Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Baratti played mostly on special teams as a freshman, but did make one interception against Michigan in Notre Dame's end zone on a halfback pass. He was expected to compete for the starting job next to Farley. The original shoulder injury occurred early during Baratti's rookie season. He had it repaired in January, him points for versatility. The senior said he's just now starting to feel like his old athletic self after shoulder and back surgeries kept him on the shelf for all of the 2012 season. Junior Eilar Hardy and sophomore John Turner are also starting to come into their own at the position. Hardy has played with the second-team de- "I think we have the potential to be a better defense. I feel like we're a more talented team than we were last year. … We've got more veterans and [fewer] younger guys." Senior cornerback Bennett Jackson but spent only two days back in pads this month before the joint fell out of place once again. "Very disappointed for Nick, he's worked so hard to get back," Kelly said. "But we'll expect the next man in to step up and get it done there." Baratti's absence makes the competition a little easier for classmate Elijah Shumate, who has taken reps with the first defense since spring practice. The New Jersey product has not picked up the mental nuances of a thinking man's position as fast as Baratti did, but his physical tools will make it hard for the Irish to keep him on the sidelines. "Shumate crushes people," Farley said. "It's not even close. Shumate is by far the hardest-hitting person in the secondary." That doesn't make him a lock for the position, according to Kelly. Senior Austin Collinsworth has perhaps the best understanding of the defense among an otherwise very young group of contenders. He knows the responsibilities of both safeties, which scores fense during August, and Turner is cross training as an outside linebacker. "The old coaching cliché, 'It's not our job to notice you, it's your job to make us notice you' — we have now noticed Hardy and John Turner," Kelly said after a week of training camp. "They have put themselves in a good position." And finally there is five-star freshman Max Redfield. He doesn't have the benefit of the lack of depth that allowed Baratti and Shumate to get on the field last season, but he has the size and athleticism to compete with that group for snaps if he continues to build his knowledge base this month. Spare Players Lead To Change At Nickel And Dime Notre Dame's numbers in the secondary last year prevented them from playing a nickel defense as much as the coaching staff would have liked and kept them out of a dime package (six defensive backs on the field) for the entire season. That won't be the case this fall.