Notre Dame Football: Potential Breakout Candidates in 2015
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Significant in-season strides are often borne from summer suffering, and Notre Dame football will be counting on major improvements from many of its rising upperclassmen.
With those pivotal summer months upon us, let’s project some potential breakout candidates for the Irish in 2015. Obviously, there are different degrees of so-called breakout campaigns, based on past production and expected opportunity.
Let’s have a look.
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The Headliners
For one reason or another, quarterback Malik Zaire, safety Max Redfield and running back/slot receiver C.J. Prosise are expected to take significant steps in 2015.
Zaire obviously has the offense to himself with Everett Golson departing for Florida State. It will be interesting to see, however, how Irish head coach Brian Kelly, associate head coach Mike Denbrock and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford utilize Zaire within the scope of the offense. How much more than a run-first game manager will they ask the first-year starter to be? That answer will go a long way in determining just how high Zaire can ascend in 2015.
The former 5-star prospect Redfield drew loads of praise for his spring development, and his third season in the program could be his coming-out party.
Prosise, meanwhile, was the spring darling, though his role was still undefined, per Kelly, following the Blue-Gold Game in mid-April.
Digging Deeper
Beyond some of the obvious and/or well-known possibilities, a slew of other rising upperclassmen seem poised to potentially take the next steps, as well.
On the offensive line, right guard Steve Elmer is set to begin his first full season at right guard. The Midland, Michigan, native has starting experience that dates back to his freshman season, when he logged four starts at right guard, filling in for Christian Lombard. But Elmer began the 2014 season at right tackle before shifting back to guard when the Irish reshuffled the deck three games into the year. With that added time at one spot and multiple months spent alongside center Nick Martin and new starter Mike McGlinchey at right tackle, Elmer could be ready to make a leap in his junior season.
On the other side of the ball, junior defensive lineman Isaac Rochell doesn’t draw nearly as many headlines as Sheldon Day. Even early enrollee Jerry Tillery overshadowed the rest of the line throughout the spring. But you could make the argument Rochell was one of Notre Dame’s most reliable starters in 2014, as the sophomore was one of only three defensive players to start every game. His 7.5 tackles for loss were second on the squad.
Plus, he can do things like this against eventual first-round picks.
After a stout sophomore season, what’s next for Rochell in year three?
Behind Rochell sits a deep linebacking corps, buoyed by a healthy Jarrett Grace and a recovering Joe Schmidt. But it’s second-year inside linebacker Nyles Morgan who could be primed to surge forward in 2015. The former high-profile recruit was forced into action after Schmidt’s ankle injury, and he ended up tallying 47 tackles down the stretch.
Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said during the spring that the coaching staff “feel[s] much better” with Morgan than it did last year.
“I never imagined going into training camp that he’d be playing last year,” VanGorder said in late March. “He just wasn’t ready. But he’s tough. It’s so important to him. He wanted to do right, but he had to suffer through that freshman year. There were some tough, tough times for him, and he stayed right with it. He looks a lot better here in the spring.”
Playing time still needs to be sorted out among the linebackers, but if Morgan’s mental grasp of the defense comes close to matching his physical acumen, he’ll be tough to keep off the field.
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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