Coming out of spring practice, most of the questions Notre Dame had entering the session remain. As expected, no one was named the starting quarterback heading into the Fall. Similarly, Alex Bars and Quenton Nelson will continue to battle through the summer to capture the starting LG duties. CJ Prosise made a splash with an extended look at running back both adding depth and muddying the waters for how snaps might be shared. While the team awaits the arrival of promising tight end recruit Aliz’e Jones over the summer, Durham Smythe made his push to be the next great Notre Dame tight end emerging as the seeming favorite to replace Ben Koyack as the week one starter. Where in the World is ND going to find enough snaps for all of the returning wide receivers? Finally, what’s going to happen with the numbers crunch on scholarships?
Simply put, there’s an interesting summer ahead in terms of Notre Dame’s depth chart. But, in a surprising plot twist, most of the questions are positive in nature. There are enough names and enough talent cluttering up the squad that Brian Kelly and his staff will be forced to make some difficult decisions. Decisions that the Kelly tenure, and Notre Dame in general, have not dealt with previously. As Kelly enters season six, he is finally seeing the payoff of recruiting efforts that far exceeded his immediate predecessors. While certain positions still lack optimal depth, there is little doubt that the 2015 team will be the most talented team, top to bottom, first string to third string, that coaches and fans have experienced in quite some time.
Indulging my offensive fixation, I took a look at the Notre Dame depth chart on the scoring side. First, let’s run through the positions to see what’s returning, what’s coming in, and what was lost (namely from a scholarship perspective):
QUARTERBACK
Returning: | Incoming: | Departing: |
Golson, Everett | Wimbush, Brandon | |
Zaire, Malik | ||
Kizer, DeShone | ||
VanGorder, Montgomery |
Where ND was last year: Tommy Rees’ graduation, Andrew Hendrix’s decision to transfer, and Golson’s re-admittance created quite the dynamic last spring. While spring practice was nominally made a battle between Golson and Zaire, the expectation was that Golson would get the gig if he didn’t fall flat. Zaire opened up some eyes at the Blue-Gold Game but not enough to dethrone Golson who was eventually named starter.
Where ND stands now: Golson and Zaire are once again engaged in a starter battle, but this one is legitimate. Golson’s uneven 2014 accompanied with a strong bowl game performance by Malik Zaire led Brian Kelly to open up the starting job again this spring (I bet BK is just drooling for a chance to not have a quarterback battle). Rising sophomore DeShone Kizer provides nice third string depth, and Notre Dame landed a top 5 quarterback recruit in Brandon Wimbush to make quarterback deep….perhaps too deep. Time will tell.
RUNNINGBACK
Returning: | Incoming: | Departing: |
Folston, Tarean | Williams, Dexter | McDaniel, Cam |
Bryant, Greg | Adam, Josh | |
Prosise, CJ |
Where ND was last year: Cam McDaniel experienced a break out year as a junior including being introduced to the World as America’s next great heart throb. Reliable but not ideally the centerpiece of a rushing attack. George Atkinson’s decision to enter the NFL draft early was an unexpected hit to the depth chart. Greg Bryant, coming off an injury shortened freshman campaign, and Tarean Folston who emerged late in his freshman year were the centerpieces for what was expected to be a renewed rushing attack.
Where ND stands now: The always reliable McDaniel has now graduated. All eyes will be upon the Folston/Bryant duo. No longer the up-and-comers, Folston and Bryant will both be expected to be significant contributors. Depth remains an issue, but C.J. Prosise’s spring which drew rave reviews from the coaching staff should relieve some of that concern. A Signing Day commitment from 4-star running back Dexter Williams was also a substantial get. Williams could easily see playing time immediately.
TIGHT END
Returning: | Incoming: | Departing: |
Smythe, Durham | Jones, Aliz’e | Koyack, Ben |
Luatua, Tyler | ||
Weishar, Nic | ||
Heuerman, Mike |
Where ND was last year: Troy Niklas’ decision to enter the NFL Draft should not have come as a total shock, although the coaching staff seemed surprised. Alex Welch followed Coach Chuck Martin and Andrew Hendrix to Miami (Ohio) leaving the position thinner than it had been in some time. Ben Koyack’s strong second half in 2013 made him the obvious heir to the tight end throne though some expected that Durham Smythe could push him for playing time. Commits Tyler Luatua and Nic Weishar were both Composite Top 10 recruits at tight end but with an unclear time table for contribution.
Where ND stands now: Koyack’s graduation leaves a hole at starter. Spring practice seemed to suggest that Durham Smythe will inherit the crown, but as opposed to previous years, the tight end lineage is far less clear than it’s been in the past. Yesterday, Keith Arnold provided his break down of the tight end stocks post spring practice. The x-factor in the equation is Aliz’e Jones who is expected to see playing time immediately and has the natural pass catching ability to be intriguing. While the Jones commitment provides intrigue, this is the most unsettled the tight end position has been in quite some time.
WIDE RECEIVER
Returning: | Incoming: | Departing: |
Fuller, William | St. Brown, Equanimeous | Daniels, DaVaris |
Robinson, Corey | Sanders, C.J. | |
Brown, Chris | Boykin, Miles | |
Carlisle, Amir | Guyton, Jalen | |
Hunter Jr., Torii | ||
Brent, Justin | ||
Holmes, Corey |
Where ND was last year: Leading receiver TJ Jones graduated after having an outstanding senior season. The only receiver returning with even 300 yards receiving was DaVaris Daniels whom many expected to finally take the leap to stardom during his senior season. In late summer, that plan would be de-railed by off-field issues. Brief but promising playing time from Corey Robinson and Williams Fuller provided some optimism, but with the lack of obvious options and playing time at a premium at running back, Notre Dame switched Amir Carlisle to the slot position.
Where ND stands now: While technically the squad loses Daniels, the reality is Notre Dame returns every reception and start it had from the receiving position in 2014. Will Fuller not only stepped up but had one of the most prolific seasons in Notre Dame history. Justin Brent was far more interesting off the field than on it but remains highly talented. Add to that all world speedster C.J. Sanders and highly regarded recruits Equanimeous St. Brown and Miles Boykin and Notre Dame is left with a roster so deep that there is a very real question whether Amir Carlisle who had 6 starts, 23 receptions, and 3 touchdowns a year ago will even have a scholarship come fall. I like Carlisle and remain convinced he’ll keep his scholarship, but the WR depth is just that good.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Returning: | Incoming: | Departing: |
Stanley, Ronnie | Hoge, Tristen | Lombard, Christian |
Nelson, Quenton | Ruhland, Trevor | Hegarty, Matt |
Martin, Nick | Hanratty, Conor | |
Elmer, Steve | ||
McGlinchey, Mike | ||
Bars, Alex | ||
Bivin, Hunter | ||
McGovern, Colin | ||
Mustipher, Sam | ||
Harrell, Mark | ||
Montelus, John | ||
Byrne, Jimmy |
Where ND was last year: Losing the all-time starts leader in Notre Dame history, Zack Martin at offensive tackle and 11 game starter Chris Watt left some considerable questions along the offensive line. Ronnie Stanley moved from right tackle to left tackle and Nick Martin, Matt Hegarty, and Christian Lombard’s returns all gave the team continued experience. Steve Elmer’s 2013 also showed some promise. A prolific and highly skilled recruiting class which included Quenton Nelson, Alex Bars, and Sam Mustipher suggested help was on the way, if unproven.
Where ND stands now: Ronnie Stanley’s decision to return for a final year was an instant boost to line. Stanley, a possible first round NFL talent will give the Irish at least four straight seasons of superb play from the left tackle position. Nick Martin also returns at center. Hegarty’s decision to transfer is the most telling aspect of the line. By the time the Music City Bowl rolled around, the Irish showed an ability to dominate an SEC defense that left many in the fan base amazed and excited. While the incoming class is smaller than previous years, Tristen Hoge was an early enrollee and regarded as the number one center prospect in the country. No obvious holes exist.
Composite Recruiting Rank
Another way to assess the returning depth chart is to consider the recruiting rankings that these players received. While a rough gauge, recruiting rankings on total provide a picture of how much talent is coming in and out of a program. For this chart, I used the 247Sports Composite rankings which were averaged together for each of the position groups. The results are as follows:
Position: |
Returning: |
Incoming: |
Departing: |
Quarterback |
0.9093 |
0.9784 |
|
Runningback |
0.9383 |
0.9262 |
0.8544 |
Tight End |
0.9020 |
0.9685 |
0.9752 |
Wide Receiver |
0.9161 |
0.9033 |
0.9534 |
Offensive Line |
0.9233 |
0.9130 |
0.9131 |
From a sheer recruit rankings standpoint, the running back position lost the least (save quarterback which did not lose anything at all). Of the players that have seen significant game action at running back since 2013, Cam McDaniel was easily the lowest rated. This is not to devalue or degrade his excellent career. If anything, he provides a strong example of why all recruiting rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. However, on aggregate, the presence of Folston, Bryant, and incoming freshman Williams is an exceedingly talented backfield group.
By contrast, what is currently on the Notre Dame roster at tight end is not as good as what just left (Koyack) and what will arrive this summer (Jones). People might be shocked to see that Koyack had a higher recruiting grade than Jones, but Koyack’s pedestrian (by Notre Dame standards) college career undersells what type of recruit he was. It also won’t stop Koyack from getting draft this weekend.
Finally, I’d be remiss to fail to note that the two strongest aggregate groups returning are the running backs and the offensive line. The coaching staff has noted throughout the spring that the big uglies upfront have been impressive. #RTDB, #RTDTF.
Percentage of 2014 Starts Returning
Finally, I alluded to it earlier, but Notre Dame returns 100% of its starts from 2014 at 2 of the 4 position groups: quarterback and wide receiver. (aside: I await Tex and Elvis’ remarks about how I conveniently left the fullback depth off of this analysis). Folston ended up starting 10/13 games for the Irish at running back to Cam’s 3. Ben Koyack started every game at tight end. One start was credited to Tyler Luatua for a (gasp) two tight end play to start the game. All starts data was pulled from UND.com.
Position: |
Returning: |
Incoming: |
Departing: |
Quarterback |
100 |
N/A |
0 |
Runningback |
77 |
N/A |
23 |
Tight End |
7 |
N/A |
93 |
Wide Receiver |
100 |
N/A |
0 |
Offensive Line |
62 |
N/A |
38 |
The result is that for the first time in quite a while, not only is tight end unsettled, but it’s arguably the shallowest position on an otherwise amazingly deep offense. There is plenty of talent though, and the additional options provided to the coaching staff by all this depth should be, in the vernacular of Mike Mayock, “fun.”
- Who the _______ am I Watching? ND’s Depth Chart (Literally) by the Numbers (Part II) - August 29, 2019
- Who the _______ am I Watching? ND’s Depth Chart (Literally) by the Numbers - August 27, 2019
- The People’s Free Guide to ND Football 2019 - August 26, 2019