Notre Dame Football: Predicting the Starters for Each Irish Position in 2016
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — We’re within two months of the start of spring ball for Notre Dame football, and there’s still plenty to sort out before then.
But just over two weeks removed from the end of the 2015 season, let’s look forward and project Notre Dame’s possible starters for 2016.
Of course, this is one outlook and circumstances will change with injuries, outgoing players and incoming freshmen.
Quarterback
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Another year, another quarterback question.
Malik Zaire is four months removed from the fractured ankle he suffered in Week 2 against Virginia. Zaire will be a redshirt junior in 2016, and he brings three career starts to the table.
DeShone Kizer will be a redshirt sophomore, and he notched the 11 starts after Zaire went down.
Kizer completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,884 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while adding 520 rushing yards (3.9 yards per carry) and 10 scores on the ground.
Zaire has completed 63 percent of his passes for 694 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in his career, while running for 290 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
Irish head coach Brian Kelly appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter last week before the national championship game and was asked about his two quarterbacks.
“Let’s go back to the basics of playing team sports,” Kelly said. “Let’s go compete. Let those two guys go compete and see who the better guy is. We know they’re both great competitors. They’re great kids. They both can play at a high level, but we’re gonna go let them compete and find out who the starting quarterback can be.
“There’s no question both of them can help us win, and if it means that we play both of them, well, maybe that’s what happens. But we’re gonna let them both go compete.”
Right now, we’ll give the edge to Kizer for his experience and clutch play in the regular season.
Running Back
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C.J. Prosise is gone, but 2015 provided ample evidence that Notre Dame can highlight multiple running backs in a successful offense behind a sturdy offensive line.
Josh Adams piled up 835 rushing yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman, averaging 7.1 yards a pop. Classmate Dexter Williams saw limited work as the fourth-string—then third-string—back.
Senior-to-be Tarean Folston is coming off the torn ACL he suffered in the first quarter of Notre Dame’s season-opening 38-3 thrashing of Texas. While he continues to work back toward full strength, we’ll give the top slot to Adams for the time being.
Wide Receiver
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There are multiple production voids in the receiving room, as Notre Dame’s top three pass-catchers from 2015 are all gone.
Will Fuller (62 receptions for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns) is the headliner, of course, but Chris Brown (48-597-4) and Amir Carlisle (32-355-1) leave holes too.
The top returning wide receiver is Torii Hunter Jr., who hauled in 28 grabs for 363 yards and two scores. Kelly has touted Hunter’s ability to play all three receiver positions. The Irish could elect to keep Hunter in the slot, or they could move him to one of the outside spots vacated by Fuller and Brown.
True freshman Equanimeous St. Brown suffered a shoulder injury late in the regular season, but he figures to compete for a starting spot when healthy.
If Corey Robinson can regain his 2014 form, perhaps he, St. Brown and Hunter (slot) will form the first unit. Slot man C.J. Sanders, Miles Boykin and, perhaps, Corey Holmes will likely factor into the mix too.
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Tight End
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Four-fifths of Notre Dame’s primary tight end group returns for 2016. Redshirt junior Durham Smythe—back from shoulder and knee injuries suffered early in 2015—figures to again be on track for the lead role.
Smythe blends pass-blocking and pass-catching ability. Sophomore-to-be Alize Jones brings the highest upside, and look for him to take on an enhanced role in the receiving game. Tyler Luatua and Nic Weishar could also continue to carve out roles.
Offensive Line
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Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin are gone, leaving two sizable holes on the Irish offensive line.
There’s plenty of shuffling that could occur, even among the returning starters. If right tackle Mike McGlinchey slides over to Stanley’s spot, might Quenton Nelson or Alex Bars—who both logged starts at left guard as redshirt freshmen—nudge out to tackle?
Sam Mustipher replaced Martin at center when the latter missed a few plays against Navy in October.
For now, we’ll tab the starting offensive line, left to right, as McGlinchey, Bars, Mustipher, Steve Elmer and Nelson.
Defensive Line
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Sheldon Day was a four-year mainstay on the defensive line, and Romeo Okwara surged forward in his senior season.
Despite their departures, the Irish still have capable bodies for 2016. Defensive end Isaac Rochell and defensive tackle Jarron Jones—back from his August knee injury—will likely lead the group. Junior defensive end Andrew Trumbetti flashed in the Fiesta Bowl with four tackles, two for loss and one sack, to go along with a pair of quarterback hurries.
Daniel Cage and Jerry Tillery both provided some production and both also fought through injuries during 2015.
Rochell and Trumbetti likely begin as the starting defensive ends, and Jones will man the inside with Cage and Tillery both factoring into the interior, as well.
Linebacker
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Like wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line, Notre Dame must replace its top producers in the linebacking corps.
All-American Jaylon Smith declared for the NFL draft after tallying 114 tackles, nine for loss, five passes broken up and five passes defended in 2015. The brain of the operation, fifth-year senior Joe Schmidt, leaves his post as the “Mike” linebacker.
Expect former high-end recruit Nyles Morgan, set to be a junior, to slide into Schmidt’s role. The Irish have more options at Smith’s “Will” position. James Onwualu and Greer Martini were both solid as “Sam” linebackers. Could Martini move to the “Will,” or will Tevon Coney assume the top spot?
For now, we’ll tab Coney, Morgan and Onwualu as the starting linebackers.
Secondary
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Health concerns cloud the overall picture in the secondary.
Cornerback Cole Luke and safety Max Redfield figure to return to their starting spots. Cornerback Devin Butler had been the next man up for KeiVarae Russell, but his broken foot days before the Fiesta Bowl may open up a chance for Nick Watkins, who earned his first career start against the Buckeyes.
Drue Tranquill is recovering from his second major knee injury in as many years. If he’s healthy enough, he’s our pick to grab the strong safety spot vacated by Elijah Shumate.
Special Teams
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Kicker Justin Yoon and punter Tyler Newsome are back, as is return man C.J. Sanders. All three offered solid production in their first seasons as starters.
Yoon buried his final 12 field-goal attempts in his true freshman season, and Newsome averaged 44.5 yards per punt, only knocking eight of his 55 punts for touchbacks.
Sanders returned both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns.
All quotes were obtained firsthand and all stats courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.
Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco on Twitter.
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