Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BEYOND THE DEFENSIVE LINE In addition to the upheaval along the line, numerous other players in this class have undergone their share of personal and physical travails. • Quarterback Everett Golson's debut as the starter during the 2012 Cinderella season resulted in 2,405 passing yards and 298 rushing yards. The 2,703 yards total offense repre- sent the second most ever by a Notre Dame sophomore quarterback, behind Jimmy Clausen's 3,099 during a 7-6 season in 2008. However, Golson was sidelined in 2013 because of academic reasons. • Daniels has bounced back from numerous maladies, including aca- demic exile this spring. Athletically he has NFL-caliber skills, but his playing career has been checkered. • On Nov. 8, 2012, offensive guard/ center Matt Hegarty suffered a mini- stroke during a practice that required surgery to repair holes in his heart. His football career was in jeopardy, yet he returned in 2013 and played the final three games at center after an MCL tear and patella injury sidelined classmate and starter Nick Martin at center. Hegarty has progressed so well that he is the front-runner at the left guard position this year vacated by the grad- uated Chris Watt. Fellow senior Conor Hanratty (a four-game starter in 2013) will continue to vie for that No. 1 role, but Hegarty's ascent has been a top story in recent months. • USC running back transfer Amir Carlisle sat out 2012 because of a lit- any of health ailments. After the 2013 campaign he was shifted to slot re- ceiver, where he is projected to split time with junior C.J. Prosise this year. • Defensively, linebackers Jarrett Grace and Ben Councell are both com- ing off major leg surgeries. The team's top tackler in 2013 prior to fracturing his leg in numerous places during the Oct. 5 victory versus Arizona State, Grace has undergone two surgeries since then and still was not yet full go after the completion of the second week of training camp. He might be more prepared in 2015 than 2014. "We're not at that point where he is running downhill or running side- line to sideline," Kelly said on Aug. 9, following the completion of the first week. Councell suffered an ACL tear last November against Navy, was side- lined during the spring and then suf- fered a concussion the first week of training camp. With Grace and Councell both checking in at more than 250 pounds, bulk would be added to a relatively light linebacker corps. However, they also must battle the psychological ef- fects of returning from severe injuries. "Those are two really big pieces for us. We can get really big and get re- ally physical at the linebacker position with those guys on the field," Kelly said. "And then we can match up with some smaller guys, as well, that are more safety types that can play down." • Safety Eilar Hardy shattered his knee in his first few days of practice as a 2011 freshman and began to come into his own as a regular in the second half of last season prior to getting sus-