Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/561665
BY ANDREW OWENS N early one year after he was temporarily exiled from the Irish football program, se- nior KeiVarae Russell finally found himself back where he feels most comfortable — at cornerback for Notre Dame. Russell, one of five players held out of action during last year's academic inves- tigation, has returned to the practice field and immediately made some impres- sions with his play — and his voice. "I was hyped," Russell said of return- ing to the practice field Aug. 7. "Even warming up felt good with the guys. It's a surreal feeling to be back and it doesn't seem like a full year, so that's why I say surreal. It's been a full year since I've been here. … I think that's what it was for me. That's why I was so hyped, try- ing to get myself right. It's like, 'You're out here. You're on the field again.' " Russell immediately jumps to the top of a depth chart that also features junior cornerback Cole Luke, who elevated his play in 2014 while Russell sat out. The Everett, Wash., native said shaking off the rust in his first practice since last year's Aug. 15 announcement was not that difficult to do. "It's not necessarily rust," he said. "It's more so trust in what I've done before. More so about the trust aspect, like: 'Oh, I've got to drive. Stop hesitating. Start doing what you do. You've been playing this game.' It's not as much rust as about trust in what I've been studying. That's what I describe it as. "Once the pass is coming, that's when everything really changes. [On day one] they made me play off [the line of scrimmage]. You know I'm a press guy. I SHAKING OFF THE RUST After a one-year hiatus, KeiVarae Russell is back with the Irish and focused on a national championship run