Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2020 21 Given his track record the first two years at Notre Dame, it bodes well. A dark horse at Buck could be soph- omore Marist Liufau, cross-training at rover, while senior Jordan Genmark Heath also has 66 career tackles. 4. Safety This is a leap of a faith, including hopes of no "sophomore jinx." On paper it might look like a re- build following the graduation of cap- tains Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. However, the return of 6-4 Fresh- man All-American Kyle Hamilton and the addition of Ohio State gradu- ate transfer Isaiah Pryor is significant. What might determine even more if this unit merits its rating is the prog- ress of juniors Houston Griffith — Notre Dame's top-ranked recruit in 2018 (No. 43 overall nationally) — and DJ Brown, a converted cornerback. 5. Quarterback For the first time in his 11 seasons, Kelly will have a three-year starter at the position in Ian Book, a productive college quarterback, but not yet the game-changing, first-round figure top- five programs such as Clemson, Ala- bama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia and LSU (last year) have possessed. Book should be buoyed by a vet- eran line, but the receiving and run- ning backs corps remains relatively unproven, and three of his prime receiving targets from the past two years are gone. Depth also is going to be a ques- tion mark if an injury were to occur to Book. Sophomore Brendon Clark has had only 19 snaps in college, and freshman Drew Pyne could vie for the No. 2 spot. 6. Tight End Had Cole Kmet returned for his se- nior year, this position group easily would have been among our top three. Still, junior Tommy Tremble is next in line for "Tight End U" prominence after playing extensively in double- tight-end alignments last year and snaring 16 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns (Kmet had 15 catches for 162 yards and no scores as a 2018 sophomore). What might better dictate how ef- fective this position will be is whether senior Brock Wright or freshman Mi- chael Mayer — both top-50 recruits as high school seniors — can step into the forefront as consistent mainstays. 7. Special Teams Senior kicker Jonathan Doerer, who converted 17 of 20 field goals last season, and sophomore punter Jay Bramblett excelled as first-year start- ers in 2019, and Doerer demonstrated NFL potential with his leg power. Somewhat overshadowed is for the second year in a row Notre Dame's overall special teams efficiency — coverage, returns, field position, etc. — finished 24th nationally in the Fre- meau Efficiency Index. Replacing stellar coverage men such as Chase Claypool and Alohi Gilman will be crucial to continuing this unit's upgrade the past two years. 8. Wide Receiver Junior slot receiver Lawrence Keys III is the position group's top returning pass catcher, with just 13 career receptions for 134 yards and no scores. Classmate Braden Lenzy supplies the game-breaking speed, but must demonstrate he can stay consistently healthy over the course of an ardu- ous season. A third junior, Kevin Austin, pos- sesses perhaps the most star power, but is trying to rebound from a sea- son-long suspension. The chance to become more established was erased with the cancellation of spring drills. The wild card figures are North- western graduate transfer Ben Skow- ronek, who had 110 career receptions with the Wildcats, and fifth-year se- nior Javon McKinley, who enjoyed some flashes in blowout situations last season after not catching a pass his first three years. 9. Running Back There is an excellent history under Kelly of Irish running backs explod- ing with stellar senior years after demonstrating only flashes in their first three (Jonas Gray, Theo Riddick, C.J. Prosise, Dexter Williams and, most recently, Tony Jones Jr.). Perhaps 220-pound Jafar Arm- strong (505 career rushing yards) can be next after getting slowed each of the past two seasons by injury. He is among five backs who are expected to vie for action, including incoming top-100 recruit Chris Tyree — but can anyone rise above a niche role and be an alpha? 10. Cornerback The staff wanted to redshirt Donte Vaughn in 2019 so he could return in 2020, but the situation necessitated that he play. With Vaughn and Troy Pride Jr. both graduated, that leaves sixth- year senior Shaun Crawford and ju- nior TaRiq Bracy as the starters. The lionhearted Crawford has missed 40 starts because of sev- eral major injuries, while the 5-10, 170-pound Bracy also will be chal- lenged on durability. The other six scholarship corner- backs all have four years of eligi- bility remaining as developmental prospects, so new position coach Mike Mickens will be immediately tested. If Mickens fares as well as Lea did with a rebuilding linebacker crew in 2019, the Fighting Irish should achieve a minimum of 10 wins for a fourth straight year. ✦ Freshman Learning Curve During Notre Dame's 33-6 run the past three years — the sixth-best winning percentage in the Football Bowl Subdivision — the Fighting Irish have not had to lean much on the freshman classes for instant impact. Nineteen of the 22 freshmen from 2019 preserved a redshirt season by not playing in more than four games, with safety Kyle Hamilton, nose guard Jacob Lacey and punter Jay Bramblett the exceptions. The previous year during the run to the College Football Playoff, 21 of the 27 freshmen preserved a fifth year of eligibility, with defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola's 189 snaps (about 15 per game) the most. The numbers might be similar, if not even lower, this year for the 17-man freshman class for at least two reasons. One, while nearly half of the class (eight) enrolled in January, the early start was mitigated by the cancellation of spring drills after just one practice. Two, the early summer sessions in June will be strictly online, and it is still to be determined if players can be on campus for the start of the July 6 summer school session. "You would logically think that because you haven't had as much training in the summer, that it would make it more difficult for them," Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly admitted. "We still have the four-game rule, which will allow them to get some competition and that will be extremely helpful. "… They may lose the June and July, we're not sure yet. It could impact who plays in the fall." — Lou Somogyi