far it has been a ride.

We w ill continue the adventure and journey,” he said.

“Hopef ully, we can ride as long as we can, get it a ll the way through the nationa l championship.”

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior kicker Justin Yoon kicks a field goal during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over Michigan on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. This season, Yoon has made 10 of 14 field goal attempts and scored 61 points. He is now first place all-time on the Notre Dame scoring list with 336 points.

Contact Frank Zhu at wzhu2@nd.edu

22

Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

brian ball | cb | indianapolis, indiana

Walk-on Ball cultivates improved work ethic

By DANIELLE PATTERSON Sports Writer

Senior cornerback Brian Ball is an example of a humble worker for the Notre Dame football program — an indiv idual who manifests the traits of ser vant leadership. Ball, who hails from Indianapolis, made his debut last year in his junior season against Miami of Ohio on Sept. 30. After not play ing as a freshman, Ball joined the team as a walk-on his sophomore year and has been a valuable member of the defensive scout team for the last three years.

A product of Bishop Chatard High School, Ball was a tri-sport athlete who lettered three times in football and baseball, and tw ice in basketball. On the gridiron, he played w ide receiver as a sophomore and junior before transitioning to quarterback as a senior, earning all-cit y honors. A lso the valedictorian of his high school class, Ball enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business upon arriv ing to campus and w ill graduate w ith a major in finance and a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship.

W hen asked about what it meant to him to be a senior of the team this year, Ball responded that while it’s been an amazing season thus far, the process is still incomplete, and that he’s “looking for ward to [continuing] the journey w ith ever yone on the team.”

In fact, the entire last three years have been a process for Ball, and for Notre Dame football as a whole. The senior cornerback feels that what the Irish started putting together t wo years ago was a huge factor in what they are doing now as the No. 3 team in the countr y.

Even though the team has earned to right to get excited about its potential this season, Ball said, they still have to continue to work because nothing is yet guaranteed.

For Ball, a prime example of that focus pay ing off was w inning the Citrus Bowl over LSU last season — what Ball says was his best memor y so far in a Notre Dame uniform.

“That was so much fun,” Ball said. “It was one of the first games we were able to finish, and the experience was surreal getting to celebrate w ith ever yone.”

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior cornerback Brian Ball greets several Notre Dame fans as he makes his way onto the field for pregame warmups before Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Ball prov ided a bit of adv ice for current and future freshmen who play Notre Dame football: W herever they came from as high school students, he said, they were probably able to dominate — walk-ons included — but coming here they w ill automatically start out on the low end of the totem pole and have to constantly work to improve, or

they w ill get exposed.

“Develop a work ethic and come in ever y day and work harder and harder,” Ball adv ised.

In explaining ever y thing Notre Dame football has meant to him after his last three years on the team, Ball said the team is a brotherhood, and being able to be close to all his teammates is extremely rewarding.

“You develop friends that you w ill have for life, and being part of something that is so much bigger than yourself is awesome,” he said. “Notre Dame Football is such a proud tradition throughout the histor y of sports, and being able to say you are part of this is a blessing.”

Contact Danielle Patterson at dpatter6@nd.edu

MATT BUSHLAND | LS | dallas, texas

Bushland learns new position to earn place

ANNIE SMIERCIAK | The Observer

Irish senior long snapper Matt Bushland, center, celebrates with teammates during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13. To walk on to the team, Bushland taught himself how to long snap.

By JOE EVERETT Sports Writer

Matt Bushland was happy with his goal of playing both baseball and football in college — he would just have to do so at a Division III school.

The senior from Dallas was able to apply to schools such as University of Chicago thanks to his smarts, but it ultimately shook out that Notre Dame, despite it presenting a much more difficult challenge from the athletics perspective, was ultimately the best choice for

Bushland.

“Notre Dame was actually the only school I got a significant amount of financial aid from, so when it came down to it, it was actually my cheapest option,” Bushland said. “I actually applied there as a backup school in case I got hurt my senior year. Growing up in a Catholic family and with the right price for my family, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Bushland still wanted to play sports, but realized he wasn’t going to make the team

playing the position he did in high school: wide receiver. To have a shot at walking on to the team, he would have to adapt, work hard and be creative in the process.

“When I went, I told myself that I had to try out for [two] varsity sports: football and baseball. I wasn’t ready to give up my athletic career,” Bushland said. “I figured my best chance to walk-on was to teach myself how to longsnap. I would go to the [Rockne Memorial] every morning from 6 to 8 and I would work out for

an hour and just long-snap into the pads under the basketball hoop for an hour. And boy did I suck at first … but longsnapping is one of those things where just about anybody can do it, as long as you put the right amount of time into it. I got pretty good, but then in the spring of my freshman year, I still got cut in the tryouts, so that was a little disappointing.”

After being cut that first spring, Bushland would turn his sights back to baseball the following summer. However, after eventually being cut from the Texas league team he had been playing with before the fall season, Bushland switched his attention back from the diamond to the gridiron, and lo and behold he successfully walked-on at Notre Dame the spring of his sophomore year.

Currently the backup snapper for the Irish, Bushland commented on the specialist group and the bond he shares with those guys.

“It’s definitely a close-knit group. We spend a lot of time together … At the end of the day it’s one of those things where we’re all there to help each other get better at our jobs on the team, and to work our best and hardest,” he said. “At the same time, we still try to have a lot of

fun while we’re doing it. A lot of that stems from [senior punter Tyler] Newsome’s leadership.

“Not only on the football field, but also on the pool table are we competing.”

Bushland will graduate from the University this December, and looking back on his time with the team, he noted that the things he will cherish the most are the friendships he’s formed, the memories he’s made, and the traits he’s developed.

“The most important thing has to be the relationships,” Bushland said. “I’ve made some really good friends on the team — not just in the specialist unit — and there’s 1020 relationships where I’ll be friends with those guys for life.

I think that’s the most important thing.

“Also, the memories. Even as a walk-on you get to have some pretty cool experiences. I don’t think you could put a price tag or value on any of that. I guess the last thing would be the mindset of working hard and doing your best. If you give it everything you’ve got, you can accomplish some pretty cool things.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

Sports

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Micah dew-treadway | dt | bolingbrook, illinois

Dew-Treadway’s patience remains constant

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

Irish defensive tackle Micah Dew-Treadway rushes the offense during Notre Dame’s 56-27 road win over Wake Forest on Sept. 22.

By LUKE BRIZZOLARA Sports Writer

Micah Dew-Treadway represents everything that makes Notre Dame special. The senior defensive lineman embodies all of the values that Notre Dame tries to instill in its students, both as a teammate and a man.

Treadway entered Notre Dame in 2015 as a talented recruit hoping to make an impact for the Fighting Irish. A star player in high school, he came to Notre Dame and redshirted his freshman year.

Unfortunately, Treadway didn’t get much more playing time sophomore year, as his season came to an

end when he broke his foot.

To begin his junior year, Treadway still wasn’t getting the amount of playing time he had hoped, a hard transition to make for anyone, especially for someone as talented as him.

“It’s been difficult, especially my first couple of years, I lost confidence in myself. Not being on the field is tough,” Treadway said.

This adversity is where Treadway’s story begins, because he didn’t let it bring him down.

Instead, the Bolingbrook, Illinois native used his experience as a stepping stone to become the person he is today. By learning how to wake up every day, determined

to be a champion in everything he does, Treadway has grown as a person and a player.

“Through my experience, I have matured in the way that my parents and God would want me to.

