Were only a few weeks away from Spring Football starting at ND and it can’t come soon enough. This off season there have been a lot of questions and even more speculation as to what type of difference Coach Kelly can make. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how he has been as a coach before his team has taken any snaps. Spring practice will give us the first glimpse of Kelly and his team on the field.
Spring Ball gets under way March 26 and concludes with the Blue-Gold Game April 24. The main question surrounding this team for us seems to be how the team will respond to a new coach. These players can expect pretty much everything to change from last season. New terminology, new schemes, and new coaches should make for interesting spring ball. What the Irish have going for them is the same talent. Much was made of the way Charlie could recruit and there is definitely a bunch of talent on this team. Its now up to Kelly and Co to show us what they can do.
Position question are abundant everywhere on this team. Offensive and defensively, they have some serious spots to fill do to graduation and a new scheme. Lets take a look at some of the position battles on offense to watch for this spring.
Backup QB
To make things interesting this off season, Dayne Crist is recovering from knee surgery. He should be the starter by the time the fall arrives but that will give plenty of reps to some fresh faces this spring. Look for the battle to be between early enrollee Tommy Rees and returning transfer Nate Montana. Why will it between these two characters, because they are the only two characters available. There has been talk of John Goodman moving back to his high school position of QB but with him deeply entrenched in a battle at WR it looks like a two man race. Two man until Andrew Hendrix arrives this fall.
KGG Predicted Outcome
Look for Rees to get the nod over Nate Montana. Montana has the name but hasn’t shown that he has the game (see what we did there?). Montana transferred this past fall to Pasadena City college to get some valuable reps so that he could backup Dayne Crist. The transfer went as planned but the playing time did not. Pasadena used 5 different QB’s this past fall and Montana was 31-of-88, 324 yards, 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Not necessarily stellar numbers by any means. Rees ran the spread in high school and if he can build on his 6’3″ frame, he could be a starter at the next level. We think Rees will have the 2QB position locked up heading into the game with Purdue.
X Wide Receiver
With the departure of all everything and Kelly Green Awesome Award winner Golden Tate, there is going to be some pretty big shoes to fill this spring. Michael Floyd returns to lock down one side of the ball but the other spot is wide open. When you look at the leading receiver for receptions on the team last year, 1 is gone, 2 is returning, 3 is a TE, 4 is a running back and 5 graduated. 6th on the team in reception last year is Duval Kamara. Kamara hasn’t risen to the level of his freshman year when he set school records for receptions. If Kamara, who has struggled with his hands in the past can be a consistent pass catcher, look for his 6’5″ frame to lock down the outside. Another option that can benefit from a new scheme and coaching staff could be Shaq Evans. Highly touted out of Inglewood CA, Shaq appeared to be in Charlie’s doghouse from the get go at ND. He never got much action but he has a lot of talent. Hey may be the next Marty Gillyard under Kelly’s watch in that slot position. Look for Goodman to remain at WR and not move to QB. He showed some signs of being a great possession receiver and caught the long TD pass from Crist in the WSU game. Deion Walker and and Robby Toma look like they will provide depth possibly in the slot position. Even the unheralded Barry Gallup returns for a 5th year. Talented freshman Tai-ler Jones who is already enrolled may crack the 2 deep depth chart this spring as well. Riddick has also been rumored to be getting a look at WR as Kelly has said that he needs to keep Riddick on the field as much as possible. Either way the wide receivers should immediately benefit from the coaching of Tony Alford.
KGG Predicted Outcome
Look for Kamara to get the nod to start along with Michael Floyd. If Duval can show some senior leadership this year ala David Grimes, he may be a nice possession receiver. We all know that Kelly likes to spread his offense out hence the name of the spread offense. He will use multiple receiver sets that will include Kyle Rudolph spread out wide to create a mismatch. Imagine the scenario of 6’3″ Floyd to the left split wide with 6’6″ Rudolph as well. The other side has 6’5″ Kamara flanked with 6’3″ Goodman. Nightmare for any corner or linebacker trying to cover them. Kamara wins the starting spot, Goodman stays at WR and gets valuable snaps this spring and ends up as the #2 X receiver behind Kamara. This spring is going to tell us a lot about Shaq Evans, whether or not he is a big play type guy or a possession receiver. Look for Shaq Evans to win the slot position. Toma behind Evans and Deion Walker behind Floyd should solidify the receiving corp along with Gallup. Tai-Jones will definitely be on the short list when spring ball is over.
