Notre Dame Football 2012: 5 Players Who Will Surprise for Fighting Irish

Fighting Irish fans know who their star players, and have high expectations for them, but figuring out which players may develop into stars during the offseason never fails to excite. 

Cierre Wood, Manti Te'o, Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt are names we already know, but which names will invade the collective conscious of Notre Dame Nation this season? 

The answers follow.

Enjoy!

5. Danny Spond

Danny Spond, a former 4-star prospect out of Littleton, Colorado, has been a fixture on special teams during his first two seasons in South Bend, but has yet to make noise on the defensive side of the ball. 

Spond's chance to do so awaits because of Troy Niklas' move to tight end, which leaves an opening at outside linebacker. 

The Columbine High School product will not be a starter, but will be hearing his named called regularly on Saturdays in the fall. Spond's athleticism and quickness to the football will allow him to be a playmaker for Bob Diaco's defense. 

Remember his name, folks. 

4. Tony Springmann

Nose tackle has become a relatively thin position after Sean Cwynar chose not to return for a fifth season in an Irish uniform. 

Cwynar's departure elevates Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School product Tony Springmann to second on the depth chart at nose tackle behind Louis Nix. 

Nix is not an every-down player, making way for Springmann to showcase his abilities this fall. 

Springmann did not see the field last season, but the coaching staff was very impressed with his progression during fall camp and as a member of the scout team. 

3. Christian Lombard

A heralded 4-star prospect during the time of recruitment, offensive lineman Christian Lombard has finally earned his time in the spotlight. 

Lombard served as Taylor Dever's backup during the past two seasons, and with Dever having graduated, Lombard will take over as the starter at right tackle. 

Lomabard, a Palatine, Illinois, native, has tremendous upside as a run-blocker at 6'5" and 301 pounds, but will be tested in pass protection. 

2. DaVaris Daniels

Notre Dame is in desperate need of playmakers at wide receiver, and DaVaris Daniels is one piece of that solution. 

Daniels, who served a red-shirt year last season, is listed at 6'3" and 190 pounds by Rivals.com. The site also attributes a time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash to Daniels. 

Those numbers led many to believe that Daniels may just be the boost that Notre Dame's offense will need in the post-Michael Floyd era. 

1. Jalen Brown

Jalen Brown, another red-shirt freshman, will likely be the most pleasant surprise on the roster in 2012. 

It is a reasonable expectation after former receiver Michael Floyd said Brown was a heck of a challenge during practices last season. 

Do not forget that Michael Floyd is a likely first-round NFL draft choice, either. 

Notre Dame absolutely needs a player such as Jalen Brown to shore up a secondary that was abysmal a year ago.