2008 Fighting Irish Fall Practice Review

Gray has been one of the most impressive freshmen through the Fall. He is built like a truck and very explosive for 230 lbs, accelerating through the whole with tremendous power. His vision is excellent and he keeps his legs churning on contact. Some (including myself) have doubted his speed but the doubts are ill-founded.

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position has been a mixed bag for Notre Dame under Weis. Upon arriving Weis and his staff turned relative unknowns Rhema McKnight, Jeff Samardzija, and Maurice Stovall into household names. After multiple seasons in relative obscurity, McKnight, Samardzija, and Stovall dramatically elevated their play. The receiving corps during Weis first two years broke multiple records and it looked like the future for the Irish wide receivers was bright.

Behind the trio of McKnight, Samardzija, and Stovall was nearly no experience. Only senior David Grimes logged any meaningful minutes during 2005 and 2006. Recruiting at the position was solid over Weis’ first two years but has really taken off the last two. The Irish have talent, but it remains to be seen if it will develop.

Generally speaking, all the wide receivers look better this Fall than during the 2007 season. Route running has improved and blocking down the field should create more opportunities for the offense to gain big chunks of yardage in the running game. However, most of the wide receivers still seem to have trouble getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. This deficiency has haunted the Irish passing game in the past and is an area that needs vast improvement going into 2008.

The known commodities in the receiver corps are sophomore Duval Kamara and Grimes. Kamara has locked up one starting receiver spot after missing some practice time in the Spring. Coming of a record setting freshman season, the 6’5” Kamara has excellent speed for his size. Improving his consistency catching the ball will be imperative to increase his production from last year.

Grimes holds the other starting spot showing good leadership in the Fall. Easily the most experienced receiver on the team, Grimes should serve as the most dependable pass catcher in 2008. His route running and hands are very good but his size may hold him back from having a very productive year. Juniors Robbie Parris and George West have been hampered by injuries but should be able to contribute admirably if needed.

Even with the optimism surrounding Grimes and Kamara, the talk of Fall camp has been Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Despite his diminutive size, Tate proved in 2007 that he has the speed and athleticism to stretch the field. However, he had trouble transitioning from running back in high school to a complete wide receiver in his first college season. The word from practice is that Tate’s understanding of the offense and nuances of the wide receiver position have grown considerably. His ascension on the depth chart certainly seems to support this notion and could provide Notre Dame with the deep threat it needs.

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