It helped me as man, and I still have a long way to go, but it’s been a blessing. My experience also allowed me to experience things off the field, such as building relationships with friends and teachers,” Treadway said.

Treadway’s favorite moment came during his junior season, in which he was able to help Notre Dame rout USC at home. After Treadway and Notre Dame had a difficult 2016 season, this game illustrated all of the hard work and dedication he and his teammates had given together.

“We were all playing into our new identity and we were set on killing USC. Everyone played and there was no drop off, the physicality and brotherhood that we showed was important and leapfrogged us to where we are now,” Treadway said.

The impressive turnaround has continued throughout last season and into this season. Now, Treadway is part of an undefeated team set on winning a championship. Treadway believes that his experience playing football for a Notre Dame program, in which he has had personal and collective

ups and downs, has prepared him to be the best man he can possibly be.

“It has been the ultimate life lesson to play football for Notre Dame, especially considering the journey I have gone through. There is nothing that will prepare you more than having to grind for four years every single day. School is a great reminder that when you get to the real world, nobody is going to hold your hand,” Treadway said.

Both on and off the football field, Treadway is looking forward to what the rest of his time at Notre Dame has in store for him.

“My favorite non-football part of Notre Dame is my dorm. I love the events and being around all of my best friends who aren’t athletes,” Treadway said.

On the football field, Treadway is excited for what Notre Dame can, and will, accomplish.

“When we make this run, the experience and feeling we will get will be amazing. Since January, there has been so much blood, sweat and tears to make the transition to be champions. It won’t just be in football — guys on the team understand what we’ve been through, learning to have a championship mentality in everything you do every single day. Every day we step up with a championship mentality in the classroom, in the weight room and on campus,” Treadway

said.

Treadway, perhaps more than most, truly understands what it means to overcome obstacles and sacrifice for the people around him.

“As a young man here, I have given everything possible for my teammates. Every day that I have came here, even with losing confidence and getting selfish and inside my head, I know that I can be there supporting my teammates. Whether by making plays for them, giving them a ride, feeding them, or letting them come over when they need a place to stay. I did everything I could for my teammates, because in the long run, when I have my family and look back, those are the guys who are going to understand what it took to progress here and become the man that I will be someday,” Treadway said.

When asked how he would like to be remembered, Treadway responded, “I want guys to say, ‘that guy was a hell of a teammate.’”

Just like Notre Dame’s football team, Treadway’s journey is far from over.

“I’ve learned so much about my game and life in general.

There are a lot more plays for me to make.”

Contact Luke Brizzolara at lbrizzol@nd.edu

Lincoln Feist | dt | rapid city, south dakota

Family ties reinfornce ND loyalties for Feist

By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

While senior defensive linemen Lincoln Feist is set to graduate this semester from the Mendoza College of Business, it’s the time as a member of the Notre Dame football team that’s been invaluable for him.

Growing up by the mountain region of the Black Hills in South Dakota, Feist attended a small Catholic institution called St. Thomas More High School and lived in Rapid City, which has a population of around 74,000. Feist played a plethora of sports while at St. Thomas More, participating in football, basketball, baseball and track and field.

Feist’s efforts did not go unnoticed, as he was selected as one of the 20 finalists for the U.S. Army–Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence, given each year by the Pro Football Hall of Fame to someone who shows excellence and leadership on and off the field. The multi-sport star was a four-time all-Black Hills Conference selection, helping More to a Class 11B runner-up finish in 2014.

Feist would go on to receive

multiple scholarship offers, including one from Air Force.

He also received a preferred walk-on offer from Oregon.

When it came to his decision over which college to attend, Feist chose Notre Dame because of his family ties — Feist’s mother graduated in 1992 from Notre Dame Law School and his sister graduated in 2015. In 2015, Feist joined the Irish football team as a walk-on and in that same year received the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame and Sports Recreation Male High School Athlete of the Year award.

During his time here, Feist has been a member of the scout team for the Irish, and made his on-field debut against Miami, Ohio, in 2017.

Feist described the defensive line as a diverse close group that he loves.

“The defensive line is a ver y tight-knit group we have,” Feist said. “We have a lot of characters on the line and it’s fun to see ever ybody’s personalities and characters come out. At the end of the day, you love each and ever y one of them and you go to war for them ever y day.”

W hen responding to the

question of what his favorite part of being on the team is, Feist echoed these sentiments of love and brotherhood for his teammates.

“My favorite part is memories of play ing cards w ith the boys at camp and stuff, just hanging out w ith them during that gruesome time of year,” he said.

For Feist, the brotherhood lives on even past college. He knows that it w ill be there for him after December when he graduates w ith a degree in finance, and he knows that it w ill be there for him wherever he goes in life, even when mov ing back to his home state for a job in South Dakota.

“[I’ll] turn back to the brotherhood, and all the relationships that I’ve made,” he said. “A ll these brothers that I have now that I can always turn to in any time of need in my future life — I’m looking for ward to that.”

Contact Charlie Ortega-Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish defensive tackle Lincoln Feist watches the action during Notre Dame’s 24-17 win over Michigan on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. Feist appeared in one game against Miami (OH) his sophomore year.

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Nicco fertitta | s | las vegas, nevada

Fertitta’s Irish story motivated by doubters

By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

Standing at 5-foot-9, undersized safety Nico Fertitta was pegged by many to not have the physical capability of making it big in football.

That lack of confidence in his abilities is exactly what drives Fertitta to keep playing.

“I’m an undersized guy, I’ve never been the biggest guy on the field. It’s not very often that you see guys my size suiting up in a golden helmet, coming out and playing on Saturday’s in front of the world,” Fertitta said. “Something that’s always driven me is: I want to be that difference, I want to be the guy that other kids who are smaller and at a disadvantage, give them the belief that they can come out and make it too, because at the end of the day, [size] is not something that matters it’s just something that’s wanted.”

Fertitta fell in love with the game of football when he was 10 years old. He would watch his older brother, Lorenzo, play and was eager to become better than him.

Fertitta’s father, being a huge football fan, was proud to see that his sons took up the sport.

In high school, he helped his football team, Bishop Gorman, win four straight Sunset-Southwest titles. In addition, Fertitta recorded three tackles and broke up

two passes in his senior year state title game, all with a hand injury.

Irish fans might recognize Bishop Gorman for another reason as well, as current senior tight end Alizé Mack also went there. Fertitta says that he appreciates the opportunity to play alongside Mack, someone he calls a brother.

“Alizé and I, we were always close in high school, but we got closer senior year in particular. It’s been a blessing having him here, someone from home who can relate to you, and someone who is your best friend, your brother. Having him here has been amazing,” Fertitta said.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Fertitta grew up in a family that cheered for Notre Dame. He recounted a time in which he visited Notre Dame’s campus as a sophomore in high school and he told his friend he dreamed of coming to South Bend.

After not hearing much from Notre Dame’s recruiting office, Fertitta came to the assumption that the Irish were backing off. At the end of junior year however, the offer to play for the Gold and Blue came in, and Fertitta immediately took the offer.

“I knew, no question, I was coming here,” Fertitta said, on receiving an offer to play for the Irish.

Once on campus as an official member of the football team,

Fertitta remembers one of his first moments as a player. Under the impression that the Notre Dame workouts were tough, Fertitta and Mack made sure they would be in shape.

“Me and Alize actually ran the entire campus because we were so nervous that we weren’t going to be in shape ... We turned out fine, we prepared the same way but, we were worried about what we were getting into,” Fertitta said.

