Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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due to the arrival of fifth-year senior and Florida transfer Cody Riggs. Now, with senior safety Eilar Hardy not yet returned from the academic dishonesty investigation (Hardy will return to practice after fall break), ju- nior Nicky Baratti out for the season with a shoulder injury and Collin- sworth sidelined once again, Farley has rotated to the back line in practice. Junior Elijah Shumate and sophomore Max Redfield maintain starter status, and freshman Drue Tranquill is most likely the first man in, but Farley will provide valuable depth. At this point, he'll also provide comprehensive de- fensive backfield knowledge. "Obviously the new system is a lot different," he said of VanGorder's at- tack-minded scheme. "Safeties do a lot more different things, but having played nickel, having played corner, the transitions are hard. "You see how things fit from those other two spots. As a defense, we learn everything together. I've sat and lis- tened to what the safeties have to do in different coverages and understand how our nickel fits into that role, or how a corner. It makes it easier." It may be easier, but make no mis- take: Farley would prefer certain po- sitions to others, although he'll help however he can. "I don't know how comfortable I'd feel at corner," he said, before belying his intellectual wit. "That's an island. I'm more a peninsula guy." From that "peninsula" — be it nickel or safety — Farley plays a role in help- ing senior linebacker Joe Schmidt align the defense. Schmidt certainly appreci- ates that assistance, dipping into ab- breviations and parlance when dis- cussing how the two communicate on the field, but he appreciates Farley's off-field presence far more. "There's a reason that people are drawn to Matthias," Schmidt said, in a rare serious moment with the media. "I'm drawn to Matthias. He's got great personality. He's driven, and he's pas- sionate about his teammates. "That kind of thing, it doesn't matter if he's not playing at all, it's still the kind of person you want to be around. That's why Matthias Farley is going to be successful in whatever he does." Farley has been featured recently as an example of success, both on and off the field. When Notre Dame rose to No. 5 in the national rankings, the Irish coaching staff populated social media with a graphic pointing out that among the top-five teams, Notre Dame had the highest graduation rate on its football team. A bow-tie-clad Farley stood in the graphic, underscoring the academic notion of it. He may be well respected by his teammates, but that doesn't mean they won't give him grief over being a poster boy, if not a model. "Matthias is a good-looking fellow," Schmidt said, returning to his usual lightheartedness. "I remember when they shot those pictures, and they got Matthias in a bow-tie." Here, Schmidt pauses briefly for ef- fect. "If that doesn't recruit people, I don't know what will," he concluded. A year ago, Farley was seen as a weakness on the field. Now, he's Notre Dame's example of success both on and off the gridiron. ✦