Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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RUNNING BACK Freshmen: Josh Adams and Dexter Williams Need In 2015: Prior to spring, we would have said with certainty that at least one, if not both, will help because juniors Tarean Folston (a team-high 889 rushing yards in 2014) and Greg Bryant (second with 289 yards) were the only two scholarship backs on the roster. But after senior slot receiver C.J. Pro- sise had a sterling spring and became labeled by the staff as the team's best player on offense, including a game- high 12 carries for 64 yards in the Blue-Gold Game, we're not as defi- nite. Three in a rotation is usually the maximum in a game. If We Had To Guess … One will see some spot duty, at least on spe- cial teams, while a second can be de- veloped over five years. It might be comparable to 2009, when freshmen Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood had to bide time behind Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and Jonas Gray. Rid- dick played mainly special teams, but added 165 rushing yards while Wood redshirted (much to his dismay). The short-term pick in 2015 might be the 200-pound Williams, who Kelly says possesses the elite "second-level speed" of a Prosise and could help on special teams, too. Adams, sidelined as a junior in 2013 because of a torn ACL, could be a better longer-term prospect. WIDE RECEIVER Freshmen: Miles Boykin, Jalen Guyton, CJ Sanders and Equanime- ous St. Brown Need In 2015: Even more than at running back, there is little room at the Fighting Irish inn for playing time by a freshman at wide receiver unless he is arriving with a Michael Floyd- like background, which no one is. Sophomore Justin Brent — a top- 100 recruit in 2014 with offensive guard Quenton Nelson and line- backer Nyles Morgan — is trying to break into the top six at wideout, and that's not even including the running backs and maybe even a tight end split out as a flex player. Classmate Corey Holmes tied for the team lead in catches in the Blue-Gold Game (three for 37 yards) yet might be No. 8 in a six-man rotation. Junior Will Fuller is the headline performer, and senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle was cited as having made the most strides in the spring. If We Had To Guess … At least one of the four will crack the lineup on special teams, with Sanders the fa- vorite because of his return prowess. Plus, he could be groomed at the slot position in 2016 with Carlisle gradu- ating and Prosise having only one more year of eligibility after 2015 (if he returns). If attrition occurs, then two could be in the lineup in 2015, but probably no more. TIGHT END Freshman: Alizé Jones Need In 2015: Numbers are good with five scholarship players, four of whom have at least three years of eli- gibility. Still, this area has far less ex- perience than wideout, so the chances are more favorable for a premier re- cruit such as Jones to see action. The