Notre Dame Football: 5 Pressing Issues During Spring Practice

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The 2011 college football season may have just ended, but that doesn't mean that the players and coaches go sit on the couch for seven months. No, first it was the recruiting process, and now it's time to begin preparing for spring practices.

These practices are extremely important, as they will help the coaches answer questions and put together their depth chart for the upcoming season. This is also a chance for the younger players to prove themselves and earn more playing time than they probably would have normally received.

Notre Dame's first practice is March 19th, and the spring game will take place on April 14th. Here are five things we should pay attention to when these events take place.

Who Will Step Up in the Secondary?

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I think this is one of the issues that we're all wondering how it will play out. Three players in the secondary who were on this team last year aren't here anymore. What makes everything worse is that the three players who left were three of the top four tacklers on the team last season, including two great players in Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton.

This has the be the biggest area of concern for the Irish, especially as they will face quarterbacks such as Landry Jones, Matt Barkley and Denard Robinson this season.

Who's Going to Play Quarterback?

I think we can all agree that Tommy Rees isn't the guy to take Notre Dame to the next level, but he does have the most experience out of everyone else on the roster.

Another option may be Andrew Hendrix, who has great size and terrific arm strength. And then, of course, you have the fan-favorite Everett Golson, a dual-threat quarterback who fits head coach Brian Kelly's offense perfectly.

You also can't forget about new recruit Gunner Kiel, although he will likely sit for a year before actually having a legitimate shot at starting.

The quarterback position is the most important, and it will get very interesting to see who ends up leading this team next season.

Who Will Complement Cierre Wood in the Running Game?

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Cierre Wood is going to be the workhorse this season at running back for the Irish, but with Jonas Gray out of the picture, Notre Dame must find somebody to help him carry the rock. That guy will likely be sophomore George Atkinson, who has a similar build to Wood at 6'1", 200 pounds. He's a fast player and would be a great fit if he shows he can produce when called upon.

He only carried the ball nine times last season for 27 yards. It will be nice to see him grow during the offseason and be able to take some of the pressure off of the quarterback and the junior running back.

Can Aaron Lynch Get Some Help on the D Line?

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Notre Dame wasn't great at pressuring the quarterback last season, as they finished with only 25 sacks on the year. Freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch led the team with 5.5 sacks, but when you look down the list, the majority of the players who did their fair share of sacking were linebackers. And Darius Fleming is no longer on the team.

Getting star linebacker Manti Te'o to stay for his senior season will help a lot, but those two players can't do it all. Somebody else is going to have to step up and help bring those sack totals up a bit next season.

Will Michael Floyd's Replacement Please Stand Up?

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Replacing a receiver who had over 3,600 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns is nearly impossible, but the Irish sure have to try. Tight end Tyler Eifert will become the face of the passing game, as he has the talent to go very high in next year's NFL draft. T.J. Jones and Theo Riddick will remain the starters at wide receiver, but the third wide receiver spot is open.

With potential on the roster like Robby Toma and John Goodman, and Brian Kelly's offensive ways, they'll figure it out. But it should be interesting to see which one of them steps up and really makes an impact.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].