Sam Young (Junior, RT)
Sam Young will, by all accounts, be one of the most important players on the Irish offense. A junior who has started every game since his freshman year, Young needs to be an anchor on the right side of the line, and will be looked to for leadership by the younger players.
Though he appeared to have a down sophomore season after a promising freshman campaign that won him Freshman All-American honors at right tackle, there were mitigating factors: Young had a wrist injury that prevented him from being able to play his natural position on the right side, so he was shifted to left tackle. As a result, he was often beaten by faster weakside ends.
However, 2008 returns Young to right tackle where he belongs. He’s reportedly put on some 15 pounds of muscle and will play this fall at around 6’8” 330 lbs. Along with 340 lbs. right guard Chris Stewart, a lot of brute strength should be pushing the strong side of the line.
Expect Young to have a breakout season that will remind pundits why he was one of the top rated players in the nation coming out of high school.
Robert Hughes (Sophomore, RB)
Hughes is part of a deep backfield that includes junior James Aldridge, sophomore Armando Allen and incoming freshman Jonas Gray. The 5’11” 235 lb. bruiser has excellent vision and footwork for a player of his size, which allowed him to compile back-to-back 100 yard rushing performances in the last two games of the year.
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On the season, Hughes carried only 53 times, but had 294 yards and four TDs, rushing at 5.5 yards a pop. While Aldridge technically remains the starter, it is Hughes who may be the key cog in the Irish rushing attack.
If he continues to run as hard as he did at the end of the season, he may have the best 2008 of any of the talented backs on the Irish roster. Hughes has also endeared himself to fans with his tough running, and expectations will be higher for him than they will for any of the other rushers.
David Bruton (Senior, FS)
David Bruton is one of the hardest-hitting players on the Irish defense and could be a legitimate All-American candidate after a very promising 2007 season. The secondary was one of the few strengths of that team, and it returns nearly intact (save for the loss of strong safety Tommy Zbikowski to the NFL).
Bruton enters his second full-year as starter after spending his first two years as a standout special teams player. Bruton was always a remarkable athlete, but his ball-hawking instincts and field awareness have really matured in the past couple of years, and he appears poised to have a huge 2008 season.
Surprisingly, Notre Dame looks to have one of the better secondaries in the nation, with 5th year senior (and 3 year starter) Terrail Lambert and junior Darrin Walls at cornerback. This should allow Bruton some free reign at free safety, especially if safety Harrison Smith finds a place on the field in a hybrid role – Smith was one of the standout players in spring ball, and his presence could allow Bruton to more of a playmaker around the field.
He is a true “center fielder” type safety, and his instincts and recovery speed, combined with his hitting ability, make him one of the better safeties in the nation and an important player on the Irish defense.
Kerry Neal/Brian Smith (Sophomores, OLB)
Neal and Smith both saw substantial spot playing time as true freshmen in 2007, and both are expected to be full-time starters this fall. The duo play opposite linebacker spots in defensive coordinator Corwin Brown’s 3-4 scheme, and the addition of Jon Tenuta at linebacker coach would seem to increase their chances of being big playmakers.
Neal’s biggest play was a fumble recovery of a UCLA ball that was eventually downed on the 2 yard line, while Smith’s biggest play was an interception of BC quarterback Matt Ryan that was returned for touchdown.
If both linebackers continue to develop, they could be formidable forces on the outside, especially as pass rushers. Neal in particular is expected to play with a hand-down in four-man fronts on third down situations. Both Smith and Neal need to be better in run support; this is particularly crucial this season because the defensive line is thin.
A year in the weight room and under the auspices of Tenuta will no doubt help, which is important because the two sophomore linebackers will be relied upon to help anchor the defense.
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3 months ago
Excellent article, Brian.
3 months ago
I hope you're right about these guys. I went on ND's site because there were a few names I was going to toss into the mix. However, the guys I was thinking of are no longer with the team. Obviously, Weis isn't exactly Mr. Popular these days, and I get the feeling his players are just as fed up as, well, everyone else. It's a shame. I'd like nothing more than to see a few more names on this list.
from 3 months ago
Charlie is very popular with those who aren't just casual fans. He's doing a helluva job off the field and he has not only recognized the mistakes he's made last year, he's admitted them publicly and announced a plan to fix them.
His players were way too young last year (Thanks Ty) and that will only be a burden on future opponents.
"The kids are (gonna be) alright".
from 3 months ago
Really? Well, I have heard the EXACT opposite from friends of friends who are on the team. Word has it he treats the freshmen like total crap and I haven't seen much evidence that would suggest ND will get back on the right track. But maybe you're right. I hope you are.
2 months ago
John,
Hearing from a friend of a friend is not much to go off, even if they were still on the team. As for kids who are no longer on the team, the creditability is worse.
Take for example Matt Carufel. He left ND and turned around bashing the coach and the program. He even went as far as giving advice to Mike Floyd to NOT go to ND.
Now if you follow everything ND, you would know that Carufel lost his starting position to Olsen last year, which prompted his transfer. In the spring there was a story about how the starting o-line of Duncan, Olsen, Wegner, Stewart and Young did a lot of bonding. There were some quotes that were subtle yet obvious slams on Sully and Carufel. The simple truth was he was not liked at ND. He did not have many friends.
I also suspect that the same thing happened in HS. Simply because Floyd committed within days of it leaking that Carefel tried to direct he elsewhere. Floyd was very PC and said something to the effect of he was listing to family and friends.
The reality is Weis is a hard ass when it comes to dealing with players. Every player knows this when they sign on the dotted line. Some kids like straight forward coaches, others do not. So what can be perceived by a Gatorade player of the year as being treated like crap to others could be viewed as being straight forward. Some kids thrive in this environment and others take their toys and go home.
IMO it has more to do with the players v. the coach.
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