Overcoming challenges on the football field was not the only thing that Fertitta did. Admitting that balancing football and academics had not always been his forte, Fertitta was nervous to be a student at an elite academic school, but he was able to find his groove in managing athletics with rigorous academics.

Through his years at Notre Dame Fertitta has played on special teams, playing in almost every game of the season. His favorite moment as a player came in his sophomore year, at USC, when he viciously tackled running back C.J. Pollard.

“As a player, my favorite moment of my career here was sophomore year at USC, I knocked out the running back. Got ejected, but that will forever be the highlight of my career and something I’ll never forget,” Fertitta said.

The senior is about to play his last

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

Irish senior safety Nicco Fertitta watches on the sideline during Notre Dame’s 31-21 win over Northwestern on Nov. 3 at Ryan Field.

home game, against Florida State.

After all his time here, Fertitta says that being at Notre Dame has toughened him up and molded him into someone that’s ready to take on anything.

“I came in here a young man — I was 18 years old — and [Notre Dame’s] shaped me through its excellence. The grit that you have to have here to maintain your career here, as well as the flat-out grind, has made me a tougher person, it’s made me someone that is going to be able to make it through any circumstance that comes my way,” Fertitta said.

Fertitta’s family will be in attendance on Saturday, having been at every game in Fertitta’s collegiate career.

With graduation coming next spring, the art history major is still uncertain of what his post-graduation plans will be. Fertitta is interested in working in the music industry, particularly on the production side, but he also wants to use his art history knowledge and possibly obtain a job at a major auction gallery or exhibit.

With a near four seasons behind him and a whole life in front of him, Fertitta has one final message for Irish fans: “Thank you for the support through over these years. I appreciate the love through the good times and the bad.”

Contact Charlie OrtegaGuifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

nolan henry | qb | vancouver, washington

Henry focuses on more than just football

By HAYDEN ADAMS Sports Writer

Senior quarterback Nolan Henry is no stranger to success.

The Vancouver, Washington native was a “typical” high school football standout, holding multiple records for passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. In 2014, he was the male recipient of the Wendy’s High School Heisman.

“In high school I was lucky to play on a pretty solid high school team and have a lot of success there. And the

Heisman part … was based off of academics, community service and performance on the field, and so I was really blessed to win that award,” Henry said.

Despite his individual success, he is still humble and thankful to others for allowing him to be successful.

“I was really lucky in high school to have a great team with a lot of great coaches and so I can thank a lot of them for getting me where I am today,” he said.

As the Heisman award would suggest, Henry was

not just a terrific athlete, he was also an AP scholar and a member of the national honor society. But what set him above other great high-school athletes was his service, not only in his community, but halfway across the world.

“In high school I did a couple of different things. We ran a football food drive at [the Clark County youth football] jamboree every single year, for six years, raised over 300,000 pounds of food for southwest Washington. And then … in Liberia, Africa, we

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

Irish senior quarterback Nolan Henry, left, jogs off the field during Notre Dame’s 56-27 win over Wake Forest on Sept. 22 at BB&T Field. Henry has served on the scout team for the past four years.

went to a village in Kamara Town, worked on their agricultural sustainability, and then also built a sport court for multi-purpose sports,” Henry said.

That service is an impressive part of his resume and is a large part of why Henry is where he is today. Despite being an outstanding athlete, as so many football players do, he fell victim to injury.

“My senior year I had a pretty tough concussion that knocked me unconscious, so a lot of the other opportunities I had were kind of dwindling a little bit, because my future in football was kinda unclear at the time,” he said.

Luckily, Henry had his other strengths to fall back on, which still allowed him to get admitted to Notre Dame.

“Notre Dame has always kinds been a dream school for me growing up,” Henry said.

“I got in here early action, just on my own merit, and then the football team contacted me to play football here as a walkon, so, you know, best decision I ever made.”

He even admits that his injury, as terrible as it was, is partly responsible for that decision. “[I] never like to say that

my injury was the reason that got me this opportunity, but I don’t know if I would’ve ended up here if it weren’t the case,” he said.

Henry is a science business major and is weighing his options for the future, currently interviewing for a position in the medical-technology field while keeping his redshirt year of eligibility in his pocket. He said that his favorite memory was the first time he walked out of the tunnel against Texas his freshman year, “seeing the fans and the full 80,000 people in the stadium.” He also described what being a Notre Dame walk-on is like from his experience.

“At Notre Dame, they really appreciate the work the guys do here … you’re appreciated and you’re doing something that’s going to help the team.

And, in the end, a lot of walkons get great opportunities …

For me, this year, I was luck y enough to become the holder a couple of weeks ago. If you do your work and get ever y thing done for the team, then you’ll have opportunities, which is a nice thing in this program.”

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

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25

brandon hutson | DL | battle creek, michigan

Hutson’s dedication pays off in final season

By HAYDEN ADAMS Sports Writer

Brandon Hutson, the 6-foot3, 245-pound defensive lineman from Battle Creek, Michigan, dreamed of playing for Notre Dame as a kid. One could say he was destined for it, given his heritage. His father, Tim, had a solid collegiate career as a first baseman for the Fighting Irish baseball team.

“My dad went here, so I grew up going to games, and I always told people that I wanted to play here,” Hutson said.

The senior’s passion for Notre Dame runs incredibly deep, so much so that he turned down signing with Air Force to walk-on here.

“I had to walk on here. I got recruited by some other schools, but I always wanted to play here, and I had an opportunity to be a preferred walk-on, so I couldn’t turn that down … its where I always wanted to be,” Hutson said.

It hasn’t always been easy.

Hutson had to switch from playing linebacker to defensive line during his time at Notre Dame, and says that, as a walk-on, “it’s gonna be a tougher fight typically.” At

the same time, he says it’s all worth it in the end.

“It’s been a great experience too, it hasn’t been all hard …

I’ve taken a lot, just from being with all these great people on the team.” Hutson said.

“The [defensive units] are actually very different. The D-line is a lot more like joking around and stuff and a lot more fun you could say, and the linebackers are a lot more about business ... it’s been a cool experience to be with both of them.”

Despite not seeing any action through his first three seasons, Hutson persevered.

“You definitely start at the bottom, but … once you’re on the team, you can do whatever you’re capable of doing, and they’ll give you a shot … you just gotta keep fighting,” he said.

All that fighting paid off in playing time this year, although Hutson admits that he experienced some nerves when he finally got on the gridiron. “[The} first couple of plays out there and you’re pretty nervous, cause I haven’t really played in a football game in like three years, and you got the crowd and everything … but once I got back in the

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior defensive lineman Brandon Hutson watches the action during Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 at Notre Dame Stadium. Hutson recorded two tackles in five games last season.

rhythm of things, it’s just great to just be out there playing again, which has really been the best part of it, just being out there with the guys and being able to contribute,” Huston said.

His favorite memory from Notre Dame was “being out there for the first play against Stanford on a kick-off.” That was an even more emotional moment, as he described how, “It was a big game … you got

the song before the game …

I took a moment to take that in like, ‘this is pretty cool.’”

During the Stanford game, he posted his first career tackle, then posted another the next game at Virginia Tech.

Brandon, a marketing major, doesn’t have any firm post-Notre Dame plans, but he has confidence that his experience here will benefit him down the road.

“I don’t have anything

ironed out yet. [Notre Dame has] been a dream come true for me, but it’s also been a lot of work … all these workouts, not knowing if its ever going to pay off on the field just sticking with everything, I think it’s made me tougher and given me a bit of an edge.

