Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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great, but he's pretty consistent and there hasn't been any fallback. That's the difference between the two right now." Kelly said if he could combine At- kinson's and Wood's assets into one player, he would have a cornerback he felt very comfortable with. Until one of the two fills in the gaps in his game, Kelly will have to settle for combining them on the field, de- pending on the type of offense Notre Dame faces. sition also features one complete player in two different bodies. Junior Danny Spond is playing Dog for his third straight season, making him the most experienced at one spot of any The Dog outside linebacker po- GOLDEN SPOND of the outside linebackers. He's being pushed hard by the bigger, stronger Ben Councell. Councell (6-5, 240), a sophomore, has the length and athleticism that make him a good fit to play in space. Spond gives up three inches to Coun- cell, but makes up for it in under- standing the scheme and consistently being where he needs to be. Last season, Notre Dame looked to Slaughter to add more speed to the position when they played man-to- man coverage. Spond said he's made it his goal to be able to stay on the field for both this year. "Going into the season you always set high expectations," he said. "You want to meet them no matter what your role is. I know what my role is. I've addressed it and now it's time to put it in action. It's a position where you have to have a lot of speed for the edge. You have to be able to come down and get on the line too." On the opposite side of the field, the Irish have two more players battling for playing time at the Cat position. Junior Prince Shembo and sophomore Ishaq Williams both have the potential to become impact play- ers next fall. Shembo missed most of the spring with a turf toe injury that required surgery, which gave Wil- liams a chance to show off his new aggressive attitude. The New York native capped a promising spring with an intercep- tion and a fumble recovery during the Blue-Gold Game. He and Shembo also could be on the field together. Both lined up as rush ends, when Notre Dame opts for a fifth or sixth defensive back on the field. took a blow midway through spring when sophomore Aaron Lynch left the team to return to Florida. Life without Lynch isn't as glum as it may have first appeared. Fifth-year se- nior Kapron Lewis-Moore steps into Lynch's starting spot with three years of experience. The blow to the depth chart is also The regulars at defensive end NEW DAY lessened by early enrollee Sheldon Day. Day, while not as physically imposing as Lynch, has the techni- cal skills to get on the field imme- diately. He and sophomore Chase Hounshell will be part of a system of interchangeable parts with Lewis- Moore and sophomore Stephon Tuitt as ends. Like the rest of the defense, Notre Dame's strength along the line could, surprisingly, lie in its middle. Junior nose guard Louis Nix was the line's leading tackler last season with 45 stops in the middle. He'll get help this season from converted defensive end Kona Schwenke. Schwenke has added 75 pounds to The sudden departure of 2011 Freshman All-American Aaron Lynch was mitigated when fifth-year senior Kapron Lewis-Moore (No. 89), who has made 29 career starts and 140 tackles, took his place. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND his 6-4 frame since arriving on cam- pus as a freshman. He is just now getting comfortable with the new weight. That was manifested this spring when he topped the charts of our biggest "risers" in the program. If he performs as well as projected, Schwenke will be the final addition to a strong, veteran core that runs right through the center of the Irish defense. ✦ MAY 2012 31