Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
All five offensive line recruits this year, with the possible exception of Elmer, are "in line" for a similar fate. The defensive line also has been upgraded the past several years to the point where Matuska and Rochell can be withheld from action the way Jarron Jones was in 2012. The same goes at tight end with Heuerman and Smythe. Even if one of the first three — juniors Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack, and senior Alex Welch — gets injured, other alignments might compensate for such a void. Hunter is a probable medical redshirt after undergoing Jan. 3 surgery for a broken left femur suffered during preparations for the U.S. Army All-American Game. With three veterans in front of Zaire, his 2013 destiny is to watch and learn, just like current starter Everett Golson did in 2011 and Gunner Kiel in 2012. "From the mental end of things, he's in the top group of guys that I've coached that really understands the nuances of the position and can understand coverages, rotations, and pressures and movement keys, and things like that," Kelly said. "He's really at a high level there. "We have to tighten him up a little bit: quicker release, got to work on his footwork — the things we had to work on with Everett — but he's really got a good mind for the game." We'll revisit the freshman prospectus during August fall camp. ✦ Eddie Vanderdoes' Status In Limbo When Blue & Gold Illustrated went to press May 21, there was uncertainty about whether freshmen defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes — 247Sports' No. 6 overall prospect in the 2013 recruiting class — would enroll at Notre Dame. On May 20, rumors and speculation ran rampant on numerous Notre Dame websites and message boards that the five-star player would defect. Included among the reasons why were an academic issue, a falling out with a member of the Notre Dame coaching staff, or just a change of heart. That night, Sacramento Bee reporter Joe Davidson, who covered Vanderdoes' high school career, posted on his Twitter account: "I did get this from Vanderdoes family: Grades, eligibility or conduct/ character is not and has never been an issue." What was not said was the rumors of Vanderdoes not attending Notre Dame — where summer school begins June 17 — were inaccurate. BlueandGold.com learned late May 20 that the Irish staff was not optimistic about Vanderdoes attending Notre Dame. The 6-3, 285-pound lineman played at Placer High in Auburn, Calif., and gave his verbal commitment to USC in the summer of 2012. Vanderdoes opened his commitment back up during football season, and on National Signing Day he chose the Irish over Alabama, UCLA and Washington. The home-state Bruins have been mentioned the most as the school he would like to attend. His signing this February bolstered a Notre Dame recruiting class that was a consensus top-four harvest. Prior to him coming on board, the one position where the Irish lacked star power in this class was defensive line, and it was a crucial need area because of the possibility of losing All-America candidates Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt after the 2013 season. — Lou Somogyi