Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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freshman while biding his time to develop physically and mentally. In 2012, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels and quarterback Everett Golson would appear to be the best bets to succeed these previous sophomores who made significant steps from year one to year two. Louis Nix III (2011) — As a 367-pound freshman nose guard in 2010, Nix joked that he couldn't even get through Just because you don't play at all as a freshman doesn't mean you can't thrive as a sophomore. Each of the last four seasons Notre Dame saw a sophomore surge by someone who was withheld from action as a Sophomore Surge stretching drills without needing an ambulance. As a sophomore, he paced the Irish defensive linemen in tackles (45), started 11 games and was the lone lineman to play all 13 contests. Cierre Wood (2010) — During the USA Today first-team All-American's freshman year in 2009, running backs coach Tony Alford indicated he could have done plenty of frying on Wood's head when he was withheld from action while classmate Theo Riddick played. A year later, Wood ended up with 603 yards and 5.1 yards per carry, and he began a process of becoming a complete back. Kapron Lewis Moore (2009) — He sat as a freshman while front-line classmates Ethan Johnson and Dar- ius Fleming received several starts. A year later, Lewis-Moore finished first in tackles by a lineman (46) and sec- ond in tackles for loss (seven). Today the 306-pound NFL prospect is a vital mainstay up front. Harrison Smith (2008) — Relatively withdrawn as a freshman, the safety recruit started at outside linebacker as a sophomore and ranked fourth in tackles (57), second in passes broken up (seven) and first in tackles for loss (8.5). Eventually he morphed into a first-round pick at safety. — Lou Somogyi Senior running back Cierre Wood had to wait a year to get on the field in South Bend, but when he did he made his presence felt right away while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND JUNE/JULY 2012 63