I think I’ll be able to take that work ethic with me.”

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

kier murphy | lb | rock island, illinois

Murphy lives out dream as Irish walk-on

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior linebacker Kier Murphy leads a pack of teammates during Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 29 in Notre Dame Stadium. Murphy has contributed primarily on the scout team.

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Irish senior linebacker Kier Murphy’s Notre Dame experience has been defined by working hard and working humbly.

The walk-on said his journey to Notre Dame was a path that seemed almost destined for him to pursue.

“[I] grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, went to a small Catholic school … so growing up in that environment everyone’s at least a little bit of a Notre Dame fan,” Murphy said. “On top of that, my family were big Notre Dame fans — my dad went here, and before him my grandparents were always pushing Notre Dame.

Grew up a pretty big Notre Dame

fan, I had some looks to go play at some smaller, FCS Division 1 schools, but ultimately I came in and said, ‘I wanna play here.’

Eventually it worked out and I got the opportunity to come walk on, and I think it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

While being a walk-on is a dream come true for Murphy, it also comes with its fair share of

challenges. Consistently finding the motivation to be great day-in and day-out is a lot for any player, let alone for a guy who knows he’s not going to see much playing time. Yet, for the senior linebacker, it’s all worth it in the end.

“A lot of it has to do with just being a humble worker,” Murphy said. “I think all the guys here will tell you that. Coming to work every day just like everybody else, but not necessarily with the light at the end of the tunnel and being able to get a bunch of playing time. That comes with its ups and downs, but ultimately being able to walk through these doors after four years and being able to say you did it is something so honorable and noble to hang your hat on and say that you stuck with the best team in the country for four years. You can move on knowing that you’re a better man, and teammate and person for it.”

Part of what Murphy says helps him grow as a person and teammate are the people he’s surrounded by every day, especially the linebacker corps and coaches.

“It’s awesome, we’re all pretty tight,” Murphy said. “I think it’s been really cool — because a lot of the guys now in the forefront of the defense are in my class or right around there

— just seeing everybody come up through the ranks and develop not only as players, but as teammates. I think our coaching staff, in particular [defensive coordinator] Coach [Clark] Lea, is just an awesome crew of guys that not only have fun, but keep each other accountable.”

That development of personal accountability and responsibility are what Murphy says has shaped him the most during his time at Notre Dame, and are lessons he will take with him wherever he goes in life after football. “[Director of Football Performance] Coach [Matt] Balis and Coach Lea both touch on [humility] a lot, about being able to wake up every day and be the same guy,” he said.

“If you’re tired, or you have to leave family at home or other things people want you to do, you still have to come in and get the work done no matter the circumstance. That discipline and work ethic you have to learn through a sport like this and the accountability and responsibility to not only yourself, but your teammates — it’s important, and it carries on for the rest of your life.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

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logan plantz | ol | frankfort, il

Plantz perseveres, stays committed to Irish

By PETER RAUS Sports Writer

Logan Plantz bleeds blue and gold. For the offensive linemen, a 2018 political science graduate and current student in the Masters of Business Management graduate program, it’s a family affair. His father, Ron Plantz

’86, also played offensive line for the Irish. “[I was] kind of born and raised in the blue and gold, in the sense that it was kind of a dream of mine, and it was what we watched on Saturdays or what we talked about at Friday night dinners of who they were playing grow ing up,” Plantz said.

“It was what I idolized to be — I idolized to be like my father in a sense.”

Plantz’s older brother Tyler Plantz ’14, walked on to the team, which Plantz said further motivated him.

“I wanted to do ever y thing I could to be just like them and pursue my dream of play ing at the Universit y of

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior offensive lineman Logan Plantz emerges from the tunnel to cheering fans before Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 28 at Notre Dame Stadium. Plantz played in two games his junior season.

Notre Dame,” he said.

This love and dream of play ing for the Irish helped to push Plantz through a difficult and w inding recruiting process. Plantz attended high school at Prov idence Catholic in New Lenox, Illinois.

“I had some FBS offers as well as some FCS offers, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to walk on [at Notre Dame] so I applied to the University of Notre Dame, but got denied,” he said.

Plantz then went to East Coast Prep, a post-graduate program in hopes of getting more offers or a look from the Irish. While Plantz succeeded in earning some Big Ten offers, he could not give up on his childhood dream.

“I knew I wanted to walk on at the University of Notre Dame, so I told [the other schools] that I wasn’t interested and wanted to walk on at the University of Notre Dame,” he said.

Plantz applied to Notre Dame again, and was denied admission for a second time. This caused Plantz to scramble and attempt to find a place to play, with the clock ticking for spring semester

enrollment. Plantz settled on playing at Indiana State, but on the drive down, turned around and enrolled at Holy Cross.

“I was at Holy Cross for two semesters, and then I finally got in,” he said.

Once at Notre Dame, Plantz walked on to the football team, and his Rudy-esque story was complete. Plantz said he does not mind the connection to the Irish icon, and has met Ruettiger before, but prefers to be seen as Logan Plantz, not a Rudy copycat.

The drive and love for Notre Dame that Plantz had during his admissions journey has now manifested itself on the practice field. It’s not easy work to practice every day and to do all of the same work as his teammates without getting the credit on Saturdays, but Plantz said he is more than happy to do it.

“My role on this team is to make sure that every guy gets better,” he said. “As a walk-on, it’s your role to bring energy every day and push guys beyond their limits and do what I can to contribute to the unit itself.”

Contact Peter Raus at praus@nd.edu

robert regan | lb | darien, illinois

Regan’s versatilty aids Irish, personal growth

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Glancing through the Notre Dame walk-on hall of fame, several stories stand out. Rudy’s memorialized tackle, Joe Schmidt’s rise in the ranks to be named captain and current senior receiver Chris Finke, whose 32 total catches on the season nearly tripled his career-total in high school. However, only senior linebacker Robert Regan can claim to have earned a game ball without taking a snap all season.

For Regan, a native of Darien, Illinois, his path to Notre Dame was a story of right place, right time.

Originally looking to play in the Ivy League, Regan joined a high school teammate, who was being recruited by the Irish at the time, on a tour. Then-defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder suggested that Regan consider sending his tape in and walking on at Notre Dame.

Regan said that was the first time the thought of joining the Irish really crossed his mind.

“After that they offered me a preferred walk on spot, and that just wasn’t something I could really pass up because that was right at the time when my Ivey stuff fell apart, and it just seemed like a perfect fit for me because

it’s like an hour and a half, two hours from home. Obviously good school, good football, spiritually too. It just made the most sense,” Regan said.

Turns out he made the right choice.

Having played quarterback in high school, Regan’s experience in the read-option offense proved crucial midway through his freshman year against perennial opponent, Navy. He served as scout team quarterback, running the Midshipmen’s triple-option scheme and training the Irish defense for what to expect.

Regan said he never would have imagined that his experience with the read-option offense would be what earned him his stake in Irish football lore.

Reeling from a two-point loss on the road against Clemson, Notre Dame delivered an impressive 41-24 performance over Navy. Despite not making an appearance in the game, Regan earned the game ball for his efforts throughout the week to prepare the team.

“Rough week of practice. [Late outside linebackers coach Bob] Elliott was really working with me a lot … Getting the guys that were in the office to trust me and trust him that I had a lot of experience with it,” Regan said.

