Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
Mykelti Williams, who preserved a year of eligibility as a freshman. Wil- liams is not quite the athlete that Tran- quill was prior to his injury, but he runs and transitions well enough to be pro- ductive on the back end of the defense. What makes Williams a legitimate candidate for the position is high foot- ball IQ and instincts. LEFT CORNERBACK Notre Dame needs to replace KeiV- arae Russell again. After he was sus- pended prior to the 2014 campaign, Rus- sell was replaced by Florida transfer and fifth-year senior Cody Riggs, who filled in admirably. Russell also missed the final two games of 2015 after injuring his leg in the final minutes of Notre Dame's win over Boston College. Notre Dame's last two recruiting classes have restocked the position with some bona fide options. Senior Devin Butler filled in for Rus- sell last November in the loss at Stan- ford. He also replaced Riggs for two starts in 2014 and filled in for two other games when Riggs went down with an injury. He's the most veteran player in the competition, which gives him a leg up if it becomes about experience, and has good size (6-0½, 200). When Butler was sidelined with an injured foot he was replaced by Nick Watkins, and the then-sophomore played admirably in the Fiesta Bowl against the Buckeyes. Watkins has the best combination of size (6-0½, 200), strength and athleticism at the position, but he has not always squeezed the most out of his ability. If he can do so in the spring, he could be tough to keep off the field. Two rising sophomores could make a push as well. Shaun Crawford was poised to emerge as the 2015 starter at nickel, but a knee injury ended his season before it began. If healthy — a theme in several of these battles — Crawford has the best speed and in- stincts at the position. There were times in 2015 when Nick Coleman was the first player off the bench when Notre Dame needed a third cornerback. Coleman has ideal size (5-11½, 185) and runs very well, but he is still learning the position after spending most of his prep career domi- nating as a running back. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Sophomore Jerry Tillery is the clear front-runner at the three-technique po- sition (outside shoulder of the offensive guard) and will likely be tasked with replacing Day, a two-time captain. Tillery spent his freshman season ro- tating with junior Daniel Cage at nose guard, but the return to health of fifth- year senior Jarron Jones should allow him to move out to three-technique. Tillery is a massive young man (6-6½, 305), yet surprisingly nimble for his size. If focused on improving his game, he could emerge as a force, but he also could find himself getting pushed by juniors Jay Hayes and Jonathan Bonner. An interesting situation could arise if Notre Dame decides to move senior strongside end Isaac Rochell to three- technique, which could be his best posi- tion. How well players like Bonner, ju- nior Grant Blankenship and freshman Khalid Kareem develop in the spring will determine if moving Rochell is an option. ✦