Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/598383
Cage said. "I wasn't really worried about making plays. I was just trying to help the team out where I could." His next concentration was on disci- pline in his eating habits and obeying the mandates of Notre Dame's nutri- tion team. "It was real hard," Cage said. "You see all the cakes and pies, and it's like, 'Dang, you really want that.' But it's all mental. I was really focused and determined to lose the weight. … It's to the point where I am control- ling myself and know what I need to eat to maintain, stay down and stay healthy." Although now listed at 315 pounds, Cage checked in at a trim 307 pounds this August after overcoming an el- bow injury and a concussion last spring. He was lauded for his ferocity, advanced strength, balance — and conditioning. "Last year, he would give us a cou- ple of plays and then fatigue would lock up his brain," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "He would be in the wrong gap. … And a lot of that had to do with the inability to main- tain the mental awareness of what he was doing because he was fatigued. "He's in much better condition. He's so much more mature and un- derstands our defense so much better. He was always off the charts in terms of his strength and foot quickness. Now he's bringing a lot of that for much more of the game in terms of number of plays." During the team's 7-1 start, Cage and the rangier 6-6 freshman Jerry Til- lery have served as a tag-team duo in place of Jones, who suffered a season- ending knee injury in August. Versus faster or option-oriented teams such as Georgia Tech, Tillery might have more of a presence (he had 39 snaps against Tech compared to Cage's 14). Meanwhile, smash- mouth teams such as Temple, Pitt, Boston College and Stanford are more in Cage's wheelhouse. (Cage had 37 snaps versus the Owls compared to Tillery's 12.) "I'm more power, and he's more speed," Cage said. "We try to put each other in a position to where you need that speed with that power." "He's physical at the point of attack, he's got first-step quickness, and he can really control the line of scrim- mage," said Kelly of Cage. "We've got a one-two punch there that will continue to be effective for us." Even Meyer has taken note while receiving a verbal commitment from 2017 defensive line recruit Jerron Cage, Daniel's younger brother. Per Ari Wasserman of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, Meyer 's recruiting pitch to Winton Wood High (where Cage plays) head coach Andre Parker was brief: "We aren't going to let this one get out of state. We should have taken the older one, but we aren't let- ting this one go." Such praise has uplifted Cage and his desire to improve. "It's peaceful to the mind, but I'm trying to stay focused and keep get- ting better," Cage said. "The more I progress, the more he feels that pain that, 'Dang, I really should have re- cruited that guy.'" It's another way of maintaining the right kind of hunger. ✦