“Being a freshman it was new for me to be in that position. I had asked if we could take off our red jerseys like the quarterbacks could so that we could give a better look and that was probably a mistake looking back because I got beat up pretty bad.”

Despite the beating he took throughout the week, getting the job done was Regan’s primary focus.

“Getting the game ball was just the icing on the cake,” he said. “I never in a million years would have expected that and for coach Kelly and the coaching staff to think about all the guys … it was something really special, something I’ll never forget.”

Regan eventually worked his way off the sideline, appearing in 16 games over the past two seasons, primarily with special teams.

“Special teams is obviously a huge component,” he said. “That can never be overlooked, it can change the game. My role on it — I think I’ve been able to contribute over the past two years. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.

I haven’t been as productive this year as I was past but still working to get those tackles.”

One area that Regan has noted his game grow is during offensive special teams. Those improvements were on display

earlier this season against Wake Forest, as Regan blocked one of the last line of defenders while Finke returned a punt 52 yards before being downed at the fouryard line.

Regan said that block felt pretty good to make.

With three games standing between the Irish and a potential playoff berth, this senior class has witnessed it all, having tasted the possibility of a national championship twice and suffered a 4-8 season in 2016. For Regan, these experiences have only molded him into the player

and leader he is today.

“It obviously feels special and we’ve got a lot going for ourselves, but we can never get ahead of ourselves considering how last year at Miami was,” Regan said. “Even Clemson my freshman year. We like where we’re at and it’s exciting just to have the opportunity to play in the playoff and hopefully play for the national championship.

We’re on the right track and that’s exciting.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish senior linebacker Robert Regan fights through a defender on special teams during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Ball State.

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jeff riney | p | katy, texas

Riney brings the classroom to the locker room

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Jeff Riney’s Notre Dame story is fairly orthodox. His impact upon Notre Dame’s football program has been anything but.

Starting from a young age, the senior punter fell in love with Notre Dame. Then, the Katy, Texas, native gradually grew to dream about playing for the Irish, even after recognizing that he’d likely be behind current Notre Dame punter and graduate student Tyler Newsome.

“I’ve been a Notre Dame fan since I was a little kid. My parents went to Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s — the classic Notre DameSaint Mary’s couple,” Riney said.

“Went to tons of Notre Dame games … I never saw a winning game growing up until I got to high school, until Notre Dame played Rice. That’s when I was starting to get pretty serious into kicking, and I remember [thinking] that if I got into Notre Dame I would be behind Tyler Newsome. I saw him as an idol at one point, and now I’m kind of living the experience of what it’s like.”

Riney said he has no regrets in choosing to play at Notre Dame as a back-up.

“It’s definitely a story of hard work, a lot of dedication and a lot of help from my parents … but I could not have asked for a better college experience,” he said.

Riney’s connection with Newsome goes all the way back to offseason workouts during high school football, and Riney said the two have stayed close and are “best friends” within the tight-knit specialist unit.

Much more than a football player, Riney is a mechanical engineer with a love for innovation and entrepreneurship. In fact, this past semester Riney was part of a team — “Enlighten Mobility” — that earned the grand prize at the 2018 McCloskey New Venture Competition, hosted by Notre Dame’s Idea Center. For Riney, getting to pursue so many of his various passions has been a blessing at Notre Dame, and something that sets him apart.

“I’ve always considered myself more of a student than an athlete, and I just love the fact that I’ve just gotten to get super close with some of the normal students on campus,” Riney said. “About a year-and-a-half ago, I joined this place called the Idea Center on campus, and they filled me in

on tons of things that I love doing. I’m majoring in engineering, but I love creation, I love design and I love the startup mentality.

They plugged me in on so many things. Fulfilling that part of my life was so helpful, and it was cool because I got to talk about it to other football players, who didn’t even know that the Idea Center existed. I got to be my own type of leader. … Talking about life after football, and getting them excited about joining a company or starting something, so it was cool, kind of an eye-opening experience for me.”

It’s in the small and unorthodox ways that Riney has slowly built himself into a leader on the team — a role that he feels he can comfortably play now as a senior, and one from which he receives a tremendous amount of fulfillment.

“I never pictured myself as a leader in the football environment,” Riney said. “ … When I became a senior, freshmen would come up to me with questions, asking ‘How do you do this?’ or ‘When do I go to turn my stuff in?’ It was cool, because I know how helpful that is. I remember being afraid to ask questions and afraid of sounding dumb. Being someone who Paid Advertisement

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior punter Jeff Riney celebrates Notre Dame 24-17 win over Michigan on the sideline on Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium.

could provide those answers — there have been a couple parents on the team who have come up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much for helping my son get through the first weeks of camp … if it weren’t for you he would’ve really struggled with it.’ That really meant a lot to me.”

Ultimately, Riney said his family is to thank for all the memories and experiences he has gained during his four years of playing football at Notre Dame, and knows he will always cherish uniting these two significant aspects of his life “Obviously I’ve grown so much as a person since I’ve gotten here,

but luckily my family has been able to come up to a lot of games, and I think sharing this experience with my family … before the game, after the game … it’s so cool,” Riney said. “Those little pieces are going to stick with me forever, every time I see it, it’ll remind me of a game I played in, and the nine years of my life that I spent dedicated to becoming an athlete. A lot of memories, a lot of life lessons, a lot of growth, but I think the memories I shared with my family by far will be the best.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

trevor ruhland | ol | cary, illinois

Ruhland maintains perspective as a starter

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

Senior offensive lineman Trevor Ruhland jogs onto the field during Notre Dame’s 56-27 road win over Wake Forest on Sept. 22.

By ELLEN GEYER Sports Writer

Even though he wasn’t born and bred Notre Dame, four years has been enough to make Trevor Ruhland’s blood run blue and gold.

Ruhland, a senior offensive lineman who has become a valuable piece this season, has proven himself as a leader both on and off the field. With the injury of captain, veteran guard and fellow lineman Alex Bars, Ruhland has had the

opportunity to show Irish fans what he’s made of.

“This is what I’ve been preparing for for four years, so I’ve been ready for it … it hurts losing Alex. It still hurts not seeing him out there. He’s one of my best friends, but someone had to step up and take his spot. I’m glad I was able to do that,” Ruhland said.

Ruhland, who has previously played as both a scout player and reserve lineman, made his first collegiate start this year against Wake Forest at left guard. Notre

Dame went on to rout the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem with a stellar offensive performance, the final score reading 56-27.

Ruhland has since started in three games, all of which have been Irish wins.

But this newfound playing time hasn’t really changed Ruhland’s presence on the team outside of football, despite its implications on the field. A leader among his peers, Ruhland continues to hold both himself and his teammates to a high standard.

“I have a good voice in the locker room. I wouldn’t say that’s changed too much, but my role as a football player has changed. I’m counted on more,” he said.

And Ruhland has certainly proven himself to be up to the challenge.

Ruhland has also proven himself dedicated in the classroom.

As a Management Consulting major in the Mendoza College of Business, his commitment to his education is another reason why he chose Notre Dame.

A native of Cary, Illinois, Ruhland says that the proximity of South Bend to home, paired with the academic and athletic excellence that the University offers, made it the perfect fit for him. Like so many others, coming to campus was enough to assure him the he was meant to be

Irish.

“Once I came here and visited I fell in love with the campus and the people, and it was really the people that made me come here,” Ruhland said.

And it will be the people, too, which Ruhland will miss most after his time at Notre Dame has come to a close, as his teammates have become both his support system and his best friends.

