Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/621849
BY BRYAN DRISKELL AND LOU SOMOGYI N otre Dame head coach Brian Kelly stated without reservation last summer that his 2015 Fight- ing Irish team could be his best all around because of its depth across the board. That didn't necessarily mean it would equal the 12-1 record and No. 4 final ranking of his 2012 team, but when going 80-85 players deep — as opposed to maybe just the first 30 — this year 's crew would have the ad- vantage. The 2015 Irish depth was tested from the outset on both sides of the ball, start- ing with season-ending injuries in Au- gust to top nose guard Jarron Jones (the senior missed the entire regular season) and freshman nickel back Shaun Craw- ford, whose speed and presence might have provided a more versatile look on the back end. By the end of the second week of the season, the starting quarterback, run- ning back (and his projected backup, junior Greg Bryant) and tight end were all out of commission. Now, imagine the 2012 team having to play without Louis Nix III at nose guard, and then losing starting quarterback Everett Golson, top backs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood, and Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert. Another 8-4 or 7-5 regular season likely would have been in the cards. Yet despite such setbacks, and several others during the course of the year, the 10-2 regular season, No. 8 ranking in the final College Football Playoff poll, and painful 11th-hour misses on the road against No. 1 Clemson (24-22) and No. 6 Stanford (38-36) were a testament to the growth, balance and quality that has been built on the overall roster. Singling out a few individuals would seem unfair on what was such a strong overall representation on the roster, but these players in particularly manifested the progress of the overall operation. TOP PERFORMERS: WIDE RECEIVER WILL FULLER (OFFENSE) AND JAYLON SMITH (DEFENSE) Notre Dame had a pair of consensus All-Americans, per the NCAA, in junior linebacker Jaylon Smith and senior left tackle Ronnie Stanley. As good as both were, junior wide receiver Will Fuller was without question Notre Dame's top performer from a tangible perspective. Fuller, who was tabbed as a sec- ond-team All-American by eight me- The Irish's Best Blue & Gold Illustrated's take on the top performers during the regular season