Entire Offensive Line
With the departure of Sam Young, Paul Duncan and Eric Olsen, the line has some vacancies. Trevor Robinson returns along with 5 year senior Chris Stewart. Robinson held down the right guard spot this past year with Chris Stewart playing left guard. Dan Wenger returns next season as a 5th year player who has starting experience at the center position. Andrew Nuss, Matt Romine, and Taylor Dever also return for their senior year. They each played 29:56, 32:56 and 14:08 respectively last season. Throw in Mike Golic Jr., Braxton Cave and Lane Clelland and you have your choices. There are some rising sophomores in the mix that could also crack the 2 deep this spring.
KGG Predicted Outcome
Look for T-Rob to make the switch to a tackle position. Robinson could move to left tackle where he could lock that position down for the next 2 years. If he doesn’t end up at left tackle, he goes to the right. I don’t think Kelly would keep his athleticism out of a tackle position. Insert Dan Wenger back into the center position and you 2/5 of the line. Stewart is an interesting story on where he will start. He played some tackle position mostly in relief his sophomore year and these past two season he has lined up at both guard positions. Does Kelly line up his two best lineman on the same side of the ball? Imagine T-Rob and Stewart on the left with Wenger in the middle, making a formidable line. That also leaves an extremely green and inexperienced line on the other side. Look for Robinson and Stewart to start on opposite sides of the line to provide leadership, and Romine to lock down the other tackle position. That leaves the guard spot and it looks like it could go to Taylor Dever. We hope to see from left to right, Robinson, Dever, Wenger, Stewart and Romine come the end of spring, that is until Mr. Matt James comes a calling this fall.
#3 Running Back
One of the most talented positions on the team. Armando Allen returns after looking drastically improved last season. We cant say it enough but it was great to finally see Allen break tackles that normally took him down the year before. Returning with Allen is bruising running back Robert Hughes. Hughes and Allen were a formidable 1-2 punch last year and benefited greatly from Tony Alfords coaching. Backing up Allen and Hughes last year was Jonas Gray and Theo Riddick. Gray and Ridick each averaged about 14 rushing yards a game which is great considering the lack of running game most of the season. Riddick showed some explosiveness this past years which as many Irish fans salivating. Also returning this year is Cierre wood. Wood was redshirted last year and but many think he is more talented then Riddick. Wood was the 8th best running back recruit in 2009.
KGG Predicted Outcome
Allen will be the #1 starter when the spring is done. Allen can thrive in the spread offense. This past year he showed he could break tackles up the middle but he also showed he had the ability to make plays in space. He was 4th on the team in total receptions and can pick up the blitz. Allen should no doubt be the #1 back when the spring is done. Look for Allen”s fellow classmate to be the #2 back. Its the old thunder and lightning with Allen and Hughes and Robert can bring the thunder. Both backs will see plenty of time depending on the situation and the down and distance. Where the story gets interesting is the #3 position. Gray has the experience but its looking like Riddick and Wood have the talent to knock him off. If Kelly does move Riddick to WR like he has mentioned, that leaves some depth issues after this season as both Allen and Hughes will be gone. Kelly has expressed his desire to make sure his talent is used on the field and it makes sense that he would play the slot position with his size. Riddick will move to WR but not permanently. He may be featured in some WR packages on one series and get snaps at RB on the other. Cierre Wood will also see the field this fall but his talent is untested at this point. Look for Riddick to leave the spring as the #3 back but don’t count out Jonas Gray just yet. Gray is another speedster that has worked hard in his time at ND and just might turn some heads this spring and move into the #3b spot.
194 days until kickoff.
What time does the game start on April 24th?