2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 55 RUNNING BACKS POSITION COACH Former Irish and NFL ball carrier Autry Denson is in his fourth year as the running backs coach at his alma mater. Last year, Denson helped the Notre Dame rushing attack rank seventh in the country with an av- erage of 269.5 yards per game. The Irish racked up 3,503 yards and 35 touchdowns on the ground, while averaging a program-record 6.25 yards per carry. Notre Dame rushed for at least 300 yards in seven games and eclipsed 400 in two contests. The Irish amassed a season-high 515 rushing yards at Boston College — the third most in school history since 1969, when the modern-era school record of 597 yards was set against Navy — and averaged 10.1 yards per carry, breaking another modern school record (10.0) that had been established versus Great Lakes in 1942. The previous year, his backs contributed 289 rush- ing attempts for 1,454 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns. In 2015, he helped the Irish running backs produce 1,967 yards and 18 touch- downs on 299 carries (6.6 yards per attempt). Over- all, Notre Dame eclipsed the 200-yard mark in six games and averaged 207.6 yards per contest. Denson's first coaching job came in 2010, when he served as the head man at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, Fla. He spent the next three years coaching the running backs at Bethune-Cookman. After mentoring the ball carriers at Miami (Ohio) in 2013, he accepted the same post at South Florida. However, when the Notre Dame job came open, he jumped at the chance to return to his collegiate home despite never coaching a game at USF. As an Irish running back, Denson was a three-year starter and two-time team MVP, and still stands as the program's all-time leading rusher with 4,318 yards. He ranks second with 43 career rushing touch- downs and 5,327 all-purpose yards. He capped his career as an Associated Press All-American in 1998. The 1999 Notre Dame graduate was a seventh- round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent time with four teams during his five-year NFL career. RETURNING PLAYERS JAFAR ARMSTRONG • RB So. • Lee's Summit, Mo. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 213 Career Highlights: Cross-trained at running back and wide receiver dur- ing the spring … Did not play in 2017. Prep: Tabbed as a four-star pros- pect, the No. 1 player in Kansas, and the No. 33 wide receiver and No. 254 overall recruit nationally by 247Sports … Set the Kansas state record for career touchdown receptions with 45 … Also set the Bishop Miege record for career receiving yards with 3,744 while amassing 172 career receptions and scoring 50 career touchdowns … Hauled in 54 receptions for 1,277 yards (23.6 yards per catch) and 21 touchdowns as a senior while leading Bishop Miege to a 12-1 record and its third straight state championship … Recorded seven games with at least 100 receiving yards during his senior campaign, including 222 yards on eight grabs in the state title game … Received 2016 MaxPreps Me- dium Schools All-America accolades … Named the 2016 Kansas Offensive Player of the Year and listed as an All- USA Kansas selection by USA Today … Recognized as a first-team Class 4A DI all-state performer by the Kansas Football Coaches Association from 2014-16. Personal: Born Jan. 5, 1999 … Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Tim Grunhard (a starter on the 1988 national championship team) is the offensive line coach at Bishop Miege … Also participated in track, and won 4A state championships in 2016 in the 100 meters (10.83) and 200 meters (22.13), plus ran on the state champion 4x100 relay squad to help Bishop Miege capture the state team title … Plans to major in business administration or business marketing. TONY JONES JR. • RB Jr. • St. Petersburg, Fla. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 220 Career Highlights: Appeared in 12 games as a sophomore, starting in one … Ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries (5.3 yards per carry) … Did not play in 2016. Prep: Rivals rated him as a three-star recruit, the No. 75 player in the Sunshine State and the No. 21 running back in the country … During his senior sea- son at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, rushed for 564 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns in nine games while adding 190 receiving yards and a score … Ran for 771 yards (11.7 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns as a junior at IMG Academy … Racked up 1,145 yards and 12 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Catholic … Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Personal: Born Nov. 24, 1997 … His father, Tony Jones Sr., played linebacker at Illinois State from 1988-92 … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. Year G-GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2017 12-1 44 232 5.3 3 DEXTER WILLIAMS • RB Sr. • Winter Garden, Fla. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 203 Career Highlights: Played in 10 games last year … Logged 39 carries for 360 yards (9.2 yards per attempt) and four touchdowns … Saw action in all 12 contests in 2016 … Carried the ball 39 times for 200 yards (5.1 yards per rush) and three scores … Also caught four passes for 16 yards … Played in seven games in 2015 … Ran the ball 21 times for 81 yards (3.9 yards per rush) and one touchdown, and con- tributed a 20-yard kickoff return. Prep: Listed as a four-star prospect, Florida's No. 16 senior, and the nation's No. 5 running back and No. 78 overall prospect by ESPN … Despite an injury-plagued senior year, he rushed for 871 yards and 10 scores while helping West Orange to its best season in school history with an 11-1 record … Ranked by The Orlando Sentinel as the No. 8 prospect in Central Florida. Personal: Born Jan. 5, 1997 … Enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in Africana studies. Year G-GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2015 7-0 21 81 3.9 1 2016 12-0 39 200 5.1 3 2017 10-0 39 360 9.2 4 Totals 29-0 99 641 6.5 8 NEWCOMERS C'BORIUS FLEMISTER • RB Fr. • Zebulon, Ga. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 190 Prep: Tabbed as a consensus three-star prospect … Ranked as the No. 74 player in Georgia and the No. 40 running back nationally by 247Sports … Finished his prep career with 3,321 rushing yards and 43 touch- downs … Rushed for 2,348 yards — the most in the state of Georgia — and 35 touchdowns as a senior, while helping Pike County to a 9-4 mark and the Class AAA state quarterfinals … Named the Class AAA Of- fensive Player of the Year and first-team all-state by the Georgia Sports Writers Association, plus was an all- state selection by RecruitGeorgia.com … Selected to the 2017 All-USA Georgia second team by USA Today. Personal: Born June 20, 2000 … Is the first Georgia running back to sign with Notre Dame since Darius Walker in 2004 … Finished second in the 110-meter hur- dles at the Class AAA state championships as a junior. JAHMIR SMITH • RB Fr. • Sanford, N.C. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 200 Career Highlights: Enrolled in January 2018 and participated in spring practice. Prep: Rivals rated him as a three-star recruit, the No. 16 prospect in North Carolina and the No. 20 run- ning back in the country … Rushed for 3,858 yards and 67 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Lee County … Rushed for 1,728 yards and 27 touchdowns while helping his team to a 12-1 record during his senior year, despite playing in only 33 of a possible 52 quarters due to blowout victories … Named the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year in the Tri-County 6 Conference … Tabbed as a first-team All-Metro running back by The Raleigh News & Observer in 2016 and 2017 … Selected for the 2017 Shrine Bowl (North Carolina all-stars vs. South Carolina all-stars), but did not participate. Personal: Born Feb. 25, 2000 … Received scholar- ship offers from all eight Ivy League programs … Is the first North Carolina running back to sign with Notre Dame under head coach Brian Kelly. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 55 Jahmir Smith was one of a Notre Dame-record sev- en freshmen to enroll in January. He saw action in the Blue-Gold Game April 21, notching five carries for 29 yards and two receptions for 22 yards. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL

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