Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI C hances are the 2018 Notre Dame team will set a school record for the most freshmen ever to play in a season. That's because this June 13 the NCAA announced that Division I football players are now permitted to play up to four games — whether it is the first four games or last four (including a bowl) and anything in between — while still preserving a redshirt year and not losing a poten‑ tial fifth season of eligibility. "I told them, 'Our intentions are to play you all if you're physically and mentally prepared to play,'" Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said June 20 in an interview with Blue & Gold Illustrated for the 2018 Foot- ball Preview, regarding his speech to the freshmen prior to them begin‑ ning summer school at Notre Dame June 16. NOVEMBER REINFORCEMENTS In the five seasons from 2013‑17, Notre Dame is 9‑12 in November. That mark includes 41‑8 and 38‑20 losses last year at Miami and Stan‑ ford, respectively, when Kelly later indicated his team was running on fumes, even though in October he had proclaimed that the 2017 edition was "built for November." This year, Notre Dame plays four of its last five games on the road, including two trips to California, so reinforcements in November, spe‑ cifically from the freshmen, will be looked at more closely rather than just automatically redshirting them. "We'll plan out certain games as being those target games," Kelly said of playing freshmen this year. "No‑ vember is a big month for us. We've not played well in November, and we think this rule can really help — especially in the special teams area where we can get some fresh legs and really excited guys to play later in the year. "I think at first we'll target some individuals on some games, but as a group look for this [freshman class] to really add some depth to our No‑ vember schedule." Like UMass in 2015 (62‑24), Ne‑ vada in 2016 (39‑10) and Miami (Ohio) last season (52‑17), the Sept. 8 game versus Ball State (2‑10 last year) is designated as this year 's "roster game," which is defined as everyone on the roster getting into the contest. A decision has to be made there on whether to use that game as one of the four where freshmen will be inserted, or to wait later in the season to allot the four games for the home stretch without losing a fifth season of eligibility. On the other side of the coin, if there is a commitment to play a cer‑ tain freshman the entire season, be it on special teams or in the rotation on offense or defense, that early game against Ball State won't matter. "The thought in my mind is play all your freshmen if you can play them," said Kelly, who on average has played 33 to 50 percent of his freshman class at Notre Dame over his first eight seasons. "Giving them an opportunity to play in a real game situation, you can't duplicate that." THE FIFTH-YEAR ISSUE From a practicality standpoint, Kelly said that with the exception of offensive linemen, it doesn't really make much sense to redshirt any of the other positions anymore for at least two reasons. One, if the athlete recruited fulfills his potential, he won't need to stay a fifth year, especially at a skill posi‑ tion. In fact, the greater concern is whether he will even stay for a fourth — i.e. quarterback DeShone Kizer, running back Josh Adams and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown the past two years. Two, even if they are redshirted and opt to return for a fifth season, there is no guarantee they will start for your team — prompting them to use their fifth season as a gradu‑ ate transfer at another school where they believe they might have a bet‑ ter chance to showcase their skills. Examples of that this spring include wide receiver/return man C.J. Sand‑ ers (SMU), defensive end Jay Hayes (Georgia) and cornerback Nick Wat‑ kins (Houston). This has been especially true at quarterback with Andrew Hendrix (Miami [Ohio]), Everett Golson (Flor‑ ida State) and Malik Zaire (Florida). Other than Tommy Rees in Kel‑ ly's first season back in 2010, every quarterback recruit in his first eight seasons with the Irish has been red‑ shirted. Phil Jurkovec likely would have been on that plan this year as well, but not with the new rule. "I'd love to get Phil Jurkovec some playing time this year — unless he UNDER THE DOME EARLY RISERS New NCAA rule on redshirting opens up opportunities for freshmen to play Early enrollee linebacker Jack Lamb is part of a freshman class that will have an opportunity to help the Irish avoid another rough November. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN