Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/669106
BY BRYAN DRISKELL I n 2015, Notre Dame had its best offense in a decade and one of its better all-around outputs in the past 40 years. To continue its as- cent in 2016, a great deal of talent has to be replaced. Gone are left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a likely first-round NFL Draft pick, and game-breaking wide receiver Will Fuller, another possible first-round se- lection. Starting center and two-time captain Nick Martin plus 30-game starter Steve Elmer at right guard have departed up front, while receiv- ers Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle — the team's second- and third-leading pass catchers in 2015 — also must be replaced. For Notre Dame to continue put- ting a dominant offense on the field, a number of skill players and linemen need to step into the starting lineup to help replace the lost production. Here are our top five who appeared to make the most dramatic improve- ments this spring: SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER TORII HUNTER JR. Hunter is stepping into Fuller 's starting X position, which immedi- ately places a spotlight on him. After racking up 28 catches for 363 yards out of the slot a season ago, Hunter is expected to provide much more pro- duction and leadership. What he displayed this spring is that not only can he run good routes and catch the football — traits he had showed previously — but he can also stretch the field. His 50-yard one- handed reception in the Blue-Gold Game was just the last of many big plays he made during the spring. It is obvious that Hunter is finally back to full speed after battling lower-body injuries his first three years in South Bend. Adding big-play, down-field ability has put Hunter in position to emerge as Notre Dame's next big-time re- ceiver. Head coach Brian Kelly re- ferred to Hunter's spring as "terrific," especially after also playing baseball for coach Mik Aoki. "It's amazing what he does in terms of the intensity in which he practices and how hard he goes, and then he does the same thing for Mik," Kelly said. "He's a unique young man in that he can focus and give that kind of intensity to both sports." JUNIOR CENTER SAM MUSTIPHER Losing a two-time captain and pos- sible high draft pick at center is not supposed to be this easy to replace, but Mustipher has made a seamless transition. The return of senior tackle Mike McGlinchey and junior guard Quen- ton Nelson took away some of the leadership burden that would other- wise be placed on Mustipher's shoul- ders. It has allowed him to focus on developing as a player, and by the end of spring he looked extremely comfortable in the middle. He was supposed to be in a position battle with sophomore Tristen Hoge, but the Olney, Md., native quickly ended that competition. He was dom- inant during the spring game and