Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 61 and junior Asmar Bilal at the rover position. Owusu-Koramoah is an excep- tional athlete and showed up at more than 200 pounds, which has made him a player that Polian has targeted for early playing time on special teams. The ideal scenario for Owusu-Koramoah's long-term pro- jection on defense is that he sits out the 2017 season, but his athleticism and potential to be an impact player on special teams could get him onto the field this fall. Owusu-Koramoah picked Notre Dame on National Signing Day, and classmate Jordan Genmark Heath flipped from California to the Irish the week prior. Genmark Heath was slowed by a hamstring injury early in camp, but his size (6-1, 220) and athleticism give him a chance to crack the rota- tion on Notre Dame's coverage units. Running back C.J. Holmes suffered a shoulder injury early in spring practice, and the recovery from the subsequent surgery kept him out of contact drills for much of fall camp. The lack of contact makes it hard for the dynamic Holmes to earn a sport in the deep running back rotation, but once he gets healthy his skill could make it hard to keep him off special teams. DESTINED TO REDSHIRT A number of freshmen are likely to stay on the sidelines this season to preserve a season of eligibility. Redshirting all four of the offen- sive line signees would be ideal, but Hainsey might ruin those plans. The other three members of Notre Dame's four-man line haul are highly unlikely to play, barring injuries. Joshua Lugg is a massive young blocker, checking in at almost 6-7 and 300 pounds. The talented offensive tackle has a bright future, but he'll need a year of technical development and work in the strength program be- fore he's ready to compete for play- ing time. He's also been auditioned at guard, which is not uncommon under Hiestand, who will cross-train many of his linemen. A pair of guards — Aaron Banks and Dillan Gibbons — give Notre Dame more size inside. Banks, an early entrant with Hainsey this spring, is listed at almost 6-6 and 325 pounds, and Gibbons measures 6-4 and 294 pounds. Both have shown good power, but need a year of de- velopment. Another late pickup in the class was defensive end Kofi Wardlow, who decided to flip from Maryland to Notre Dame on National Signing Day. Wardlow enters just his third season of playing organized football and still has much to learn from a big-picture standpoint, but that has not stopped him from showing off excellent athletic tools early on, and he was especially noticeable during the Aug. 20 scrimmage. Fellow end Jonathon MacCollister is a little more raw from a develop- ment standpoint and will need time to learn how to play the position. Freshmen linebackers David Ad- ams and Drew White aren't seri- ous threats to push for time at line- backer. Adams needs to reshape his 234-pound frame and get back some of the burst he lost after missing time this offseason with a significant shoulder injury. White must work to add strength and size onto his 227-pound frame. Both Adams and White could work themselves into a special teams role early in their career, but preserving a season of eligibility seems like the better option for both players this season. Notre Dame's No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks are set right now, which means Cedar Hill, Texas, native Av- ery Davis can take his time to de- velop. Davis has impressed with his athleticism, but he needs a great deal of work with his footwork and must continue to fill out his frame. ✦ FRESHMAN PROJECTIONS Major Contributors DT Kurt Hinish DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa S Isaiah Robertson Possible Contributors WR Jafar Armstrong WR Michael Young TE Cole Kmet TE Brock Wright OL Robert Hainsey DT Darnell Ewell Possible Special Teams Contributors RB C.J. Holmes ROV Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah S Jordan Genmark Heath K Jonathan Doerer Redshirt Candidates QB Avery Davis OL Aaron Banks OL Dillan Gibbons OL Joshua Lugg DE Jonathon MacCollister DE Kofi Wardlow LB David Adams LB Drew White Enrolling early has given safety Isaiah Robertson an opportunity to crack the lineup during his first season. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN