Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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shown no restraint in putting a first-year player into the game if he has the skill set to contribute, and has even used freshmen toward the latter part of the season if a hole needed to be filled. While some coaches' philosophies may be to hold off on having a young player enter the game at that stage of the season to preserve a year of eligibil- ity, Kelly feels it comes down to giving your team the best chance to win, and it doesn't hurt to add a little seasoning for the following campaign. But after successful recruiting seasons, T here was a time in college football where freshman players weren't even eligible to play until their sec- ond year. That's no longer the case. Irish head coach Brian Kelly has Notre Dame is no longer in a situation where it has to use the first-year players like in 2008 (7-6 record) and 2009 (6-6). The coaching staff can be more selective in when those decisions are made because there is great experience and talent among the upperclassmen, and it continued to show during the 2012 campaign with more freshmen being shelved. The three players listed as "expected to play" in last year's post-spring football is- sue of Blue & Gold Illustrated were defensive linemen Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt, and outside linebacker Ishaq Williams. The 10 players listed as "on the fence," were wide receiver George Atkinson III, kicker Kyle Brindza, linebacker Ben Councell, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive back Matthias Farley, quarterback Everett Golson, defensive back Eilar Hardy, tight end Ben Koyack, running back Cam Mc- BY JASON SAPP Daniel and linebacker Anthony Rabasa. Lynch, who quit the football program in the spring and will enroll at South Florida this summer, played in 12 of the 13 contests and started half of the games he partici- pated in. He led the team in sacks (5.5) as the prime pass rusher along the defensive front and is unofficially credited with hav- ing the most sacks as a freshman in Notre Dame history. Tuitt played in nine contests after miss- ing a few games due to an illness and dis- ciplinary action, and notched three starts. Despite being one of the more raw players in his class, Tuitt showed just how high his ceiling is by being a versatile option along the line and recording 30 tackles on the season. He added a pair of sacks and five quarterback hurries. Williams didn't start any games in the 2011 season, but he saw action in 11 con- tests as an early option on special teams, and finished the year with six tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry while contributing as a rusher in the pass defenses. Out of the 10 players that were listed as "on the fence," only Atkinson III, Brindza, Koyack and McDaniel saw action. The re- maining freshmen that were inserted into a contest were cornerback Josh Atkinson, defensive end Chase Hounshell and tight end Troy Niklas. Here is a breakdown — based on film analysis, observations from spring practice and the 2012 depth chart — of the three freshman players we expect will have a great chance to contribute, three who could earn minutes if needed and the 10 we think will preserve a year of eligibility. JUNE/JULY 2012 47