“I don’t know how I’m going to deal without the locker room,” Ruhland said. “Those guys mean everything to me and not being around them every day, as much as they drive me crazy and I’m sure I drive them crazy, it’s going to be tough to leave them.”

And always quick to humble himself, Ruhland credits these same teammates for his success.

“I wouldn’t be here without Sam Mustipher, number 53, my best friend, my center.

Make sure that’s included,” he chuckled.

Luckily for Ruhland, the bonds made at Notre Dame are ones that stands for life. And eight semesters later, he is still happy with his college decision.

“I love it here,” he adds with a grin that only someone who knows Notre Dame can understand. “This campus is the best.”

But it’s not just the football that makes Ruhland proud to be

Irish.

“I love the student life here. I was in Siegfried Hall — shout out to the Ramblers. Some of those guys are still some of my best friends here and that’s always been good, having a supportive group of people that are outside of football,” he said.

Ruhland has found that the Notre Dame community as a whole has embraced him as well, particularly in his role as a student athlete.

“When you start winning, everybody gets behind you and supports you even more and it’s great.”

As the Irish have recorded their first 8-0 start since 2012, Ruhland and his teammates have certainly given Notre Dame fans something to cheer about. The senior isn’t entirely sure what the future will hold after his graduation. With a business degree, Ruhland has the potential to enter the workforce directly. But looking in another direction, he also has a year of eligibility remaining that could land him back on campus next fall, should he so desire.

Regardless, Ruhland knows the bonds he has formed with the University and those who attend it will not soon be forgotten.

“I’ll be back here.”

Contact Ellen Geyer at egeyer1@nd.edu

devyn spruell | lb | warren, new jersey

Spruell evolves into renaissance man for ND

By MIA BERRY Sports Writer

W hen Dev yn Spruell arrived on Notre Dame’s campus in the summer of 2015 to play football for the Irish, he continued a legacy of high standards and excellence that his father Byron started 30 years earlier.

Byron Spruell — current NBA President of League Operations — was a team captain and offensive lineman for the 1987 Notre Dame football team under thenhead coach Lou Holtz. The elder Spruell has experienced success both on and off the field, but hasn’t put any pressure on his son to follow in his footsteps and has offered him advice along the way.

“My dad was always supportive of whatever I wanted to do. It was my choice to come here and play football versus playing basketball,” Spruell said. “He told me to work hard and stay in the books.”

At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Spruell came to the Notre Dame football program having been all over the field at Watchtung Hills High

School, where he recorded 214 career tackles (10 for loss), five sacks, five passes defended, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

He also played on offense, collecting 21 career receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns.

Spruell, now a four-year member of the Notre Dame scout team, successfully translated his utility-man skills to the Irish practice field as he plays a variety of positions, including linebacker, to prepare the football team for their weekly games.

“I started off just giving some guys a little rest, but now I’m more of a leader,” Spruell said. “Coach Kelly puts me every where, mainly whereever he needs the focus of the week to be on. [I help] the O-line a lot. Helping them to be better and perform at the highest level.”

Throughout his four years on the team, Spruell has enjoyed his time with his teammates and learned the value of friendship, he said.

“Always keep your friends close,” Spruell said. “When

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Senior linebacker Devyn Spruell high-fives fans as he walks out of the tunnel on Sept. 29 before Notre Dame’s 38-17 win over Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium. Spruell is the son of a former Irish captain.

stuff goes wrong in your life, they’re always there for you to help pick you up. I’ve [become] friends with a lot of people on the team, so I always make sure that if I’m down I can go hang out with them and cheer up.”

Spruell said he now keeps his primary goals down-toEarth after learning from his time at Notre Dame. “[I want to] graduate and get a good job,” he said with a laugh. “When I first got here my goal was to find a way on the field, and I’m still working

on that, but other than that, I wanted to make sure I graduated with my degree and find my path in life.”

Spruell is on track to graduate this spring with a degree in business analytics, and has only one regret from throughout his time here at Notre Dame.

“I probably should’ve studied more,” he said.

As Spruell’s career with the Irish winds down, he leaves some advice to the underclassmen on the football

team.

“Make sure you use your resources, whether academic or football,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to ask any questions, whether it’s to coaches or older players or even players in your own class. Everyone has their own experiences that you can learn from. The more questions you ask, the better off you will be and the more experience you will have.”

Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

29

jimmy thompson | lb | hinsdale, illinois

Linebackers define Thompson’s experience

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

Jimmy Thompson’s Notre Dame story started at a young age. The 6-foot, 217-pound senior linebacker from Hinsdale, Illinois, was set on the Irish from the moment he stepped into Notre Dame Stadium, and since then has never stopped pursuing the chance to run out onto that field.

“I was always a huge Notre Dame fan growing up. I’m from the Chicago suburbs, I had some family that were Notre Dame fans and alums, but my parents are actually Michigan State grads, so we grew up going to the Michigan State-Notre Dame games here, and being that stubborn kid I’d cheer for Notre Dame,” Thompson said. “So growing up I was a Notre Dame fan, realized as I grew up that it’s a great school and a really special place with obviously a really good football program … it was a no brainer to come here and pursue that. No other opportunity was going to compete with this in my

mind.”

Now, in his last season as a football player, Thompson is a member of one of the top teams in the country, and relishes the opportunity to earn even more bragging rights over family members this year while enjoying a special season.

“Senior year’s been awesome, hopefully it continues that way,” Thompson said.

“Beating Michigan was really cool. My brother’s a freshman at Michigan, and I have a lot of family that are also Michigan fans as well, so that was awesome. Being with all the guys is awesome, [especially] our senior class … it’s been fun to ride with those guys and meet some awesome people along the way.”

Many of those awesome people are in his position corps, Thompson said, and he explained how the linebackers inspire one another to be the best version of themselves each and every day.

“I think this is actually the biggest group we’ve had [at linebacker] — we added some more guys to the group

this year,” he said. “It’s a really close group and a group I really trust … they hold themselves to a really high standard … they’re constantly re-setting that standard [of what it means to be a Notre Dame linebacker] and raise the bar every day.”

While the day-to-day grind might get to him once and while, Thompson said the entire experience of being a Notre Dame football player for four years has been a literal dream come true.

“People grow up and have their dreams and say, ‘I want to be an astronaut’ or ‘president,’ and I wanted to be a Notre Dame football player,” he said. “There’s that part of it — that kid in me — that loves that and really relishes being able to have fulfilled my dream.”

Intending to graduate from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in December with a degree in management consulting, Thompson will also earn a minor in history. With plans to either enter the business world or make his way into Paid Advertisement

the coaching arena, the senior linebacker knows that the lessons and experiences he has received from his four years on the team will only serve him well after he leaves Notre Dame.

“Going forward, I’ve met some really great people and been challenged in more ways

than I would’ve ever imagined, which will benefit me the rest of my life,” Thompson said. “I’ll have guys that’ll be around me the rest of my life and experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish senior linebacker Jimmy Thompson takes the field before Notre Dame’s 24-16 win over Ball State at home on Sept. 8.

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Insider Sports

The observer | Friday, November 9, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

recruiting

Irish to host top prospects in final home game

By JOE EVERETT Sports Editor

As Notre Dame aims to wrap up a perfect home record in the 2018 season against Florida State on Saturday and move to 10-0, it simultaneously will have its eye on the future.

