BY LOU SOMOGYI
W
ith the start of spring
practice at Notre Dame
March 16, Blue & Gold Il-
lustrated looks at some of
the most asked inquiries about the
2016 Fighting Irish:
WHAT AREAS OF STRENGTH CAN THE FIGHT-
ING IRISH BUILD AROUND?
It starts in the backfield with the
quarterbacks and running backs.
In junior DeShone Kizer and se-
nior Malik Zaire, Notre Dame should
have its best combination of passers/
runners at the position in head coach
Brian Kelly's seven seasons, and both
also have developed a tangible body
of work against marquee opponents
and in clutch situations. It is a prom-
ising enough situation to where the
plan is to redshirt sophomore Bran-
don Wimbush, who might have the
most long-range talent among the trio.
Seldom can a team graduate a
1,000-yard rusher such as C.J. Prosise
and still be deemed at least as strong
SPRING
DEVELOPMENTS
Practice begins with
Notre Dame needing to
replace numerous top performers
Fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones is expected
to provide a more powerful push up the middle, which
should enhance Notre Dame's pass rush.
PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND
