Notre Dame Football: Biggest Takeaways from Media Day

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—A throng of reporters—both local and national—descended on South Bend on Tuesday for Notre Dame football’s media day, which began with an open practice and continued with interviews into the early evening.

The Irish are within three weeks of the season opener against Texas. Let’s analyze some key takeaways from Tuesday.

Leadership

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Now entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Irish, Brian Kelly said this squad’s leadership is the best he’s had during his tenure—reiterating a common point he’s made throughout the fall.

Kelly said Tuesday that 10 players worthy of the captaincy were recently cleared by Notre Dame’s faculty athletic board. Those names will likely be presented to the entire team Monday, and Notre Dame will be prepared to name its captains soon thereafter.

Over the past few weeks, Kelly has highlighted the likes of center Nick Martin, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, linebackers Jaylon Smith, Joe Schmidt and Jarrett Grace, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive back Matthias Farley, among others, as strong leaders.

In particular, Kelly pointed to the growth in leadership from Day and Stanley, who both eschewed the NFL draft for their senior seasons.

“I love where he is from that end,” Kelly said of Stanley’s leadership. “I think he's grown so much maturity‑wise. I think the players have a great amount of respect for him and when he talks, people listen.”

Asked about Day’s ability to help guide freshman defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, Kelly praised Day, who did serve as a junior captain in 2014.

“There is no mistake about it. That's Sheldon's room, and [I’m] really proud of Sheldon,” Kelly said. “He's come a long way in his leadership. Last year at times he was a hesitant leader in a sense that he knew he had a captain role that he wasn't sure how to fill it at times. This year there is no mistake about how he's leading.”

KeiVarae Russell is Fully Back

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The news was expected, but Kelly officially said Tuesday that Russell has been fully cleared and reinstated by the NCAA.

After missing the 2014 season as part of Notre Dame’s investigation into suspected academic dishonesty, Russell returns to lock down one of the cornerback spots he held during his first two seasons with the Irish.

Russell admitted at the start of camp he felt hesitant, and Kelly agreed.

“KeiVarae was rusty coming in,” Kelly said. “He really needed to be here, and it's great that he's gotten to work. [Defensive backs coach] Todd Lyght's done a terrific job with all of those guys.”

Russell repeatedly chronicled his training while away from the team.

There’s a difference in returning to the field, though, Kelly said.

“When you're out of pads for a year, you can't duplicate by jumping on boxes,” Kelly said. “It looks good on video, but you've got to play the game. You've got to put pads on, and you've got to get out there.”

Jaylon Smith is Primed for a Monster Season

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While it’s nothing groundbreaking, the quality and quantity of praise thrown at Smith is noteworthy. Seemingly at each opportunity, Kelly gushes over his junior linebacker for his “remarkable” play.

“Jaylon Smith is the mainstay of our defense,” Kelly said. “He is an essential figure in what we do. He's all over the field for us defensively, and we'll make sure that we move him around to put him in a position for him to impact what we do defensively.

“He's no longer somebody that just ties down one position. He can play multiple positions on our defense, and we think he's one of the best football players in the country.”

Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has been particularly struck by Smith’s vision from the second level of the defense.

“He sees so much now that’s really impressive to me,” VanGorder said Wednesday.

VanGorder also marveled at Smith’s work ethic—“he’s a real pro at the game"—and Grace recently discussed Smith’s constant study habits.

Depth in the Slot

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The Irish have loaded up on wide receivers in recent recruiting cycles, and Kelly has been impressed with the receiving corps throughout the fall.

Narrowing in on the slot position, Notre Dame returns fifth-year senior Amir Carlisle, who hauled in 23 grabs for 309 yards and three touchdowns in 2014.

Beyond Carlisle, junior Torii Hunter Jr. has flashed in practices open to the media this fall, gliding around the field and, now fully healthy, showcasing his athleticism.

“You’re going to see a lot of him this year,” Kelly said. “He'll play a lot. He's very versatile. He could play, if he had to, he could play all the [receiver] positions. ... He's probably our most versatile receiver in that he has the size and the speed and the ability to work inside out at the slot position because of his elusiveness.”

Kelly added that Hunter has had a very good camp and has been as consistent as anyone the past few weeks.

True freshman C.J. Sanders brings an elusiveness and ability to cut at full speed that, Kelly said, the Irish haven’t had during his time in South Bend.

In the slot—and at all receiver spots, in general—Notre Dame has plenty of depth. Irish associate head coach and receivers coach Mike Denbrock spoke Tuesday about interchanging the wideouts without much of a drop-off, a testament to a freshman class that has come “as advertised, if not better,” according to Denbrock.

Reading the Depth Chart Tea Leaves

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With multiple recent practices open to the media, we can take an early look at some ordering at various positions while understanding it’s still early, and depth charts will change.

Graduate student safety Avery Sebastian, a fifth-year transfer from Cal, continues to receive the majority of the first-team reps next to junior safety Max Redfield, while senior Elijah Shumate has worked mostly with the second unit.

True freshman running back Josh Adams has consistently received reps ahead of fellow freshman Dexter Williams and sophomore Justin Brent.

In Notre Dame’s dime package, freshman Shaun Crawford and sophomore Drue Tranquill have stepped into the rotation, with defensive tackle Isaac Rochell bumping into the middle of the three-man defensive line.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.