Josh Barajas Archives - Her Loyal Sons

Analyzing the Fall Camp Depth Chart

BJ Konkle — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 09:00:05 +0000

Fall camp produces the perfect mix for any college football junkie – immeasurable aspirations coupled with unlimited potential. The 2016 Fighting Irish are no exception. Many positional battles follow #NDFB into fall camp and understandably so with the solid depth at all positions. Let’s do a quick rundown of what to expect.

Depth, baby! Everything this fall will revolve around the exceptional depth that has slowly been built year over year. The coaching staff has recruited exceptionally well over the past few years (the 2017 class aka #IRISHEL17E and the 2018 class aka #IrishBouND18 are stacking up quite nicely as well) especially addressing specific positional needs.

The depth is far and above where it has been in years past. The offense returns multiple assets at every position. Proven running backs Tarean Folston and Josh Adams will lead the ground game along with Dexter Williams guaranteed to be fighting for carries.

The offensive line depth is nothing short of incredible considering it lost two future NFL starters from last year in Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin. Junior guard Quenton Nelson has been named a Sports Illustrated preseason All-American and senior tackle Mike McGlinchey is garnering elite status as the 64th best player in the nation – according to ESPN. These two woolly mammoths will anchor the left side of the offensive line, and the right side anticipates a battle between junior Alex Bars and seniors Hunter Bivin and Colin McGovern.

Tight end, once a surging position of depth, took a hit in the academic ineligibility ruling against Alize Jones. As reported, Jones will miss the entire 2016 season. The return of transferring/not transferring Tyler Luatua provides the group with a huge (255 lbs. pun intended) veteran h-back, and his decision to not transfer now proves to be vital to the position group. Nic Weishar and Durham Smythe are both capable and consistent targets from a three point stance and split wide – this groups presence and overall utility within the red zone should not be understated.

Credit: Matt Cashore

The wide receiver cupboard is full – yet unproven. The only shoe-in to start is senior Torii Hunter Jr. Behind him will be an intriguing battle between Equanimeous St. Brown, Corey Holmes, Miles Boykin, C.J. Sanders, and potentially true freshman/early enrollee Kevin Stepherson. Finishing on the offensive side of the ball, who could forget the quarterback situation, in which the Irish arguably have the most collective talent at the position in the entire nation (including Brandon Wimbush)? *Insert your own opinions about the QB situation* and find my own here.

The defensive line (also unfortunately known as the Irish’s Achilles heel in recent years) is loaded with talent and (FINALLY) depth. Isaac Rochell, Jarron Jones and Daniel Cage are battle tested veterans while Andrew Trumbetti, Jay Hayes, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bonner, Micah Dew-Treadway and Elijah Taylor all look to make significant impacts and potentially break out. Also, look for the word “sub packages” to be thrown around as highly talented true freshman defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem could be utilized as pass rushers in such schemes.

Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)

Nyles Morgan is an automatic upgrade at the Mike linebacker position, and while replacing the “once in a century” freakish athleticism of Jaylon Smith is no small task, the linebacker corps is well stocked with young talent. Te’von Coney saw limited action last year and is reported to be fully recovered from a shoulder injury suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. His classmates and other blue chip linebacker recruits, Asmar Bilal (2015 defensive scout team player of the year) and Josh Barajas redshirted last year. This young talent will push upperclassmen, Greer Martini and James Onwaulu for reps.

The secondary returns Jekyll and Hyde aka Max Redfield along with sixth year Cal transfer Avery Sebastian and fan favorite Drue Tranquil – all at safety. Garnering spring ball notoriety was true freshman and early enrollee Devin Studstill, who was my “most likely to make an immediate impact” of the 2016 recruiting class.

Rounding out the secondary at cornerback is senior multi year starter Cole Luke along with juniors Nick Watkins and Devin Butler. They are surrounded by younger talent in sophomore Nick Coleman and Shaun Crawford, who was slated to be the team’s starting nickel back last year until suffering a torn ACL in fall camp. Crawford drew incredibly high praise during the 2015 fall camp before his injury, and his return provides a massive athletic boost to the secondary.

Credit: UHND.com

Over the past few years the Notre Dame special teams have often been regarded as the “not-so-special teams.” Last year, however, the group made great strides and improvements. Returning “The Big Three” key specialists in kicker Justin Yoon, punter Tyler Newsome, and long snapper Scott Daly should pay dividends for the special teams in 2016. DeShone Kizer has been relieved of his holding duties and he will be replaced by Montgomery VanGorder. The Irish also have the luxury of Sanders’ electric and ever-elusive return skills. As a true freshman, Sanders returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown last season. The special teams should continue to build off of last year’s success.

