Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Five On The Rise New critical players emerge every season. Some are forced into prominent roles by roster changes or injuries, and others just find their niche and take their game to a level that the team wasn't counting on during training camp. Last season running back Jonas Gray surprised even himself by turning into a touchdown machine on his way to 791 rushing yards, at one point taking over the starting job from Cierre Wood. Gray won the team's Offensive Newcomer of the Year award at the end of the season. Senior Dan Fox won the defensive version of that award by pushing his fellow Will linebacker Carlo Calabrese out of a starting role early in 2011. Fox made 46 tackles and became a strong complement to classmate Manti Te'o on the inside. Gray and Fox both made BGI's list of players on the rise last season. This year there is an equally deep group of talent lurking on the horizon. Here is our list of five relatively inexperienced players whose stock is on the rise. It's a safe bet that at least one will be taking over Gray and Fox's award in December. 1. WR Davonté Neal — The Arizona native may be only 5-9 and 171 pounds, but he looks more ready to contribute to the Irish offense than any other freshman on the roster. His explosiveness makes him a good fit for the screen plays and short routes that Notre Dame hopes to use more often. Neal's biggest contribution might come on special teams where he could add a major boost to the Irish punt return or be a threatening complement to sophomore George Atkinson III on kickoffs. 2. OLB Ishaq Williams — An atti- pact in the tweaked Irish offense is the key to filling that gap by committee. field is Notre Dame's most glaring weak spot heading into September. The Irish staff is hoping fifth-year senior Jamoris Slaughter can be their antidote. Slaughter doesn't have the résumé 3. S JAMORIS SLAUGHTER Inexperience in the defensive back- tude adjustment during the offseason seems to have served the sophomore outside linebacker well. Williams fell into the shadows of fellow freshmen Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch last fall while he adjusted to the work ethic of college football. This year, he is chal- lenging junior Prince Shembo for the starting Cat linebacker spot. He could be a menace rushing the passer when the Irish rotate to a 4-3 defensive front. 3. WR DaVaris Daniels — Notre of Eifert and Te'o from a production standpoint, but he puts an emphatic check in the box for our first require- ment — a guy the team can't afford to lose. Safeties coach Bob Elliott said the starting safety understands the mental side of the game as well as almost anybody he's coached in the past 30 years. Slaughter fully em- braced that coaching role on the field this summer. "I'm coaching every day by tak- Dame is searching for a deep threat in the passing game this year, and the speedy, 6-2 Daniels is the best option on paper. The Irish coaches say they've seen progress in Daniels, but he has yet to pull away as a top target in the of- fense. A highlight reel over-the-shoul- der catch in April's Blue-Gold Game showed he has the potential to be a playmaker if he can find consistency in his second year in the program. 4. S Matthias Farley — The converted Freshman Davonté Neal, a receiver from Scottsdale Chaparral High School, is a Parade All-American and a two- time Gatorade state player of the year. 32 PRESEASON 2012 Danny Spond's immediate future at the Dog linebacker spot got fuzzy because of a head injury in early August, a big opportunity opened for Councell. The long, athletic sophomore was already locked in a battle for the starting spot with Spond, and it looks like he'll get a chance to cement his spot in the lineup early in the year. Councell is the proto- typical player for the demanding posi- tion if he can settle in and get comfort- able at the spot. slot receiver may have been the big- gest surprise on Notre Dame's defense this August. He played his way into contention for the third safety spot be- hind starters Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter. If Farley proves trustworthy on the back end he could open up a lot of options for the Notre Dame defense. 5. OLB Ben Councell — When junior PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND — Dan Murphy ing the young guys to the film room after practice or between meetings," he said on the first day of fall camp. "I'm just coaching out there on the field. A lot of guys are inexperienced so a couple tricks here and there will help them out a lot." His success as a teacher is also di- rectly related to the opportunities he has to produce big plays himself. The Irish ideally would like to put Slaughter all over the field as a nickel back, outside linebacker or corner- back in certain situations. A well- trained back-up provides Slaughter with the freedom to plays those roles and be more aggressive than at his regular safety post. Cierre Wood. The senior ran for 1,102 yards last season — the first back to break 1,000 yards at Notre Dame since Darius Walker in 2006. The biggest obstacle in the way of a repeat performance this year is Wood's teammates, Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III. Wood has never struggled with 4. RB CIERRE WOOD Production is not an issue with confidence and apparently has had no problem adjusting to a crowded backfield this season. He spent the majority of his fall camp trying to improve his receiving skills to make himself more versatile in the running back/slot receiver hybrid position. He also might get an audition as a punt returner at the beginning of the season. Still, his bread-and-butter will remain the explosive burst that BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED