Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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fer Cody Riggs, who also could be at nickel with senior Matthias Farley. Still, corners are made to help on special teams right away, and Watkins' physical skills should get him on the field in at least that capacity. ON THE BUBBLE/NEXT IN LINE Quarterback DeShone Kizer, offen- sive lineman Quenton Nelson, punter Tyler Newsome, linebacker Drue Tran- quill, defensive ends Grant Blanken- ship and Jhonny Williams, and de- fensive tackle Jay Hayes could see the field this year if things break right for them. This is predicated a lot on injury sta- tus or whether there is a spot available on special teams. For example, if either of the two scholarship quarterbacks this spring — senior Everett Golson or sopho- more Malik Zaire — is injured, then Kizer might be the proverbial "one snap away" the way Zaire was last year had either Tommy Rees or An- drew Hendrix been put out of com- mission. The same could hold true for New- some if reliable senior kicker/punter Kyle Brindza is injured. Seldom will we list a freshman of- fensive lineman with a chance to play, but the 6-5, 302-pound Nelson might have such an opportunity on the two- deep at tackle, especially if sophomore Colin McGovern shifts to the interior like Kelly said he eventually will. Nel- son's No. 62 ranking nationally by 247Sports Composite is second only to Morgan's No. 53 in this Irish fresh- man class. Weighing in the 220- to 230-pound range, Tranquill has special teams-like physique and athletic skills if needed this year. We give the 6-5, 237-pound Williams and 6-6, 264-pound Blankenship a chance to see action with Trumbetti on the edge because of their contrasting physiques and pass-rushing potential. August will better answer if they are ready to compete at this level so early. Unlike Trumbetti, they don't have 15 spring practices under their belt — but Blankenship is growing and Williams' frame resembles Justin Tuck's when Defensive end Andrew Trumbetti showed a great motor and good football instincts during the spring, positioning himself to be in the two-deep this fall. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND