Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/226401
Under the Dome of junior defensive end Stephon Tuitt — a projected first-round pick in the NFL Draft — Notre Dame currently would have 78 players on scholarship in 2014. That leaves seven spots open for the NCAA's 85-man limit. Those seven would be a combination of fifthseniors and prospective recruits. If the aforementioned trio of Lombard, Collinsworth and Moore return for a fifth season, that would leave four more scholarships to grant with the current 19 for the February 2014 National Signing Day. Depending on how recruiting finishes (and whether Tuitt returns), Utupo would be the top dark horse to return for a fifth season. Ideally, you'd like to have four scholarship quarterbacks. Without Hendrix, there is the potential for only three in 2014: Golson, Malik Zaire and incoming recruit DeShone Kizer, who likely would be redshirted like most of the other quarterbacks before him. That's an extremely fragile situation to be in if somebody gets injured because there is no waiver wire in the college game. Would Hendrix be willing to return even if he knows he likely would be only an emergency option, and the third choice? That would seem improbable for the pre-med major, who could play his fifth season elsewhere, a la Crist. Miami (Ohio) with for- mer Irish offensive coordinator Chuck Martin could be an option. Utupo might be needed even if Tuitt does return because there are no guarantees that junior Chase Hounshell — who has missed two straight seasons with a torn labrum — can return effectively, while Tony Springmann will be coming back from ACL surgery. Louis Nix III Signs With Agent Senior nose guard Louis Nix III won't be joining the Irish for their bowl trip to New York. Nix signed with a professional agent the first week of December, which eliminates any remaining college eligibility. Nix had season-ending knee surgery two days before the Nov. 23 BYU game. He had a fifth year of eligibility remaining, but because he is scheduled to receive his degree this month and is a forecasted firstround draft pick next spring, he opted to move on. It's against NCAA rules for Nix to travel with the team or take part in bowl activities after signing with an agent. "I didn't know about the signing with the agent until it was too late to inform him that by doing so, you don't get your bowl hat, and you can't fly with us to New York," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "Louis in New York would be cool, especially around Christmastime, so that was unfortunate. I'm sure he'll be fine." — Lou Somogyi