INTEL: Could Holmes Travel?

By the second half of Saturday’s contest against Miami (OH), Notre Dame was down to one scholarship running back. The game was well in hand, with the Irish leading by 31 points at halftime, so there wasn’t much to worry about as they rolled on to a 52-17 victory.

But they surely don’t want to be left in a similar situation this week against North Carolina, especially with a shortened roster on the road.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly sounded optimistic about the health of Josh Adams, who left the game against the RedHawks with an ankle injury, and Tony Jones Jr., who left after a helmet-to-helmet hit. Dexter Williams didn’t even dress for the game against Miami, but Kelly seemed confident he’d be cleared early this week.

Still, the Irish saw how quickly they got down to Deon McIntosh being the only available running back this past weekend.

Will they get another running back ready just in case and travel a fifth to Chapel Hill this weekend?

Apparently, there's a chance as freshman C.J. Holmes seems excited about the possibility he could see his first action in a video posted to Notre Dame’s SnapChat earlier today.

The Connecticut native showed flashes of his potential during the spring as an early enrollee, but his time was cut short when he suffered a shoulder injury.

An ambitious timeline for Holmes’ return seemed to line up with the start of the season, but even a more cautious approach would have him ready to go by now. With four capable backs coming into the season, there was no need to rush Holmes back and the plan seemed to be to hold him out to preserve a year of eligibility down the road.

But maybe those plans could change.