Notre Dame Football: Why Jerry Tillery Could Be Biggest Impact Freshman in 2015

Welcome to college football, Jerry Tillery. Your time to shine has arrived just months after arriving on Notre Dame's campus as an early enrollee. 

Unfortunately, Tillery's increased role in the Irish's 2015 defense comes at the expense of defensive tackle Jarron Jones, who sustained a season-ending MCL injury requiring surgery. Following numerous reports, head coach Brian Kelly confirmed the injury in a press conference. 

It's a tough blow for Jones, who missed what amounted to the final few games of last season with a foot injury. He'll be able to redshirt and return for 2016, but you have to feel for the guy all the same. 

But as Kelly undoubtedly believes, the next man up has to take over. And the next man up for the interior of the defensive line is Tillery and Daniel Cage. 

"Jerry will be in there. Cage will be in there," Kelly said in the press conference. "Those two guys will play the 1-technique." 

Given Notre Dame's expectations for the '15 season and how poorly the defense played down the stretch last year, Tillery becomes one of college football's most important freshmen. But what he lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in talent and potential. 

Tillery began his Notre Dame career as an offensive lineman, but he quickly moved to the defensive tackle spot and took snaps with the No. 1 defense while Jones recovered from his foot injury. For an early-enrollee freshman at a new position, Tillery exited spring as one of the Irish's more impressive players.  

"He knows the defense pretty well," Kelly told JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago. "And the more he's here, the more he's comfortable with being put in that role of going out and playing as a freshman. So (it was) real big for us."

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@BGInews @TNNDN it's rare that MCL is treated with surgery. Must be a bad tear... Either way, huge loss for Irish D

— Steve Salinas (@stevenmsalinas) August 15, 2015"

Indeed, that practice time and trust could prove to be invaluable, as Tillery will be asked to take heavy reps right away with Cage. There are few breaks in the schedule, as well. Texas and veteran running back Johnathan Gray come to South Bend in Week 1. Georgia Tech's option attack is in Week 3. Clemson and Navy are in back-to-back weeks in early October. 

That's a lot to throw at a young player right away. Not surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets and Midshipmen finished No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, last year in rushing. Clemson should have one of the top offenses in the country this season. 

Notre Dame's rushing defense went downhill last season once November rolled around. The Irish gave up 12 touchdowns on the ground during that month, tied for 115th in college football, and allowed 4.77 yards per carry. Not coincidentally, Notre Dame was giving up more than 43 points per game, cementing itself as one of the worst defenses in college football. 

Stuffing the run begins up front. While the nose tackle isn't usually going to put up a bunch of sacks, their job is to clog lanes and be disruptive. 

All signs indicate that Tillery can be that guy, but the margin for error is smaller, and the learning curve happens on the fly. As last year proved, Notre Dame isn't at its best when trying to win high-scoring games. His responsibility cannot be overstated. 

One of the trendy favorites to make a playoff run, according to Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel, Notre Dame has been taking hits with the injury to Jones and the academic suspension of running back Greg Bryant. At the very least, it's not the kind of start Notre Dame wants before even playing a game. 

The silver lining is that the Irish have skill at both of those positions on the depth chart to make up for the losses. Tillery was one of the most impressive players for Notre Dame this spring, freshman or otherwise. But with that comes high expectations, not unlike Notre Dame itself. 

Like the Irish as a whole, Tillery will be asked to deliver right away. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.