Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "You always hope that one guy just shows I'm head and shoulders [above]," Kelly said. "I think we're in pretty good position if we have clear separation. I think it's more impor- tant that we do a really good job of developing both of the quarterbacks. "And if they both make great strides, that's what I want to get out of it." What is not acceptable is pigeon- holing Wimbush as "the runner" and Book as "the passer" and using them that way in games. "I don't wish that we have that sce- nario," Kelly said of using two quar- terbacks regularly during the 2018 season. "It's not an easy deal. We'd like to have one guy, but we'll deal with it as we go along." Just like he has much of his career at Notre Dame. PERCEIVED STRENGTHS Veteran Defense — Not only does Notre Dame return 10 starters from a unit that ranked 20th nationally in the Fremeau Efficiency Index, but also nine of the top 11 reserves. No other defense in the country boasts that much returning experi- ence, and one has to go back to Notre Dame's 1977 national champs — which returned all 11 starters — to find such a veteran flavor in South Bend. The Brain Trust After making six new hires for his on-field staff in 2017, head coach Brian Kelly had to make only three new additions in 2018, with two coming from within the program. Linebackers coach Clark Lea was promoted to replace Mike Elko (Texas A&M) as the de- fensive coordinator, while offensive analyst Jeff Quinn was elevated to offensive line coach to fill the vacancy left Harry Hiestand, who returned to the new staff of the Chicago Bears after serving six years at Notre Dame. Terry Joseph was hired to coach the safeties: The 10-man staff is as follows: Associate head coach/defensive line — Mike Elston (9th year) Offensive coordinator/tight ends — Chip Long (2nd year) Defensive coordinator/linebackers — Clark Lea (2nd year) Special teams coordinator/recruiting coordi- nator — Brian Polian (2nd year) Quarterbacks — Tommy Rees (2nd year) Running backs — Autry Denson (4th year) Wide Receivers — Del Alexander (2nd year) Offensive Line — Jeff Quinn (1st year) Cornerbacks — Todd Lyght (4th year) Safeties — Terry Joseph (1st year) Spring Superlatives Most Career Starts: Drue Tranquill — 29 The new Buck linebacker has come back strong from two early ACL tears to become a two-time cap- tain. Not far behind are senior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery (28) and the fifth-year offensive line tan- dem of Alex Bars (27) and Sam Mustipher (25), with cornerback Julian Love the other one over 20 (21). Most Career Rushing Yards: Brandon Wimbush — 899 His 803 yards on the ground last year at quarterback averaged a stellar 5.7 yards per clip. Among running backs, senior Dexter Williams' 641 is the most, but he had only 39 carries last year. Most Career Passing Yards: Brandon Wimbush — 1,887 Last year marked the first time a starting Notre Dame quarterback had less than 2,000 passing yards in a season since freshman Jimmy Clausen's 1,254 during the 3-9 campaign in 2007. Most Career Receptions: Chase Claypool — 34 He and tight end Alizé Mack (32) are the only two with more than 20 catches in their careers, with 29 of Claypool's coming as a sophomore last year. Most Career Tackles: Drue Tranquill — 206 Tranquill was second in stops in 2016 (79) and third last year (85), but especially notable is his tackles for loss improved from two to 10.5. Not far behind is senior Mike linebacker Te'von Coney (191), with his 116 total and 13 for lost yardage both pacing the 2017 team. Also eclipsing the century mark already in their careers are Love (113) and Tillery (105). Most Career Sacks: Jerry Tillery — 5.5 Not only did he pace the team in sacks last season with 4.5, but Tillery also led the squad in quarter- back hurries (11, with no one else having more than seven), which is unusual for a nose tackle. He has been moved to three-technique this year to better utilize his big-play capabilities. Most Career Interceptions: Julian Love — 4 Three of his four came last season, with Love returning two for scores (and nearly the third as well). He also set a single-season school record for passes broken up (20) and defended (23). Tranquill and senior nickel Shaun Crawford have three interceptions apiece. Head coach Brian Kelly noted that senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush has remained the same engaging, upbeat leader this winter despite the bowl benching and has "taken his development to the next level." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA