Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/499410
Top Risers On Offense 1. RB/Slot C.J. Prosise — The co-starter at slot last year with Amir Carlisle, Prosise whetted the staff's ap- petite in the Music City Bowl with three carries for 75 yards, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown, to go with his three catches for 34 yards. They auditioned the rising senior at running back this spring, and by the end associate head coach Mike Denbrock referred to him as "the best offensive player on the team right now." The top rusher in the spring game (64 yards on 12 carries), he has inside power with his 220-pound frame and elite-level speed at the second level of the defense, leaving everyone slack-jawed on a 70-yard touchdown jaunt during a scrimmage the week prior to the Blue-Gold Game. 2. TE Durham Smythe — Now that starter Ben Koyack has graduated, Smythe, a junior, took a significant step forward as the heir at Tight End U. Denbrock put him just behind Prosise as a player on offense who made the biggest jump. "He's the No. 1 tight end in all facets," head coach Brian Kelly said after the 10th practice this spring. "His ability to catch, route run, knowledge of the offense, in-line blocking, blocking on the perimeter, knowledge of the game. … He's a kid that stays injury free. He has toughness. He has to work to get bigger and stronger. He has all the tools to be an exceptional tight end. He was just lacking the opportunity more than anything else." 3. Quenton Nelson/Alex Bars — The two redshirted freshmen rotated with the ones at left guard through- out the spring, and both will play this fall, per Kelly. The 325-pound Nelson, the lone Irish five-star recruit in 2014, is described as a mauler, while the 316-pound Bars has been described by Kelly as one of the most advanced technicians he's ever seen for a prospect his age. "We know if you put a guy in front of Quenton, he's going to win a one-on-one matchup," Kelly said. " It's movement, it's the ability to move and adjust when you've got games and slant and angles and things of that nature. … It's the ability to move and redirect, because Alex Bars is really good at that, he's really nimble and moves his feet well." During the spring, associate head coach Mike Denbrock referred to senior running back/slot receiver C.J. Prosise as "the best offensive player on the team right now." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA