Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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regaining momentum for the Irish in their 31-28 conquest Dec. 30. The jaunt displayed a combination of game-breaking speed to complement his large frame, and also became an epiphany to the Irish coaching staff: Why not utilize the slot man Prosise as a third back in the 2015 backfield arsenal to supplement the skills of juniors Tarean Folston and Greg Bry- ant? The original intent was to get him maybe three to five more touches per game as a runner. By the end of spring drills — when Prosise was declared by associate head coach and wide receiv- ers coach Mike Denbrock as the top weapon on offense, and rushed for a game-high 64 yards on 12 carries in the Blue-Gold Game — that figure was up to maybe six to 10. Now in August, with Bryant academ- ically ineligible and transferring to a junior college, Prosise could be looking at 11 to 15 touches per game. "As much as they need me for, as much as they want to give me the ball," Prosise replied when asked what he believes his threshold for carries can be in a game this year. "I still have a lot more to achieve at running back. I feel like I just started and am still learning the position. "I definitely thought I could be great player, but never thought I'd be in this position to be a big part of this offense." Last year, Prosise became the first Notre Dame player since Golden Tate in 2009 to produce more than 500 re- ceiving yards (516) and 100 rushing yards (126) in the same campaign. This past spring, the bulk of his work was with running backs, but it was not until Bryant's ineligibility and subse- quent transfer in August that Prosise recognized how much his learning curve needed to be accelerated. "Now knowing that I'm a full-time running back, I've never had to get more involved with different schemes and pass protections," said Prosise, whose running skills at Woodberry Forest High in Virginia were mostly on special teams, where he returned four punts for touchdowns as a senior. "I never played much [running back] in high school. "The spring is when it all started. I was already knowing a lot of the con- cepts of the offense — pass concepts — and then had to get down the run concepts." BACKFIELD MOTION Running back recruits often move to wide re‑ ceiver or defensive back, but seldom do defensive backs or wideouts shift to running back like C.J. Prosise has this season. Here are three famous figures, though, that did so the last 25 years — although all were star high school backs: Reggie Brooks — As a sophomore in 1990, he started three games at corner and made a late interception in a 28‑24 win over Michigan. But he requested a return to tailback, where he finished fifth in the 1992 Heisman Trophy balloting. Jeff Burris — A first‑round pick as a defensive back in 1994, Burris moonlighted at running back for the 11‑1 team in 1993 and scored six touch‑ downs, two of them on six‑ and 11‑yard runs in the win over No. 1 Florida State. Autry Denson — A freshman cornerback at the start of the 1995 season, the current Irish running backs coach was shifted to running back after an opening game loss to Northwestern and remains the school's all‑time leading rusher. — Lou Somogyi