Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush was impressive all spring, throughout Fall Camp, and during Sunday’s scrimmage. However, the New Jersey native has always had a red jersey on, which means quick whistles when he gets out of the pocket.
Head coach Brian Kelly stated the offense would become more explosive on September 2nd when they can finally turn Wimbush loose. The junior quarterback also echoed Kelly’s statements on Sunday.
“There will be 30 percent more to my game, and I can bring more of my attributes to the offense,” Wimbush explained. “It will be huge in terms of letting me use my feet to extend plays and implementing quarterback runs.”
The red jersey can be annoying for someone that is a threat to take it to the house each play with his legs, but it has also made Wimbush into a better quarterback.
“It’s huge, and I think my pocket mobility and pocket manipulation have gotten immensely better,” stated Wimbush. “The coaching staff, Coach Rees, and Coach Long have worked with me for the past seven months. I have done the best to help my tackles and the rest of my offensive line.
“It also helps that I have to be quick in making decisions and being decisive in the pocket. There are pros and cons to having the red jersey on.”
Wimbush is excited to get the red jersey off, but also to finally get his shot to lead Notre Dame. The junior has waited two years for his chance, and it’s just 12 days away.
“I’m pretty excited,” grinned Wimbush. “I haven’t been able to lead an offense for two years, and I am excited to get back out there. I want to lead the offense to do something special this year hopefully. We are taking this day by day, and we’re obviously excited for Temple.”
Confidence isn’t something Wimbush lacks, but it’s a controlled confidence. The quarterback at Notre Dame is always going to have high expectations, but Wimbush is more than comfortable with his role.
“They should expect a guy that’s not trying to do too much and will play within the offense,” Wimbush said of fans expectations. “I have a bunch of experienced guys around me. I think I am steady and I am going to get the ball to the guys who are going to make plays for me.
“The offense is really going to be something special this year.”
The Notre Dame offense showed a few wrinkles to the offense on Sunday. The first was an I-formation look in short-yardage situations.
“I don’t know,” Wimbush said when asked when the last time he was in the I-formation. “Probably eight grade? It’s getting back to old-school football. Brock (Wright) has been awesome. Logan Plantz stepped in there a couple of times last week during practice. Just to get back to some old-school football is pretty fun.”
Another addition to the offense was the use of two running backs. Captain Josh Adams and Tony Jones Jr. started on the field together, and Jones was used in a variety of roles.
“It’s awesome,” stated Wimbush. “All these backs we have we’re able to utilize them in different ways. Tony can catch the ball like no one else can out of the backfield. Coach Long has done a great job utilizing him.
“Having a two-back system is really useful, and it will be successful for us.”
Wimbush has a deep group of receivers, but a true freshman has been the talk of the last few weeks. Michael Young got first-team reps on Sunday and made the most of them, but that wasn’t a surprise to Wimbush.
“Mike has done a great job all the way through camp, as well as Jafar (Armstrong),” said Wimbush. “The entire receiver corps has done an awesome job of adopting what Coach Del and Coach Long wanted from the receivers.
“Those two freshmen are really going to be special.”
Head coach Brian Kelly stated the offense would become more explosive on September 2nd when they can finally turn Wimbush loose. The junior quarterback also echoed Kelly’s statements on Sunday.
“There will be 30 percent more to my game, and I can bring more of my attributes to the offense,” Wimbush explained. “It will be huge in terms of letting me use my feet to extend plays and implementing quarterback runs.”
The red jersey can be annoying for someone that is a threat to take it to the house each play with his legs, but it has also made Wimbush into a better quarterback.
“It’s huge, and I think my pocket mobility and pocket manipulation have gotten immensely better,” stated Wimbush. “The coaching staff, Coach Rees, and Coach Long have worked with me for the past seven months. I have done the best to help my tackles and the rest of my offensive line.
“It also helps that I have to be quick in making decisions and being decisive in the pocket. There are pros and cons to having the red jersey on.”
Wimbush is excited to get the red jersey off, but also to finally get his shot to lead Notre Dame. The junior has waited two years for his chance, and it’s just 12 days away.
“I’m pretty excited,” grinned Wimbush. “I haven’t been able to lead an offense for two years, and I am excited to get back out there. I want to lead the offense to do something special this year hopefully. We are taking this day by day, and we’re obviously excited for Temple.”
Confidence isn’t something Wimbush lacks, but it’s a controlled confidence. The quarterback at Notre Dame is always going to have high expectations, but Wimbush is more than comfortable with his role.
“They should expect a guy that’s not trying to do too much and will play within the offense,” Wimbush said of fans expectations. “I have a bunch of experienced guys around me. I think I am steady and I am going to get the ball to the guys who are going to make plays for me.
“The offense is really going to be something special this year.”
The Notre Dame offense showed a few wrinkles to the offense on Sunday. The first was an I-formation look in short-yardage situations.
“I don’t know,” Wimbush said when asked when the last time he was in the I-formation. “Probably eight grade? It’s getting back to old-school football. Brock (Wright) has been awesome. Logan Plantz stepped in there a couple of times last week during practice. Just to get back to some old-school football is pretty fun.”
Another addition to the offense was the use of two running backs. Captain Josh Adams and Tony Jones Jr. started on the field together, and Jones was used in a variety of roles.
“It’s awesome,” stated Wimbush. “All these backs we have we’re able to utilize them in different ways. Tony can catch the ball like no one else can out of the backfield. Coach Long has done a great job utilizing him.
“Having a two-back system is really useful, and it will be successful for us.”
Wimbush has a deep group of receivers, but a true freshman has been the talk of the last few weeks. Michael Young got first-team reps on Sunday and made the most of them, but that wasn’t a surprise to Wimbush.
“Mike has done a great job all the way through camp, as well as Jafar (Armstrong),” said Wimbush. “The entire receiver corps has done an awesome job of adopting what Coach Del and Coach Long wanted from the receivers.
“Those two freshmen are really going to be special.”
Never miss the latest news from Irish Sports Daily!
Join our free email list
