Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
UNDER THE DOME Nickname: "Just V.J., since my real name is Victor." Dorm: "Stanford Hall." Major: "Marketing." Favorite TV show: "I don't really have time for one during basketball. I was watch- ing 'Narcos.' I haven't finished it." Favorite place around South Bend to eat: "I like Frankie's BBQ even though I don't eat that a lot during the season. I love Olive Garden; Zach [Auguste] and I go all the time." Favorite movie: "'He Got Game.' To be a real life story, it's just a great movie. And Ray Allen is in it." Toughest player you've played against: "Playing against [former Notre Dame guard] Jerian Grant in practice. He's quicker than me, and his basketball IQ — he always made great plays." Favorite pregame music: "I listen to a lot of J Cole and Jay Z. Jay Z is my favorite rapper ever. I listen to those guys a lot." Favorite part of playing for Notre Dame: "Just being here and meeting new people. People want to just come visit, so being here every day is pretty amazing." Getting To Know … JUNIOR FORWARD V.J. BEACHEM Notre Dame hopes to return a number of players that were side‑ lined by injury at various points of the 2015 season for the Fiesta Bowl versus Ohio State Jan. 1. Senior nose guard Jarron Jones missed the entire regular season af‑ ter suffering a knee injury in practice during fall camp, but the Irish expect him to play against the Buckeyes. "I had a long conversation with our medical staff and [head trainer] Rob Hunt," head coach Brian Kelly said prior to the start of bowl prac‑ tices. "Jarron Jones is cleared for full practice and participation beginning [Dec. 10], so we will have him in‑ volved in practice, and it'll just be a matter of increasing the volume as we work through bowl preparation. "The good thing about the bowl preparation is it's not like two‑a‑ days. There are breaks in there, and I think we can increase his volume where he can be playing for us and contributing." Jones might not be the lone player that has missed months of time but could return for the Fiesta Bowl. Junior tight end Durham Smythe suffered what were thought to be season‑ending knee and shoulder injuries Sept. 12 at Virginia, but he too was cleared for practice prior to the start of bowl preparation. "Durham Smythe is in a very, very good position," Kelly said. "He's got full strength. We expect him to be a solid contributor for us, and he is cleared to practice immediately." Injury Update