Notre Dame Football: Week 3 Fall Camp Stock Report
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — With its Friday afternoon practice inside Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame football closed out its fall training camp.
After a few days off over the weekend, the Irish are transitioning toward an in-season approach this week. Classes begin Tuesday, and Irish head coach Brian Kelly emphasized the importance of building a routine, with afternoon practices replacing the late-morning sessions.
Notre Dame used Friday’s practice to zero in on, among other things, end-of-game situations, including special teams work, as position battles continue.
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“We’ve got a lot of competition, a lot of depth that keeps that competition keen,” Kelly said to reporters. “We’re not in a situation where guys are just going through the motions in the last four or five practices because they know there’s nobody to push me.”
Let’s look back at the past week.
Shaun Crawford
Late Wednesday night, Notre Dame announced freshman cornerback Shaun Crawford suffered a torn ACL during Wednesday morning’s practice and will be out for the 2015 season.
Crawford had impressed throughout camp and had earned reps as the first-team nickelback.
Notre Dame does boast depth at cornerback, but Crawford was certainly in line to contribute as a rookie. Now the Irish will shuffle the defensive backs.
Kelly said Friday that top cornerback KeiVarae Russell will serve as the nickelback, with junior Devin Butler stepping in on the perimeter in some situations. Kelly said Russell brings much-desired versatility to the nickel position, giving defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder the ability to play man coverage or blitz, for example. Butler, meanwhile, is now Notre Dame’s third corner.
“If we were handicapping the corners, we would not have thought that he’d be our third corner,” Kelly said. “He’s had a really, really good camp. He plays with so much more confidence, speed. He’s a different player than he was last year—really pleased.”
Freshmen Continue to Impress
Two of Notre Dame’s top offensive freshmen, tight end Alize Jones and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, have flashed throughout the fall.
“They’re guys that are going to be very difficult to keep off the field because of their ability,” Kelly said. “Certainly where they play, they make for difficult matchups.”
Jones fits into an Irish tight end group that still lacks clarity (see below), while St. Brown is part of a deep receiving corps.
“They’re both extremely gifted players athletically,” Kelly said.
Tight End Options
Notre Dame brings back minimal production at tight end—one reception for seven yards—from last season. But the Irish have options at the position, and Kelly said there’s still uncertainty with roughly two weeks until the season opener against Texas.
As of Friday, junior Durham Smythe was still not at 100 percent health. Sophomore Tyler Luatua, redshirt freshman Nic Weishar, fifth-year senior Chase Hounshell and Jones are all potential contributors, too. Kelly said Notre Dame can use its different tight ends situationally.
“We’ve got some really good flexibility,” Kelly said. “I think at the end of the day, we can really do some things with those tight ends to keep teams off balance.”
Asked if the Irish can employ two-tight end sets, Kelly thinks they can deploy three.
Quick Hits
Third-year wideout Torii Hunter Jr. can play all three receiver positions for the Irish, Kelly said, not just the slot.
“Torii’s a playmaker for us,” Kelly said. “We’ve gotta be able to get some touches for him.”
Irish offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford will work from the press box during games, Kelly said.
Redshirt freshman left guard Quenton Nelson has made the most progress in pass protection, Kelly said, aided by the man to his left: standout tackle Ronnie Stanley. Kelly reiterated that fellow redshirt freshman Alex Bars will play and be a part of Notre Dame’s offensive line rotation.
On the other side, right guard Steve Elmer has “really improved his game physically,” per Kelly. The junior drew praise for his improvement moving in space, reaching the second level, sustaining blocks and staying on his feet.
“I think there’s been a huge elevation there,” Kelly said.
Kelly said redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer is “moving in that direction” when asked if Kizer had solidified the No. 2 quarterback job over true freshman Brandon Wimbush.
Senior running back C.J. Prosise (hip flexor) was scheduled to be “full-go” at Monday’s practice, Kelly said Friday.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.
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