With the well-rounded depth in place, #NDFB is primed for an entertaining fall. Don’t forget that it is your civic duty as a Domer to recite one Hail Mary each day of camp for the shake of keeping this vital depth healthy!

Cheers and Go Irish!

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Don’t “Trade” Malik Zaire

andrewwinn — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 21:11:24 +0000

If you were the general manager of Notre Dame, would you trade Malik Zaire for Florida Gators’ linebacker Jarrad Davis and wide receivers Joshua Hammond and Dre Massey?

David Kenyon, a Bleacher Report columnist, suggested this in “Ten College Football Trades We Wish Could Happen This Spring.” Kenyon acknowledges there’s no such thing as trading college football players (although Kyler Murray & Trevor Knight did a switcheroo that looked like one.)

Kenyon’s caveat was that his trades were “subjective” but “made as fairly as possible.”

I can’t argue with the subjective part, but this is a terrible hypothetical deal for Notre Dame.

THE IRISH PERSPECTIVE

Malik Zaire (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Malik Zaire is a talented quarterback who is returning from a season-ending ankle injury. Under Zaire’s brief leadership, the Irish offense was more productive than it was under DeShone Kizer (when comparing equal playing time). Zaire hasn’t fumbled the ball or thrown an interception. He’s also a charismatic fellow who may well become a team leader. A recent poll of Blue & Gold Illustrated readers picked Zaire as the second most-likely captain this coming year.

I don’t know who Coach Brian Kelly will tap to start the season at quarterback. Even if it’s Kizer, it’ll be nice to have Zaire if Kizer struggles or is injured. Even if Kelly decided not to redshirt sophomore Brandon Wimbush, his options for backup would be Wimbush (who has attempted five passes in his college career) and true freshman Ian Book, a three-star prospect.

Jarrad Davis is an outstanding weak-side linebacker who registered 98 tackles, 4 hurries, 11 hits & knockdowns, and 3 sacks last year. The Irish lost talented junior WILL (weak-side LB) Jaylon Smith to the NFL. Smith had 113 tackles, five pass breakups and six QB hurries last year.

Smith’s backup was Te’Von Coney, who saw limited action before replacing the injured Smith in the Fiesta Bowl. Coney then injured his shoulder in the same game and was replaced by the now-departed Jarrett Grace. Coney will likely battle redshirt freshmen Josh Barajas and/or Asmar Bilal for the WILL position, with Coney the favorite if he’s healthy.

THE GATORS’ PERSPECTIVE

Jarrad Davis / Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports

Davis would undoubtedly start if he was Irish. But his absence would hurt the Gators tremendously. Davis’ backup at Florida is senior Daniel McMillian.

In a GatorBait.net article, writer Thomas Goldkamp writes:

Beyond those two [Davis and senior Alex Anzalone], the depth really drops off quickly. Both McMillian and Rolin have some experience now as fourth-year players, but neither has been productive at all on the field. Injuries have kept Rolin from getting up to speed, while McMillian frequently finds himself in the wrong position to make a play.

For the Gators to be good at linebacker in 2016, Anzalone must stay healthy and some of the younger players like Jackson, Reese and the other freshmen coming in this summer need to be able to play some snaps.

Joshua Hammond is a freshman wide receiver who plays the X (split end) position, where the Irish also lost a player to the NFL Draft – Will Fuller. But the Irish have the gifted Equanimeous St. Brown, senior Corey Holmes and freshman Kevin Stepherson at that position. Javon McKinley, who could also play there, was rated higher than Hammond in 247Sports’ composite rankings. Chase Claypool, another Irish signee, was rated one slot lower than Hammond.

Dre Massey plays a mixture of slot, running back and kick returner. He was Scout’s 22nd best junior college player in 2015; Notre Dame, to my knowledge, has never recruited a junior college player. Massey is expected to challenge for a starting role in the Y (slot) position at Florida; the Irish have Torii Hunter Jr. and the speedy C.J. Sanders there already.

CONCLUSION

Joshua Hammond

Thankfully, David Kenyon is not the general manager of the Notre Dame football team and there are no trades. Because this would be a lopsided one in favor of the Gators.

Zaire’s departure would leave the Irish in a tenuous position if Kizer struggled or was injured. With Kizer running the ball nearly 120 times last year, his chance of being banged up is pretty good. Add in the fact that only one QB has played a full season under Kelly (Tommy Rees in 2011), and you could see why the Irish would be reticent to deal Zaire.

What they give up – stability at the most important offensive position – would not be worth what they got back – a stud linebacker and two wide receivers with great potential (but not much else). The move would hurt the Gators at linebacker, although their wide receiver corps would function fine without Hammond or Massey. The Irish have plenty of depth at wide receiver. What they need is an explosive edge rusher or a shut down corner.

