Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 JANUARY 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME JERRY TILLERY APOLOGIZES FOR ACTIONS AT USC On the Monday after Notre Dame's 45-27 loss at USC in the Nov. 26 season finale, Fighting Irish sophomore defensive lineman Jerry Tillery apologized on his Twitter account for his actions in two separate fourth-quarter incidents on the same USC drive. The first occurred with about 11 minutes left in the game when USC run- ning back Aca'Cedric Ware, after running for a first down at the Irish 17, laid prone on the ground following a hit by sophomore safety Nicco Fertitta that got him ejected for targeting. While walking past Ware, Tillery nudged Ware's helmet with his left foot, which was undetected by the officials, but a couple of Notre Dame staff, plus quarterback DeShone Kizer, pushed Tillery away, after the action. With 9:40 left and after USC scored its final touchdown, Tillery blatantly stepped on the foot of a laid out USC offensive tackle Zach Banner, which led to a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said he did not see from the sidelines those acts by Tillery, but that doesn't excuse them. "Jerry has to be accountable for his actions every single day," Kelly said after the game. "Jerry is a good kid, and if he made a mistake, we'll hold him accountable for that mistake. We'll take a look at it." Wrote Tillery on his Twitter page: "I want to take full responsibility for my actions on Saturday. I am truly sorry. I acted in a way that was out of character for me. What I displayed in those two instances were completely unbecoming and not indicative of the kind of player or person I am. My ac- tions in those instances do not represent what my family or Notre Dame has molded me to be. "I want to especially apologize to Aca'Cedric, Zach, their families and any- one else affected by what I did. I assure you I will learn and grow from this moment and become a better man because of it." Both Ware and Banner responded shortly thereafter and accepted the apology. Wrote Ware: Respect bro. Responded Banner: Mistakes happen bro, I'm good, Ced's good. You earned my respect from your apology. Take care. Two days after his unsportsmanlike actions versus USC Nov. 26, Tillery said he was "truly sorry" and that it was "out of character" for him. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Notre Dame junior wide receiver Corey Holmes will not return to the Fighting Irish football team in 2017, but will pursue a graduate transfer waiver at another school. A Pembroke Pines, Fla., native, Holmes came from powerful Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas and is majoring in film, television and theatre in the College of Arts & Letters. Accord- ing to The South Bend Tribune, Holmes plans to remain enrolled at Notre Dame for the spring se- mester and take 17 credit hours, plus eight more in the summer, to graduate in August, making him eligible to transfer to another school without having to sit out the 2017 season. During his first two seasons at Notre Dame (2014-15), Holmes did not catch a pass, appear- ing in only two games as a freshman, and then redshirting as a sophomore. Last winter he ran the fastest hand-timed 40- yard dash (4.39) on the team, but admitted that he had lost some confidence as a sophomore in 2015 when freshmen Equanimeous St. Brown and C.J. Sanders bypassed him on the depth chart. "What I told myself was, 'I can't worry about other people,'" Holmes said last spring. "I have to worry about myself and better myself as a player. … It was a really humbling experience all of last year." At the end of spring, while Sanders was recov- ering from a hip injury, it appeared Holmes could be the starter at the Z (slot) or X (vacated by Will Fuller) positions. However, a healthy Sanders and former walk-on and current sophomore Chris Finke (awarded a scholarship in spring) were the top two slot receivers at the end of this season. Meanwhile, St. Brown became a standout at the W (boundary), snaring a team-high 58 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns, and fresh- man Kevin Stepherson (25 catches for 462 yards and five scores) began to emerge at X while work- ing with senior Torii Hunter Jr., who also likely will not return for his fifth season at Notre Dame. Holmes appeared in all 12 games, catching 11 passes for 96 yards, but he was about the sixth option by the end of the season at wideout, and others expected to aid the 2017 corps are current sophomore Miles Boykin and freshmen Chase Claypool and Javon McKinley, who was sidelined in late October with a broken fibula. Plus, sophomore tight end Alizé Jones, who caught 13 passes for 190 yards as a 2015 fresh- man, is slated to return as well after academic ineligibility sidelined him in 2016. Meanwhile, senior reserve offensive lineman John Montelus will use his fifth season of eli- gibility at the University of Virginia. Montelus' football career, hampered by shoulder problems at the start, never was able to blossom during his four years. He totaled 20 snaps as a senior in blowout wins versus Nevada (18) and Army West Point (two). Corey Holmes To Transfer; John Montelus To Virginia Holmes notched 11 receptions for 96 yards dur- ing his three years in South Bend, with all the stats compiled during his junior campaign. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA