I figure I better get this done since the Irish kick off their season Saturday...And in case you don't know, that guy above, Manti Te'o is going to be a big factor again this year...
Te'o, (133 tackles last season) leads a Notre Dame defense that showed steady improvement throughout last season...And the heart of the defense is Te'o and his fellow linebackers...Playing in the 3-4, he is joined in the middle by Carlo Calabrese, a run stopping machine...Seniors Anthony McDonald and David Posluszny add depth at middle linebacker...Sophomore Kendall Moore hopes his play on special teams will help get him in the rotation...
Senior Darius Fleming and sophomore Prince Shembo will be the starting outside linebackers with senior Steve Filer getting plenty of time in the rotation...Junior Dan Fox hopes to see more playing time either at the middle or outside, after having a great spring...
As good as the Irish look at LB, they look just as good at quarterback...
Dayne Crist will once again be the starter, no matter how much Irish fans fell in love with Tommy Rees late last season...Crist and his skill set are perfect for coach Brian Kelly's offense...Much of the playbook went un-used when Rees had to step in...While he is a excellent passer, he lacks the all-around athletic ability of Crist...Of course Crist has to stay healthy, something that has happened the last couple years...
If injury strikes, Rees, while he has experience, may not be the guy, as Sophomore Andrew Hendrix, who has the strongest arm of the bunch, is breathing down his neck...Hendrix is also a very tough and physical runner...Behind him is Freshman Everett Golson who is the fastest and most athletic of all the QB's...
With Armando Allen, and Robert Hughes now gone, the bulk of the running back duties fall to Cierre Wood...
Wood has a great speed, and excellent vision, and should do well in the spread...For the tougher yards, that Hughes pounded out, the Irish will look to Jonas Gray to be tougher, and hold onto the ball...But the Irish are thin at RB...Freshman Cam McDaniel will most likely be the third back on the team, and will get a look on kick returns...
At Wide Receiver, the Irish will look first and foremost at Michael Floyd...Floyd of course needs to stay healthy for once, and stay out of trouble...Personally I was disappointed that he wasn't hit with a tougher punishment for his latest DUI...
Behind Floyd is TJ Jones, and play-maker, Theo Ridick...Seniors John Goodman and Deion Walker need to step up this year...While undersized, Robby Toma (5'9", 175) seems to make all the tough catches, and makes a nice slot receiver...
Tyler Eifert is looking to be the next in a long line of excellent ND Tight Ends...Fifth year senior Mike Ragone is trying to comeback from countless injuries...Look for Sophomore Alex Welch to get some looks this year...
The Offensive Line is loaded with experience, and depth...Junior left tackle Zack Martin is one of the best in college football...He'll be joined by Chris Watt on the left side...Senior Braxton Cave anchors the line at center...Next to him on the right is seniors Trevor Robinson, and Taylor Dever...The Irish have 3 seniors to work in the rotation, including the versatile ANdrew Nuss...The Irish also have 5 freshman and a couple of sophomores waiting in the wings...
Lead by senior ends, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan Johnson, the defensive line should be just as good as the linebackers...Junior Sean Cwynar will start at Nose Tackle, but Hafis Williams and Louis Nix will get plenty of playing time...But the player to watch, is early enrollee DE, Aaron Lynch, (6'6", 260) who by all accounts was the most impressive player in the spring game...
While, raw, the Irish coaching staff love his skill and athletic ability...Another top recruit, and DE, Stephon Tuitt (6'5", 270) could also find his way into some playing time...
Now we come to the Secondary, which will be lead by fifth-year senior, safety, Harrison Smith...
Smith is an intense, hard hitting, athletic player who was the teams second leading tackler last season...He needs to be even better this year, if the Irish defense is going to continue to progress...Playing the other safety spot will most likely be Zeke Motta, who stepped in when Jamoris Slaughter went down with an injury last year...Slaughter should still get plenty of playing time, and may be the teams nickel back, since the Irish are so thin at corner, and having played corner in the past...
the Irish have two excellent corner backs in Robert Blanton, and Gary Gray...Both have plenty of experience, quality cover skills, and both play the run very well...But behind them is youth and inexperience...Sophomores Bennett Jackson and Lo Wood need to really step up, or the Irish could be in trouble, if either Blanton or Gray get injured...
As for special Teams...the Irish have an excellent kicker in David Ruffer...Freshman Kyle Brindza will push for kick-off duties, and to take the punting job, as he has shown to have the teams most powerful leg...The Irish have plenty of talented players to use in the return game...Look for Theo Riddick and Bennett Jackson to get the first cracks at it...
I expect 10 wins this year...The Notre Dame schedule is not a walk in the park...They open Saturday against a good USF team, that has an underrated, multiple-threat QB in B.J. Daniels...And lots of team speed on the defensive side of the ball...This game should give us a good read on what the Irish really has as a team...
Stay tuned...
Go Irish!
The Beeze.
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