Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 OCT. 10, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Coming from the town of Zebulon, Ga., with approximately only 1,200 residents, Notre Dame junior run- ning back C'Bo Flemister 's original goals did not center on statistics as much as character and responsibility. "I don't want to tarnish the name of my town," Flemister told Blue & Gold Illustrated shortly after signing with the Fighting Irish. "I want to make everybody proud and make a good reputation for myself and my town. "… Coming from where I'm from, you don't expect somebody to get an opportunity like this to go play foot- ball at such a high level and get such a good education. I'm paving the way for a lot of kids in my community." The character part was always there. Army, Navy and Air Force all recruited Flemister to be a part of their triple-option attack. First, though, as a mere two-star prospect, he committed to another renowned triple-option program, Georgia Southern, in his home state. After a sensational senior season at Pike County High, where he led the ultra-talented football state in rush- ing with 2,463 yards and 35 touch- downs, he switched his pledge in De- cember to yet another triple-option school in state, Georgia Tech. Suddenly, there was intrigue from Power Five schools, which prompted Flemister not to sign during the early signing period in December. Tennes- see came calling … and then Notre Dame, which had struck out on ear- lier options at running back, did as well. Just as suddenly, Flemister was upgraded from two to three stars by recruiting outlets that January before opting for the Fighting Irish. "It just made me think how political the whole recruiting process is, because during the season, I was two stars, and then I pick up two offers, and I pick up a star, and I haven't played football since November, but all of a sudden I have another star," Flemister told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Following a freshman redshirt sea- son in 2018, Flemister began to make inroads in the lineup last year as a sophomore. Although he finished with only 162 rushing yards and a modest 3.4 yards per carry, his five rushing touchdowns were second on the team only to senior lead back Tony Jones Jr.'s six. Furthermore, he displayed an aptitude and willingness as a pass blocker to take on the blitz. After two years in a college strength and conditioning program, the now 5-11, 201-pound Flemister's always-phys- ical nature has been honed. Because a collarbone injury hin- dered him this preseason, Flemister was withheld from playing in the 27-13 victory versus Duke Sept. 12. But versus South Florida a week later, Flemister was inserted by the third series for the Irish and went on to pace the team in rushing with 127 yards on 13 carries, highlighted by a 26-yard scoring scamper. "He plays with very, very low pads," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said on what is enabling Flemister to challenge sophomore lead back Kyren Williams and rising freshman star Chris Tyree for carries. "… His yards after first contact are as good as anybody that we have. Kyren's pretty good, too, obviously. "He's a guy that you've got to wrap up. He's got that high knee kick and low pads. He's very difficult to tackle. I know our guys do not like to tackle him. … He's got really good vision." Prior to the collarbone injury, Flemister 's progression in training camp went far beyond the physical. Highly competitive and not reticent to question last year why he wasn't seeing more action, he took to heart Kelly's lecture on consistent "traits." "His attention to detail was better," Kelly summarized. "His focus was bet- ter. His attitude was where I needed it to be. And that put him in the mix. He figured that out and said, 'OK, I guess this is how I'm going to play.'" That's all part of enhancing one's star power. — Lou Somogyi Flemister, who compiled 162 rushing yards in all of 2019, racked up a team-high 127 on 13 carries against South Florida Sept. 19. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS C'Bo Flemister Fights His Way Into Rotation ROBERT HAINSEY HONORED BY ACC Senior right tackle Robert Hainsey was named ACC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week following the 52-0 shutout of South Florida Sept. 19. In the win, the Irish offensive line allowed zero sacks, cleared the way for six rushing touchdowns and 16 rushing first downs, and averaged 6.2 yards per carry while accumulat- ing 281 yards on the ground. The two-time captain Hainsey shared the honor with North Carolina State's Ikem Ekwonu — brother of Notre Dame sophomore linebacker Osita Ekwonu. — Lou Somogyi