Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED That's likely what's going to transpire during spring practices. This won't be a complete overhaul like what Freeman did a year ago in replacing Clark Lea. It will be a series of more minor tweaks and twists. "It's only fair to the players to kind of say, OK, what do they know? There's only so many different ways you can play defense," Freeman said. "If we can try to keep some terminology the same, I think that's going to help tremendously. If Al Golden can evaluate and say, okay, here's what they do, here's what they know, how can we enhance it? "I think that's all I'm looking for is somebody to start and really evaluate where they're at." Golden spent the first four spring practices doing exactly that. He's learn- ing personnel. He's learning tenden- cies. He's figuring out who should play where, like a jigsaw puzzle of sorts. It's not rocket science, but there is still plenty of thinking involved. Of course, there is also a ton of going back to the basics and foundational teachings to go over, such as the art of tackling. "You have to make it part of your DNA and you have to work really hard at it. Every Saturday, we try to have a 'State of the Fundamentals' where we try to review the week, good to bad, the things we're teaching, making sure we're teaching it and they're hearing it correctly, and they're executing. "We work hard at it. We have a long way to go. But it's evident in the first four practices they're really buying into the technique and the different pods we're challenging them in. The offense has helped us with that as well. They've challenged us in a lot of the tackling drills." WHAT'S THE RUNNING BACK HIERARCHY? For the first time since 2019, Notre Dame will have a starting running back not named Kyren Williams. Williams was a workhorse. His num- bers reflected as much. What's life without him going to be like for the Fighting Irish? Well, the blue and gold surely hopes it's not anything like what happened in the Fiesta Bowl; Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs combined for 15 carries for just 47 yards while Williams sat out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Tyree, a junior, and Diggs, a sopho- more, figure to be the top two backs. Sophomore Audric Estime figures to be a solid No. 3 while true freshman Jadar- ian Price slots in behind that trio. That's it. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has just four scholarship running backs to work with. The good news is, Price has come in as an early enrollee and fit right in with his elder teammates in the backfield. "Unflappable," Rees said of Price. "He's got a really cool demeanor to him. A lot like Chris Tyree when Chris came in. Very focused, very detailed and he's put together. He's smaller, but he's built up in a way he can handle playing here. "I think you've seen a smoothness and good feet. He learns it easy. He's a lot like Chris when he came in, which is a good thing. We're happy with where JD is at right now." Rees clearly likes Tyree, too. But is Tyree is true lead back? Will Rees get him more involved in the slot and let Diggs take most of the looks from the tailback position? Will Estime be used more in short-yardage situations or even as part of a three-headed monster attack? Any time a player like Williams leaves, it presents questions that must be answered. There are few better times to answer them than spring practices. Tyree has to earn his clout and rec- ognition in the way Williams did in 2020. Remember, Williams redshirted in 2019 and hardly played. He didn't burst onto the scene until he was a sophomore. That year has passed Tyree by, but it was an unusual sophomore season at that. He battled turf toe from the fifth game forward and was never fully healthy until the Fiesta Bowl. In that game, albeit a loss and a pu- trid performance in the rushing game all around for Notre Dame, Tyree caught six passes for 115 yards and a touch- down. That's the sort of receiving game production Tyree certainly has the tools to provide in spurts. It's doubtful he will average those marks. But he absolutely can go out and hit them if the going gets tough on the ground. He's dynamic enough to do so. And if Diggs can hold down the back- field when it's time for Tyree to take off, Rees will have a well-rounded running back unit. Sophomore Logan Diggs is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he rushed 52 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 56 yards and another score. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER