With the Notre Dame Blue-Gold annual spring game being played today, it is time to take a look at some of the interesting storylines heading into the 2013 season.
1. Everett Golson’s development
Golson is coming off of an up-and-down 2012 as first-year starter. Golson was brought along slowly in the first half of the season, even being removed in several games for veteran Tommy Rees. It should be noted that Golson was really only taken out of a game due to poor play versus Michigan. Injuries and Rees’ familiarity with running the two-minute offense led to the switches against Purdue and Stanford. Despite the early season bumps, Golson continue to show glimpses of what he can do and that became more evident as the season wore on. While Notre Dame relied heavily on their defense to win many games during the majority of the year, Golson led the Irish to a huge road win at Oklahoma and a comeback overtime victory against Pittsburgh. I don’t think Notre Dame would have won either one of those contests had Rees been the quarterback.
During the BCS National Championship blowout, Golson was one of the few bright spots for the golden domers. He struggled to start the game, but a lot of that may have been due to play calling. However, in the second half, Golson led the Irish to two touchdown drives. Although the game was “over”, Alabama still had all their starters in on defense well into the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide wanted to post back-to-back shutout in the BCS Championship, but Golson made sure that didn’t happen. Golson completed 21 of 36 pass attempts for 270 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added a rushing touchdown on an option play near the goal-line.
Golson developed some chemistry with wide-outs T.J. Jones and Davaris Daniels as the 2012 season progressed. With both receivers returning, the Irish passing attack should flourish during Golson’s second season under center. Look for Brian Kelly to open up the passing game a bit more, as he did in the final four games of the 2012 season, to take advantage of the group’s talent. Golson should also see more designed runs, as he did during the second half of the 2012 season. Brian Kelly knew that he had his quarterback of the future in Golson, but Kelly also wanted to break Golson slowly into the offense. With the training wheels set to come off, Golson and the offense should thrive in 2013.
2. George Atkinson’s increased role, and other RB’s
With running backs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood departing for the NFL, the Irish have a huge hole to fill at running back. Junior George Atkinson III will enter the 2013 season as the leading option at running back. Atkinson has showed flashes of being a great tailback, but that has mostly come from big plays or during mop-up duty late games. It’ll be interesting to see if Atkinson can handle the rigors of carrying the ball 15 times a game. If he is going to be successful, Atkinson must learn to run between the tackles with more force and less hesitation.
Transfer Amir Carlisle will also see plenty of touches out of the backfield. Carlisle comes from USC after being a four-star recruit and should make an impact this season. At 5-10, 185 lbs, Carlisle may take over the role that Riddick had in 2012. In addition to seeing time at running back, I expect to see Carlisle split out wide and in the slot to give him the ball in space.
Cam McDaniel and Will Mahone should also see some carries. McDaniel was used sparingly last season and mostly when the Irish had the game in-hand. While McDaniel is a nice back, I don’t really see an increased role for him with there being more talented players on the roster. Mahone is coming off of a redshirt season as a freshman. At 5-10, 214lbs, Mahone is stockier type back and should see some carries between the tackles in short yardage situations.
Perhaps the most intriguing player at running back won’t be in South Bend until this summer. Future incoming five-star freshman, Greg Bryant, will join the Irish and should be a difference maker in 2013. It is too early to tell how much playing time Bryant will receive in 2013, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get 5-10 carries in the opener versus Temple. As the season progresses, Bryant may become the lead option at running back for the Irish.
3. Who will emerge at TE?
With Tyler Eifert leaving Notre Dame for the NFL, the Irish will have another big hole to fill at tight end. In recent years, Notre Dame has earned the moniker of “Tight End U” with guys like Eifert, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, and Anthony Fasano having plenty of success. Junior Troy Niklas is the clear favorite at tight end heading into 2013. Niklas received a lot of playing time in 2012, but he was mostly used as an extra blocker. At 6-7, 259 lbs, Niklas was recruited as an offensive tackle out of high school and he is plus-blocker at tight end, but I was also pleasantly surprised with his athleticism. Niklas only caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, but I wouldn’t worry about his stats since Tyler Eifert was the main option. I’m not sure that Niklas can be utilized quite like Eifert was as a receiver, but he should be a force between the hash-marks and in the red-zone.
Senior Alex Welch, junior Ben Koyack, and freshman Mike Heuerman round out the remaining options at tight end. Welch (1 catch, 8 yards) and Koyack (4 catches, 44 yards) have had disappointing careers at Notre Dame so far, but they now have a chance to get some playing time. They were both four-star recruits coming out of high school, so the talent is there. That being said, I am not overly optimistic on either one becoming a reliable option. Heuerman enrolled early at Notre Dame and should have a jump-start at receiving playing time. At 6-4, 218 lbs, Heuerman has more of a wide receivers body. Obviously, Notre Dame would like him to gain about 25-30 pounds during his career, but it may not be an issue this year. With Troy Niklas expected to handle the bulk of the blocking responsibilities, the Irish may choose to use some two tight end sets and split Heuerman out wide like they did with Eifert. Heuerman possess great ball skills and has a rare knack for out-jumping defenders, something that Eifert was also known for doing.
4. Who will replace Te’o at MLB?
Replacing Manti Te’o will be a difficult task for Notre Dame. Luckily, the Irish have 9 players returning on defense that have started multiple games in their careers. With plenty of experience on the rest of the defense, the Irish should have enough play makers and depth to have a great defense once again. In 2012, Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox split time at the other inside linebacker position opposite to Te’o. In 2013, Notre Dame would like to probably do that again to keep both players fresh and effective. Calabrese is better suited at stopping the run and Fox is better is pass coverage, so the Irish would prefer to have a platoon and utilize each players’ strengths. Given that, junior Jarrett Grace is the front runner to replace Te’o. Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco has raved about Grace’s athleticism and strength during spring practices. We have not seen a lot of Grace during his time at Notre Dame, so I am going to have to take the coaches word on this one. If Grace can’t fill the void, then the Irish could choose to start both Calabrese and Fox during the 2013 season.
5. Battle at Safety
With Zeke Motta graduating and hoping to have a career in the NFL, Notre Dame will need a new starter at safety. With Matthias Farley entrenched at the other safety and Bennett Jackson, KeiVarae Russell, and Lo Wood handling the corner and nickel back positions, the Irish now have plenty of experience in their secondary. In 2012, that was hardly the case, but the secondary should be strength for Notre Dame in 2013.
Sophomore’s Nicky Baratti and Elijah Shumate are the frontrunners to replace Motta at safety. Both Baratti and Shumate saw some playing time in 2012, with Baratti having a big interception at the goal-line versus Michigan. Shumate was used in nickel situations and received more playing time as the season wore on. The Irish are optimistic on Shumate and have talked highly about his play this spring. As a four-star recruit, Shumate is more than capable of playing safety due to his athleticism and experience in nickel situations last year. Given that, I expect Shumate to open the season as the starter.
Incoming freshman and five-star recruit, Max Redfield may also force his way into the discussion when he arrives this summer. The Irish will likely elect to begin the year with Shumate, given his experience and knowledge of the defense, but don’t be surprised if Redfield sees significant playing time in 2013. In fact, by mid-season I predict that Redfield will receive the bulk of playing time at safety. That would force Shumate back to the nickel position, where he thrived last season. Redfield is just too talented of a recruit and the Irish have too much of a need for him to sit on the bench.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Follow me on Twitter @etichel07
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