Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 7 UNDER THE DOME bowl preparation for a violation of team rules. Holmes rushed eight times for 33 yards and a score in his debut campaign. Tiassum, who saw no action in 2015 and 2016 and limited time in 2017 with the No. 3 unit, made the trip and was dressed for the bowl game, but was later removed with the other three. THINNING BACKFIELD With Adams' departure and the dismissal of McIntosh and Holmes, Notre Dame might have only three scholarship running backs this spring: junior Dexter Williams (360 rushing yards in 2017), sophomore Tony Jones Jr. (232 rushing yards) and freshman Jahmir Smith, who en- rolled in January. Adams rushed for 1,430 yards and 6.9 yards per carry in 2017, but was conspicuously worn down by the final month, and his NFL stock — where the shelf life of running backs is short — was likely at its peak, es- pecially with All-American offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey beginning their own NFL careers. "With a lot of thought, prayer and discussion with my family, I've de- cided to forgo my senior year and enter the 2018 NFL Draft!" Adams wrote on Instagram. "… I'm beyond blessed to have been surrounded by such a loving community. … With my decision, I hope that people will know, and kids will see, how it's okay to chase your dreams, because with God 'ALL things are possible.' "Also, it is NEVER too late to finish what you start, and that is why I will ALWAYS be connected to this great University. In addition, I'll definitely be back to earn and receive my de- gree at Notre Dame." "S CORPS" GONE AT RECEIVER Within two weeks, Notre Dame's "S Corps" at receiver — St. Brown, Sanders and Stepherson — all de- parted for different reasons with eli- gibility on the table. St. Brown led the 2017 Irish in re- ceiving, but his 33 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns in the run-oriented offense were a huge drop-off from his 58 catches for 961 yards and nine scores in 2016. "I've wrestled with the decision, but I've decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft," St. Brown wrote on his Twitter account. "While my Notre Dame playing career has come to an end, I will come back to complete my degree. That's a part of this process that was never in question. "I'm extremely thankful for the op- portunities given to me and the lessons that the coaches taught me. I'm a better person and player because of it." Although he remained the start- ing kick returner, Sanders' receiving numbers plummeted dramatically, from 25 receptions in 2016 to one in 2017 while taking the ninth-most snaps among the wideouts and see- ing younger players move past him. In his abbreviated Irish career, Stepherson's 44 career catches av- eraged 18.7 yards and included 10 touchdowns, but his repeated off- the-field indiscretions made his en- rollment untenable. For a breakdown by position of the 89-man roster (for now), turn to pages 70-71. ✦ Jerry Tillery, Te'von Coney And Jonathan Bonner Return While most of Notre Dame's personnel news this January centered on dismissals and transfers, the decisions by junior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and junior linebacker Te'von Coney to return for their senior seasons — plus senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner opting to return for a fifth year after all — significantly enhanced optimism about the 2018 defense. Like classmates Josh Adams and Equanimeous St. Brown, Tillery and Coney submitted their names to be evaluated for the 2018 NFL Draft. Unlike with the duo on offense, the assess- ment from the NFL Draft Advisory Board to return to school for their senior campaign was heeded by both defenders. Both Tillery and Coney enrolled in January 2015, practically assuring their graduation by the end of the 2018 calendar year. Both also had breakout seasons as 2017 juniors to help Notre Dame improve from 4-8 to 10-3 and No. 11 in the country. In his first two seasons (2015-16), Tillery to- taled 49 stops, five tackles for loss and one sack. In 2017 alone, he recorded 56 tackles with nine for lost yardage. He also posted team highs in sacks (4.5) and quarterback hurries (11) — fig- ures seldom seen of nose tackles that are often double-teamed. In Coney's first two seasons he had 75 tack- les combined, with two for loss and one sack. Despite rotating with senior inside linebackers Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan, Coney easily finished as the top tackler this season with 116 (Morgan was second with 92) and racked up 13 stops for lost yardage, also a team high. He capped the season with a dominant 17-tackle performance in the 21-17 Citrus Bowl victory versus LSU. The decisions were crucial because now the 2017 stalwarts on all three levels of the defense — Til- lery up front, Coney at linebacker and sophomore cornerback Julian Love in the secondary — return. Furthermore, with the change-of-heart decision by Bonner (he had told the campus student news- paper The Observer in November that he didn't plan to use his fifth season in 2018), the Irish defense returns 10 of a possible 11 starters, with Morgan the lone "full-time" starter not coming back. In his first season as a starter, Bonner recorded 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. "We talk about the mission every day: graduate our players and win a national championship," head coach Brian Kelly tweeted Jan. 15 on his Twitter account. "While I'm excited to have Jerry and Te'von return from a football standpoint, I'm proud that they both believe in this mission and value the sig- nificance of the ND degree." — Lou Somogyi As a 2017 junior, linebacker Te'von Coney paced Notre Dame in tackles with 116, highlighted by a career-best 17 in the Citrus Bowl victory against LSU. He also had a team-high 13 stops for loss. PHOTOS BY BILL PANZICA