2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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142 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY COREY BODDEN I t was a long road back to the field for former Irish star linebacker Jaylon Smith. After suffering a knee injury dur- ing Notre Dame's 44-28 loss to Ohio State in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Smith's foot- ball future was in doubt. There was nerve damage in Smith's left leg, which forced him to fall in the 2016 NFL Draft from what may have been a top-10 selection. The Dallas Cowboys tabbed Smith with the No. 34 overall pick in the second round, surprising some around the league. The skepticism continued when Smith sat out the 2016 season to continue recovering due to slowed improvement in the regen- eration of the nerve. He remained positive and rehabbed, eyeing a return to the field in 2017. Despite even more doubts, Smith did just that. Not only did he play, Smith was a pro- ductive member of the Cowboys defense. He made 81 combined tackles in 16 games played, including six starts. He had the sec- ond most snaps among Dallas linebackers with 578. The positive news has continued as Smith participated in organized team activities this summer without the brace that helped with his "drop-foot" condition, which stemmed from the nerve damage. He plans to do the same moving forward in training camp and during the season. "That's just something that's all about God's time," Smith said per ESPN. "It's go- ing to continue to get better. That race to 100 percent, it's out of my hands. "It's out of everyone's hands. We're just going to continue to ride and I'm excited about it." About halfway through last season is when Smith began to feel he was back to normal. "Week nine was really that turning point where I really felt like I'm back to the old Jaylon Smith that you guys are used to see- ing," he told DallasCowboys.com. "I started my freshman year of high school and it took about six games. Then I started my freshman year at Notre Dame and it took about seven games. "No surprise that at the highest level it took about nine. I'm back." Another step forward in 2018 is the ex- pectation from the Cowboys coaching staff. "We expect him to come back better this spring, better in training camp than he was the past training camp," head coach Jason Garrett told DallasCowboys.com. "We think his physical development will continue as he goes, the farther he is away from that surgery. The growing pains that he had be- ing a rookie the first time playing, you work through those. "He got better as a result of the experi- ence, but I do think he's getting better physi- cally and we expect him to continue to do so." ✦ IRISH IN THE NFL Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith — who com- piled 81 tackles while playing in all 16 games last year — continues to progress from the devastating knee injury he suffered in his final college game. PHOTO BY JEREMIAH JHASS/COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS

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