Blue and Gold Illustrated

Dec 5, 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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16 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW MENTOCK D own 7‑0 against Notre Dame and the ball at the Clemson 25‑yard line on third‑and‑ one, Tigers' freshman quar‑ terback D.J. Uiagalelei handed off to All‑American running back Travis Etienne. He was a near lock to pick up the first down from such a short distance. But as soon as Etienne gathered the ball, defensive tackle Kurt Hin‑ ish penetrated up the middle and swiped at the ankles of the All‑Amer‑ ican, tripping him up. The nimble Etienne, who led the nation in yards after contact in 2019, stayed on his feet and continued his sprint toward the line of scrimmage, only to be wrapped up and taken to the turf by junior linebacker Shayne Simon in the backfield for a one‑yard loss. No. 1 Clemson was forced to punt. The play was quite the opening statement for Simon, a first‑year starter at Buck linebacker. He had struggled in the first half of the season, recording a total of four tackles in five games. But against Clemson, he was a disruptive force throughout the game, finishing with four tackles (one for loss), two passes defended and a career‑high 63 snaps. With the lights shining the bright‑ est, Simon had the best game of his college career. A few weeks later and Simon is still in competition with fellow lineback‑ ers Jack Kiser and Marist Liufau for the starting Buck spot, but it's clear that his play against the Tigers made an impression on the Fighting Irish coaching staff. "We're really seeing somebody that is elevating his game," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "There's still more out there for him." 'IF YOU'RE THINKING, YOU'RE STINKING' Expectations have been exceed‑ ingly high for Simon at Notre Dame. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 168 overall player in the class of 2018 per Rivals. Other recruiting services rated him much higher, in‑ cluding 247Sports, which put him in their top 50. However, even as a high school All‑American from the respected high school football program at St. Peter 's Prep in Jersey City, N.J., Simon needed to adjust to the speed and advanced schemes of college football. But this has nothing to do with his athleticism or intelligence. Outside of probable first‑round NFL Draft pick Jeremiah Owusu‑ Koramoah, Simon possesses the most raw ability among the linebacker corps. He also tested so well on his high school entrance exam that he earned a full academic scholarship to St. Peter's Prep. A prevailing thought is that his mind was working a little too hard to analyze the play of an opposing offense, delaying his on‑the‑field instincts. "If you're thinking, you're stink‑ ing," said Rich Hansen, Simon's head football coach at St. Peter's Prep. "I feel he was overthinking things. To compound it, he got hurt. He had an injury last year [as a sophomore], and then he missed all spring. That's a whole other season. Taking all that into consideration, he's doing a really good job." Hansen said the game against Clemson was the first time he's seen Simon play as if the game has slowed down for him. He was read‑ ing and reacting, which allowed him to thrive. To accomplish such a feat, Simon ElEvating His gamE Junior linebacker Shayne Simon is starting to make an impact

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