Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/864798
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 15 THEY SAID IT "A sophomore, Hayes was a spring game star for the Irish. Notre Dame had one of the worst pass rushing units last season with just 14 sacks, and a lack of domination in the trenches was a big reason for the 4-8 record. There's a lot to prove for this defensive front, meaning Hayes has an opportunity to steal the spotlight this fall as a disruptive edge rusher." CBS Sports' Ben Kercheval on predicting Irish defensive end Daelin Hayes as a breakout player for 2017 "I'm really not interested in another college job. I get a few calls every spring. Very humbling, very flat- tering. Georgetown was back in your hometown, which made you pause, but maybe only for 10 minutes. I've not interviewed for a job or gotten into any deep negotiations with any other university. It takes a long time to get your name on a program, and we've got that here now." — Irish men's basketball head coach Mike Brey (The Indianapolis Star) "You need to know when you go in there that it's a different program. It's different. Grades and going to school and getting your degree is going to matter. High character is going to matter. Football is going to matter. I always used to say in recruiting it was like a pie. There's three things that are involved: character, academics and can you play. If you were missing any of those ingredients then you really can't play there." — Former Irish head coach Charlie Weis about coaching at Notre Dame (FOX Sports Radio) "As much joy as most fans derived from Notre Dame's misfortune last season, if a couple of those tight games break the other way in 2017, the Fighting Irish will be as insufferably successful as ever. "Last year's starting quarterback, DeShone Kizer, is a Cleveland Brown now, but replacement Brandon Wimbush has drawn rave reviews going back to his time as a Penn State verbal commitment. Junior Equanimeous St. Brown gives Wimbush a big-time target outside, former blue-chip tight end Alizé Mack is back in the fold after being ruled ineligible for the 2016 season because of academics, and junior tailbacks Josh Adams and Dexter Williams should get plenty of touches in new offensive coordinator Chip Long's uptempo system. "First-year defensive coordinator Mike Elko has bigger issues to address on his side of the ball, but he comes well-regarded from his stint at Wake Forest. The linebacking corps is battle-tested, though things could get shaky in the back end, particularly if Navy safety transfer Alohi Gilman isn't granted immediate eligibility. "Brian Kelly's mandate to win, and win big, is clear, but there's cause to believe he'll deliver." — Sports Illustrated's Chris Johnson on Notre Dame being one of five sleeper teams that could contend in 2017 OF THE WEEK "'There are certain people from the moment you meet them you realize they're truly unique. That's Ara.' — Coach Brian Kelly on Ara Parseghian." Notre Dame athletics (@FightingIrish) PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND UNDER THE DOME