Tyler Johnson

It continues to sound like new defensive coordinator Mike Elko will be one of the biggest additions to the Notre Dame Football program in 2017. That was obvious in the spring, but we're told so far through camp, the defense looks "a lot better" than they did then. As different as the scheme will be under Elko's leadership, the freedom to play without being afraid of making a mistake and the ability to play quicker without thinking as much could be just as important. Elko has fostered a more positive, upbeat environment where the players seem to be having more fun.There continues to be excitement surrounding Shaun Crawford and why shouldn't there be given what the Irish cornerback has shown in limited appearances so far during his career. It wasn't always clear he'd be fully healthy by the start of camp, but he is and has looked very good during the first week. The Irish could still decide to ease him back into things, which is why it isn't clear yet if he'll start at corner, nickel or wherever.Julian Okwara has impressed thus far and there's a strong confidence in his ability to help the Irish in pass rush situations. Jonathan Bonner has also been more than solid so far. There was some concern about whether he'd be able to handle playing at 290 pounds, but he's done a great job. Jerry Tillery continues to flash the talent he was blessed with and there's some optimism he could be more consistent this fall.Jay Hayes and Andrew Trumbetti are completely different players, but both have been making plays so far and have brought great attitudes into camp. Micah Dew-Treadway should provide quality depth while Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Kurt Hinish could both see time as true freshmen. Hinish is probably more ready to play at this point, but both have very high motors. We aren't hearing anything different behind the scenes regarding KJ Stepherson than what has been offered up publicly. Stepherson has loads of talent and once he gets the minor details sorted out, he has the potential to be one of the most productive players on the roster, but he's going to have to get the minor details sorted out first.It looks like Notre Dame could hit on all three transfers it brought in this offseason as all three have shown the ability to contribute so far. Safety Alohi Gilman has been everything the Irish could have hoped for so far and more. He's a very smart young man. Notre Dame should find out soon whether he'll be immediately eligible, possibly as early as next week. There are reasons for optimism regarding his appeal, but it's not a done deal yet. If he is cleared to get on the field this fall, look for him to be on the field this fall and to make an impact.Both receivers Cameron Smith and Freddie Canteen appear ready to contribute. Both possess speed, although Smith is probably more of the true burner who can take the top off the defense while also playing with a certain physicality. Canteen may be a smoother athlete and has even better hands than was expected. The offensive line could end up being the strength of the entire team. The four returners are very good and should be more than solid. As Kelly announced earlier in the week Tommy Kraemer locked down the right tackle spot over Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey, who will provide depth at both tackle positions. Some thought the right tackle competition would go into the season, showing how close the race was. Still, look for Hainsey and Eichenberg to be ready for valuable minutes in the fall.It will be key to get Trevor Ruhland up to speed at center, a position he's never played before. Tristen Hoge took all of the second-team reps at center during the spring before transferring to BYU. Now, the Irish could find themselves in a bind if anything happens to Sam Mustipher, so Ruhland's development could end up being one of the most underrated aspects of camp.The running back position is stacked with Josh Adams having already made his mark in two seasons, Dexter Williams having shown flashes and many predicting Tony Jones Jr. to be the best of the bunch this fall. The depth goes beyond the top three as Deon McIntosh is running stronger and with more purpose than before. As we've said here before, CJ Holmes has also displayed the ability to make an impact right away, but the Irish could end up preserving his year if they don't feel his shoulder is 100 percent. The Irish would obviously love to get Alize' Mack back out there, but Notre Dame continues to be high on freshmen Cole Kmet and Brock Wright at tight end, who could both play right away. They're completely different players who complement each other and it sounds like Kmet has given defenders all they can handle so far as a pass-catcher.Quarterback Brandon Wimbush has been very solid so far, but has also had moments of mistakes, like any other quarterback at this stage. He isn't going to be Deshaun Watson immediately, but he certainly has that kind of potential. He's been limited a bit in camp just by virtue of not being live against the defense, curtailing his opportunities to use his feet and throw on the move, which is what he does best. WIMBUSH TAKES MENTAL SIDE SERIOUSLY: Last week in this space, we talked about how Brandon Wimbush is embracing the role of team leader.While he's cognizant of his responsibilities in the locker room, he also knows he needs to be ready to perform on the field, which is why he was working on his craft until the last possible day leading up to training camp."It's just trying to make sure everything is clean in terms of his stroke mechanics, which have been fine as of late, not too long of a throwing motion," one source told us. "Everything is nice and short and compact. Making sure his footwork is intact and making sure, most importantly, the level of focus and attention to detail is where it needs to be."He's exactly where he needs to be in that respect."But Wimbush and others have also worked with a mental coach, Dr. Amber Lattner a former soccer standout for the Irish during the offseason to make sure they're in the proper state of mind heading into the season."She's been able to allow them to organize their thoughts and make sure everything stays positive and not allow them to take on too much and they control all of the things they can control," one source said."Just worry about that instead of worrying about so many different things outside of their control. She's done a tremendous job with that."FRESHMEN WRs IMPRESSING: On day one, it was clear freshmen receivers Jafar Armstrong and Michael Young belonged at Notre Dame as both were taking reps with the varsity. While neither is a lock to start, it wouldn't surprise anyone if both played in 2017. Young in particular has the potential to be a real special player as a very smooth athlete with very good speed. Defensive back Shaun Crawford has seen talented receivers and feels the freshman hype is warranted to at this stage."They are the truth," Crawford said. "They are legit. When they came in the summer, it was weird because we only had two new freshman receivers and in my class, we had a bunch. As soon as camp started, they got rolling. They have been catching deep balls and challenging passes."Crawford goes head-to-head against each receiver and says both have traits teams will take notice of sooner than later."Jafar probably has the strongest hands on the team and he has come down with some great catches," said Crawford. "Mike is quick and is blazing fast. I am excited for those two. They have great careers ahead of them. They are also making us better. We get to compete with not only the veterans, but it's no cakewalk with those guys."Sophomore cornerback Troy Pride Jr. is another player who has impressed Crawford during camp. Pride played and started a year ago, but the returns Crawford and Nick Watkins have pushed the former four-star prospect a little further down the depth chartfor now. "What we see from Troy is he is getting better every day," explained Crawford. "We always talk about Troy being the fastest of the group and he definitely shows it when we might be a half-step beat, and we don't gain on the receiver, but we see Troy gain on the receiver. We're trying to take bits and pieces from each other. "He's becoming mentally tougher, and he's been getting a lot of reps. Even when he is fatigued, he is going out there and playing hard. His technique is just getting better. We're getting better as a unit, and I think we can put anyone out there. Every corner has a chance to start this year and probably will start this year." AS FOR AUSTIN: Today is the day for 2018 Florida wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., who will make his announcement from Notre Dame, Duke, Tennessee and Miami.As of earlier in this week, we'd been told no school was sure if they'd be getting him. Long considered the leader, Notre Dame seems cautiously optimistic and it's worth noting there is more caution in the Irish's optimism than just a few weeks ago. That being said, there seemed to be even more caution than optimism among the other schools in the race, which should bode well for the Irish.Earlier this week, we spoke with North Broward Prep strength coach John Garrish, who applauded Austin's decision to announce his commitment today."It's so indicative of who he is as a person that he didn't pick a date that was important to the Notre Dame, Duke, Tennessee or Miami coaches, he picked a date that was important to his teammates," said Garrish.Today is an important day within the North Broward Prep football family as the team will spend just about 24 hours together, starting with an intersquad scrimmage. They will eat together and do a sleepover on campus before a light walkthrough/practice tomorrow morning and another team-building activity afterward."That's something we use to bring us together before the season starts," Garrish explained. "He picked that day so he could let his teammates know. It's very important to him that his teammates know first. "He's certainly considering the gravity of the decision, he's considering the gravity of the decision from a personal standpoint, but also for his teammates. He very much gives credit to his teammates for where he's at and he also wants them to be in the loop. This means almost as much to every one of his teammates as him. That's the kind of impact he's had with our students and on our campus."He made sure his teammates, who don't know yet, will know before anyone else."As we mentioned here a couple weeks ago, Autry Denson and Austin's connection goes back to sharing the same coach in Little League and it's something the Irish assistant and 2018 Florida wide receiver have talked about.Austin has credited that coach with instilling many strong values in him."Autry was saying the same thing, that he really impacted his life," Austin's mother told us. "I feel the same way with Kevin. He was Kevin's first introduction to tackle football. "I think it really matters that his first coach was that kind of coach who really knew how to coach him, not only coach him, but really talk to him about life and where he wants to be in the next five, 10, 15 years. That's a big impact on him, having those relationships with his coaches."Austin's luck with good coaches has continued through high school."He's been really lucky to have really amazing coaches at North Broward," we were told. "He's got Coach Rex (Nottage), he's got Coach Garrish, he's got Coach (Derrick) Mays, he's got Coach (Donald) Siegle. They are prime examples of what good coaching is and they're not just good coaches, they're good men. I think Kevin is surrounded by that, where he has good coaches, he's got good men in his life. It helps him to stay focused and well-rounded."And Denson is hoping he along with Del Alexander, Chip Long and Brian Kelly will be the ones to continue that coaching tradition with Austin.UYEYAMA ON WHAT WOULD AUSTIN MEAN?: Since Kelly has been at Notre Dame, his staff has signed a dozen receivers who were ranked as 4-star prospects. Kevin Austin's ceiling is as a high as any of them. He has a chance to be a special player at the next level. He has an advanced understanding of how to change speeds to set up corners as a route-runner. The only other target they are in the mix for in this class who already shows that is Amon-ra St. Brown. Austin simply knows how to create separation whether it's him running a comeback or him going over the top for a deep ball. But what makes me think he has number one receiver potential in the Irish offense is his ability to make catches when coverage is tight. When he can't run by a defensive back, he uses his body well to create space to make tough catches in traffic. That's something he did extremely well at The Opening in July going against several cornerbacks who are considered to be the best in the nation in the 2018 class. The only glaring thing missing from his game is game-breaking speed. He is never going to be Will Fuller in that sense. But unlike Fuller, Austin has the look of someone who can be a go-to guy in all situations. When it's 3rd-and-long, the quarterback is going to be looking in Austin's direction because they know he is going to find a way to get open or give them a shot at making a play even when it appears he is covered. In my opinion, he is a Top 10 player at his position in this class. He is one of the elite of the elite and Notre Dame can always use more of those types of talented individuals on campus. The fact that the Irish don't appear to be in the driver's seat for anyone else who has comparable traits to him would make this pickup even bigger. He could be someone who immediately competes for playing time when he arrives as a freshman.BOOKER MADE ND OFFICIAL A PRIORITY: As we reported earlier this week, 2018 Maryland defensive end Thomas Booker will be back in South Bend for an official visit for Notre Dame's opener against Temple on Sept. 2nd.Using all five of his official visits could require some creativity or at least some late flights."Thomas has got an ugly football schedule in that nine of his 11 games are on Saturdays at like 1 o'clock and the other two are on Friday nights at like 6 or 7, so he can't really go anywhere," one source close to Booker told us this week.Booker's Gilman squad plays on Friday, Sept. 1st, so he'll be headed out to South Bend afterward. He hasn't planned any other official visits to this point.The source said it was fair to read into Booker's urgency in getting the trip to Notre Dame locked in."What it says about Notre Dame is that Notre Dame is a top-shelf institution and one of the top schools on the list period," we were told. "And by the way, it's a short list."Stanford, which finally extended an offer back in June, is also on that list."Absolutely. If you think about it, those two schools, I imagine they compete for the same kind of guys."TOP TEXAN TEAMMATES STILL CONSIDERING ND: As we've