Notre Dame Football: Most Important Player at Each Position
Stop us if you've heard this before, but Notre Dame might actually be really good this season. We're talking about a possible playoff contender.
(Stop laughing. Seriously. We mean it.)
The Irish return a lot of stars, from linebacker Jaylon Smith to defensive tackle Sheldon Day and receiver William Fuller. If the quarterback situation with Malik Zaire can take off, this can be a scary-good team with NFL talent all over it.
Certainly, how a player projects at the next level is a factor in determining the most important players for the Irish. However, so does productivity and a player's role. All of those things were taken into consideration in determining Notre Dame's most important players.
Quarterback: Malik Zaire
1 of 11
This sort of goes without saying, right?
With the transfer of Everett Golson to Florida State, Notre Dame's quarterback responsibilities fall into the hands of Malik Zaire. The redshirt sophomore doesn't have a lot of experience, but he did play well in his only start against LSU in the Music City Bowl, accounting for nearly 200 total yards and two touchdowns.
As Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports opined this week, Zaire is an important piece to Notre Dame's playoff hopes because, unlike some previous years, there's no safety net at quarterback:
"The biggest question mark about this team is at quarterback. Malik Zaire was sharp in the bowl win over LSU. The 6-0, 220-pound lefty is a very dangerous runner but still has thrown only 35 career passes. And there is no Tommy Rees behind him if he can't go, although keep an eye on strong-armed freshman Brandon Wimbush.
"
Can Zaire be the dual-threat quarterback the Irish need to move the offense without committing the turnovers Golson did? That will be the key to Notre Dame's offensive success.
Running Back: Tarean Folston
2 of 11
Notre Dame could very well use a running back-by-committee approach in 2015, but there seems to be an added pressure on junior Tarean Folston. He's the leading rusher from a year ago (175 carries, 889 yards, six touchdowns) and is the default leader in the backfield exiting spring of C.J. Prosise and Greg Bryant.
Folston has the ability to be a complete back for Notre Dame—he's a decent receiver out of the backfield—but his biggest area of improvement is pass protection. Head coach Brian Kelly also had this to say bout Folston, courtesy of Nick Ironside of 247Sports:
"I just wish once in a while, he gets a little, sometimes we’ve got to challenge him a little bit, but that’s our job. That’s not his job. Sometimes we’ve got to challenge him a little bit, and when you only have two and a half running backs…those guys are dead tired. I’d like to see more energy, but we’re doing so much with them.
"
It feels like Folston's on the verge of being the next 1,000-yard rusher for the Irish, but will he deliver? As a first-year starter, Zaire will need all the help he can get from the running game to take pressure off of him.
Wide Receiver: Corey Robinson
3 of 11
Everyone knows (or should know) about leading receiver William Fuller. The junior had a breakout season in 2014 with a team-high 76 catches for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns. No other receiver had more than 40 catches or five touchdowns.
The guy who finished second with those numbers? Corey Robinson. Now a junior, Robinson looks to break into the starting lineup and build on last year's success. That's not a given, as Notre Dame's wide receiver unit is deep and one of the more talented positions on the team.
A concussion slowed Robinson throughout the spring, so his chance to move up the depth chart may come in preseason camp. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Robinson has the body to be a legitimate red-zone weapon. With so much focus on Fuller, Robinson has to show he can be a reliable No. 2 option.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Tight End: Durham Smythe
4 of 11
Notre Dame has produced some outstanding tight ends under head coach Brian Kelly. The next complete tight end could be Durham Smythe.
The depth chart at tight end is all but officially set with Smythe entering preseason practice as the starter. He caught only one pass last season, but replaces departed senior Ben Koyack. His numbers, theoretically, should go up as a pass-catcher.
Even if they don't go up significantly, Smythe is one of two tight ends to record any playing time last season. There's a serious lack of experience there, meaning Smythe has big shoes to fill.
Offensive Line: Ronnie Stanley
5 of 11
Notre Dame's offensive line is a talented group led by tackle Ronnie Stanley. Stanley opted to come back to Notre Dame for his senior season instead of departing for the NFL draft. Make no mistake, his decision to return to school is a big one. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com ranks Stanley as the No. 2 tackle for the 2016 NFL draft.
Instead, Stanley will be the Irish's most important player in the trenches.
