Notre Dame ended fall camp last Friday, but the Fighting Irish still haven’t quite transitioned into full game preparation for the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
The early portion of this week is still about building on the last three weeks before Notre Dame settles on a scout team and fully implements its game plan for the Badgers.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock appears pleased with where his offense stands coming out of camp, but he also knows there is plenty of work to be done over the next 11 days and throughout the season.
“Camp is over, but preparation and development is ongoing,” stated Denbrock. “That's something that we've kind of talked about in a unit meeting offensively yesterday as far as it's important every day to keep the main thing the main thing and that's get better.
“We're not gonna be a finished product in week one. This is gonna be an evolution of who we become over the course of the year. We've got a little bit better idea than we did going into last year about what our strengths are and how to really take advantage of those things.”
Aside from CJ Carr, Denbrock appears particularly excited about what Notre Dame has at running back.
The three-headed monster of Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr. and Kedren Young gives Denbrock several options in the playbook, with each player bringing a different skill set to the offense.
“We feel like there’s three really solid football players in that room led by Aneyas,” explained Denbrock. “Kedren had a good last week. He’s shown the type of power running the football that we all kind of hoped he would.
“Nolan James has been a little dinged up, but when he’s in there, he’s a difference-maker. Both Aneyas and Nolan in particular, it’s just like playing with another wide receiver. They can run and catch the ball with anybody, so that’s exciting.”
And it doesn’t stop there.
The future of the position appears bright, with freshmen running backs Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton catching Denbrock’s attention during camp.
Denbrock could have easily given the standard coachspeak about young players, but instead, he offered a much more intriguing answer.
“When you hand those guys the ball, it’s reminiscent of what we’ve watched the last couple years,” Denbrock said. “Now I’m not comparing them to those guys, but I’m saying they have something else about them that is really, really cool, and they’re home run hitters. You get them in open grass and they’re going to make people pay.”
That said, Osborne and Walton still have to improve without the ball in their hands, as protecting Carr is priority No. 1.
“You hand them the ball and it looks fantastic,” smiled Denbrock. “Then you ask them to pick up a blitz and it doesn't look so fantastic. That's young players, right? They'll continue to get better and we'll continue to bring those guys along. But the depth in that room and the quality depth that's in that room is pretty exciting.”
The tight end room is another position where Notre Dame appears to have legitimate depth.
Senior Cooper Flanagan has emerged as the clear No. 1 tight end, which was somewhat expected after he fully recovered from an Achilles injury.
Sophomore James Flanigan has also continued to impress in his second season and appears to be right there with Flanagan.
“Coop is the clear starter in the room as of today,” Denbrck stated. “James Flanigan is 1B as of today, and the rest of them are guys that can play really high-level football consistently. I'm excited about the depth in there.
“I think we're going to be pretty versatile with what we can do with those guys and how we can kind of construct a game plan around them.”
Notre Dame struggled in short-yardage situations a year ago, and the firm of Flanagan and Flanigan could go a long way toward fixing that issue.
“It really gives you an opportunity to control the edges of your offense,” explained Denbrock. “I’m a big believer in knowing you’ve got to protect the edges of what you do and how you do it. If you’ve got two big-bodied physical dudes that understand the game and can do that, it just makes everybody else around them that much better.”
The wide receiver position also appears to be trending in the right direction.
Denbrock believes four players have consistently stood out during camp: Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert, Mylan Graham and Jaden Greathouse.
Beyond those four, Denbrock has been encouraged by the overall development of the room while acknowledging that consistency remains the next step.
“It's been a little bit of a this guy this day, that guy that day,” said Denbrock. “I like that we're developing some really nice depth there and some really quality go-to pieces when they're called upon.
“They've been on the grind and have been improving kind of day to day. And I like where the young guys are headed. I think there's some quality depth in that room that's gonna continue to be developed.”
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