Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/123805
Sophomore defensive end Sheldon Day drew praise from head coach Brian Kelly for the quickness of his first step and his ability to get off blocks. photo by bill panzica Strength Stays In The Trenches One area that won't change about the next version of the Notre Dame defense is its power at the line of scrimmage. The Irish continue to set their foundation on both sides of the ball with big boulders like Tuitt and nose guard Louis Nix III. Tuitt underwent hernia surgery this winter and gained about 20 pounds after playing at 303 pounds last year. The summer conditioning goal will be to lose the excess cargo. This season, sophomore Sheldon Day joins that twosome as a first-year starter who plays with wisdom beyond his years. "He's got a unique first-step quickness and ability to get off blocks," Kelly said. "There's nobody that we have defensively that gets off blocks like Sheldon Day. It's an innate trait that you have — and he just has that." The depth behind them continues to grow, not so much from new additions as older players clicking into place. Fifth-year senior Tyler Stockton was surprised to learn he would get a chance to come back for a final season, but he's worked his way into a bit of playing time behind Nix and Kona Schwenke in the past month. He made two sacks during the BlueGold Game. Juniors Tony Springmann and Ishaq Williams, who will play some defensive end along with outside linebacker, both made major strides in learning what it takes to compete on a daily basis during the past few months. That extra layer of capable bodies is what Notre Dame will need to keep its defense moving in the right direction in 2013. ✦