He's started 26 career games—13 at left tackle and 13 at right tackle, meaning he could switch if/when the coaching staff needs him to. According to Zierlein, Stanley has given up only one sack over his past two seasons. A seasoned veteran, Stanley is an unquestioned leader for the offense, both vocally and by example.
Interior Defensive Line: Jarron Jones
6 of 11
Sheldon Day is the obvious choice here—maybe too obvious. For that reason, let's go with nose guard Jarron Jones.
Day announced in January that he was returning for his senior season, which was a huge boost for the Irish's defense. B/R's Matt Miller has Day as one of the top defensive linemen for the 2016 NFL draft.
But going toe-to-toe with Day statwise was Jones. Last season, Jones tied Day with 40 tackles, which was best among defensive linemen. Jones also finished tied for second on the team with Day for 7.5 tackles for loss.
That's impressive considering Jones is an immovable object at 315 pounds. (Also, he played in only 11 games because of a season-ending foot injury.) His job should typically be to absorb double-teams and let others have the glory. He does that, but he also gets his numbers. With so much focus on Day, it's a luxury to have a productive player next to him in the interior of the D-line. He's every bit as effective as Day.
Defensive End: Isaac Rochell
7 of 11
This position gets complicated since the status of Ishaq Williams still isn't 100 percent clear.
Generally speaking, Notre Dame's defensive ends didn't do a great job of getting to the quarterback last season. Starters Isaac Rochell and Romeo Okwara combined for just 5.5 sacks, though Rochell did lead the team with 10 quarterback hurries.
Becoming a more complete defensive end is priority No. 1 for Rochell in 2015. Finishing would be a huge leap forward for him. Practically speaking, you could say that Rochell and Okwara are equally important at the edge position, but we'll give the edge to Rochell because of what he can be for Notre Dame's defense on the edge of the defensive line.
Outside Linebacker: Jaylon Smith
8 of 11
Duh.
On a couple of occasions here, we've highlighted other important players that aren't necessarily the most well-known at their positions. That simply can't be done with linebacker Jaylon Smith. He's too valuable.
Smith has played both the "Sam" and "Will" positions, so he's a versatile athlete the coaching staff can move around. And what an athlete he is, too. Smith embodies the modern-day linebacker, the type of player who has to go sideline-to-sideline, shed blocks and make plays in space.
Last season, Smith led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. He's surely a first-round selection in the 2016 NFL draft if he leaves.
Smith isn't the most important player at his position for Notre Dame. He's the most important player for Notre Dame period.
Inside Linebacker: Joe Schmidt
9 of 11
Middle linebacker is a deep position for the Irish. Really, the entire linebacker unit is deep. That wasn't the case a year ago when Joe Schmidt sustained a broken ankle against Navy. The Irish were already without Jarrett Grace, who was still recovering from a broken leg he sustained in 2013.
Because it's been so long since Grace has played, Schmidt gets the edge here. Besides, despite playing in just eight games last year, Schmidt finished fourth on the team with 65 tackles. Additionally, the grad student was cleared for noncontact drills in April and should be ready to go for the start of the season.
From a productivity and leadership standpoint, that's huge.
Cornerback: KeiVarae Russell
10 of 11
KeiVarae Russell was one of the Notre Dame players who missed last season because of an academic investigation. Before that, however, Russell was considered one of the stars of the defense. He played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2012, earning freshman All-American honors, and led the team in passes broken up in '13.
Missing all of last year allowed Cole Luke to emerge as a star in the secondary. With Russell back on campus, though, Notre Dame's cornerback group just got better. With Luke and Russell, Notre Dame could have one of the best one-two cornerback combos in college football. Russell is a bit more experienced, though, and has the accolades to boot. Now the question is whether he can rebound from a low point in his career.
Safety: Elijah Shumate
11 of 11
Frankly, safety has been a hit-and-miss position for Notre Dame, so to speak. Elijah Shumate and Max Redfield have had their share of forgettable moments. However, as Keith Arnold of InsidetheIrish.com wrote in May, Redfield "took last season’s demotion and struggles and came out the other side." The importance of that rebound cannot be overstated.
Shumate, on the other hand, is still searching for that consistency. Arnold notes that Shumate is "a physical freak and one of the team’s hardest hitters," but his level of play hasn't always matched that athleticism. Assuming Redfield can bounce back for good, it could be up to Shumate to erase one of the few question marks the Irish defense has going into 2015.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
