Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 PRESEASON 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI O n Aug. 10, a program-record-ty- ing seven football captains were announced by Notre Dame. Senior quarterback Ian Book, fifth- year senior wide receiver Chris Finke and junior right tackle Robert Hain- sey represent the offense, while se- nior defensive ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara plus senior safe- ties Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman head up the other side of the ball. All seven were among the eight Spring/ Summer Workout Accountability Team (SWAT) leaders selected back in January. It was the second time in three years the Fighting Irish named seven captains (they had four last year). It is likely not coincidence there is a greater volume that has been named as captain since the 4-8 debacle in 2016. The massive overhaul of the infrastructure back then has helped result in what head coach Brian Kelly refers to as a better consensus of lead- ership through the SWAT units cho- sen shortly following each season. "It has much more to do with their ability to act as a unified group," he said of the number of captains. "… We have kind of laid the groundwork with the SWAT team, extended lead- ership within the organization. We set that model up where they operate better with more of a consensus." All seven also have somewhat unique distinctions with their cap- taincy role in 2019: MAJOR OFFENSE • For the first time in Kelly's 10 seasons, a quarterback is a captain (see more on quarterback captaincy on page 9). Book, who took over as the starter in game four last season and helped guide Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff, is the first since junior Jimmy Clausen in 2009. His 154.0 pass efficiency rating last sea- son was 17th overall nationally and the best in the Kelly era. DeShone Kizer actually was named one in December 2016 for the 2017 campaign, but a month later he opted to turn pro after his junior season. • Former walk-on Finke is a gradu- ate student enrolled in the Master of Science business program. He caught 49 passes last season, highlighted by the acrobatic 43-yard touchdown in the crucial 24-17 win versus Michi- gan in the season opener. Fifty years ago in 1969, center Mike Oriard became the first former walk- on to be named a Notre Dame foot- ball captain in the modern era, fol- lowed by cornerback Shane Walton in 2002, who originally played soccer for the Fighting Irish before becom- ing a consensus All-American. Walk-on Austin Webster was one of the seven team captains selected in 2017. • Hainsey is the lone non-senior in the group, and next year could become the 24th two-time captain in the program's history. Pro Football Focus graded him out as Notre Dame's top lineman in 2018, highlighted by a 76.1 run block- ing mark that ranks sixth nationally among returning Power Five offen- sive tackles with at least 450 snaps last season. His 80.7 pass block grade ranked 17th, but his overall pass blocking efficiency was No. 4 (with one sack and two hits allowed). This also marks the eighth consecu- tive year the offensive line has had representation as a position group: tackle Zack Martin (2012-13), center Nick Martin (2014-15), tackle Mike McGlinchey (2016-17), guard Quenton Nelson (2017), center Sam Mustipher (2018) and guard Alex Bars (2018). That is the longest streak of any po- sition group at Notre Dame since full UNDER THE DOME THE LEADER BOARD Notre Dame names seven captains for second time in three years Clockwise from the top left: junior right tackle Robert Hainsey, senior safety Jalen Elliott, senior defen- sive end Khalid Kareem, senior defensive end Julian Okwara, fifth-year senior wide receiver Chris Finke, senior quarterback Ian Book and senior safety Alohi Gilman will serve as team captains in 2019. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA