Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Jones pegged as a better offensive line prospect coming out of high school, but he demonstrated flashes as a defensive player after Nix's season-ending injury in November. 2014 SOPHOMORES: ISAAC ROCHELL (6-3½, 280) AND JACOB MATUSKA (6-4¼, 275) This is where last year 's loss of five-star prospect Eddie Vanderdoes hits home. He originally signed with Notre Dame before switching to UCLA, where he started seven games, recorded 39 tackles (4.5 for loss) and earned some Freshman All-Amer- ica notice. He was deemed the "star power" heir to Tuitt. Plus, when you sign only two as the Irish did in 2012 with Day and Jones, inking two the following year reduces margin of error with potential injuries and attrition, as we saw in 2013 with Springmann, Hounshell, etc. Ideally, Rochell would have been a redshirt in 2013, but the injury situ- ation forced him into the two-deep, where he was credited with 10 tackles. With Tuitt gone, he could challenge for a starting role, and his advanced strength (26 reps of a 225-pound bench press) helps make it possible. The Ohio native Matuska, who plans to go into sports medicine, ar- rived relatively under the radar and was recruited mainly as a tight end by most schools. If he can hold the incoming freshmen at bay, he might have an opportunity to earn his first monogram in 2014. X-FACTORS: SENIOR ISHAQ WILLIAMS (6-5¼, 261) AND JUNIOR ROMEO OKWARA (6-3¾, 258) In a 3-4 alignment, this would be a struggle in their gaps because the pref- erence would be for them to be in the 290-pound range. However, in the 4-3 set, they could be the bookends, with Day and Jones in the interior. This is what could make the 4-3 a little more appealing or tenable. One way or the other, Williams and Okwara will be expected to be major contributors in 2014 sans Tuitt and Sh- embo. 2014 FRESHMEN: GRANT BLANKENSHIP (6-6, 264), DANIEL CAGE (6-2, 305), JAY HAYES (6-4, 275), PETE MOKWUAH (6-4, 315), ANDREW TRUMBETTI (6-3, 260) AND JHONATHAN WILLIAMS (6-5, 230) Nobody in this haul likely will be arriving "ready made" for the college game like a Tuitt or Lynch in 2011. The situation might resemble Rochell's last season in that there might be no choice but to have to play because of limited numbers. Possibly the best chance from the outside looking in is Trumbetti, who won the Lineman Challenge at the Under Armour All-American Game (held Jan. 2) during the practices. Trumbetti also will be the only early enrollee of the group, meaning he will go through Notre Dame's 15 spring practices. That in itself should pro- vide an advantage, although weight and strength usually will be issues among freshmen. Mokwuah, who had originally com- mitted to Rutgers, was a late addition to compensate for the loss of California Matt Dickerson (6-5, 275), who flipped from the Irish to in-state UCLA. So was Cage. ✦