Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 13, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME BY TYLER HORKA BGI: You're from Orange County, Ca- lif. What led you to Notre Dame? Capen: "As long as I can remember, I've been a Notre Dame fan. My dad is from Fort Wayne, Ind. He lived here be- fore he moved to California. On that side of the family there is an Indiana tie, and my mom's brother actually mar- ried into an Irish-Catholic family, and they're all Notre Dame fans as well. "So all my childhood I was a Notre Dame fan. I had a Jimmy Clausen jersey growing up. I went to my first game in 2010. I've always wanted to come here. When I got in after applying and got an opportunity to play for the football team, it just kind of worked itself out." BGI: You're the head sideline signaler for the Notre Dame offense. How did that come about and what has that been like? Capen: "Since before I was here it's always kind of been the walk-on quar- terback's job. When I got here it was Nolan Henry for two years. Then I got the job last year with JD Carney. This year I'm doing it with another walk-on wide receiver, Greg Mailey. I just kind of knew what my role was going to be when I got here. "I've had a lot of injuries. I wasn't necessarily looking to play. But I'd like to be a part of the team and make an impact any way I could. I hung around Nolan a lot, learned the signals and be- ing in the quarterback room has made it a lot easier for me. I was able to be there when Coach [Tommy] Rees installed the new offense, and I was able to make sig- nals as we went instead of doing it all on the back end." BGI: You mention Coach Rees. How cool is it that your offensive coordinator is a former Fighting Irish quarterback who can relate to the position group in that way? Capen: "I think it's huge. When he was just our quarterback coach, it was just as awesome. I know he helped Ian [Book] a lot. He lived the same life that he did for the most part. He was a quar- terback under coach [Brian] Kelly. He knows the pressure that goes with Notre Dame, knows the big stage and knows what to do there. "He's helped all the quarterbacks that have come through here. When he got hired as offensive coordinator, I was definitely helped because he has a great relationship with all of this. He has great experience and great life les- sons we can all learn from." BGI: What does your practice week look like balancing being a quarterback and the team's head signaler? Capen: "I go through all the same quarterback meetings. Before practice, I'll get our script for that day. See what new calls we have, make a new signal for it and try to base it off what a word looks like and what I can do with it. And if that looks like any old signal, I try to make something new that will resonate with the players. "During practice, I mostly signal. I do a couple things when Tyler [Buchner], Drew [Pyne] and Jack [Coan] have to do some other things. For example, I can go do handoffs and inside run type of deals just so they can throw and stuff like that." BGI: How stressful are the signaling duties? Capen: "People ask me that a lot. It's really not that stressful nowadays for me. I think it was a little more last year when I was just started doing it. It's been a lot easier for me since I've made just about all the signals. "There are a few that have stuck through. Even every once and a while there's a signal that was the same as when Coach Rees was here. But for the most part with the new offense, I've made them all. It's like second nature for me." BGI: What has been your favorite moment since being at Notre Dame? Capen: "There have been a lot of good moments with the guys, but Clemson last year has to stick out. It was at home. It was an unreal game. We scored on our second play. Obviously it went to double overtime. We won. "Everyone stormed the field. It was one of the best days of my life, for sure. It's hard to pass that one at the top." BGI: What do you study at Notre Dame and what would you like to do after football? Capen: "I'm graduating in Decem- ber with a degree in business analyt- ics. Next year I'm either going to go to graduate school for international affairs or law school with a concentration in that kind of international realm. "That's the area I want to work through, public policy, security studies, that type of deal." Capen, a senior quarterback, has settled into his role as the head sideline signaler. He's respon- sible for relaying play calls from coaches to the players on the field. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER W A L K - O N P L A Y E R S U N I O N WOPU WOPU SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT BY TYLER HORKA Q&A With Senior Quarterback Cole Capen