Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/561665
BY LOU SOMOGYI O n Phil Steele's 2015 Preseason All-America team, Notre Dame had the most first-team repre- sentation with three. The choices of senior left tackle Ron- nie Stanley and junior linebacker Jay- lon Smith, already projected as future first-round NFL Draft picks, prompt virtually zero disagreement. The inclu- sion of junior free safety Max Redfield did immensely. Like his classmate Smith, Redfield was a Rivals five-star recruit and pos- sesses elite athletic skills. However, the lack of consistent and effective safety play — both as communicators and playmakers —often was cited as a primary albatross of the 2014 Irish defense that yielded a single-season school record 29.15 points per contest. "I don't really feel that deserving," Redfield admitted. "I feel like I'm defi- nitely that kind of player, and I want to prove that every day in practice and on the field. … All I can ask for is to be on the radar. I will continue to play hard with my teammates, and as long as we're successful, I'll be happy. "If I can be successful within the de- fense, then we'll have a great season." An argument can be made that Red- field's performance on defense will be as pivotal as quarterback Malik Zaire's on offense. On paper, Redfield did finish sec- ond to Smith in tackles made (68) last year. However, he had only three passes defended, extremely low at his position. More importantly, he was having problems grasping his own assignments, never mind dictating from the back end to others on where to be. "I had a couple of big plays here (and there, but I made much too many mistakes," a candid Redfield said. "And much too many mental errors that weren't necessary at all — and that a safety can't make for the defense to be successful, and to have an elite defense." Consequently, Redfield was benched in favor of freshman Drue Tranquill during the November home losses to Northwestern and Louisville. When a knee injury shelved Tranquill, Red- field received the start in the regular- season finale at USC, but broken ribs in the first quarter put him back on the sidelines again. December was a crossroads month for Redfield, who recovered physically and rededicated himself mentally in- stead of sulking. It paid off with what the Irish staff cited was his best per- formance of the year, a 14-tackle effort SAFETY ALERT Ambitious Max Redfield aims to live up to his billing