With two big-name programs battling under the lights inside Notre Dame stadium, hosts of recruits will flock to South Bend this weekend. Before the start of the year, recruiting analyst for Blue and Gold Illustrated David McKinney said that the Irish would host three big recruiting weekends during the season: Michigan, Stanford and Florida State. He said the matchup has not lost its luster for the recruits coming in, and that Notre Dame will aim to impress a lot of them.

“There are a lot of guys coming in. There are a lot of Notre Dame commits coming in from

the class of 2019,” McKinney said. “J.D. Bertrand is a linebacker from Georgia who’s coming back — he was here earlier in the season and Notre Dame’s been communicating with him a lot. He committed to Georgia about a month or so ago but [the Irish] brought him in for a visit and he’s back for another one, so that’s something to definitely keep an eye on. There’s going to be a lot of 2020 and 2021 guys, probably more than 40 — there’s going to be a lot, I don’t have an exact number, but there is going to be a large group full of talent and it’ll definitely be a big recruiting atmosphere for sure.”

Those recruits will witness the convergence of two teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Seminoles (45, 2-5 ACC) are in the midst of a down year under first-year head coach Willie Taggart, and have many questioning what the

trajectory and overall prominence of the program will be moving forward. Notre Dame, on the other hand, is currently the No. 3 team in the country.

Yet, according to 247 Sports, the Seminoles still have the No. 10 recruiting class for 2019, while the Irish are just behind at No. 12. Despite the contrast in season records, these are two big-name programs that will continue to battle for recruiting supremacy. For Notre Dame, it has increased significance due to their being in the driver’s seat toward the College Football Playoff.

“I think now every game has recruiting significance tied to it because every game they win is a game closer to them getting to the playoffs,” McKinney said.

“If you have a playoff run you’re going to pick up some steam on recruiting, whether it be in this class or the next class, but yes this game [definitely] has

relevance.”

In terms of who the Irish are specifically targeting this weekend, McKinney laid out four individuals that could round out the class of 2019.

“I think there are probably two to three sports left in the 2019 class,” he said. “Isaiah Foskey, a defensive end, is a guy they really want. Asa Turner is a Washington commit and another guy [Notre Dame is trying to recruit]. Enokk Vimahi is an offensive lineman who they’re talking to, J.D. Bertrand is coming out for a second visit, so there aren’t that many spots left and those are the guys still left on the board.

“For 2020, there’s [just] a subset of the class as a whole right now. It’s probably a little early to figure out where they’re at with that [class]. They’re going to finish out the 2019 class and then hit the offseason, where maybe who have some guys transfer or

leave who are currently on the roster, so we’ll figure that out, but they’re definitely recruiting heavily in 2020 right now.”

The Irish will look to essentially wrap up their recruitment of the class of 2019 by mid-December, when the early signing period opens. McKinney stressed that the early signing period is a critical one for head coach Brian Kelly and the entire Notre Dame staff.

“I’m expecting everybody that’s committed at that point to sign early because that’s how Brian Kelly likes to do it,” McKinney said. “Like they did last year — if you don’t sign early, they don’t consider you committed — they’re going to encourage everybody to sign early and they expect everybody to sign during that early period.”

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

ND receiving corps’ size proves a threat

By CONNOR MULVENA Associate Sports Editor

At this point in the season it’s crystal clear that Notre Dame poses quite a few very real threats to any team in the nation: a highly skilled offensive line, a supremely precise passing attack and a deep defensive line with a fantastic scheme behind them. But there is one threat the Irish pose on the passing front that simply can’t be taught: physicality.

Any defensive back field preparing to face Notre Dame will simply have to accept mismatches at the hands of a receiving corps of tight ends and wide outs that are not only long but strong. On paper, Notre Dame’s receiving weapons are scary for any defense.

Sophomore tight end Cole Kmet: 6-foot-6, 258 lbs.

Graduate student tight end Nic Weishar: 6-foot-5, 246 lbs.

Senior tight end Alize Mack: 6-foot-5, 247 lbs.

Sophomore tight end Brock Wright: 6-foot-5, 260 lbs.

Senior wide receiver Miles Boykin: 6-foot-4, 228 lbs.

Junior wide receiver Chase Claypool: 6-foot-4, 227 lbs.

And of course, there’s senior wide receiver Chris Finke who, coming in at only 5’10 180 lbs., has sured up his blocking game to pose a significant and unexpected threat to any defense in the nation.

For cornerbacks, defensive ends, and defensive coordinators around the nation, there’s simply not much you can do to prepare for the size of the Irish.

On October 8th, ahead of Notre Dame’s home matchup against Pittsburgh, Pitt head coach Pat

Narduzzi said the following of Notre Dame’s passing unit: “Their receivers are big. I can’t tell the difference between their tight ends and the receivers. I think our guys are going to get confused. They put them all in 80 numbers and you can’t tell.

They’re all big. They’re all fast, and we’ll have our hands full when we get out there…”

You don’t see many coaches readily admit that their players will be confused and mismatched prior to a matchup, but there’s just not much you can say about this Notre Dame receiving corps.

But of course, the size and stature of these men would mean nothing if they couldn’t put it to use, but the Irish have certainly used physicality to their advantage on the passing front this year, and it shows in the statistics and in the team’s own pride in and emphasis on their physicality.

Miles Boykin emphasized the importance of physicality for the receivers on the blocking side of the game, which has opened up new paths for production not only for the wide outs but also for receiving back slike sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong who has tallied 151 receiving yards on 12 receptions thus far.

“I think that [physicality] comes a lot in the blocking game,” Boykin said. “We’ve been doing a great job of blocking on the perimeter as receivers. One of our goals is to be the most physical receiving corps in the country, you know, and I think we’re stepping in the right direction everyday. You even see [Chris] Finke out there blocking his tail off, and it’s awesome

to watch. Finke’s giving 50, 50 pounds up to guys sometimes, and he’s still making those blocks down field. You know, that gives us a lot of pride in this receiving corps and how tough we are and what we strive to be.”

“You’ve got to worry about two things with us. You know, we’re not just catching the ball, we’re also, we’re going to hit you.

We’re going to block you up and down the field, and we’re going to do everything in our power to affect the game.”

And against Florida State this weekend, such physicality on the blocking side will be useful once again this season, because, although the Seminoles haven’t put up a great resume this season, a top tier program like that always has supreme athletes.

“They have tremendous athletes on their team, as they always do,” Chris Finke said. “So, they have a lot of skill when they’re playing the game. And we just know that we have to match that skill but also apply our traits that we work on everyday to overcome that.”

Finke went on to similarly emphasize the importance of physicality for the passing unit, and he expressed the importance he places on blocking in his own game despite his smaller stature in comparison to his teammates.

“I think [physicality] is really important, and it’s something we’ve been emphasizing in the receiver room, not only in yards after catch, but something I’ve always tried to improve on is my blocking. And I think last year, and even the coaches would say it, I might have been a little bit of a liability in the

blocking game, but I think this year I’ve been holding my own pretty well. And I’ve been trying to put my physicality on defenders even though I’m undersized compared to them.

And like you said, yards after catch too, not being afraid to lower the shoulder for you to pass the cornerback or safety,” Finke said. “[Our physicality] just keeps the secondary on their toes a little bit if every time you’re running out there you’re going to hit them and all then all of the sudden you’re running a route and their bracing for the hit. Just kind of having that in

the back of their mind that they know every time they’re coming across the line of scrimmage we’re trying to hit them.”

For the Irish, hard work and adjustments established in practice have been important for their development this season. They’ve gone from an offense with a number of doubts surrounding it, to one of the most feared passing units in the league. But amidst all of that hard work, Notre Dame ought to be thankful for the gift of physicality.

