Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Quarterback Brendon Clark Filled An Important Need By David McKinney Notre Dame needed a quarterback in the class of 2019. Even with the highly anticipated arrival of four-star Phil Jurkovec and the early commit- ment of Rivals100 2020 product Drew Pyne, the Irish still wanted someone to sandwich in between the two. They got that July 4 when Midlothian (Va.) Manchester three-star signal-caller Brendon Clark made his pledge public. While Clark isn't the sexiest pickup for Notre Dame — Rivals rated him as the No. 23 pro-style passer in the country — he's nonetheless an important one. Nothing is certain in college football, and despite their high ratings coming out of high school, Jurkovec and Pyne aren't guaranteed to be world-beaters when they arrive in South Bend. There were certainly bigger needs in Notre Dame's class that the Irish have addressed in the past few months, but landing a quarterback was something Notre Dame wanted to accomplish before the season started, and the coaching staff fulfilled that goal. Beyond just what he can do on the field, a quarterback is often looked to as the de facto leader of a recruiting class, and Notre Dame got that in Clark. As of July 24, Notre Dame was No. 5 in the Rivals team rankings. While many other needs remain, Clark's commitment was a win for quarterbacks coach Tom Rees, offensive coordinator Chip Long and the rest of the staff. Running Back Kyren Williams Adds Vital Depth By Corey Bodden St. Louis St. John Vianney three-star Kyren Williams — Rivals' No. 34 athlete nationally — certainly wasn't the highest-ranked player to commit to the Irish over the summer, but he plays a position where it was vital for Notre Dame to land a top target. Adding at least one running back to the 2019 class was the goal for the staff. The Irish were able to seal the deal with Williams shortly after his official visit June 15-17. With the dismissals of sophomore Deon McIn- tosh and freshman C.J. Holmes, combined with the impending graduation of senior Dexter Wil- liams following this season, Notre Dame needed to add an impact player at running back, and Williams can be just that. Williams isn't a back who will carry the load with 20-plus touches in a game, but he has the speed, elusiveness and toughness to make up for his lack of ideal size. Plus, he can be used as a receiver out the backfield or split out wide in various packages to create mismatch problems for the defense. Notre Dame had to add an impact talent in the backfield this class, and Williams' versatile skill set should help him produce once he gets to South Bend. Missing out on him could have left the staff scrambling and behind the eight ball trying to lure another player to South Bend. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH COMMITMENT DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE SUMMER WAS THE BIGGEST FOR NOTRE DAME? CLARK WILLIAMS Notre Dame introduced Alison Silverio as the new head coach of the Irish women's tennis pro- gram July 6, following her successful four-year run as the head coach at Oregon. Silverio helped lead the Ducks to their most conference wins in more than a decade during her first season at the helm (2014-15), took the program to its first NCAA appearance in a decade in her third season (2016-17) and notched Oregon's first NCAA Tournament win in 14 years this past campaign. She also brings a wealth of experience as a player. Silverio helped Georgia Tech claim the 2007 NCAA title — clinching the championship with her win at No. 2 singles and winning Tournament MVP honors — and exited the program with the most double wins (98) and second most singles victories (107) in school history. BGI: What made Notre Dame an attractive job for you? Silverio: "It was just the tradi- tion, the history of Notre Dame, the athletic and academic excellence as a university, and it's just an amazing opportunity for a coach or student- athlete that is wanting to propel their career in the right direction. "Ultimately, the people I met during the in- terview process and everyone so far being on campus has been completely welcoming and supportive in everything." BGI: What are you looking to bring from your time at Oregon to help build your program at Notre Dame? Silverio: "I had a wonder- ful experience at Oregon. … I believe the greatest thing I learned there was the belief in the process and the prepara- tion, not only in my coaching, but also in myself and staff and how we ran the program. "Those are going to be two of the biggest areas as we embark on this new journey and lay the foundation for our champion- ship culture." BGI: How do you feel your experience as a player will help you in South Bend? Silverio: "The biggest piece of that is the connection I will be able to make right away with our current student-athletes. … It's been great to spend time with each of the girls, be on the court with them and really make those connections and build those relationships. "My experience at Georgia Tech and having that success as a national champion certainly brings a respect factor and the girls trusting in my abilities as a coach." BGI: What is your recruiting philosophy and what type of recruits are you looking for? Silverio: "The number one thing I'm looking for is character. When we're out on the recruiting trail, we're looking for student-athletes that have the en- tire package. They are full of integrity, first-class and represent not only themselves, but their families. "Secondly, it's their commitment to their aca- demic and athletic excellence. We are really look- ing for that whole package." BGI: What is going to make Notre Dame differ- ent compared to your other coaching stops? Silverio: "Notre Dame brings a superiority in both academics and athletics. Just on the aca- demic side alone, young women in tennis are typically very committed to that. I believe Notre Dame and the rich history they have in the class- room is something that becomes very attractive and gets you into the door with a lot of recruits. "That's exciting because recruiting is certainly a lifeline to your program and the longevity to get the student-athletes who have that character and the commitment to excellence academically and athletically. That by far is one of the main differences to me." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … WOMEN'S TENNIS COACH ALISON SILVERIO Silverio was an NCAA tennis cham- pion at Georgia Tech and is coming off a successful four-year run as the head coach at Oregon. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS