Notre Dame Football: Week 2 Spring Practice Stock Report
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame football announced Monday the television arrangement for its annual spring game, a welcome reminder that football season is increasingly upon us.
But before the Irish split for the 86th annual Blue-Gold Game on April 18, they still have half of their allotted spring practices remaining.
With more practices open to the media and more conversations with players and coaches, signs—no matter how small—of development are evident.
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Quarterbacks
Though it’s unlikely this quarterback competition will be settled any time this spring, it’s still worth addressing where things stand.
In portions of practice open to the media, fifth-year quarterback Everett Golson has started tempo drills with the first-team offense, with redshirt sophomore Malik Zaire working his way in. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told reporters Saturday it’s a clear 50-50 split between the two signal-callers, a setup that will continue throughout the spring.
Zaire, ever the confident and quotable quarterback, spoke with reporters Friday and called on Pirates of the Caribbean to describe the two-QB situation.
Kelly said it’s up to Zaire how he processes the competition and added Zaire clearly knows what’s necessary each day in the ongoing battle.
“We’ve got two guys who have to go out there and compete every single day to be the best player they can be, and it’s our job to compare them, to coach them, to teach them,” Kelly said. “And I think he knows it’s an extremely competitive situation for him every single day.”
Middle Linebacker
Kelly reiterated to reporters Saturday that Notre Dame’s crowded middle linebacker depth chart is “a good problem to have.”
With fifth-year seniors Joe Schmidt (ankle) and Jarrett Grace (leg) rounding back toward full health, the Irish will add that duo to the mix with sophomore “Mike” linebacker Nyles Morgan, who stepped in for Schmidt down the stretch in 2014.
“I don’t think we’re just gonna say, ‘This is your job, you go take it, and you’re the only guy,’” Kelly said. “You’re going to have a committee of players there that are going to help and give us great depth at the position.”
Grace has recently been sidelined with a concussion, but Kelly said to reporters Saturday he expects the linebacker to return to full contact Wednesday, when the Irish are scheduled to scrimmage before a week-long Easter break.
“When he opens up on that leg, he’s not firing on the same level, but it’s just a matter of time,” Kelly said. “Everything else, straight line, stop and start, everything looks really good. When he opens up in pass coverage and crosses over, he’s not 100 percent yet, but he’s darn close.”
Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder praised Grace after admitting there was a point he wasn’t sure if Grace would play again following the Oct. 2013 injury.
“He’s been excellent,” VanGorder said. “Very intelligent player. He couldn’t play last year, all he did was sit there and study, study, study. He knows our defense.”
Irish linebackers coach Mike Elston said Grace is “very close” to returning to his 2013 form and added it’s important and different to get the physical—not just mental—reps.
Elston said Schmidt “looks good” and estimated the 2014 defensive MVP participates in drills with his fellow linebackers for seven or eight periods (roughly 35-40 minutes) per practice.
VanGorder said Schmidt is so intelligent he knows all three linebacker positions. Morgan, meanwhile, profiles as a middle linebacker with his physical traits, VanGorder said, though the Irish may experiment with moving Morgan around as he grows more comfortable along the inside.
Safety Play
Kelly lauded the development of junior safety Max Redfield and senior safety Elijah Shumate, who headline a thin depth chart at the back of the Notre Dame defense.
Redfield started 11 games in 2014 and finished second on the squad with 68 tackles, highlighted by a 14-tackle showing against LSU in the Music City Bowl. Shumate logged 10 starts and followed his safety partner with 66 tackles, including 13 against USC in his return to the starting lineup.
“It’s night and day compared to their recognition of what’s happening out there and how they’re seeing things,” Kelly said to reporters Saturday.
VanGorder said both safeties are playing with more confidence this spring.
“They’ve been real solid, both of them, so far, real solid,” VanGorder said. “Way more comfortable. Way more knowledgeable. Not getting a lot of panicked snaps from them.”
“Both of them have very good physical traits,” VanGorder added when asked what he needs to see from them. “The consistency of the position and the comfort of the position will bring out more of those physical traits that they have and make them both more productive.”
Redfield spoke with reporters Friday and admitted it was “rough” being benched down the stretch in 2014 but said he went “back to the basics” to correct his mistakes and try to play perfectly.
“It kind of gave me some time to reflect upon it and understand that I’m not entitled to this spot,” Redfield said to reporters. “I have to earn it every day. And obviously they expect more from me and the play they were getting from me was obviously less than what they expect and less than I expect of myself as well.”
Hurry-Up Notebook
Notre Dame defensive backs coach Todd Lyght discussed junior cornerback Devin Butler’s growth and junior cornerback Cole Luke’s status, among other topics.
Kelly again heaped praise on early enrollee defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, who has earned reps with the first-team defense.
“There’s probably only one guy that has separated himself from any of the younger players, and that’s Jerry Tillery,” Kelly said to reporters Saturday.
At the very least (and spring is a time for tempered optimism), Tillery’s quick impressions would seem to give Notre Dame added usable depth.
Kelly said to reporters Saturday that second-year defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner has emerged over the last few practices. Bonner’s physical traits are impressive, Kelly said, and he’s “catching up” with his football intelligence.
“These last three practices have been really, really good practices for him,” Kelly said of Bonner on Saturday. “He’s starting to sense the position and understand the position. He could be that guy to turn the edge for us and give us the speed that we’re looking for.”
We’ve touched on the obvious importance of Notre Dame re-recruiting both Sheldon Day and Ronnie Stanley, who could have departed early for the NFL draft. The Irish now return their stalwarts on each line.
“They came back understanding that certainly at Notre Dame we fight for a playoff position, and there’s no conference championship, so they knew what they were coming back for,” Kelly said to reporters Saturday. “They carry a lot of that confidence with them because they know what they’re capable of and they know what this football team can do if it continues to grow. I think that permeates the rest of group, and that’s why I think these guys are leaders.”
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.
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