Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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adrenaline of starting and playing regularly on college game days, and his reaction to the added pressure will affect a unit that was dominant in most of Notre Dame's wins last season. Kelly doesn't seem concerned about that transition. "He doesn't seem like a first-year starter," Kelly said. "It's just the way he handles himself. It just seems like he's been in there for a couple of years. It's really quite impressive." 8. RB Amir Carlisle Carlisle is the only one of Notre Dame's six running backs to make our list. It's hard for one of them to be a make-or-break player with so many options available. Carlisle makes the list because he remains a mystery heading into his junior year. Injuries have kept him from showing he can make the most of his agility and quickness. His versatility makes him a candidate to play in the backfield or in the slot as a pass-catching threat. He may be the closest replica of Theo Riddick on the current roster, and that's why he can change the look of Notre Dame's offense if he performs up to his potential. "Versatility is great if you can handle it," Kelly said. "I can say, 'Hey, I want you to be versatile and play all these positions,' but if you can't handle it, you can't be versatile. What makes him the player he is, is he can handle those dual roles." 9. LB Prince Shembo Shembo has as much starting experience as anyone on Notre Dame's defense. He has 97 career tackles, and nearly one out of every five of those has been behind the line of scrimmage. He can be a menace to opposing quarterbacks, especially if he takes advantage of the matchups he will likely see this season. Tuitt and Nix attract the lion's share of attention, but Shembo can add a balance to the Irish pass rush that will give opposing offensive coordinators headaches this year. Notre Dame tied for 22nd nationally last year with 2.62 sacks per game. Shembo could help catapult his team into the top 10 of the category with a strong senior year. 10. WR DaVaris Daniels Notre Dame had only four passes that went for 40 or more yards last season. The Irish tried to establish freshman Chris Brown as their deep ball threat, but connected only once. Daniels has the potential to be that home run hitter in the passing game this year. Daniels ramped up his production in the second half of last season when he and Everett Golson developed a better chemistry. He made six catches for 115 yards against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game last January. "I saw what I can do against good defenses," Daniels said. "There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to do that on a game-to-game basis." Daniels roomed with Rees during Notre Dame's first week of fall camp. If that pair can develop the same bond that was building between Daniels and Golson, the junior could see a lot of passes come his way this year. ✦