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Urban Meyer Better Than Brian Kelly In Most Ways

andrewwinn — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 14:58:41 +0000

Courtesy of ESPN

This entry is part of Her Loyal Sons’ continuing Fiesta Bowl preview series: Defensive preview, Ezekiel Elliott accident, Costume Gameday, offensive preview, Injured Irish returning, comprehensive bowl overview. Today, we examine the coaches.

By almost all metrics, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer has had a more successful career recently than Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly. Let’s compare:

HEAD-TO-HEAD (ON THE FIELD)

Kelly and Meyer have never faced each other. The pair were on a collision course to the 2010 Sugar Bowl, with Kelly’s Cincinnati squad emerging as a undefeated Group of 5 powerhouse and Meyer’s team blemished only by a loss to #2 Alabama in the SEC title game. Kelly scuttled those plans, however, when he left the university to accept the job at Notre Dame. Meyer’s Florida squad dismantled the Bearcats, 51-24. Jeff Quinn, now an offensive analyst for Notre Dame, replaced Kelly as Cincinnati’s coach that day.

CURIOUS CONNECTIONS

@CoachBrianKelly/Twitter

Meyer announced an indefinite hiatus from coaching before the Sugar Bowl, citing health and family reasons. (Kelly reached out to the departing coach after he was hospitalized.) During that break – and under the auspices of Kelly at Notre Dame – Meyer was the featured presenter at the university’s football coaches clinic.

Meyer had strong ties to the university, having once served as an assistant under both former Irish coaches Lou Holtz and Bob Davie. Then-athletic director Kevin White had a meeting with Meyer to discuss the Irish’s head coaching vacancy after Ty Willingham’s dismissal, but Meyer had already made up his mind to coach at Florida for “family reasons.”

As recently as 2008, Meyer still considered being Notre Dame’s head coach to be his “dream job.” Although never officially confirmed, Meyer allegedly asked Notre Dame to consider relaxing academic requirements so that he could recruit better players.

Meyer also holds strong ties to Cincinnati, where Kelly coached before Notre Dame. It’s his alma mater. It’s his father’s alma mater. He met his wife there. His sister, Gigi Escoe, is vice president of undergraduate affairs. Meyer even attended practices at Cincinnati while Kelly was coaching there.

Four of Meyer’s current coaching staff have worked previously for Kelly.

Kelly knows that he coaches in the shadow of Meyer, as some Irish fans wonder what could have been. He even joked about it, in a press conference soon after the bowl pairing was announced:

We’re going to wrestle, arm wrestle before the game, and whoever wins gets the Notre Dame job. No, I mean, I think that’s just great talk for the fans, and Urban is a great coach. Who knows; I’m not going to be here forever. Maybe he’ll get a chance one day to coach at Notre Dame if that’s what he wants.

JUST WIN, BABY

Here’s a welcome coincidence for comparison purposes: Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly have coached 77 games against FBS-level opponents in their last six years of coaching. For Kelly, this encompasses his entire tenure at Notre Dame. For Meyer, it’s his last two seasons at Florida and his first four at Ohio State.

Urban Meyer is a more successful coach than Brian Kelly in that 77 game stretch.

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Urban Meyer teams scored more points than Brian Kelly teams in that period.

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Urban Meyer teams won more games against ranked opponents than Brian Kelly teams in that time.

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Urban Meyer teams won more big games than Brian Kelly teams.

Ranked vs. Opp Ranked
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Vs. Teams Over .500
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Via ESPN

But as Lou Holtz is fond of saying, “You don’t have to be the best team in the country. But we do have to be the best team in the stadium today.”

Kelly does have one statistical advantage. He’s 12-3 in games played on neutral sites, while Meyer is just 8-3. That’s a bit misleading. Kelly’s neutral site games were mostly against Navy and underwhelming competition in the Shamrock Series. Meyer’s teams were playing for conference titles, big bowl wins and national championships.

HEAD-TO-HEAD (OFF FIELD)

(Photo via @NDfootball)

Brian Kelly’s student-athletes are more successful in the classroom than Urban Meyer’s, although Meyer has been trending up.

In the early 2000s, the NCAA created the Graduation Success Rate for Division I colleges. Here’s a quick explanation before we get to the numbers:

The GSR holds colleges accountable for those student-athletes who transfer into their school. Second, the GSR does not penalize colleges whose student-athletes transfer in good academic standing. Essentially, those student-athletes are moved into another college’s cohort.

Meyer’s Florida team from 2009-10 scored a 67, while his 2010-11 team scored a 76. At Ohio State, he’s logged GSRs of 75, 78 and 81.

Kelly’s team remains among the standard bearers for successful student-athletes. Since 2010-11, Kelly’s teams have scored 97, 97, 93, 94 and 93.

***

Since Meyer joined Ohio State on Nov. 28, 2011, he and Kelly have battled repeatedly for prized midwest recruits.

