Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 113 SPECIALISTS POSITION COACH Brian Polian enters his third year as Notre Dame's special teams coordinator in what is his second stint with the Irish. The 22-year coaching veteran previously served under head coach Charlie Weis from 2005-09, guiding the special teams, and helping with defensive backs and linebackers. Polian's special teams unit performed exception- ally well in 2018. Kickers Justin Yoon and Jonathan Doerer combined to convert 18 of 22 field goals, with only one miss from inside 40 yards (12 of 13). The pair also combined for 82 total kickoffs with an average of 59.2 yards and 33 touchbacks. In addi- tion, punter Tyler Newsome set a new career high with an average of 44.7 yards per attempt. As a unit, Notre Dame finished 51st in kickoff returns (21.23-yard average), 56th in punt returns (9.8), 62nd in punt return defense (8.3) and 108th in kickoff return defense (23.1). In 2017, Polian oversaw a reliable kicking game. A year after allowing five touchdowns on special teams, the Irish surrendered only one score (off a blocked punt in the 35-14 win over North Carolina State). Notre Dame also finished 64th in net punt- ing (37.88 yards per attempt), 82nd in punt return defense (8.41), 83rd in punt returns (6.24), 84th in kickoff returns (20.34) and 91st in kickoff return defense (22.56). Polian spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Nevada (2013-16). He led the Wolf Pack to a 23-27 record, and guided the program to bowl games in 2014 and 2015. Nevada notched a 49-38 win over Colorado State in the 2015 Arizona Bowl for just the fifth postseason victory in school history. Prior to taking over at Nevada, Polian spent the 2012 campaign as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for an 11-2 Texas A&M squad. He also helped Stanford notch a pair of BCS bowl appearances in 2010 and 2011 while serving as the special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and safeties coach. The Cardinal put together two of the top recruiting classes in school history those two years. In his first go-around at Notre Dame, Polian helped the Irish go to two BCS bowl games (2005 and 2006) and was recognized as one of the top recruiters in the nation. Polian — whose father, Bill Polian, is an NFL Hall of Fame executive — also made coaching stops at Cen- tral Florida (2004), Buffalo (1998, 2001-03), Baylor (1999-2000) and Michigan State (1997). A former linebacker at John Carroll University (1993-96), Polian has a bachelor's degree in history from John Carroll and received his master's in educa- tion from Baylor in 2000. RETURNING PLAYERS JONATHAN DOERER • K Jr. • Charlotte, N.C. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 200 • Played in 10 games in 2018, kicking off 56 times with 25 touchbacks and converting his lone field goal attempt of the season (30 yards). • Appeared in seven games as a kickoff specialist in 2017, av- eraging 61.2 yards on kickoffs with nine touchbacks. • Made 9 of 16 field goal at- tempts during his senior sea- son at South Mecklenburg High School and registered a touch- back on 92 percent of his kickoffs. • Named to the South Meck 8 All-Conference team after his sophomore, junior and senior years. • Ranked by Kohl's Kicking as the No. 11 kicker in the nation, and tabbed as the No. 6 kicker in the country by Scout coming out of high school. JOHN SHANNON • LS Sr. • Lake Forest, Ill. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 238 • Handled the long snapping du- ties in every game during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. • Finished the 2018 season with two tackles, one against Ball State and the other against Stanford. • Redshirted during his first season in South Bend. • Rated by 247Sports as the top long snapper in the nation, and was listed No. 5 by ESPN. • Excelled at the Rubio Long Snapping Camp, where his ball speed for 15 yards measured at 0.59 sec- onds, which is faster than the college benchmark of 0.75. NEWCOMER JAY BRAMBLETT • P Fr. • Tuscaloosa, Ala. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 189 • Served as Hillcrest High School's starting quarter- back and punter during the last two seasons of his prep career. • Punted 41 times in his senior season and aver- aged 45.1 yards per punt. • Completed 178 of 260 throws for 2,341 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions as a senior. • Tabbed as the West Alabama 6A/7A Player of the Year, 6A All-State selection and Alabama Super All-State in 2018. • Invited to take part in the 2019 All-American Bowl. • As a junior, punted 56 times and averaged 39.0 yards per attempt with 25 downed inside the 20-yard line. • Regarded by Rivals as a three-star recruit and the No. 5 punter in his class. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 113 800-421-7751 www.BlueGoldOnline.com BLUE AND GOLD ILLUSTRATED PO BOX 2331 • DURHAM, NC 27702 Please add sales tax if shipping to: IN (7%), MI (6%), and NC (7.5%) Quality Westbridge Leather Duffels with Hand-Embossed Logo Available in two sizes! 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