Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 43 to having a more productive senior campaign . 10. ROVER DRUE TRANQUILL Tranquill is one of the three defen- sive captains for the Irish this sea- son, joining Morgan and Martini. His leadership on the field, in the weight room and in the community has been noted often by Notre Dame coaches, and he is in position to become a leader with his production this fall. Playing the much talked about rover position in Elko's 4-2-5 defense, Tranquill is going to be much closer to the line of scrimmage than he was at strong safety and will be asked to play an instrumental role in the defense. He will be tasked with handling the perimeter run game, affecting the op- position screen game, covering a lot of ground in zone coverage and getting after the quarterback as a blitzer. If he can handle the job, the Irish will have a much-needed impact player to the wide side of the field, with the result being not only im- proved production for Tranquill, but also for Morgan and Martini. ✦ A number of players are poised for breakout seasons, which would aid Notre Dame's attempt for a strong rebound. 1. RB Tony Jones Jr. Jones first emerged during the spring, quickly rising up the depth chart and putting a firm grip on the No. 2 running back job. That performance carried into the fall, with Jones continuing to showcase his all-around ability. Despite being a strong runner at 225 pounds, the sophomore makes his biggest impact by using his nimble footwork to make defenders miss and utilizing his strong receiving skills to impact the pass game. 2. TE Alizé Mack Mack was supposed to break out a season ago, but an academic suspen- sion cost him his entire sophomore year. Now back, he is looking to become a vital figure in the Irish offense. From a pure talent perspective he is one of Notre Dame's best players, but he missed a good chunk of fall camp with a hamstring injury. It's time for Mack to turn the discussion from what he can do to what he is doing. 3. CB Nick Watkins Watkins is the veteran of the secondary, at least from a class standpoint. The senior has provided a steady hand on the back end of the defense. He has thrived in coverage while making an easy transition into Elko's defense. Ironically, Watkins actually has the fewest career starts (one) of all the schol- arship cornerbacks. 4. S Nick Coleman Coleman was a standout running back at Kettering (Ohio) Archbishop Alter, but began his Notre Dame career at cornerback. From an athletic standpoint he was ideal for the position, but he had a hard time turning and running as a man defender. Now a safety, Coleman can keep everything in front of him and the result has been him playing with much greater comfort and consistency. If he can tackle consistently, he should have a strong junior campaign. 5. C Sam Mustipher Mustipher's first year as a starter was a wildly up-and-down affair, but the senior has used that experience to develop an edge. He has played with a lot of force in the spring and fall camps, but more importantly he has been far more consistent with his assignments. Notre Dame must get good play up the middle, and Mustipher is poised to become the program's next standout center. — Bryan Driskell Running back Tony Jones Jr. didn't play as a freshman in 2016, but he is poised to burst onto the scene as a sophomore. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Breakout Candidates