Notre Dame Football Week 2 Spring Practice Report

Notre Dame football garnered plenty of praise due to a torrid recruiting stretch, but spring practice didn't lack excitement, either.

Excluding the quarterback competition no one anticipates will end soon, the offense is starting to take shape—especially up front. Still, one gunslinger drew some headlines last week.

On the other side of the football, the story isn't exactly the same. Departures and injuries make that a work in progress.

Understandable Frustration from a Quarterback

In case you haven't heard, there's a particularly intriguing position battle happening in South Bend. Malik Zaire isn't thrilled about it.

"You just really wonder what it's going to take to finally convince people enough that I'm able to do the job," Zaire said, per Tom Coyne of the Associated Press. "I don't make the decision. I'm going to keep balling and do what I need to do."

At least there's some encouraging news for Zaire.

Pete Sampson of Scout.com noted the competition is moving toward the two-man chase everyone expected, and Brandon Wimbush is the odd man out:

There shouldn't be any problems with what Zaire said. His ability essentially pushed Everett Golson to transfer, and Zaire played well during seven quarters of action last season.

DeShone Kizer has a larger body of work, which makes the redshirt sophomore the favorite to some. But Zaire's performance in limited snaps is arguably more impressive, so he's the leader to others.

"Frustrated" doesn't necessarily equate to "unsatisfied." It's actually quite refreshing to hear Zaire share his thoughts.

Offensive Line: Quickly Coming Together

The process of replacing Ronnie Stanley, Nick Martin and Steve Elmer has reached the final stages.

Returning starters Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson are locked in. The former has moved from right tackle to the left side, while the latter is back at left guard. Per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago, head coach Brian Kelly noted Sam Mustipher has establish himself at center.

That leaves two vacant spots with four remaining candidates. Colin McGovern and Tristen Hoge are battling at right guard, while right tackle is between Alex Bars and Hunter Bivin.

"The left side's pretty much set over there, as you could imagine, with Quenton Nelson and McGlinchey," Kelly said, per Stankevitz. "And Sam's solid at center. So really it's those four guys and trying to figure out what the best grouping is. And they're all competing, they're all doing things, but that's pretty much what we got going right now."

Although Bars has been considered a probable starter, his position was uncertain. In all likelihood, Bars will settle into the No. 1 role when he's healthy.

Plus, Hoge was thought to have a chance at becoming the center, but Mustipher has apparently secured that role. Hoge, a redshirt freshman, will attempt to hold off McGovern, a fourth-year junior.

Defensive Line: Not So Much

Continuity and cohesion are typically vital components of success for an offensive line. Generally, that holds true on the defensive front, but rotations are commonplace anyway.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

However, that can become a problem when "rotation" is synonymous with "experimenting" or "tinkering."

"There's a lot of competition," Kelly said, according to Lou Somogyi of Rivals. "That's where there's a lot of guys that are using this time to really try and hone in on what that rotation looks like."

It's safe to expect Isaac Rochell, Jarron Jones, Andrew Trumbetti, Jerry Tillery and Daniel Cage will contribute. The second unit is far from clear, however.

Can true freshman Daelin Hayes demand a place immediately? How highly do the Irish view Jonathan Bonner, Grant Blankenship, Jay Hayes and others? Are any of Elijah Taylor, Micah Dew-Treadway and Brandon Tiassum ready to play as redshirt freshmen?

Notre Dame has time, but it also has more questions than answers.

Odds and Ends

Redshirt freshman safety Mykelti Williams is no longer with the program. Kelly declined further comment, according to ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna.

Although it's partly the product of Max Redfield's ankle injury, true freshman and early enrollee Devin Studstill is making a significant impact. He's "running with our first group right now," Kelly said, per Tim O'Malley of Scout.com.

Scott DeCamp of MLive noted a hip flexor strain will sideline sophomore kick and punt returner C.J. Sanders through the remainder of spring practice as well as the summer.

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from CFBStats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.