said before, we expect 2018 Texas defensive end Joseph Ossai to choose Texas A&M, but one source we spoke with this week wasn't ready to rule any of Ossai's finalists out, including Note Dame.Texas rounds out Ossai's top three and while there's a comfort level within the state, he doesn't have the same ties to the Lone Star State as some other Texas prospects."They moved from Nigeria eight years ago," the source. "They're deep, deep, deep in their culture for sure."Part of that culture is their faith, which is one big reason Notre Dame made the final cut."They are devout, devout Catholics and of course with the history of Notre Dame and the nationwide reach of Notre Dame, that carries a lot of weight," we were told. "His family, having moved here, they've done their homework and they know the caliber of program Notre Dame runs up there."It looks like Ossai will take official visits to each of his final three schools before making a decision, but that could change."I believe he'll try to go through and get his visits done unless something shocks him and he goes through and commits off of that," the source said."There's a lot of action going on right now as far as commits going on down here in Texas."Ossai's teammate at Oak Ridge High School, Tyler Johnson, was the first offensive lineman Notre Dame offered in the Class of 2019. He too has a serious interest in the Irish and was in South Bend for a game last fall. Like Ossai, Johnson's ties to the state of Texas aren't as deep as others."They're very, very transient," we heard of Johnson's family. "He was born in Chicago, moved to Georgia, moved back to Chicago, moved to Texas. That is a huge deal up there. They will not shy away from moving anywhere. They're definitely going to go to the program that fits them."And like Ossai, Johnson is also a standout student."Both of them are way above great as far as academics are concerned."CARROLL COMES FROM FAMILY OF IRISH FANS: When Quinn Carroll visited Notre Dame for the Irish's Sophomore Day back in April, many assumed the 2019 Minnesota offensive lineman would leave with an offer, especially since he already had offers from schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, USC and UCLA among several others.He didn't end up getting offered by Notre Dame that day, but he wasn't discouraged at all, saying he wasn't in a rush to make a decision anyway and understood the Irish wanting to do their due diligence before offering. And when he was offered a month later, he wasn't the only one in the house who was thrilled."Ever since even before we thought about going to college, my dad has loved Notre Dame," Carroll told us this week. "He grew up watching Notre Dame because he told me growing up the few schools that were on were Notre Dame and a few others. He and his dad would always watch Notre Dame. We are a big Irish family so that's important to him, also having a school that's encouraging a faith life, I have a strong faith life myself, but Notre Dame is amazing and has a phenomenal tradition and they are back on the rise and they're ready to win the next national title. Yeah it is very appealing to me." Carroll wasn't frustrated by having to wait for the Irish offer, but it was one he wanted badly."Notre Dame has always been an offer athletically, academically, spiritually, everything that I have been striving for ever since that first offer rolled in," he acknowledged. "I was like, 'I really want that Notre Dame offer.' I haven't stopped working hard in the weight room or anything like that, but once I got it, it was very relieving and it was relieving to know that Notre Dame wants me as a player."Carroll expects to be on the road for unofficial visits plenty this fall with a return trip to South Bend for the USC game in October already in the works. He'll be on the West Coast the first weekend, when he'll catch games at USC and UCLA. He'll be at Ohio State for the Buckeyes' showdown with Oklahoma the weekend after that and will likely hit other games throughout the Midwest during the season.LASZEWSKI LOCKS IN ND OFFICIAL: A source close to the situation tells Irish Sports Daily that top 2018 Notre Dame men's basketball prospect Nate Laszewski will take an official visit to South Bend the first weekend of September, which coincides with the Irish's football opener against Temple.Since shortly after Notre Dame extended an offer to the 2018 Massachusetts forward, we'd heard Laszewski was a guy who could make a decision sooner than later. The Irish would certainly love for him to make that decision while in town in a few weeks and given the fit on and off the court in South Bend, that wouldn't shock us. But it is worth noting few if any players saw their stock rise as much as Laszewski at the Adidas Showcase in Las Vegas last month and schools like North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona and Indiana followed suit, extending offers shortly after Notre Dame did, making the competition that much stiffer.