More Thoughts on Practice

In my practice report on Saturday, I tracked the reps and results of Notre Dame’s practice. Jamie and Mike also wrote in-depth practice reports from the first day in pads. I wanted to add a few of my thoughts after seeing two practices of Fall Camp.

Brandon Wimbush
- It’s not a hot take or anything earth shattering, but Brandon Wimbush is going to be a very good quarterback at Notre Dame. He had his ups and downs on Saturday, but a large part of that was due to the installation process. Head coach Brian Kelly stated they have put in about 30 different route combinations, so it's not a shock his head was spinning at this point of camp. The good news, Wimbush will put in the work to master the new installations.

Wimbush missed long or high on Saturday on deep routes. The Irish worked on some deep post-corners in 1-on-1 and 7-on-7, and the timing just wasn’t quite there between him and the receivers.

The junior quarterback threw a beautiful ball from the opposite hash about 30 yards down the field that should have been completed but Cam Smith couldn't quite get there. It’s a throw DeShone Kizer wasn’t comfortable making but Wimbush threw it with ease.

While it wasn’t his best day regarding completions, it was evident Wimbush didn’t get down on himself. One thing that stuck out to me that I hadn’t seen at a Notre Dame practice was Wimbush doing push-ups for missed throws. I have seen receivers do push-ups for dropped balls, but Wimbush was doing them, and it just shows the type of leadership he is giving his team. He holds himself accountable.

During 11-on-11, Jamie and I probably had two or three moments after plays where we looked at each other dumbfounded at the incredible throws we had just witnessed. Wimbush has a big arm, and he’s very confident in it, especially on the run. Now, I would imagine he will end up throwing an interception or two on some of the chances he takes, but more often than not it’s going to end up becoming a drive-changing or game-changing play. And no, I don’t believe they are “Johnny Football” reckless throws but just throws only select few can even attempt to make, much less complete.

Wimbush has had a solid camp, and he’s doing the things Notre Dame desperately needs from the quarterback position when it comes to intangibles.

The Stable
Notre Dame has a problem in the backfield. Josh Adams, Tony Jones Jr., and Dexter Williams need the rock as all three have shown they could be the No. 1 back this fall. Autry Denson has got his guys dialed in, and it shows each practice.

Every Notre Dame fan knows the talent Adams has when healthy, and he’s healthy. He’s a bigger and more explosive back this year. You can also tell he has a little more fluidity to his movements.

Dexter Williams is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball. We saw Williams ability to make the big play last fall, and he’s improved from a year ago. On Saturday, Williams got some inside runs, and he was breaking a few tackles to get positive yards. He’s running hard, and when he gets to the second level, it’s exciting.

Tony Jones Jr. has impressed me the most during Fall Camp to this point. We haven’t been there for every practice, but he’s doing the same things he was doing last fall. It’s rare he gets tackled by the first guy, and it’s rare he isn’t running over someone each time he gets the ball. He’s added a nice stiff arm, and I’d give the kid 20 carries a game.

Drue Tranquill had the chance for a kill shot on Jones on Saturday, and he took it. However, Jones bounced off the huge hit, got up the field to run over Julian Love before lowering his shoulder into another defender as he was going out of bounds. The balance and ability to keep pushing is something Notre Dame hasn’t seen for quite some time.

Playmakers
In addition to the running backs, receivers Equanimeous St. Brown, Miles Boykin, Kevin Stepherson, and Michael Young have shown they can make the big play on a consistent basis in our viewings. CJ Sanders and Alizé Mack made big touchdown grabs in 1-on-1s on Saturday, but they need to do it consistently in 11-on-11.

Young might be my surprise of the camp to this point. It was clear he was a good athlete with some speed, but he’s just a smoother athlete than on his senior tape. I am not anointing him a freshman All-American or anything close to that, but Young can beat a guy in a fashion very similar to Chris Finke. He’s not the fastest guy, but his routes and ability to get in and out of his breaks are just natural.

I’d love to see someone step up at the tight end position but I just haven’t seen it our viewings. The tight end play isn’t bad, but a “go-to-guy” hasn’t emerged to this point.

Offensive Line
The offensive line has had been up and down through this point in camp. Pass blocking is a little spotty at times, but that’s typical for five days into Fall Camp. When you add in the fact they aren’t game planning for a scheme, I don’t think there is too much concern for me at this stage. They are getting a push in the run game and have created some massive holes at times.   

There isn’t too much to say about the starters as they seem to be improved and who we thought they were heading into camp. Freshman Dillan Gibbons has had a nice camp. I would say he’s ahead of where Parker Boudreaux was at this point last summer, and Gibbons has had some nice reps in 1-on-1 situations.

Robert Hainsey and Aaron Banks have the potential to be special players and arriving in January is paying off for them. Both are very coachable players.

Jamie has the defense covered, so I have paid attention to the offense a little more. Here are a few thoughts on Mike Elko's squad.

- The defense as a whole is playing harder and faster than a year ago. Each guy on the field is giving high effort, and there is a sense of great pride coming from captain Nyles Morgan. The senior linebacker wasn’t happy with the poor performance in 11-on-11 on Saturday and let his guys know about it. The next 11-on-11 session, the Irish defense played some very good football for extended reps.

- The cornerbacks are very close to being a really good group. The return of Shaun Crawford is huge for the defense. If you didn’t know about his injury history, I don’t think you’d ever know the type of injuries he has come back from the last two seasons. Crawford’s ability to jump routes is something you can’t teach, and his body isn’t restricting him from doing so.

Donte Vaughn has had a nice camp. I agree with Kelly on the fact Vaughn is learning to use his size and newly found physicality to his advantage. He’s a sophomore, so he still doesn’t know everything, but he’s making more plays.

Nick Watkins and Julian Love are having nice camps and picked up where they left off in the spring. Watkins is a natural leader, and his confidence is growing with each practice.

Troy Pride Jr. is very close to becoming a force. I believe at this stage, Pride is seeing what he needs to do but needs to trust his eyes fully. He has the speed to be a playmaker, but his slight hesitation allows the receiver to catch the football in front of him. Once he trusts his reads and eyes, Pride is going to be a problem for offenses.

- I am not worried about the pass rush from the defense coming out of day five. The Irish defense is getting pressure and playing aggressively. Sophomore defensive ends Daelin Hayes, Khalid Kareem, and Ade Ogundeji have all shown the ability to come off the edge and make plays.

There is still a concern with the run game up the middle. Nyles Morgan felt the defensive line has improved since the spring and he is going to be the first to see the improvement. The interior of the defensive line isn’t going to improve overnight, but Mike Elston has his guys playing with great effort.

- The development of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is going to be fun to watch over the next few years. The freshman rover is an athlete Notre Dame doesn’t get every recruiting class. He’s not Jaylon Smith, but he’s closer to Smith than he is to Tranquill. He needs to get some weight on, but it’s just hard to imagine him not being a difference maker in the future.