Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2019 37 He showed flashes of excellent play last fall, his first as a starter. Eichenberg, though, wasn't able to string together enough back-to-back strong games, or even series within games. Like Hainsey, Eichenberg endured a rough start, giving up 16 pressures in the first six games. He improved as the season went on, surrender- ing just four pressures in the final six regular season games. Pro Foot- ball Focus gave him his four-best pass-blocking grades in the final five contests. With a year of experience, Eichen- berg must now punish his opponents while eliminating the assignment or technique mistakes. If he can play under control, he will have an out- standing 2019 campaign. 10. TE COLE KMET A broken collarbone suffered early in fall camp means Kmet will begin the season on the sideline, but the current projection is that he will re- turn sometime in September. When the junior tight end does come back he is expected to give the offense a significant boost. Kmet is a prototype at tight end who combines size (6-5½, 250) with good athleticism and outstanding ball skills. Notre Dame quarterbacks com- pleted 83.3 percent of their passes intended for Kmet — the next clos- est player was fifth-year senior wide receiver Chris Finke at 69 percent. Kmet's exceptional catch radius re- sulted in Book growing increasingly comfortable throwing the ball over the middle during the spring and early in fall camp. The quarterback-tight end duo expects to get back on track when Kmet returns to the lineup. A breakout campaign from the ju- nior would have a major impact on the entire offense. If he can be a legiti- mate force over the middle it makes it much harder for coordinators to defend the perimeter, which puts Claypool and the other wideouts in more one-on-one matchups. It also forces the safeties to eye Kmet, which limits their ability to fly downhill against the run. ✦ Five Breakout Players For 2019 A number of former reserves are poised to take their game to impactful levels after strong performances in fall camp. 1. LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah A foot injury ended his 2018 campaign after just two games, but a quality spring put the Hampton, Va., native in position to earn a starting spot at rover. This fall, Owusu-Koramoah has been one of the top playmakers on the entire defense, showing the speed to play sideline to sideline and run verti- cally with slot receivers. If he can stay healthy, he is on the verge of becoming a force. 2. C Jarrett Patterson No matter how good the guards and tackles play, if the center can't hold his own the offense will fail to live up to expectations. That is what makes the emergence of sophomore Jarrett Patterson so important. Patterson took full advantage of the injuries to Trevor Ruhland and Colin Grunhard, claiming control of the center position in the spring and then car- rying over that strong performance into fall camp. 3. CB Donte Vaughn In 2016, Vaughn was part of a talented three-man cornerback class, which included Julian Love and Troy Pride Jr. When the they were true freshmen, a case could be made that Vaughn was the best of the bunch, but injuries hindered him in both 2017 and 2018. Now healthy, Vaughn has been a standout during fall camp. The 6-3, 212-pound corner has been exceptional in coverage, and if that carries into the fall the Irish will once again have one of the nation's best cornerback tandems. 4. RB Jafar Armstrong Armstrong went from converted wide receiver to starting running back to kickoff returner during the 2018 season. However, an infection in his knee knocked him out for three games, and he was never the same player after that. He is now counted on to be an every-down back in 2019, and the offense needs him to provide explosive playmaking as a runner and receiver. If Arm- strong can do that, he will not only have a breakout season, he will be an integral part of a vastly improved offense. 5. DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji Notre Dame is loaded at defensive end, and starters Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem are among the top players in the country at that position. Another senior — Daelin Hayes — was a strong performer for the Irish last season as well, but a fourth member of the senior class is on the threshold of a major breakout. Ogundeji will rotate with Kareem this season, and if his spring and fall camp performance are indication of what he will bring to the defense in 2019, he will be an impact player and give the Irish a fourth NFL-caliber end in the rotation. — Bryan Driskell A healthy season from junior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who played in only two games last season before suffering a foot injury, would have a major impact on the Irish defense. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER