Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 PRESEASON 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED fall camp with a limited workload. Notre Dame will increase it during August and early in the season. "We want to be measured with Kevin as we go through, so we're going to be very careful with him as we get him back to football shape," Kelly said in his first fall camp press conference. He's not the only important figure. Can Lenzy stay healthy and put his speed to use over a full season? Can Wilkins or Keys become a reliable rotation player — or more? It appears they're on the right path. Kelly called Lenzy's and Wilkins' summers "transformational" and in- dicated they are off to strong starts to training camp. Wilkins led all receiv- ers and tight ends in total points col- lected in strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis' offseason workout challenge. Lenzy finished in the top 10 percent. "There is a lot of optimism about where that group is and where they can go," Kelly said. Graduate student Avery Davis is the slot receiver, meaning Lenzy, Wilkins and Austin are unlikely to start to- gether. But Kelly's messaging is that all three plus Keys will be involved if they continue on their current track. On defense, Griffith hopes to sus- tain his apparent spring and summer progress and turn it into a starting job. He's the 2018 class' highest-rated recruit, but he bounced around the secondary his first three years amid bumpy play. Players and coaches have pointed out his improved feel for the game. He's competing for a job with classmate DJ Brown, who was last year's nickel back. Griffith's quest also applies to for- mer Rivals250 linebacker Shayne Si- mon, who was shuttled in and out of the starting lineup at Buck (now called Will) position last year. At times, Simon looked like he was constantly at a yellow traffic signal. This spring, though, was a different tune. His instincts and decisiveness were clear, and in turn, his never-in- doubt physical gifts stood out. He will have to beat out junior Marist Li- ufau for the starting Will linebacker job. "We talk about the Notre Dame standard, Shayne's that guy," gradu- ate student and fellow linebacker Drew White said. "He's in there be- fore anyone else getting ice baths, do- ing recovery, getting extra film work in, asking questions. He's doing all the right things." OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Running back C'Bo Flemister, tight end George Takacs, cornerback TaRiq Bracy, defensive end Justin Ademi- lola and linebacker Bo Bauer should have meaningful roles in 2020, even though they're unlikely to be the top options at their positions. In modern college football, Bracy and Bauer 's expected roles can be classified as starters. So can Takacs' in Notre Dame's tight end-friendly offense. Bauer was the nickel and dime package linebacker and should hold that role again, at minimum. He was productive, with 26 tackles, 4.5 tack- les for loss and an interception. He finished with more tackles than Si- mon and Liufau's individual totals. Bracy is a top contender to play nickel back, an important position in defensive coordinator Marcus Free- man's schemes at Cincinnati and in defending spread offenses. He began 2020 as the starting field corner, but lost his job to then-freshman Clar- ence Lewis after a rough November. Even though Lewis appears poised to keep that role, Notre Dame didn't bury Bracy. He has played in more games than the Irish's other eight cornerbacks combined. He remains one of their faster defensive players. Flemister (299 yards, five touch- downs in 2020) projects as the No. 3 running back, which he was last year. Takacs is the expected the No. 2 tight end after spending three years stuck behind future NFL players. Ademi- lola is once again the backup "big end" and can play the vyper end po- sition as well. That leaves offensive lineman John Dirksen and rover Paul Moala. The former is a career backup making what could be his final case to start at Defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola was a productive backup in 2019 and 2020, and now he is slated to start as a senior. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER