Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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doesn���t automatically mean he will step in as the starter, although he well might. In both 2011 and 2012, Dan Fox (131 career tackles) and Carlo Calabrese (146 career tackles) formed a tag team at the Will position next to Te���o. With both returning for a fifth season in 2013, it���s plausible that one could shift to the Mike to provide a veteran look in the middle. Fox���s work will be limited this spring after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, so the initial look this spring might have Grace at Mike, Calabrese at Will, plus returning starters Danny Spond (Dog) and Prince Shembo (Cat). One way or another, Fox will be an integral figure. ���You���ve got to throw Calabrese and Fox and Grace as the frontrunners to be involved in that inside linebacker position,��� confirmed Kelly. ���[Current junior] Kendall Moore got some experience there as well, and we���ve got a host of young players that want to be included ��� but those three guys lead right now.��� Actually, there are alarmingly few ���young players��� at inside linebacker. Notre Dame signed zero inside linebackers in 2012, and only one (Michael Deeb) in 2013, all the more reason why the return of Fox and Calabrese for a fifth season in 2013 was needed. To possibly compensate for that numbers shortage, a position switch or two might be required. Current sophomore Anthony Rabasa was recruited as either an outside or Will linebacker in 2011. He is currently in a logjam at Cat linebacker with Shembo and Ishaq Williams manning the spot. His opportunity for action might be greater on the inside, although sophomore preferred walk-on Joe Schmidt could also become a contender for action on the inside. Spond enjoyed a quality campaign at Dog in 2012, but that position also features the rangy 6-5 sophomore Ben Councell, 6-4 freshman Romeo Okwara ��� who lettered on special teams last year ��� and incoming five-star prospect Jaylon Smith, who is projected to help in some capacity at least part time as a freshman. At 6-2, 248 pounds, Spond might possess the stouter frame to play inside, although it would be a huge transition in his senior year and possibly disrupt some continuity. Nevertheless, Kelly and his staff know their job is to find some way to play the 11 best players in specific situations. ���If Danny Spond is the best 11, he���s playing,��� Kelly summarized. ���If Jaylon Smith is the best 11, he���s playing. We recognize the fact that everybody has a value to what we���re doing, but we���re also going to play the best players.��� Top NFL picks at inside linebacker have been rare at Notre Dame the past couple of decades. Te���o is projected to finally break the drought. How much Grace, or someone else, can help fill that void will go a long way toward determining if Notre Dame can continue to be a top10, BCS-caliber program. ���