Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Five That Won't Have To Wait Sophomores won't be the only new faces making a splash on the field this fall for Notre Dame. Here's our list of the five incoming freshmen that are most likely to avoid wearing a redshirt in their first season in South Bend. 5) Andrew Trumbetti — Defensive End Trumbetti joins the Irish at a position of need at defensive end. At least one true freshman has played on the defensive line for the Irish each of the last three seasons. While the New Jersey native arrived on campus in January weighing 250 pounds, he has ample time to add 15 pounds of muscle in the six months before taking the field in August. That should make him physically capable to add a layer of depth at defensive end if Notre Dame needs him. "I want to play early," Trumbetti said. "I want to get bigger and stronger. I am not going to redshirt. I'm early enrolling, and I believe it's going to be a great decision for me." 4) Jay Hayes — Defensive Line The four-star defensive tackle from Brooklyn, N.Y., is versatile enough to play in a number of gaps along the defensive line. He is needed most right in the middle, where the Irish defense is rebuilding after the departure of Louis Nix III, Stephon Tuitt and Kona Schwenke. Hayes (6-4, 275 pounds) is small for the block-gobbling zero technique role played by Nix, but could help on the interior of the line, especially if the Irish shift to a more regular 4-3 look. He could join fellow New Yorker Jarron Jones, a junior, in a rotation in the middle. "He's got to come ready to play," head coach Brian Kelly said. "Every one of the guys that we've re- cruited on the defensive line has to come with a mentality that you're coming ready to play." 3) Justin Brent — Wide Receiver A regular regimen of three daily workouts helped Brent — Notre Dame's only other early enrollee — ar- rive on campus in January looking physically mature beyond his years. Kelly said Brent (6-1¼, 204 pounds) looked like an upperclassman during early team workouts in February. "Physically, if you look at a number of these guys, you could say they could play right now. I don't out there and grind with two younger guys. They have a very bright future and are going to make plays for this university. We're all doing what we have to do." Bryant worked at full speed dur- ing the first week of Notre Dame's March practices, which by rule were completed without pads. The 5-9¾, 204-pounder still stood out to Kelly because of his athleticism. "He's top of the line in everything that he does," Kelly said. The Irish head coach also noted how Bryant's father helped the young run- ning back deal with a frustrating first season on the sidelines. The slow start to football did give the freshman more time to get settled with academics and life on a college campus. Players under Kelly who excelled in their second year after not playing as a freshman included running back Cierre Wood and tackle Zack Martin in 2010, nose guard Louis Nix III in 2011, quarterback Everett Golson and safety Matthias Farley in 2012, and tackle Ronnie Stanley in 2013. ✦