Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1264448
Top Storylines 1 Skill Positions Have Most Impact When the Kelly era at Notre Dame concludes, chances are the 2015 recruiting haul could be remembered as the best when it comes to skill position talent on offense. • Running backs Josh Adams and Dexter Williams combined for 4,834 rushing yards with 40 touchdowns (20 apiece) for the Fighting Irish. Especially notable is their combined 6.55 yards per carry, while adding 63 catches with four more scores. • Wideouts Equanimeous St. Brown, Miles Boykin and Chris Finke (who walked on) totaled 275 catches for 3,941 yards (14.3 yards per catch) and 32 touchdowns. Finke had the most catches (106), while Boykin had the fewest (77), but was the most coveted by the NFL as a third-round pick. St. Brown (92) left for the pros following his junior season. Another wideout in the class, C.J. Sanders, caught 24 passes with two scores in 2016, but was primarily a return man. • Tight end Alizé Mack also grabbed 68 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns in the three years he was eligible. • Brandon Wimbush, a top-100 recruit, became at the time only the fourth Notre Dame quarterback to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards (joining Tony Rice, Tom Clements and Joe Theis- mann) while tallying 20 touchdowns. He also passed for 2,606 yards and 20 scores. The incoming freshman haul with receivers Jordan Johnson, Xavier Watts and Jay Brunelle, tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman, running back Chris Tyree and quarterback Drew Pyne might prove to be the best of them all in the Kelly era. For now, though, the 2015 harvest at the skill positions will be a highly challenging standard to top. 2 What's My Lines? While the skill positions were highly productive, the trenches were not nearly as well fortified. The offensive line signed only two prospects. One, Tristen Hoge, transferred to BYU after his sophomore year. The second, Trevor Ruhland, had to overcome a litany of injuries that almost ended his football days before becoming a quality reserve who ended up with 11 career starts. Throughout the recruiting process, Jerry Tillery was anticipated to become the next great offensive left tackle, but his preference was defense. Thank goodness for that, because he was the lone regular up front on a defense that was subpar overall by Notre Dame standards on that side of the ball during the 2015 recruit- ing cycle. Instead of a first-round offensive tackle, Tillery blossomed into a first-round defensive tackle. 3 A Little Too Much Attrition Every class will have its share of departures for myriad reasons. However, this group that signed 24 on scholarship in February 2015 was above the norm. Seven of the 24 either transferred, were dismissed or left the team of their own volition prior to graduating. Four others became graduate transfers after they were leapfrogged on the depth chart. That is not even including cornerback Shaun Crawford sidelined in 2015, 2016 and 2018 with season-ending injuries; tight end Alizé Mack ineligible in 2016; and running back Dexter Williams banned from playing the first four contests in 2018. On the plus side, walk-on Chris Finke became a valued addition en route to becoming a captain, while kicker Justin Yoon provided superb reliability with his accuracy all four seasons. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 147 1. Jerry Tillery, Defensive Lineman With projected starting nose tackle Jarron Jones sidelined for the 2015 season because of a preseason injury, Tillery stepped into a co-starting role there and recorded a sack in his college debut during a 38-3 romp versus Texas. He shifted between nose guard and three-technique tackle during his career while having his share of setbacks. As a senior, though, he actualized his potential at tackle while consis- tently controlling the line of scrimmage to help lead Notre Dame to the 2018 College Football Playoff (CFP). As a result, he became the first Fighting Irish defensive lineman selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Renaldo Wynn 22 years earlier (1997). Tillery did that while playing through a torn labrum suffered in the final week of September. 2. Josh Adams, Running Back Like Tillery, he made an immediate impact while setting the freshman school record in rush- ing with 835 yards on the 10-3 team in 2015. As a junior for another 10-3 outfit, his 1,430 yards were the fourth most in a season at Notre Dame. Playing behind outstanding lines, his breakaway skills were showcased, as his 6.65 yards per carry is No. 3 on the school's all-time career chart, behind Reggie Brooks' 7.6 from 1989-92 and Four Horseman Don Miller's 6.83 from 1922-24 — although Adams' 481 career carries nearly match the total of Brooks and Miller combined. Adams was not drafted after deciding to turn pro following his junior season. 3. Te'von Coney, Linebacker Although he too went undrafted, the South Florida native had a highly productive career. During Notre Dame's 22-4 output in the 2017-18 seasons following the 4-8 debacle in 2016, the linebacker combination of Coney and Drue Tranquill was the team's most consistent and productive one-two punch in the lineup on defense or offense. In those final two seasons Coney led the team in tackles both times with 239 total, 22.5 for loss (seven sacks). 4. Miles Boykin, Wide Receiver He caught only 18 passes his first three years — although he was named MVP for his superb fourth quarter in the comeback win versus LSU in the Citrus Bowl. Then as a 2018 senior during the march to the CFP, he repeatedly came up with clutch re- ceptions while pacing the team with 59 catches for 872 yards and eight scores to become a third-round selection. 5t. Dexter Williams, Running Back; Brandon Wimbush, Quarterback Williams didn't fully achieve his ability until the final nine games of his senior year when he rushed for 995 yards and made a significant difference in the run to the CFP. Although not a classic passer, Wimbush's athletic skills directed numerous huge wins against quality foes such as Michigan State, USC and North Carolina State in 2017, plus Michigan to open 2018. He finished his career with 2,606 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, plus 1,204 rushing yards with 16 scores. Top Five Players Josh Adams set a new freshman standard for Fighting Irish running backs with 835 yards as a rookie, and then romped for 1,430 rushing yards as a junior. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA