Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2017 5 N otre Dame re- ceived a jump start on its lead- ership for 2017. Nine months be- fore the Irish kick off against Temple at the fully renovated Notre Dame Stadium, head coach Brian Kelly an- nounced his seven team captains at the Echoes Awards ban- quet Dec. 9. Junior linebacker Greer Martini, se- nior offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, ju- nior linebacker Nyles Morgan, junior offen- sive guard Quenton Nelson, junior safety Drue Tranquill and senior wide receiver Austin Webster were brought on stage and introduced as the leaders of the 2017 team. A seventh, junior quarterback DeShone Kizer, was also named a captain, but the Toledo, Ohio, native announced three days later that he is leaving Notre Dame to enter the 2017 NFL Draft. That still leaves a record six cap- tains for the Fighting Irish next year. Overcompensating? Well, maybe a little bit. Worth a shot? Probably. Notre Dame had four team cap- tains in 2016: McGlinchey, senior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr., senior linebacker James Onwualu and de- fensive lineman Isaac Rochell. Does having six captains diminish the distinction? Do all six go out for the coin toss before the game? The logistics of having such a large num- ber is curious, especially coming off a season in which most everything went so wrong. From afar, or at least from the press box, leadership seemed like a problem for the Irish in 2016. Notre Dame lost to Texas, Duke, Stanford, Navy and Vir- ginia Tech despite leading in the sec- ond half in all five games. There were all sorts of ways the Irish blew games, and there was no player on the roster not at fault during one of the most dis- appointing seasons in program history. Kelly is doing whatever it takes to make sure a repeat of 2016 does not happen. Need leaders? He's slapped the "C" on the jersey already. Many think sweeping changes are needed for the program to rebound, and this move signals a definite change. "We're hungry," Martini said. "It's definitely not easy having a season like that, but everyone is ready to go. We're ready to put in that work to be a dominating team. We have aspira- tions to go 12-0. It's the only thing we can think about." Martini was mainly a reserve line- backer in 2016, starting four games. Morgan was one of the team's best linebackers, a constant performer who started all 12 games. Tranquill, who suffered season-ending knee in- juries as a freshman and sophomore, is a well-respected veteran. Webster is the curious pick. He is the first active walk-on to be named a team captain at Notre Dame, al- though his teammates believe he has the right stuff to lead in 2017. "Austin Webster is one of those guys in the locker room that's always doing the right thing," Martini said. "Does the right thing in the class- room, does it right in the weight room and on the field. He always gives us the best looks on the scout team. "He just wanted to bring in the whole team and Austin Web- ster is a great guy with character that's going to be able to lead." That's two offensive linemen, two line- backers, a safety and a walk-on. It's quite likely that no team captain scores a touch- down in 2017. When they were an- nounced, four of the seven players had re- quested evaluations from the NFL Draft Advisory Board and could potentially not even be members of the 2017 team, Kizer among that group. Morgan has gone on record that he will re- turn, and McGlinchey and Nelson might likewise. Naming the captains this early isn't unprecedented in Notre Dame his- tory. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Irish named their captains at the awards banquet as well. Under Kelly, Notre Dame has typically waited until pre- season practice in August to deter- mine captains — which was done through a player vote and coaching staff input this past season. Many teams around the country have what's called a "leadership council" or something similar, a group of upperclassmen that act as a voice for the players. At Echoes, Kelly said he wanted to name the captains early to set a tone for the offseason and help return Notre Dame to national prominence. "I knew that I had commanded re- spect in the locker room and the guys were ready to follow me," Martini said. "I didn't know I was going to get this opportunity, and I'm truly blessed." Notre Dame hopes likewise in 2017. ✦ ON THE IRISH BEAT MATT JONES Staff writer Matt Jones has been with Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2016. He can be reached at mjones@blueandgold.com. 2017 Captains Announced At Echoes The Fighting Irish will have a record six team captains in 2017 — junior linebacker Greer Martini (above), senior offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, junior linebacker Nyles Morgan, junior offensive guard Quenton Nelson, junior safety Drue Tranquill and senior wide receiver Austin Webster. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA