Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Lewis-Moore, although incoming freshman Eddie Vanderdoes also is expected to become a factor. 3. Elijah Shumate and 4. Austin Collinsworth ��� Although Zeke Motta had a poor NFL Combine, he was a terrific leader, fierce hitter and productive force on the back end of the inexperienced 2012 secondary. This tandem will be needed to fill that void. Shumate had a proclivity to be around the ball as a freshman nickel back last season and has the corner/safety hybrid skills to become a bigger factor in 2013. Collinsworth, a rising senior who was Notre Dame���s 2011 Special Teams Player of the Year, was in line for major minutes before shoulder and back surgeries sidelined him. 5. Ishaq Williams/Backup OLBs ��� Five-star high school ratings can be both a blessing and a burden, and Williams has experienced both while not starting a game on defense his first two seasons at Notre Dame. It���s unlikely he���ll supplant senior-to-be Prince Shembo at the Cat position this year. Another veteran, Danny Spond, has been a strong fit at the Dog position. For players like the 6-5 Williams, 6���5 Ben Councell and 6-4 freshman Romeo Okwara, it���s about continuing to develop en route to finding their niche, whether it will be at outside linebacker or elsewhere. At worst, they can provide the quality depth that the SEC powers usually have on defense. Starting Data What defines a ���starter��� in football can sometimes be ambiguous. Wide receiver Chris Brown actually had four ���starts��� as a freshman last year, but he often came out by the second play and seldom saw action afterward. Conversely, rising junior DaVaris Daniels had only three starts, but played a lot more than Brown, catching 31 passes compared to Brown���s two. Here are all the career starts, from top to bottom, among players on the 2013 roster, with the number of 2012 starts in parentheses: Offense Defense Career Starts Career Starts Player (2012 Starts) Player (2012 Starts) LT Zack Martin 39 (13) DT Louis Nix III 22 (11) WR TJ Jones ILB Dan Fox 30 (11) 22 (9) LG Chris Watt 26 (13) OLB Prince Shembo 21 (13) QB Tommy Rees 18 (2) DE Stephon Tuitt 16 (13) RT Christian Lombard 13 (13) ILB Carlo Calabrese 13 (5) QB Everett Golson 11 (11) CB Bennett Jackson 13 (13) TE Troy Niklas 8 (7) CB KeiVarae Russell 13 (13) 4 (4) 11 (11) WR Daniel Smith OLB Danny Spond WR Chris Brown 4 (4) S Matthias Farley 11 (11) WR DaVaris Daniels 3 (3) DT Kona Schwenke 2 (2) RB George Atkinson III 3 (3) TE Ben Koyack 1(1)