Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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25 — Notre Dame is done in by a 3-0 turnover dis- parity that sets up 14 points for Stanford on 29- and 18-yard drives in the Cardinal's 38-20 victory. Step- herson and St. Brown nab 83- and 75-yard touch- down receptions from Wimbush, and a 38-yard field goal by junior Justin Yoon gives the Irish a 20-17 third-quarter lead, but the Cardinal explode for a 21-0 advantage in the fourth quarter. DECEMBER 8 — The Irish Echoes Award ceremony sees left guard Quenton Nelson honored as the Monogram Club Most Valuable Player — the first Irish offensive lineman since Al Wujciak in 1975 to receive the award. 15 — One day after Stepherson is charged with speeding, marijuana possession and driving without a valid license, he and freshman running back C.J. Holmes are arrested for shoplifting at a local mall and placed on indefinite suspension. 16 — Junior tight end Alizé Mack is suspended from playing in the Citrus Bowl versus LSU. 19 — Led by unanimous All-American Nelson at left guard and consensus All-American Mike Mc- Glinchey at left tackle, Notre Dame edges Alabama and Auburn as the recipient of the 2017 Joe Moore Award, presented since 2015 to the nation's top offensive line. 20 — In college football's first-ever early signing period, Notre Dame inks 21 players. 30 — The team's third-leading rusher, sophomore Deon McIntosh, is sent home from Orlando, Fla., for a violation of team rules during Citrus Bowl prepa- rations. JANUARY 1 — In a relief effort, Book's two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter — the latter to junior wideout Miles Boykin on a sensational one-handed catch-and-run touchdown of 55 yards with 1:28 left — result in a 21-17 victory versus LSU and a No. 11 finish in the AP poll. It is the first January victory for the Irish since Jan. 1, 1994. They had gone 0-9 in their previous such outings in bowls prior to this triumph. 4 — Defensive coordinator Elko leaves to join head coach Jimbo Fisher's new staff at Texas A&M. First- year linebackers coach Clark Lea, who arrived with Elko from Wake Forest, is promoted to coordinator. Also, top 2016 and 2017 Irish receiver and junior St. Brown declares for the NFL Draft. 5 — Another junior, running back Adams, an- nounces for the NFL Draft after rushing for 1,430 yards in 2017. 10 — Sixth-year Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand leaves Notre Dame to join the Chi- cago Bears, where he had worked from 2005-09. 15 — The last day to declare early for the NFL Draft ends well for Notre Dame when defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and linebacker Te'von Coney opt to return. 16 — Four players are dismissed from the football team: Stepherson, Holmes, McIntosh and senior defensive tackle Brandon Tiassum. 23 — Third-year Irish offensive analyst Jeff Quinn, who coached with Kelly from 1989-2009 before get- ting named head coach at Buffalo, is announced as the offensive line coach to replace Hiestand. 30 — In his 20th season of coaching, Terry Joseph is hired from North Carolina to instruct the Fighting Irish safeties, previously handled by Elko. FEBRUARY 7 — On National Signing Day, six more players are added for a total of 27, the most since the 28 inked in 2006. A team can get past the NCAA limit of 25 by applying the early enrollees to the previous year's class. Among the 27 are a school-record seven early enrollees, led by four-star safety Houston Griffith. 13 — The NCAA denies Notre Dame's appeal of the decision to vacate 21 victories (12 in 2012 and nine in 2013) because of academic misconduct that resulted in the use of ineligible players those years. MARCH 6 — Spring practice begins with fifth-year senior linebacker Drue Tranquill named as a repeat captain, joining fifth-year senior center Sam Mustipher and fifth-year punter Tyler Newsome. A fourth will be selected at the end of spring drills. APRIL 6 — Fifth-year senior defensive end Jay Hayes, who started all 13 games in 2017, decides to leave to use his graduate transfer year at Georgia. 20 — Alex Bars, a fifth-year senior who moved from right guard to left guard, is selected as the fourth team captain. 21 — A crowd of 31,729 watch the Blue-Gold Game in which Wimbush takes all the reps with the first unit, as he did throughout the spring despite his Citrus Bowl benching. He completes 19 of 33 passes for 341 yards with two touchdowns and an intercep- tion, while Book connects on 17 of 30 throws for 292 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Kelly refers to them as "1A and 1B." 26 — In the 2018 NFL Draft, Nelson (Indianapolis) and McGlinchey (San Francisco) are taken with the No. 6 and No. 9 selections, respectively, and are the first two overall offensive linemen picked. Two days later, tight end Durham Smythe is chosen in the fourth round (Miami) and receiver St. Brown in the sixth (Green Bay). Also, fifth-year senior cornerback Nick Watkins, who started nine games in 2017, opts to use his graduate transfer year elsewhere (later choosing Houston). Earlier, senior receiver/return man CJ Sanders decided to use his graduate transfer season at SMU. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 137 Left guard Quenton Nelson (56) and left tackle Mike McGlinchey (68) were the first two offensive linemen selected in the 2018 NFL Draft and were vital to Notre Dame earning the 2017 Joe Moore Award as the nation's best offensive line. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL