Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2020 39 Thus, unlike fellow speedster Braden Lenzy in 2018 who was more in the 170-range and saw no action as a freshman, Tyree appears more pre- pared to handle the game's physicality. "He's a lot stronger than we thought in terms of lower body strength," Kelly said of the rookie running back. "He's not a specialist who just plays in the slot or takes hand-off sweeps. He's a guy who can run the football downhill between the tackles, too. "He's not going to get 30 carries [in a game], don't get me wrong, but he's going to play as a freshman." Tight end might be a little more es- tablished with junior Tommy Tremble coming off a strong sophomore show- ing (16 catches, four touchdowns, strong 82.8 run-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus), senior Brock Wright — Notre Dame's top-rated recruit in 2017 — and junior George Takacs. Yet, if one possesses the wares like Hamilton did last year, a freshman can still find his way on to the field. "Mayer has an innate ability, size, quickness, escapability as he releases from the line of scrimmage," Kelly noted. "He's a pretty impressive young man in everything he's done." The most likely freshman to start in 2020 would be long snapper Alex Peitsch. Like Bramblett in 2019 re- placing Newsome, Peitsch was inked as the nation's top long snapper pros- pect to succeed graduated three-year starter John Shannon. It's a position and skill set that is not beholden to much experience, size or speed. Ei- ther you can long snap or you can't. LUXURY, NOT NECESSITY Notre Dame's overall recruiting under Kelly has not been top-five level, but consistent and balanced enough where freshmen playing has become more luxury than necessity because of quality development of the classes ahead of them. Beyond Peitsch and "The Big Three," most of the remaining 13 in the 17-man class will see limited time. Yet another tight end, Kevin Bau- man, has had a striking influence. "If he's not coming in at the same time as Mayer, everybody is prob- ably talking about him," Kelly said of Bauman. "I don't think we can hold him off the field either. Very, very impressed with him early on." Quarterback Drew Pyne is antici- pated to give the sophomore Clark a battle for the No. 2 spot this season. "He just has a command about him," Kelly noted. Wideout Xavier Watts, who also could be a safety prospect, might have the skills and attitude to crack special teams the way linebackers Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser did last season. A third receiver, Jay Brunelle, has had to bounce back from AC joint surgery this winter. Since 2008, 40 of the 43 offensive linemen Notre Dame signed out of high school have redshirted as a freshman. One of the exceptions was Robert Hainsey, a co-starter at right tackle in 2017. However, the line is one of the most veteran-laden units on the squad this year, so both Tosh Baker and Michael Carmody are probable redshirts. "It's a process for those guys," Kelly said of freshmen offensive linemen. "From early glimpses, Car- mody has some really nice traits that I think are going to translate very well for us." Defensively, the Irish did not sign a linebacker or a safety in this fresh- man class, but did land four linemen and three corners. The defensive line rotation has been exceptional the past three years under coach Mike Elston. Still, all four 2019 freshmen linemen — beyond the most advanced Lacey — saw spot duty, led by Howard Cross' 65 snaps. Depending on how many blow- out results there are and attrition, similar action could occur this year for ends Jordan Botelho and Alex- ander Ehrensberger, three-technique Rylie Mills and nose tackle Aidan Keanaaina. Six of the nine corners on scholar- ship this year have four years of eli- gibility, including freshmen Ramon Henderson, Clarence Lewis and Caleb Offord, so the Irish could have more three safety looks to complement cor- ners such as junior TaRiq Bracy, sixth- year senior Shaun Crawford (who could also be a nickel or safety) and graduate transfer Nick McCloud. "Whether or not they play as freshmen is certainly not needed, but we've been impressed with the corners in terms of their length and athletic ability," Kelly said. ✦ Wide receiver Jordan Johnson, Notre Dame's first five-star pass catcher since Michael Floyd in 2008, flashed his play-making skills during an August practice with a long catch-and-run touch- down on a middle screen. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA Best Freshman Class Impact Under Brian Kelly When asked this month how this year's 17-man freshman class that was ranked No. 22 by Rivals — the lowest in his 11 recruiting cycles at Notre Dame — compared to his others, head coach Brian Kelly was non-committal. Only time can answer such an inquiry. However, if there is a standard for the most impactful freshman class during Kelly's tenure, it would be 2015 when weighing quantity, quality, balance and impact during a strong season (started 10-1 and finished 10-3 and No. 11 in the Associated Press poll). • Running back Josh Adams rushed for a Notre Dame freshman-record 835 yards at 7.1 yards per clip. • Future first-rounder Jerry Tillery was a co-starter at nose tackle, even recording a sack in his first game. • Tight end Alizé Mack snared 13 passes for 190 yards, notably 35- and 45-yard gains during fourth- quarter rallies to victory versus USC and Temple in back-to-back weeks. • Kicker Justin Yoon began his record-setting career by converting 15 of 17 field goal attempts. • Wideout C.J. Sanders had 822 yards in returns, returning both a kickoff and punt for touchdowns. • Another wideout, Equanimeous St. Brown, blocked a punt against USC that was scooped up for a touchdown in a hard-fought win. — Lou Somogyi