Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/561665
the pass rush, a skill the Irish defense severely lacks. "Jaylon Smith is one of the most ver- satile and athletic linebackers in the country," Kelly said. "We now feel like he's in a position where we can get him to do everything, but not complicate it so much that he can't go play the game, play fast and be the kind of player that he wants to be. "So we're really excited about Jaylon and what he's been able to do. He's physically in the best shape. He's stron- ger." 4. S MAX REDFIELD The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ar- rived at Notre Dame as a five-star tal- ent and has experienced plenty of ups and downs during his first two seasons with the Irish. Last November, Kelly benched Red- field when his production waned, al- though he capped his season off with a mostly impressive performance against LSU in the Music City Bowl. "Max Redfield, his maturity and the way he's really come into his own has been something to see," Kelly said. "In just the last few days we've had some leadership development, and he's re- ally taken that step that we were look- ing for. So having somebody that is an outstanding athlete now bring the other part with him is going to be a great strength for us as well on the back end of our defense." Kelly — and VanGorder — noted that Redfield has recommitted himself to football in the way he always has with his academics. Coupled with his elite talent, Redfield could be poised to lock down the safety position after an inconsistent start to his career. Notre Dame's safety play was inef- fective for much of 2014, with captain Austin Collinsworth injured for most of the season. Redfield will need to be much better to ensure the position is not a liability this time around. 5. K JUSTIN YOON Kyle Brindza held down the kicker, punter and kickoff roles for what seemed like much longer than the four years he was on campus, but now that he has moved on to the NFL, the Irish had to replace him at three different positions this offseason. Sophomore Tyler Newsome will handle the punting duties and fresh- man Yoon will be the starting kicker. The latter — a Nashville, Tenn., na- tive — had the rare distinction of be- ing named a starter by Kelly at the National Signing Day press confer- ence. Yoon has not disappointed during his first fall camp in South Bend. He routinely booms long field goals with room to spare and boasts consistency in his mechanics. "Charting right now, he's 18 for 18 on kicks," Kelly said one week into fall camp. "He's 9 for 9 between the 30 and 39. We're going to stretch him out a little bit tomorrow and get him some work from 40 to 49. He hasn't missed a kick yet. His operation is outstanding, his 1.21 operation, which is as quick as we've had. Really solid. Hits the ball solid. Very consistent. Doesn't have any mechanical flaws. Once in a while will hit a couple heavy, but his mo- mentum is through the target. "He's not off-target. Even if he hits