Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Tee Shepard Leaves The Flock Thin cornerback position suffers another setback work out here," head coach Brian Kelly said in a March 15 press release. "Everyone at Notre Dame wishes him all the best in the future." On March 20, the day before spring practice, Kelly said bally commit from his class to the Irish back in 2011 — left the university during spring break (March 10-18) and returned to his Fresno, Calif., home. He apparently has no plans of returning. "Tee is a special person, and it's unfortunate it didn't T BY LOU SOMOGYI ee, we hardly knew ye. Notre Dame's prized 2012 cornerback recruit and early enrollee Tee Shepard — the first player to ver- Shepard, the first player to verbally commit from his class to the Irish back in 2011, left the university during spring break. lowed to," Kelly said. "We love Tee Shepard, and it's unfortunate, but he's not longer with us, and we have to move on." In an interview with CBS47 in Fresno, Ray Shepard, he couldn't elaborate any further, and he cited privacy laws such as HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act). "I'd love to talk for 45 minutes on it, I'm just not al- berry, also had verbally committed to Notre Dame last year, but out of the blue on the eve of National Signing Day he opted for the University of Houston. With Shepard gone, there is a huge void at corner, at USC in January, according to Ray Shepard, before Irish assistant Mike Denbrock swayed him back to Notre Dame several days before classes started in South Bend. Shepard's cousin, five-star wideout Deontay Green- cruiting, and when the Irish received early verbals from Shepard and Maryland five-star prospect Ronald Darby, that tandem was classified at their positions the way cur- rent Irish defensive ends Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt were at the prime need area in 2011. This January, Darby switched his allegiance to Florida State, where he signed. Shepard came close to enrolling Tee's father, cited health reasons as the root of the depar- ture and said he hopes his son can be cleared to resume working out again back home in May or June. Cornerback was a priority in Notre Dame's 2012 re- tion coached by Tony Alford will have a full cup- board of experience and youth, led by seniors Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick, plus sophomore George Atkinson. The unit also received a pleasant surprise this Unlike cornerback, the running back/slot posi- spring when the NCAA approved the waiver request by Notre Dame allowing sophomore Amir Carlisle to be eligible for competition in the 2012 football season. The Santa Clara, 8 APRIL 2012 which graduated 2011 starters Gary Gray and Robert Blanton. The front-runners are juniors Bennett Jackson, who converted from receiver last year, and Lo Wood. Be- hind them are sophomores Josh Atkinson, who played on special teams last season, and Jalen Brown, a scout team performer. Shortly after Shepard's departure, the staff moved sophomore running back Cam McDaniel to corner to add another body there. "There's nobody coming in on a white horse," Kelly pointed out. "Those are the five guys. We can't trade for anybody." Kelly noted that if anyone else moves to corner next August, it would likely be someone already on the roster rather than incoming 5-9 freshman Davonte Neal, who provides game-breaking speed in the slot. Amir Carlisle Eligible In 2012 Calif., speedster transferred to Notre Dame in January after spending the first semester of his freshman year at the University of Southern California, where he rushed for 118 yards and caught seven passes. His father, Duane, was hired by Purdue University as director of sports performance. "I want to thank Notre Dame and its compli- ance office for helping me with this request," Carlisle said. "I also want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the blessing to play this year. I love being here at Notre Dame and can't wait to run out of the tunnel this Sep- tember wearing my gold helmet." A week prior to the start of spring drills, Car- lisle broke his ankle in a non-contact seven-on- seven drill. He is projected to be ready to work out with the team and its summer conditioning program by the time June arrives. — Lou Somogyi BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PHOTO BY JAMIE OAKES/WAHOOS247