Following an underwhelming 9-4 season, the Fighting Irish of
Notre Dame have not had the most encouraging offseason to date. The Irish have
lost a lot of contributing parts on and off the field. Here’s a look at what
has happened over the last two months.
Offensive coordinator Chuck Martin and defensive coordinator
Bob Diaco have left the program to become head coaches at Miami (OH) and
Connecticut respectively. The graduating class includes key players such as
Tommy Rees, T.J. Jones, Zack Martin, Chris Watt, Louis Nix, Prince Shembo, Dan
Fox, Carlo Calabrese, and Bennett Jackson. All nine of these players were
starters for several seasons and will be tough to replace next season. In
addition to the senior class, juniors Stephon Tuitt, Troy Niklas, and George
Atkinson III have decided to enter the NFL Draft. All three played a major role
the last two seasons and will also be missed. And to top it off, DaVaris
Daniels has been suspended from the university for the spring semester for poor
grades. Daniels is expected to rejoin the Irish in the summer, but that is far
from a guarantee.
Like any program, the Irish have to move forward. To replace
Martin and Diaco, Notre Dame has promoted wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock to
offensive coordinator and former New York Jets linebackers coach Brain VanGorder
as defensive coordinator. Now that we know who the new hires are, I don’t
expect much change in philosophy on either side of the ball. Obviously, the
offense is still Brian Kelly’s baby, so don’t expect any changes with Denbrock
coaching Kelly’s offensive style. In fact, Kelly will resume play-calling next
season after relinquishing those duties to Chuck Martin in 2012 and 2013. With
VanGorder replacing Diaco there will likely be some tweaks to the defensive
scheme, but Kelly and VanGorder are familiar with what each other wants to do
defensively since the two worked together at Grand Valley State from 1989 to 1991.
On the field, Notre Dame will have to lean on some younger
players to step up and fill the voids left by the veteran players. Obviously,
the return of quarterback Everett Golson should be a huge lift offensively.
Assuming Golson earns back his starting role, he should open things up
offensively with his athleticism. During his fall suspension, Golson worked
with renowned private quarterback coach George Whitfield Jr. to improve his
mechanics. Golson has reportedly gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle and now
throws the football the conventional way by griping the laces. With the change,
Golson has stated that his throws are more consistent, accurate, and have more
velocity.
Who will he throw the ball to with Jones, Niklas, and maybe
Daniels not on the roster? Look for some younger guys to step up. We saw
glimpses of what guys like Corey Robinson, Will Fuller, Chris Brown, C.J.
Prosise, and James Onwualu can do this season, so there is plenty of depth on
the roster. In addition, expect contributions from redshirt freshman Torii Hunter
Jr. and incoming freshman Justin Brent who has enrolled early this spring. The
tight end depth chart lacks experience outside of Ben Koyack who emerged last
season, but redshirt freshmen Durham Smythe and Mike Heuerman will be eager to
make impact as well.
The offensive line will lose at least two starters, but
Brian Kelly has recruited the position heavily the last two seasons so I don’t
expect this to be an issue. Also, guys like Steve Elmer and Mark Harrell earned
valuable playing time due to some injuries.
Defensively, the Irish will have six or seven starters to
replace depending on whether or not Austin Collinsworth returns for a fifth
year. With Nix and Tuitt gone on the defensive line, look for Sheldon Day,
Jarron Jones, and Isaac Rochell to receive the bulk of the playing time up
front. All three received significant playing time last season, so they should
be prepared to take on an increased role.
The linebacker unit is losing three starters in Shembo, Fox,
and Calabrese, and there isn’t a whole lot of experience behind them on the
depth chart. Out of all the positions, I’m concerned about this group the most.
Ishaq Williams will replace Shembo and has the some experience, but I don’t
think he has the athleticism and explosiveness to have the same type of impact
Shembo made. In the middle, Fox and Calabrese weren’t great, but they were
reliable. Kendall Moore will likely return for a fifth year and take one of the
spots, but the other spot is anyone’s guess. Jarrett Grace is suppose to return
after breaking his fibula in 2013, and will be the starter if he is healthy.
Beyond that, the Irish lack depth. Redshirt freshman Michael Deeb, Joe Schmidt,
and incoming freshman Nyles Morgan will all likely see significant playing time
as well. This should be an interesting situation to follow in the spring and
summer.
The defensive backfield finally appears to be looking better
as the Irish have plenty of guys to lean on. The unit has not been particularly
great during the past two seasons, but plenty of guys have received valuable playing
time while the coaching staff tried to find the right groupings. KeiVarae
Russell will man one of the corner spots, with youngsters Devin Butler and Cole
Luke likely sharing time at the other spot. The safety positions have plenty of
options with or without Austin Collinsworth’s return with Matthias Farley,
Eilar Hardy, Max Redfield, and Elijah Shumate all figuring to be on the field a
lot this season. I expect this unit to be vastly improved next season, and it
might be the most athletic and talent bunch the Irish have had in quite some
time.
For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame has endured a
rough offseason, but it looks as though they will be better prepared to handle
it in 2014. Brian Kelly has recruited very well the past two seasons, and will
likely add another top 10-15 class this season. That type of recruiting
provides depth to deal with adverse situations, but it remains to be seen how well
it will translate on the field. With a daunting schedule that features games
with Florida State, USC, Stanford, Arizona State, and Michigan, the Irish will
need that young talent to develop quickly and perform at a high level if they
are going to compete for a playoff spot in 2014.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Follow me on Twitter @etichel07
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