Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME thias Farley and John Turner shifted to top roles at nickel back and Sam linebacker, respec- tively. • Sophomore Jaylon Smith went from outside (Sam) to inside (Will) l i n e b a c k e r h a l f w a y through spring. • Former outside line- backers Ishaq Williams a n d R o m e o O k w a r a are now hand-on-the- ground ends. • Former wide re- ceiver James Onwualu made the transition to Sam linebacker with Turner, while possible Sam backer Ben Coun- cell could also get a look this August at the inside Mike position. • On offense, running back Amir Carlisle was moved to slot, just like C.J. Prosise was last year from safety. Finally, the offensive line is trying to find its five best players, which included moving junior Ronnie Stanley from right tackle to left tackle to replace Martin. Although sophomore Steve Elmer aligned primarily at left guard while classmate Mike McGlinchey was at right tackle during spring practice, Elmer could well shift to his more natural right tackle slot so that seniors Conor H a n r a t t y a n d M a t t Hegarty provide a vet- eran look at left guard. Last year, the line saw Nick Martin move to center after never having previously played the position. Christian Lom- bard also shifted from a 13-game starter at right tackle to right guard in Changes For The Better Have you ever noticed how the College Football Hall of Fame coaches at Notre Dame have had a knack for finding the right position for an athlete? Ara Parseghian (1964-74) made about a dozen position changes in his first season alone, including shifting Pete Duranko from fullback to linebacker to defensive tackle, Nick Rassas from running back to defensive back and Jack Snow from halfback to split end. All became All-Americans. He later took quarterback recruits such as Tom Schoen, John Pergine and Drew Mahalic and made them outstanding safeties or linebackers. When he had no offensive tackles but two quality tight ends in 1972 (Mike Creaney and Dave Casper), he found a way to start both, moving Casper to tackle for one year. When Creaney graduated the following year, Parseghian shifted Casper back to tight end, where he was an All-American for the national champs. When one reviews Notre Dame's 1988 national champ roster, there were at least 10 examples of major position switches under Lou Holtz (1986-96). Frank Stams went from fullback to All-American rush backer, Andy Heck from tight end to All-American offensive tackle, Chris Zorich from linebacker to difference- making nose tackle, Pat Terrell from wide receiver to play-making free safety, Tim Ryan from linebacker to offensive guard, Ricky Watters from tailback to flanker (for one season), Pat Eilers from strong safety to flanker … it goes on and on. Dan Devine (1975-80) also had his share of significant moves. The 1977 national champ secondary included former quarterback Joe Restic (free safety), former starting fullback Jim Browner (strong safety) and former starting split end Ted Burgmeier (cornerback). Later, starting 1977 flanker Dave Waymer would become a second-round draft pick at cornerback. — Lou Somogyi