Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 159 four-game suspension to start 2018 — but Williams became just as valuable as Book to provide oomph to the 2018 offense with his 995 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns to make himself a sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. Wide Receivers Will Fuller (2013, Penn State) and TJ Jones (2010, Stanford) Fuller's game-breaking speed and supe- rior ball skills made him the 2015 MVP on a team that started 10-1, and a first-round selection in the NFL Draft after his junior season. His 144 career catches averaged 17.4 yards (20.3 as a junior), and his 30 touch- down receptions are second in school history to Michael Floyd's 37. Jones, son of the late 1987-90 Notre Dame outside linebacker Andre Jones, was an early enrollee who was a crucial get one month into the Kelly era. Relatively quietly and efficiently, his 181 career catches are sec- ond on the all-time chart to Floyd's 271, and they accounted for 2,429 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was named the 2013 MVP. Tight Ends Alizé Mack (2015, UCLA) and Durham Smythe (2013, Texas) It's apropos at Tight End U. to have a two- tight-end set. Mack had a checkered college career, but still finished with 68 catches for 716 yards and four touchdowns despite miss- ing one season because of academic ineli- gibility. He was a seventh-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Draft this spring. Texas native Smythe's 28 catches averaged 13.6 yards and included six scores, and his blocking prowess made him a fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, where he caught six passes for 50 yards as a 2018 rookie. Offensive Line Nick Martin (2011, Kentucky), Jarron Jones (2012, Penn State), Kona Schwenke (2010, BYU), Luke Jones (2018, Arkan- sas) and Jarrett Patterson (2018, Arizona State) We had to take the most liberties with this position by moving a couple of defensive linemen here, plus someone who transferred anyway. Offensive linemen are usually the earliest commits in football recruiting and seldom are deterred. They are generally the model of stability, as described by 1986-96 Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz early in his career. "They're the kind of people who know exactly what classes they will take two se- mesters from now, they tend to marry at a younger age than the average player, and very rarely will you read in a newspaper about an offensive lineman stealing a motor- cycle or car like you would about a defensive lineman or player who tends to be more wild," Holtz said. Both Jarron Jones and the late Schwenke, who passed away in April 2018, were de- fensive linemen at Notre Dame — but their NFL tryouts were or have been on offense. Jones was on offense with the 2018 Tampa Bay Bucs practice squad through most of October before latching on later at Detroit. Martin joined older brother Zack at Notre Dame once the Irish showed interest later in the recruiting process, and he developed into a second-round pick at center. Luke Jones and Patterson were redshirted in 2018 as center and tackle prospects, re- spectively. However, it was Patterson who took on the starting role this spring at center to replace three-year starter Sam Mustipher. It is uncertain whether that move had any influence on Luke Jones opting to transfer back to his in-state Razorbacks. Defensive Line Khalid Kareem (2016, Alabama), Ade Ogundeji (2016, Western Michigan), Ste- phon Tuitt (2011, Georgia Tech) and Louis Nix III (2010, Miami) Classmates and Michigan natives Kareem and Ogundeji were poles apart in who they had originally pledged to, but both saw their talents either flourish or come more to the forefront at end in 2018. Kareem could be one of the nation's top strongside ends in 2019, and with two more years of eligibility, Ogundeji has a chance to develop into an NFL prospect as well. There is no greater coup in Notre Dame recruiting than luring a top player away from southern territory and an in-state school, and the Irish did both in 2010 with Florida native Nick Martin joined older brother Zack at Notre Dame and developed into a second-round pick at center after originally pledging to Kentucky in 2011. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA