Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 19, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME MARCH 2016 • $3.50 VOLUME 35 • ISSUE 15 • EST. 1981 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM POWER & Skill Tackle Tommy Kraemer and wide receiver Javon McKinley lead the way for top-15 class 2016 RECRUITING ISSUE DECEMBER 2015 • $3.50 VOLUME 35 • ISSUE 12 • EST. 1981 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM KICK TO THE GUT Last-second field goal gives Kevin Hogan and Stanford a 38-36 win, ending Notre Dame's playoff hopes JUNE/JULY 2016 • $3.50 VOLUME 35 • ISSUE 18 • EST. 1981 YOUTH MOVEMENT Sophomore Josh Adams and his classmates are poised to take on more prominent roles WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM Blue & Gold Illustrated is the foremost source for information, analysis and opinions on Notre Dame football and football recruiting. Your subscription includes: n One Year Of Blue & Gold Illustrated: 20 print publications (published weekly during football season and monthly the rest of the year — except June). n Online Access at BlueGoldOnline.com: You don't have to wait for the mail! Every issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated is posted on our website at the same time it goes to press (Sundays during football season). n One Year Of Blue & Gold Report: Our digital game preview newsletters are emailed every pre-game Wednesday during football season. They include printable team rosters and depth charts for both teams. Subscribe To Blue & Gold Illustrated! Makes a terrific gift for your Notre Dame Fan! Only $52.95 for one year Blue & Gold Report can be read on any device! Call 800-421-7751 or visit BlueGoldOnline.com One sign of whether a freshman will be redshirted is whether he makes road trips, although even that is not a 100 percent gauge. In Notre Dame's opener at Texas, 15 of the 23-man freshman class traveled to Austin, and seven ended up seeing action. For some, as in years past, the travel also was an acclimation phase to big-time college foot- ball. Here was the breakdown of the 15 who traveled: Played on offense or defense: Wide receiv- ers Kevin Stepherson and Chase Claypool, safeties Devin Studstill and Jalen Elliott, and nickel Julian Love. The most prominent was Studstill, an early enrollee in the spring who seriously vied for the starting free safety job this spring, was slowed by a hamstring injury in August, but then had opportunity open with the dismissal of senior Max Redfield for disciplinary reasons. At Texas, Studstill entered the game for good late in the second quarter, replacing junior Drue Tranquill and ended up playing 44 snaps. "He did some pretty good things," head coach Brian Kelly said of Studstill. "His fits were really good in the run game, made a couple plays at the line of scrimmage that I liked. He was on body and coverage on a double move in a third-down situation, and in a couple of our dime looks was instrumental." His tight coverage also helped force the game's lone turn- over, an interception by sophomore cornerback Shaun Crawford that was returned to the Texas 6-yard line to set up an Irish touchdown. With a concussion suffered by sixth-year senior Av- ery Sebastian late in the Texas game, Studstill was listed as a starter for the home opener against Nevada. Played special teams: Elliott, Love, Clay- pool, and defensive ends Julian Okwara and Daelin Hayes. Made the trip but did not play: Running back Tony Jones Jr., wide receiver Javon McKinley, offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer, defensive end Khalid Kareem, linebacker Jamir Jones, cornerback Donte Vaughn, safety Spen- cer Perry and long snapper John Shannon. With someone such as Shannon, the plan is to redshirt, but he travels as a contingency option just in case four-year starting long snapper Scott Daly gets injured. The eight freshmen who did not make the initial trip were quarterback Ian Book, running back/wide receiver Deon McIntosh, offensive linemen Parker Boudreaux and Liam Eichenberg, defensive end Ade Ogundeji, linebacker Jonathan Jones, cornerback Troy Pride Jr. and safety D.J. Morgan. Fifteen Freshmen On First Travel Roster Safety Devin Studstill was among the seven rookies that saw action versus Texas in the season opener Sept. 4. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS