Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/561665
Texas. He's on track to being a big con- tributor." Gilmore has produced a number of standout defensive linemen dur- ing his coaching career. He tutored All-Americans Whitney Mercilus and Corey Liuget at Illinois, both of whom were picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. Gilmore also coached All- American defensive tackle Terrill Byrd and second-round draft pick Connor Barwin at Cincinnati. "I've had some good freshmen, but the combination of size, athleticism and flexibility, and all those things Jerry has, is a little bit different than those guys I've had," Gilmore noted. "I have not had a freshman with that sort of length and that sort of athleti- cism as Jerry." Notre Dame's 6-6½, 305-pound freshman nose guard will look to add to the team's Freshman All-American streak. Defensive end Aaron Lynch (2011), cornerback KeiVarae Russell (2012), linebacker Jaylon Smith (2013) and linebacker Nyles Morgan (2014) all have earned first-team notice. Til- lery joining that group would be a much needed boost and revelation for the Irish defense. Tillery will not be the lone fresh- man starter when Notre Dame takes on Texas in the season opener. Justin Yoon will handle the placekicking du- ties, which has been the expectation since he committed to Notre Dame in June 2014. Rivals rated Yoon as the nation's top kicker in the 2015 class. The former hockey player has a unique talent, combining a strong leg with high-level athleticism. The result is the ability to kick with power and to repeat his mechanics. When special teams coordinator Scott Booker began looking for the replacement to departed kicker Kyle Brindza, the ability to perform right away was a must. There would be no room for adjustment. Yoon fit that pro- file. "I couldn't have a guy with a flaw in his mechanics," Booker explained. "I couldn't have a guy that wasn't men- tally tough enough. I needed a guy that we needed to continue to prog- ress his baseline instead of having to rework his fundamentals, to rework his mentality. I didn't have a year to do that." It is the freshman kicker 's attitude and confidence that truly put Booker at ease. "It's always comforting as a coach when your kicker has an even keel and confidence," Booker said. READY RIGHT NOW Notre Dame brought in one of the top group of pass catchers in the na- tion. Lindy's ranked the four-man re- ceiving class as the country's No. 2 group, and tight end Aliz'e Jones was ranked as the top tight end in the land by both ESPN and 247Sports. Three players from that group have already worked themselves into the rotation and should see immediate playing time. Jones has impressed with his combi- nation of size (6-4½, 240 pounds) and elite athleticism. The Las Vegas native has used camp to show off his speed and strong ball skills. As camp has carried on his opportunities have in-