Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL N otre Dame's 2017 recruiting class had its fair share of ups and downs during its first two years in South Bend, but is poised to make a major impact in 2019. The Fighting Irish went 4-8 during the season in which the 2017 class was put together, and the uncertainty that surrounded head coach Brian Kelly and his staff due to the on-field struggles resulted in the loss of six commitments. At least three of those six players will be starters elsewhere in 2019, including preseason All- American cornerback Paulson Adebo of Stanford. However, the recruits who chose to overlook the 4-8 season and stay with Notre Dame have been part of a stretch that has seen the Irish win 22 of their last 26 contests. Despite some personnel losses, which includes two transfers and two medical hardships, the 2017 class should have a major say in whether the Irish make it back to the College Football Playoff this fall. LATE ADDITIONS POISED TO THRIVE After the disappointing 2016 cam- paign, Kelly hired a new offensive co- ordinator (Chip Long), a new defen- sive coordinator (Mike Elko), a new linebackers coach (Clark Lea), a new wide receivers coach (DelVaughn Alexander) and a new recruiting coordinator (Brian Polian). In addi- tion, Mike Elston was moved from linebackers — where he coached in 2015-16 — back to the defensive line. The staff shake-up resulted in Notre Dame extending new offers and adding six unexpected players to the class in the days leading up to and on National Signing Day. Late additions don't often pan out, but that particular group is primed to make significant impact in 2019. Jafar Armstrong was recruited to Notre Dame to play wide receiver, where he dominated as a prep player for Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Bishop Miege. Injuries and the trans- fer of 2017 running back signee C.J. Holmes forced Armstrong to play a hybrid running back/wide receiver role during his first spring, and he excelled at it. Armstrong rushed for 383 yards (5.3 yards per carry), caught 14 passes for 159 yards and scored seven touchdowns in his first season play- ing running back. Now in his second year at the position, he is expected to take the lead role and sources inside the program believe he could be a breakout player for the Irish this fall. Defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa- Amosa picked Notre Dame on Na- tional Signing Day, and he earned a spot in the rotation as a true freshman. Despite missing all but two games last season due to injury, a healthy Tago- vailoa-Amosa will be a vital figure up front for the defense this year. Notre Dame flipped Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from Virginia, but the young defender redshirted as a true freshman and missed all but one game a season ago because of a foot injury. Now healthy, Owusu- Koramoah — one of the team's most athletic players — is poised to take over the starting role at rover. The Irish did not get the production they needed from the rover position last fall, and the hope is that Owusu- Koramoah's athleticism, coverage ability and blitzing skills will add more impact plays to the position. Jordan Genmark Heath was an- other late addition to the class, and he signed with Notre Dame as a safety. He has since moved to line- backer, made a start there last season, and will compete for a starting role in August. Notre Dame also flipped place- kicker Jonathan Doerer from Mary- land. After mostly handling kickoff duties the last two seasons, he is in line to take over as the team's kicker this season. He has the unenviable task of trying to replace four-year standout Justin Yoon, who finished his career as the program's all-time leader in scoring. The Irish landed defensive end Kofi Wardlow late as well, but he is buried on the depth chart at the team's most loaded position. STRENGTH UP FRONT One position that was not hindered by the 4-8 campaign was the offen- sive line. Notre Dame landed three players who ranked as Rivals250 re- cruits, and none of them wavered on their pledge to the Irish. The two-deep will be filled with the four signees from that class, and two are expected to start in 2019. Robert Hainsey earned a rotation role at tackle as a true freshman, and he started the final four games of the 2017 season. Hainsey started all 13 games last year, and by the end of the season he was arguably Notre Dame's top blocker. Essentially en- tering his third season as a starter, Hainsey is poised to become an im- pact player and leader. Early on, the Pittsburgh native got by on toughness, athleticism and in- telligence. Now in his third year in the program, his strength is starting to come along as well, and that is the missing link to him emerging as one of the top edge blockers in the country. Classmate Aaron Banks jumped into the starting lineup in late Oc- tober last fall, and his insertion im- proved the ground attack. A massive (6-6, 325) blocker with surprising athleticism for his size, Banks has the tools to become a dominant player in the offense. However, he has had bouts of lost focus during his career and had surgery on an injured foot this sum- mer. There are just enough red flags around Banks to cause some concern, but if he's healthy and engaged he could be outstanding. Pushing Banks at left guard is Joshua Lugg, another highly ranked member of the 2017 class. Lugg could OVERCOMING ADVERSITY After some ups and downs, the junior class is primed to thrive in 2019 Jafar Armstrong, a wide receiver when he signed with the Irish, is poised for a breakout season after accounting for 542 total yards and seven touch- downs in his first year at running back in 2018. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL