Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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RUNNING BACKS 54 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Starter ★★ Without a spring season to provide any baseline data to a hierarchy or potential rotation, the assumption is senior Jafar Armstrong will get the first start, given the versatile 6-1, 220-pounder was the opening-day starter last season. Assumptions are as reliable as predictions, and given that injuries limited Armstrong to only nine games, 46 carries and 122 yards last season, hopes and expectations for his reliability, durability and production should be tempered. Experience ★★½ With the loss of leading rusher Tony Jones Jr. (144 carries for 857 yards and six touchdowns) from last season, this category is also difficult to assess. Juniors Jahmir Smith has 42 carries for his career and C'Bo Flemister has 49 in his first two seasons. Add Armstrong's 46 tries in 2019, and those are the running backs on the roster with relatively limited work last year or for their careers. Consider that quarterback Ian Book carried 112 times for 546 yards last season, while the three top returning running backs in 2020 totaled 137 tries for 474 yards in 2019, and there is not much consistent production to recognize. Depth ★★★½ Does having a large stable equate to quality depth? That's the question facing Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor. In addition to Armstrong, Smith and Flemister, Taylor has sophomore Kyren Wil - liams, fifth-year senior Mick Assaf, graduate transfer Trevor Speights from Stanford and, most notably, explosive freshman Chris Tyree to build his lineup. With a long list to choose from, settling on a rotation this fall after an abbreviated offseason won't be easy for Taylor, but having many such options isn't necessarily a bad problem to have. Overall Grade ★★½ With a roster full more of promise than proven results, passing out lofty praise to the Irish backs would be premature. Take Armstrong out of the mix and there's not a running back on the roster who has more than 49 carries or 191 yards in his career. That said, senior running backs under Irish head coach Brian Kelly have routinely flourished (see Jones, Dexter Williams, C.J. Prosise, Theo Riddick and Jonas Gray, plus Josh Adams as a junior before turning pro). If Armstrong can stay healthy, he sets up well to become the latest senior rusher to leave Notre Dame on a high note and the best bet to clear up the preseason uncer - tainty within this position group. BY THE NUMBERS 1 1 This is the first season for second- year running backs coach Lance Tay- lor as Notre Dame's run game coordi- nator, while 28-year-old quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees will also be in his first season as the offensive coor- dinator. 3 3 Running backs drafted from Notre Dame since 2004: Theo Riddick (2013) in the sixth round, after play- ing slot receiver the two previous years; C.J. Prosise (2016) in the third round after first playing safety and then wide receiver prior to his senior year; and Dexter Williams (2019) in the sixth round. For a comparison, Alabama has had 12 drafted in those 17 years. 93 93 Rushing yards by Notre Dame in its two defeats last year — 46 at Georgia on 14 carries and 47 at Michigan on 31 attempts. It was the sixth time in the 10-year Kelly era the team fin- ished with less than 50 rushing yards in a game (0-6). The Fighting Irish also are 4-17 in that time with less than 100 rushing yards in a game. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern Junior Jahmir Smith rushed for 180 yards in 2019 while battling his share of injury setbacks. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER