Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/350567
MURPHY'S LAW DAN MURPHY E ach August, Blue & Gold Illustrated dips its first toe into the water of a new season by taking a deeper look at the rising junior class. We tran- sition from one athletic year into the next by focusing on the cohort making a significant transition of its own. All 12 remaining members of the withered 2012 recruiting class have reached an imaginary hurdle where youthful mistakes are no longer toler- ated. Those players become drivers rather than passengers on the road to defining Notre Dame's identity. At least two-thirds of this season's juniors approach that hurdle with an opportunity to jump into a major role for the Irish. They could also just as easily fade into background. The com- ing year will shape the perception of this group. Will their future epitaph be about a class that could've been or about the strong that stuck it out and succeeded? The most highly anticipated ath- letes associated with the junior class have come and gone without mak- ing an impact. Cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard never made it to an August training camp. Neither did five-star wide receiver Deontay Greenberry, who changed his mind about South Bend on National Signing Day three years ago. The country's top high school quarterback, Gunner Kiel, and wide receivers Davonte' Neal and Justin Ferguson stayed for only one season before transferring. Those six might have been headlin- ers entering the 2014 season had they all stayed. Instead, the door is open for their classmates to prove they can handle that role. The biggest opportunity on the field Transition Time For Junior Class Junior wide receiver Chris Brown will try to make the leap from being an ancillary deep threat to a regular part of the game plan this fall. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA