Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 27 INSTANT EXPERIENCE A school-record four graduate transfers will be on Notre Dame's 2020 roster. As student-athletes who already have re- ceived their undergraduate degree elsewhere, they are permitted to play at another school right away with their one year of eligibility remaining or, in some cases, two. Here is a synopsis of each: WIDE RECEIVER BEN SKOWRONEK (NORTHWESTERN) He provides three assets Notre Dame needs at the position: size (6-3, 224), leader- ship (former captain) and experience/pro- duction (110 career catches; 45 apiece in 2017 and 2018). A leg injury in 2019 led to a medical red- shirt and transfer for the wideout who could play on the boundary or the field side. SAFETY ISAIAH PRYOR (OHIO STATE) Kyle Hamilton has Notre Dame's free safety spot locked down. Next to him is a void left by Alohi Gilman, who was more of an in-the-box figure. The Irish last year used some three-safety looks with Hamilton, Gilman and Jalen El- liott, and could do it again if they have three reliable contributors to replace Gilman and Elliott. That would mean Pryor — who has two years of eligibility remaining — and former top-50 recruit Houston Griffith if they show the requisite versatility. Pryor appeared in 31 games for the Buck- eyes and made seven starts in 2018. Per Pro Football Focus, his usage was split primarily in the box (140 snaps in 2018), slot corner (165) and free safety (85). CORNERBACK NICK MCCLOUD (NORTH CAROLINA STATE) Like Skowronek, he is a former captain and was a two-year starter (11 in 2018) be- fore a knee injury resulted in a 2019 redshirt. He provides experience in a cornerback room where six of the other eight players have four years of eligibility left. At 6-1, 190 pounds, McCloud also is bigger than veter- ans TaRiq Bracy and Shaun Crawford, and more likely to play in the more condensed boundary area. RUNNING BACK TREVOR SPEIGHTS (STANFORD) The running back did not play either in 2016 or 2019 for the Cardinal. Recruited by current Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor to Stanford in 2016 when he was working there, Speights finished his Cardinal career with 353 rushing yards on 92 carries (3.8 yards per attempt). At least a half-dozen players will vie for carries at running back, with senior Jafar Armstrong's 505 yards on the ground the most returning production. ✦ A graduate of Ohio State after just three years, safety Isaiah Pryor has two seasons of eligibility, 2020 and 2021, remaining at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER The Graduates Beginning in 2013, Notre Dame has had five graduate transfers before adding the current quartet: • In 2013, Alex Wulfeck (Wake Forest) ap- peared in six games as the "pooch" punter to complement starter Kyle Brindza. He punted eight times for a 32.6-yard average. • The following season, cornerback Cody Riggs (Florida) was a regular in 11 games during an 8-5 campaign, finishing with 36 tackles, three passes broken up and an interception. He was on an NFL roster the next two seasons as an undrafted free agent. • Safety Avery Sebastian (Cal) arrived with a long history of injuries, including sitting out all of 2012 and playing only the 2013 opener with the Bears, and then he was shelved in 2015 at Notre Dame. During the 4-8 season in 2016, the gutsy Se- bastian did appear in six games, recording 17 stops and one pass broken up. • Wide receivers Cameron Smith (Arizona State) and Freddy Canteen (Michigan) enrolled in 2017, and like Sebastian they had been through a litany of injuries prior to arriving. Both started game two versus Georgia, but the injury bug caught up again. Smith played six games, catching eight passes for 60 yards and a score. Canteen appeared in three contests, snar- ing one pass for seven yards.