Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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T BY JASON SAPP AND LOU SOMOGYI the third week. Defensive end Aaron Lynch had an he star power in last year's freshman class became con- spicuous during the 31-13 vic- tory against Michigan State in amazing six quarterback hurries and forced a fumble with his first sack, and the physically advanced Stephon Tuitt also made his presence felt along the line. Troy Niklas started at drop linebacker, and running back George Atkinson III had an 89-yard kickoff return for a score, the first such touch- down by a Notre Dame freshman since Raghib "Rocket" Ismail in 1988. Lynch, who was named a Fresh- man All-American, is now at the Uni- versity of South Florida, and Niklas has shifted to tight end. Other mem- bers of the class such as quarterback Everett Golson, wide receiver DaVa- back Davonté Neal and cornerback KeiVarae Russell From the outset, Neal was work- Defensive end Sheldon Day, slot/running MOST LIKELY TO PLAY ing with the top two units. On the fifth day of practice (Aug. 8) during a 20-minute scrimmage session, he took two third-down dump-offs from quarterbacks Golson and Andrew Hendrix and navigated through traf- fic to pick up first downs. He also has joined senior running back/slot men Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick as a top punt return candidate. "He has unbelievable quickness, Approximately half of the freshman class could see action in 2012 OPENING ACTS good speed, great ball skills — all the tools you're looking for at that inside slot position," outside receiv- ers coach Mike Denbrock said. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco had no hesitation when asked which first-year players are most likely to play on his side of the ball. ris Daniels and outside linebacker Ishaq Williams are on the cusp of making their own breakthroughs as sophomores after seeing either sparse (Williams) to no action (Gol- son and Daniels) last year. This year's 17-man freshman class pressed with. KeiVarae Russell. we've been impressed with in particular," Diaco said. "The rest of them are re- ally doing well and trying hard." Defensive line coach Mike Elston "Sheldon Day, we've been im- — including safety Chris Badger, who has four years of eligibility re- maining after serving a two-year Mormon mission in Ecuador — does not arrive with the collective fanfare of last year's 24-man harvest (now down to 21). Don't expect to see 10 freshmen getting onto the field like last year, but it wouldn't be a sur- prise if proportionately it's similar with at least six to eight seeing action in some capacity. "Any guy that can help us rela- tive to special teams or playing a role, we're going to play him," said head coach Brian Kelly, adding that he doesn't foresee a Freshman All- American season this year from any- one. "Offensively, we need some of those receivers to give us some time, no question about that." Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's summary of the class after two weeks of practice: 68 PRESEASON 2012 doesn't even consider Day a freshman anymore after seeing his progress in the 15 spring sessions when the India- napolis native was an early enrollee. "Sheldon is not like a normal fresh- man," Elston said. "He was taught a lot of good things in high school, and it carried over." A case could be made for Russell as the top surprise in training camp, and not just in the rookie class. From making the adjustment to running back to pushing for major time at corner and/or special teams, the speedster has displayed an acumen at what has traditionally been one of the most difficult positions for a freshman to play. SAPP'S TAKE: If there's a freshman that has solidified getting on the field this year, it's Neal. He gets out in his route quickly, looks the ball in and has the burst to get yards after the catch. He could leave a great mark in his Irish career. with the season-ending injury to No. 1 field corner Lo Wood on Aug. 20. Shumate's chances also could de- pend on whether sophomore Cam McDaniel stays at running back or returns full time to corner. Okwara is difficult to gauge because early and has been able to build a good relationship with the veterans, including taking additional instruc- tion from Kapron Lewis-Moore dur- ing drills. He's a technically sound player. Russell made quick strides en route Day has benefited from coming in to earning second-team reps by the second week. He's gaining confi- dence, running drills correctly and has locked in on a couple of veteran receivers. Daly, LB Romeo Okwara and CB Elijah Shumate Baratti and Shumate both could S Nick Baratti, WR Chris Brown, LS Scott ON THE BUBBLE have the role cornerback Josh Atkin- son had last year in special teams play. Shumate is a tougher call be- cause of his adjustment from safety, but every hand on deck might be needed at cornerback, especially he just turned 17 on June 17. Yet he easily passes the "eye test" physically and is fluid and agile at the multi- faceted Dog linebacker slot. If junior Danny Spond is cleared to play again and can complement Ben Councell there, then preserving an extra year for Okwara would seem sensible, as it was for Councell last year. Brown is to this year's class what DaVaris Daniels was in 2011. The track star's 6-2 frame quickly gains momentum downfield, and he has been an attention grabber with his playmaking skills. However, his rail- thin 172-pound frame will require much more work in the weight room. Denbrock said Brown's primary adjustment, along with reading cov- Freshman defensive end Sheldon Day was a spring enrollee, and he has benefited from com- ing in early and building a good relationship with the team's veterans. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED