Notre Dame Roster Reaction
There was no practice viewing today and I wouldn’t expect practice reports at all during camp, but Notre Dame did release an “updated” roster today and there were a few changes worth looking at.
Updated may seem like a bit of a stretch because over the last few years, Notre Dame hasn’t exactly done a great job of updating current heights and weights before spring ball or fall camp. This year was no exception.
Paul Moala was 216 earlier in the day and now he has gained four pounds. Did he just slam a couple of protein shakes?
Is Rylie Mills actually 259 pounds? He didn’t look like it from some of the pictures I have seen from him. He looked much bigger.
How big is Chris Tyree? We had heard he was in the 190 range, so how accurate is that listed 179?
We don’t know the answers to those questions, which is why I would suggest that all reactions to the heights and weights are taken with a grain of salt. We don’t know how close those are to the actual numbers. So instead of acting like I know these are the correct numbers, I’m going to go through some key players and whether or not what they are listed at is a good or bad sign heading into camp.
Kyle Hamilton - 6’4” 216
We had heard he was over 220 in training this summer and hadn’t lost any of his freakish athleticism. So over or under that number, he’s still going to be a stud in the back end for Notre Dame. It’s going to be exciting to see what Clark Lea does with Hamilton in a more expanded role this season.
Jordan Johnson - 6’2” 180
How Johnson looks in pads is going to be interesting. He’s someone who should have a big opportunity to play now that Kevin Austin is out for a significant amount of time, but he’s 30 pounds less than Austin and 44 pounds less than Ben Skowronek.
Chris Tyree - 5’9” 179
As mentioned above, if he’s 190, that would make me feel better about him competing for the RB1 job early in the year.
TaRiq Bracy - 5’10” ⅛ 180
Bracy has to be bigger and stronger to be a starter. He needs to prove he can tackle and be physical. Him gaining 10 pounds from where he was is something that I would hope to see if I’m Mike Mickens.
Ovie Oghoufo - 6’3” 232
I was hoping we’d see Oghoufo closer to the 240 range. A player can still be effective at Vyper at 232, but the biggest question for him will be if he can set the edge against the run. He has the twitch to develop into an impact pass rusher.
Marist Liufau - 6’2” ¼ 221
There’s a lot of people who questioned how big Liufau was aftering seeing a picture of him during the offseason. If he’s over 220, then there should be a lot less worry about him looking thin in a picture that was taken months ago.
Zeke Correll - 6’3” 290
I believe this was weight Correll already had put on before the spring, but it’s still encouraging to see a guy make those kind of gains after coming in undersized as a true freshman. Correll’s development is going to be critical because those two guard spots will probably both be open in 2021.
Howard Cross - 6’0” ⅞ 265
Is Cross really 265? Because that wouldn’t be ideal even if he is more of a depth piece in 2020.
Jayson Ademilola - 6’3” 279
Has Ademilola weighed 279 for the last two years? That seems doubtful. He’s never going to be a 300 pound monster, but it does seem strange he is listed at the same weight he has been at for awhile. He’s listed only nine pounds heavier than Daelin Hayes.
Aaron Banks - 6’5” ¾ 325
If Banks is 325, that’s a good thing. He looked way too heavy towards the end of the last season.