Instant Reaction: What's Next at RB and DT?

‘Tis the season for dismissals and transfers in college football. The December and January are known for that as much as recruiting and Notre Dame just experienced it with the news that CJ Holmes, Kevin Stepherson, Deon McIntosh, and Brandon Tiassum are no longer part of the program. This comes a day after the news of Elijah Taylor’s transfer.

So much for worrying about getting under 85 scholarships. That certainly won’t be an issue now for Notre Dame and it never really is no matter how much people worry about it. There is no need to dive into what the number will be because it is going to be under.

Instead of that getting into any of the obvious there, let’s get into what this means on the field and what the reaction of the staff might be in recruiting.

Starting with Stepherson, this was one we all knew was coming for awhile. I don’t think it’s necessary to dive too deep into this as no one was expecting him to be there this spring or any point after. With Equanimeous St. Brown gone to the NFL, this should mean plenty of opportunity for Chris Finke, Jafar Armstrong, and Michael Young to get a ton of reps.

In recruiting they already signed a big play threat in Braden Lenzy to potentially fill the void if others on the roster can’t do so and if they can finish with Lawrence Keys III as well, they will be in great shape at the position when it comes to replacing what Stepherson did on the field.

The loss of Holmes and McIntosh is a bit more concerning. Holmes was someone that I expected to have an expanded role in the offense if he was there this fall and McIntosh proved this season that he is better than most projected him to be. It’s a serious hit to the depth at running back not having them on the roster.

In saying that, I wouldn’t have projected either of them to be even the number two back this season. Tony Jones Jr. and Dexter Williams are the next in line and now it’s all them with Josh Adams also gone to the NFL. This spring they should get a healthy amount of carries with early enrollee Jahmir Smith getting an unexpected chance to make an impact as well.

Smith becomes the third back on the team by default and although I think he can be a good player for the Irish, that’s not a good thing. They will need to now look at bringing in another back in this class in the next couple of weeks. Look for offers to go out soon and for them to try and sign two in 2019 after this development. 

They won't find any blue-chip prospects waiting for them at running back because of the early signing period, but there are always diamonds at the rough at the position that aren't highly rated. They should be able to find some good options that can play at Notre Dame. 

Tiassum and Taylor leaving already got the ball rolling in recruiting with a couple of recent defensive tackle offers. I expect at least a couple of more, although there are limited quality prospects available due to the early signing period.

As for the loss of their on-field contributions, everyone knows that neither made much of an impact. Going into their fourth year at Notre Dame this fall, it’s doubtful that either would have changed that. Taylor’s issues were partially due to an injury this spring, but Tiassum never found his way into the mix despite an opportunity to seize playing time at one technique after Daniel Cage sat out the season.

The three defensive tackles the Irish signed in 2015 (Tiassum, Taylor, Micah Dew-Treadway) combined for six tackles and one tackle for loss in their three years. Only MDT remains on the roster and he recorded no tackles in limited action last season.

If not for Jerry Tillery being moved to defensive line after originally being recruited as an offensive tackle, it would have constituted a gigantic whiff from the Notre Dame staff at the position. MDT could potentially work his way into the rotation as a fourth year player, but even if he does, the fact that Tiassum and Taylor were non-factors makes that class a huge disappointment and something the staff has tried to make up for with recent classes and will continue to try and make up for with the finish to this one.

It will be much tougher to find more to offer at defensive tackle than it will be at running back. That doesn't mean it's impossible. It just means it will be difficult. They landed a solid one late in the 2014 class in Daniel Cage. They also took one that didn't play a significant snap in his career in Pete Mokwuah. We'll see if they can end up on the better side of things this time around.