In total, 77 student-athletes held offers from both Ohio State & Notre Dame and ultimately chose one of those two schools. (My data is collected from Scout.com.)

Urban Meyer and his recruiting team have won 43 head-to-head battles, while Brian Kelly and his staff have prevailed in 34 contests. Winning a national championship has certainly helped: Meyer has landed 13 commits who also held a Notre Dame offer since taking the trophy; Kelly has landed 8 in the same time period.

Meyer’s big splash in his return to coaching also convinced many high schoolers to sign on the dotted line. Ohio State won 9 consecutive recruits against Notre Dame between December 2011 and February 2012. (The player to break that streak – Davonte’ Neal – is no longer with the Irish.)

Notre Dame’s best run against Ohio State was 5, which occurred between April 2012 (Mike Heuerman) and January 2013 (Max Redfield). It’s likely no coincidence that this was also the time the Irish made its bid for the championship.

Ohio State has done an excellent job of keeping talent in state, landing 20 commits that also held competing offers from Notre Dame. Notre Dame has just six commits from Ohio who also had Buckeye scholarship offers.

Notre Dame and Ohio State have each grabbed five recruits from Florida, Meyer’s old stomping grounds and three each from Michigan, which borders both universities’ homes. Notre Dame has dominated Illinois, picking up four recruits to Ohio State’s one. The Irish also lead in their home state of Indiana, two recruits (Jaylon Smith & Josh Barajas) to one (Austin Mack).

Ohio State has grabbed five 5-star talents to Notre Dame’s 2. The Buckeyes also attract more 4-star talent: 38 commits with competing Notre Dame offers to the Irish’s 29.

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Morning Roundup: May 2, 2015

andrewwinn — Sat, 02 May 2015 12:00:32 +0000

Good morning! Boy, the authors at Her Loyal Sons – myself included – have really fallen in love with the “roundup,” eh? I named this daily feature (available most days by 8 a.m. – tell your friends!) “Morning Roundup” because I am unoriginal. I wish there were a better story. I suppose I could call it “Morning Hot Links” or something. If someone has a great name idea, put it in the comments.

Without further delay, here are your headlines:

FROM OUR SITE

Friday Roundup (NDTex): Episode 26 (May 1, 2015) (43:33)
Friday Roundup (Bayou Irish): Shots Fired

RECRUITING – OFFERED

CougFan ($): 4-star LB setting WSU official visit already? (CA Bryce Youngquist)
Irish247 (F): Elite WR to visit Notre Dame this summer (✰✰✰✰ FL WR Tre Nixon)
Irish Illustrated (F): Insider report: On the move (✰✰✰✰ FL DE Patrick Bethel, ✰✰✰ FL RB Deon McIntosh, ✰✰✰✰ IL DE Josh King, Nixon, ✰✰✰✰ FL RB Tony Jones Jr. – committed, ✰✰✰✰✰ FL DE Nick Bosa, ✰✰✰✰✰ FL WR Trevon Grimes, ✰✰✰✰ MI WR Donnie Corley, ✰✰✰✰ MI WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, ✰✰✰ IL CB Julian Love – committed, ✰✰✰✰✰ GA WR DeAngelo Gibbs, ✰✰✰✰ IN WR Austin Mack, ✰✰✰✰ IN DE Auston Robertson, ✰✰✰✰ IN QB Hunter Johnson, ✰✰✰✰ MD QB Dwayne Haskins, ✰✰✰✰ CA WR Javon McKinley, ✰✰✰ CA S Chacho Ulloa, ✰✰✰✰ IN RB Chad Evans, ✰✰✰✰ PA CB Damar Hamlin, TX TE Brock Wright)
Irish Illustrated (F): In the film room…Ikenna Okeke (✰✰✰ TN S)
Irish Sports Daily: Recruiting week in review (McKinley, ✰✰✰✰ CA WR Osiris St. Brown)
Scout (F): Lewis visits Notre Dame (CA WR Joseph Lewis)
Scout (F): Five-star DE will visit Irish (FL Nick Bosa)
USC Football.com ($): Javon McKinley highlights (✰✰✰✰ CA WR)

RECRUITING – ND INTERESTED, NO OFFER

Badger Nation ($): Alloway sees rich RB tradition (✰✰✰✰ CA WR Damian Alloway)
Irish Illustrated (F): Insider report: On the move (✰✰✰✰ IL S Kenney Lyke, ✰✰✰✰ GA S Nigel Warrior, ✰✰✰✰ GA CB Chad Clay, ✰✰✰ GA ATH Malik Staples, NC RB Christian Beal, no rating yet)
Scout (F): Johnson checks out Notre Dame (✰✰✰✰ CA ATH Greg Johnson)

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