Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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year player. He started all 13 games last season and has been in the con- versation for team captains during the offseason. On the opposite side, though, Sam linebacker James On- wualu might as well be another fresh- man. Onwualu played wide receiver last season for the Irish. He moved to defense during spring practice and leaped converted safety John Turner for the starting spot midway through August. Freshmen Greer Martini and Nick Watkins also played with the sec- ond team defense this August at Will linebacker and cornerback, respec- tively. 2. The search for leadership continues. All that youth will need some direc- tion to get its bearings. Notre Dame has a strong group of options in that department, but each potential voice of the defense has a caveat that has prevented him from becoming the established chief on the field. Notre Dame never located defi- nite leadership on defense during the 2013 season like it had with the threesome of end Kapron Lewis- Moore, linebacker Manti Te'o and safety Zeke Motta the season before. Russell, although only a junior, was a frontrunner for that position before it became unclear if he would be a part of the team at all this season. The four main names to watch in that category are fifth-year senior Austin Collinsworth, senior line- backer Joe Schmidt, junior defensive lineman Sheldon Day and sophomore linebacker Jaylon Smith. Notre Dame has never had a sopho- more captain on its football team be- fore, but Kelly said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of Smith becoming