Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/514677
nificant injection of speed, talent and production into the defense. Martini was a pleasant surprise last season. He was an unheralded recruit, coming from a small Virginia private school. From the moment he arrived on campus Martini impressed, earn- ing a quick rise up a thin depth chart. He made two starts, finishing with 14 tackles in those games. Martini is instinctive and physi- cal, but his athleticism is often overlooked. While he progresses in Longo's strength program, his agil- ity and quickness will continue to be enhanced. Martini moved out to Sam linebacker in the spring, where he will serve as the primary backup to James Onwualu. He was a force on the edge in the run game, so expect to see him get playing time against heavy person- nel sets and teams that like to run the football. Hill spent his freshman season as a nickel pass rusher, where he racked up 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He spent the spring working as a Sam linebacker, but his role this fall will again be as a pass-rush specialist and special teams player. 6. Defensive Back — Notre Dame will need its sophomore secondary players to be healthy and ready to con- tribute. The Irish secondary is thin on proven production, which creates a need for cornerback Nick Watkins and safety Drue Tranquill to break out. Tranquill was a pleasant surprise as a freshman, where his athleticism and aggressiveness emerged, earning him a role in Notre Dame's dime defense. Tranquill made three starts before tear- ing the ACL in his left knee against Louisville, an injury that caused him to miss the remainder of his freshman season and most of spring practice. If healthy, Tranquill will be asked to again be a key part of the defense's dime and blitz packages. A spot in the two-deep is up for grabs, and Tran- quill will also be counted on to anchor Notre Dame's coverage units on spe- cial teams. After failing to crack the rotation as a freshman, Watkins spent the spring making a name for himself by show- ing off the high-level talent that made him one of the top cornerbacks in the 2014 class. Watkins has ideal size for the position, which he combines with top-level athleticism that allows him to excel in man coverage. The Texas native quickly beat out ju- nior Devin Butler. Assuming he carries over his strong spring play, Watkins has put himself in prime position to be the first cornerback off the bench once KeiVarae Russell returns. 7. Quarterback — It was expected that DeShone Kizer would have an- other season to develop before he would be needed. The transfer of Ever- ett Golson sped up his timeline. Kizer now enters fall camp as the backup to Malik Zaire. At 6-4½ and 230 pounds, Kizer has the size coaches covet. He has the arm strength to make all the throws required in the Notre Dame offense, plus experience running the read-zone concepts. The Irish coaches have raved about his work ethic, football IQ and ability to pick up the system. Right now, Kizer is being held back by his unrefined fundamentals. His footwork causes him to be erratic and