Notre Dame Football: 5 Most Important Position Battles

The quarterback position, for the second consecutive year, will be the focal point of the offseason in South Bend.

A year ago, there was a battle between Kansas transfer Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson.

This season, Crist has been replaced with one of the top recruits in the nation: Indiana native Gunner Kiel, so the battle will be very intriguing.

 Aside from the QB position, there are many positions that are up for grabs on both sides of the ball.

Let’s take a glimpse of what positions I feel are the most competitive nearing Notre Dame’s spring game.

Wide Receiver

This is easily my biggest concern of the 2012 season.

With the departure of Michael Floyd, Notre Dame will lose there do-it-all receiver who has dominated the record books during his tenure in South Bend.

 What replaces him are a bunch of players with tremendous potential, and highly touted out of high school, however they have yet to prove themselves.

Roby Toma showed flashes last season, and it will be interesting to see how he does in 2012.

Toma reminds me a lot of Wes Welker from the New England Patriots, and with Tyler Eifert running routes, the Notre Dame passing game has serious potential to surprise people this season.

What Notre Dame fans are hoping for is the emergence of highly touted redshirt freshman DaVaris Daniels.

He has the talent to be one of the best at the position, in the nation. But as I previously noted, he has yet to see the field; whether he can do his thing in game situations remains to be seen. 

Another guy to watch is senior John Goodman. He has impressed the coaches throughout the spring, but he is another player that hasn't had much production on Saturdays.

If Goodman has a big year, that will be huge for the Irish.

Also, watch out for for incoming freshman Chris Brown, Justin Ferguson and Davonte Neal.

Quarterback

Similar to last season, the Irish do not have a standout QB entering the spring. This years addition of "who want's to be the QB" features Everett Golson,Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, and Gunner Kiel.

The coaching staff has opted to start the competition from scratch to see how the players respond. My inclination leads me to think Hendrix will win this battle, because we have already seen what Rees can do.

I'm not a knocker of Rees either. He did his thing; and has an outstanding winning percentage. I just don't feel he alone won many games. The defense has been very stout the last few years, and without a few turnovers, the Irish likely would have been in BCS Bowls.

Many have noted how Kelly's system requires a mobile quarterback, and at times it seems Rees is standing in quicksand. 

Both Hendrix and Golson have the athleticism needed to thrive in this offense. However, I feel the turnover problem will likely continue this season, as both are very inexperienced.

Cornerback

This is no secret. The Irish secondary is going to be a major factor in the team's success in 2012. With the departures of Robert Blanton, Gary Gray along with Harrison Smith, Notre Dame will be very young at CB this season.

One name to watch for will be Bennett Jackson. A once wide receiver turned corner, at 6' 185 pounds, he has the ideal size and speed for a cover corner.

As a former receiver, who played both sides of the ball, I can relate to Jackson's transition. It's actually much easier than one would think. The biggest difference is shifting your hips while adjusting to routes, but with experience, that process becomes easier and easier.

Reacting to the football in the air is much easier than running routes because DB's have their eyes on the quarterback during the continuation of the play. Bennett has elite speed, so even with mistakes that will occur, he will be able to catch up. He is simply that fast.

Other players to watch in the secondary are Austin Collinsworth, Jalen Brown and Lo Wood. Each of these DB's have great potential, yet haven't been proven on the field.

Running Back

Cierre Wood, is the obvious No. 1 tailback. However, my questions reside on who will be the backup. As we saw last year, you need at least three running backs to be successful.

The Notre Dame backfield took a step back once Amir Carlisle was diagnosed with a broken ankle. He is out for the spring, and the USC transfer will have a solid chance of playing time once he's healthy.

Behind Wood, is likely Theo Riddick (who has spent time at both running back and wide out).

The running backs will add more depth when fall practice begins as incoming freshman Keivarae Russell and Will Mahone are set to join the team this fall.

Both of these players along with George Atkinson, will have the opportunity to play early and often on the field this season.

Linebacker

Aside from Manti Te'o, there are several questions at linebacker. Former linebacker Troy Niklas had his position changed to tight end, so the program will be relying on many others to fill the void. 

A player I would keep an eye on to emerge as a starter would be Ishaq Williams. The former 5-star recruit has all the potential in the world, but has yet to show it in a Notre Dame uniform.

It's very difficult to shine as a true freshman, so in his sophomore campaign, I predict a drastic improvement.

Carlos Calabrese and Dan Fox  will make the rest of the corps who will make in impact among then linebackers.

Jarrett Grace is a young player to keep an eye on. He was highly recruited out of high school, and physically fits the bill. Watching film on him, I like what I see, but he lacks experience.

When Te'o graduates, or perhaps is injured, it will be interesting to see who will fill the spot at inside linebacker.