Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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yards on the ground. Freshman Jerry Tillery won the De- fensive Newcomer of the Year award after ending 2015 with 12 tackles (two for loss) and one sack as part of a tag-team duo with sophomore Daniel Cage that replaced senior nose guard Jarron Jones, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall practice. On a team that carried plenty of Next Man In candidates, senior run- ning back C.J. Prosise finished as the award recipient. He rushed for 1,032 yards in his first season as a running back after moving from slot receiver last fall. A pair of freshmen were named the Scout Team Player of the Year on of- fense and defense: center Tristen Hoge and linebacker Asmar Bilal. Both play- ers redshirted during the 2015 season. ✦ Players Mum On NFL Future Three Irish players admitted at Notre Dame's end-of-year awards banquet that they have stay-or-go decisions looming as it pertains to the NFL. Junior linebacker Jaylon Smith said he is focused on Ohio State and will not announce a decision until after the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1. "Honestly, just the Ohio State game is where my focus is," Smith said. "I've discussed with family, but we all agreed that what matters the most is beating Ohio State." Smith was named Notre Dame's Defensive Player of the Year and earned Butkus Award honors as the nation's top linebacker. Junior wide receiver Will Fuller, the 2015 team's Most Valuable Player as voted on by his teammates, said he is undecided after telling reporters in November that he would return in 2016. A source told Blue & Gold Illustrated at the end of the regular season that Fuller has told people he will declare for the NFL Draft. "I submitted my paperwork to see where I'm at and I'm going to pray about it, talk to my family about it and make the best decision I can," Fuller acknowledged. Fuller has caught 28 touchdown passes the past two seasons. Senior running back C.J. Prosise, who missed the final game of the regular season with a high-ankle sprain, is also undecided. He joins Fuller, Smith, senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell and senior tackle Ronnie Stanley as the five players — the maximum allowed by the NFL — on behalf of which Notre Dame submitted paperwork to the NFL Draft Advisory Board. "Right now, I'm not thinking about any of that," Prosise said. "I'm thinking about getting myself healthy and ready for the bowl game. "We just sent [the paperwork] out. I just kind of want to know where I'm at, know where I stand. Once the season ends, me and my family will talk and make a decision from there. "At this point last year, it's 100 percent I'm coming back for my fifth year, but now ... things are dif- ferent. Circumstances change, but I'm still thinking about it the same way. I'm still going to focus on doing my job on the football field first and then whatever happens after that is whatever happens. "I have three classes in the spring and I get my degree in May. I'll definitely get my degree, which is the most important part coming from Notre Dame." The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft is Jan. 18. — Andrew Owens