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu

ANNIE SMIERCIAK | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Miles Boykin catches a touchdown pass during Notre Dame’s 19-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 13 at home.

Sports insider

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, november 9, 2018 | The Observer

Taggart coy on quarterbacks before ND

By ELIZABETH GREASON Assistant Managing Editor

Florida State is a program that has a long history of winning. It’s a program with a history with Notre Dame that goes back decades. But, this season, its record of greatness has been overshadowed by its issues.

The Seminoles (4-5, 2-5 ACC) have struggled to collect wins this season, instead accumulating a wide variety of blowout losses, the opposite of Notre Dame’s (9-0) season.

While they have shown flashes of progress over the course of the season, their losing record has been a source of raised eyebrows for many.

Seminoles head coach Willie Taggart handed play calling duties over to his offensive coordinator Walt Bell for Florida State’s most recent game against North Carolina State, and despite not getting the win, Taggart said Monday he thinks Bell will continue to be the signal caller going forward.

“I thought Walt did a good job of calling plays and I’m sure there’s some plays like every play caller that’s always some plays you would like to take back, but I thought he did well,” he said. “I know for myself, being able to see the game a little better and also interject and help out along the way I thought that helped us on the offensive side of the ball.

So, I thought our first game from that standpoint, obviously, we didn’t get the win, but I thought him doing that was good and

it allowed me to see and be a part of other things within our program.”

Currently, the most pressing question at hand for the Seminoles is which one of their two quarterbacks will be starting Saturday. After redshirt junior Deondre Francois got the start for the majority of the season, he was benched last week in favor of sophomore James Blackman, who passed for 421 yards. However, despite Blackman’s strong start against the Wolfpack, Taggart would not commit to naming a starter for the matchup against the Irish.

“We’ll see. We’ll see on Saturday. We’ll see on Saturday,” Taggart said. “We got to go through the week and see how Deondre is doing and see how these guys are practicing throughout the week and we’ll see on Saturday. We’ll make that decision later in the week.”

However, even though Taggart did not name him the starter for the coming week, he was pleased with his performance last weekend.

“I thought James did well. I told you all at the beginning of the week I had no doubt that James would do a good job when he went in there. Same thing with James, I’m sure there were some plays that he would love to take back,” he said. “He’s such a great competitor and I thought he did a good job of distributing the ball to a lot of different teammates and again he was I thought he did a good job and I thought some of the things we

did in helping from a protection standpoint and keeping the back in helped tremendously for him to get those balls off at times.”

When discussing his squad’s preparation for the coming week, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly noted both Blackman and Francois can pass the ball well. But what he was most impressed by was the progress the Seminoles have made over the course of the season, considering where they started, when, he said, they “weren’t in games.”

“They weren’t in some games early on. They were literally not in games,” he said. “So that improvement has put them now in a position where if their talent, right and their ability to eliminate some mistakes and penalties, now they’re back into some football games.”

That improvement, he said, has stemmed most directly from the Seminoles’ offense, but he did note their defense struggled to hold the Wolfpack last week.

“I think offensively primarily, their structure. I thought they were really efficient,” Kelly said. “They threw for 421 yards last week against North Carolina State. They had a hard time slowing them down, North Carolina State. Didn’t get enough possessions. But very easily, if they can make a couple of plays defensively, that’s a different game.”

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong looks downfield as he cuts between defenders during Notre Dame’s 44-22 win over Navy on Oct. 27. Armstrong rushed for 52 yards and one touchdwon.

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commentary

Wimbush deserves proper sendoff Charlotte Edmonds Associate Sports Editor

This wasn’t the way Brandon Wimbush’s senior season was supposed to go.

He was supposed to be “the guy,” manning the ship of a playoff-contending Notre Dame team. After coming up short of qualifying for the College Football Playoff last year, this was supposed to be his time to cement his status within Notre Dame lore. The season started on track as Wimbush shredded the vaunted Michigan defense in the first half on the way to what is still the most impressive Irish win of the season.

Two close wins over Ball State and Vanderbilt brought that whole narrative into question.

Wimbush struggled to identify open receivers, and when he found them did not consistently place the ball where receivers could easily turn catches into big yardage plays. Junior Ian Book capitalized on his opportunity to start at Wake Forest and has not relinquished the reins since.

He has been an efficient game manager and made a claim for offensive MVP. I was not in favor of benching Wimbush. I didn’t feel like he had performed poorly enough to lose his job, and frankly I had grown tired of seeing Notre Dame quarterbacks fade after promising starts (see Golson, Zaire and Kizer). I’ve come around to Book.

He’s proven game-in and gameout that he’s the guy for the job, the best fit for offensive coordinator Chip Long’s system. He’s been critical down the stretch on the playoff run, providing the perfect combination of creativity and accuracy for this offense to thrive.

In the wake of Book-mania, Wimbush has slowly slipped from the spotlight. Now, with likely his last game in Notre Dame Stadium around the corner, Wimbush’s impact on this program is resurfacing, having contributed to this team both on and especially off the field, and he’ll hopefully receive the true send-off he deserves as he returns to the starting lineup on Saturday.

Just a year ago, Wimbush inherited a team that was reeling from a 4-8 season and looked in disarray. With only two games of collegiate experience under his belt, he stepped up and built a program that climbed all the way up to third in the college football rankings — the same accomplishment Book has achieved this season. Of course, that all came crashing down when the Irish travelled South to take on resurgent Miami. In many ways, that was the beginning of the end for Wimbush, who faced doubters from that

point on. However, it’s important to point out that Wimbush wasn’t isolated in his struggles against the Hurricanes. Book fell victim to the turnover chain, throwing a pick six in just six passing attempts, and the Miami offense marched all over former defensive coordinator Mike Elko and his crew, scoring 41 points with ease.

In spite of the arguably unfair criticism Wimbush has faced, he’s risen above it all, serving as a rare example of true sportsmanship. It’d be easy for him to become a divisive, resentful figure among this team. Rather, he’s demonstrated the true qualities of a leader, not allowing his situation to determine his attitude or investment in the team. Brian Kelly recently praised Wimbush for being the first one to meet with Book during halftime to offer advice and talk him through the game. Few athletes would be willing to humble themselves in the same way Wimbush has. As I watched Andrew Gillum’s inspiring concession speech Tuesday following his close bid for the Florida governorship, I thought of Wimbush. Gillum said in defeat, “it’s not about me. It’s about all of us. It’s about the collective.”

For Wimbush, this season could have been about “me,” but he has made it about the team.

As the Irish take on Florida State this Saturday and wrap up their final home appearance of this (so far) charmed season, I’m excited by the opportunity to see Wimbush return to the fold in the blue and gold.

When Wimbush is introduced I will be cheering loudly for he and for his mother Heather. She should be very proud of her son.

He will graduate from Notre Dame with a degree in accounting and will have excellent opportunities in the future. He will have made plays on the field to lead his team to contend for a national championship. Most importantly, when faced with adversity he stood strong and showed the kind of leadership that brings a team together and allows it to reach higher goals.

Regardless of where he lands next year, his contributions should not be lost but rather highlighted in the midst of this undefeated streak.

Like it or not, because of its visibility the Notre Dame football program has a profound impact on the University’s image as a whole. Players like Brandon Wimbush reflect well on all of us.

This Saturday is the chance for Irish fans to repay the favor.

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu The opinions in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.