Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Going To Work Sophomore cornerback KeiVarae Russell is making the tricky transition from an athlete playing football to a football player K By Dan Murphy eiVarae Russell bopped through the halls of Notre Dame's football complex in September a day after Michigan scored 41 points to beat the Irish, their first regular-season loss in 22 months. The team bus pulled into South Bend well past midnight the previous night and no one felt like rehashing the game. The next day, cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks asked Russell to meet him in his office for what turned out to be a wake-up call. "Coach Cooks has helped me out since I've been here. He can say the right words to me," Russell said. "He was a little harsh, but he knew I needed it and I thank him every day for it." Cooks told Russell many of the same things he's been repeating since the indefatigable freshman flipped to defense last August: He has the hips, the speed, all of the athleticism to be a top cornerback. He could be a first-round pick, the coach told Russell, and if he started to work he wouldn't need a full four years to convince the NFL scouts of that. This time Cooks added that talent alone wouldn't get him there. Last summer, when the Irish coaches thrust Russell into a new position and then the starting lineup as a rookie, they asked him just to go out and play. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco told him not to get bogged down in the nuances of an opponent's offense or to spend much time in the film room. They didn't want him thinking, overwhelmed as a true freshman at a pressure-filled position. Russell relied on his natural ability and started all 13 games. He intercepted two passes and finished fifth in tackles (58) on a veteran defense. He made the cut for the Freshman AllAmerica team. This fall he learned that wasn't enough. "I think he came into year two as an athlete playing corner," Notre Dame