Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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62 NOV. 9, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED T o redshirt or not to redshirt? That is the question the Notre Dame coaching staff has to deal with yearly with its freshman — and some- times sophomore — class. The 23-man freshman group signed in February has been split down the middle this season. Eleven of the 23 have seen action, mainly on special teams. As expected, kicker Justin Yoon, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and tight end Alizé Jones are the most visible members out of need. Tillery's 241 snaps entering the Tem- ple game (almost 35 per game) have been valued because of the season-ending knee injury to senior Jarron Jones in Au- gust, and his early enrollee status last spring gave him a significant head start. Jones, with 121 snaps through seven games, also had to be more prominent after junior starter Durham Smythe was lost for the season in Game 2 at Virginia. The top surprise probably is running back Josh Adams, who had redshirt written all over him in 2015. That was until junior Greg Bryant became aca- demically ineligible and transferred to ASA College in Miami in August, and junior Tarean Folston suffered an ACL tear seven plays into the season opener versus Texas. Through seven games, Adams' 265 rushing yards and 7.8 yards per carry were second on the team while playing only 83 snaps. Head coach Brian Kelly lauds him as one of the quicker stud- ies he's been around among rookies. He also is an example of why Kelly doesn't automatically tell a freshman he is going to be redshirted. "I don't want to take away their com- petitive spirit from week to week," Kelly said. "I could tell you I have formulated in my mind those guys that we want to protect. You can never say, 'I'm not going to play him regardless of the cir- cumstances,' because if injuries show themselves, you've got to be ready. "What I like to do is prepare them without having the conversation of, 'You're in the two-deep. We're going to take you to all the games. We're going to give you significant reps — but I don't think we're going to play you.' "I don't have those kind of conversa- tions. I have them with myself. I'd have them with somebody off the record, but publicly I wouldn't have those type of conversations with the individual." The main factor holding back rangy 6-foot-4 freshman wide receiver Equa- nimeous St. Brown from more action on offense — he blocked a punt against USC that resulted in a touchdown re- turn — is he is apprenticing behind All- America candidate Will Fuller at the X position, or the wide side of the field. "I think he would start for a number of Power Five teams," Kelly said. "He's ready to play right now. I'm just not tak- ing Will off the field unless I have to." Why not play Fuller in the slot or the boundary then? Because his effective- ness is best on the wide side where if a safety is brought over there, it aids the running attack. Why not move St. Brown to another receiver position? Because as a rookie, you first want to master your own spot, and veterans like senior Chris Brown, junior Corey Robinson, grad senior Amir Carlisle and junior Torii Hunter Jr. know theirs much better. One of the best compliments to a pro- gram's development is when freshmen can play more out of luxury than neces- sity. Five or 10 years ago, freshman wide- out Miles Boykin would have been forced into action out of necessity. Not so this year — even though he could hold his own. "Miles Boykin is a guy that is going to be a really good player for us that doesn't have to play for us now," Kelly said. Same with someone such as line- backer Josh Barajas. "He had a couple of injuries coming in," Kelly said. "And sometimes kids have a perception of what they need to be when they come in … he put on too much weight. "We had to get him into our weight- training program and our nutrition pro- gram, and we've got him back to where we see him in terms of size and weight." Sometimes, players develop to the point where the NFL covets them enough to negate returning for a fifth season. Of- fensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, corner- back KeiVarae Russell and running back C.J. Prosise are Exhibit A this season. If the program is flourishing, many more such examples will follow in the years to come. ✦ BEST OF THE FIFTH QUARTER ✦ LOU SOMOGYI ✦ NOV. 9, 2015 Redshirting: Luxuries And Necessities EDITOR'S NOTE: The late, great Lou Somogyi possessed an unmatched knowledge of Notre Dame football, and it was his mission in life to share it with others. Those of us at Blue & Gold Illustrated would like to continue to provide his wis- dom and unique perspective from his more than 37 years covering the Fighting Irish for this publication. Sometimes, players — such as former Irish offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (No. 78) — develop to the point where the NFL covets them enough to negate returning for a fifth season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA