Autry Denson Notebook
Notre Dame running backs coach Autry Denson spoke about his two new running backs on Wednesday afternoon.
On signee C’Bo Flemister:
“We always talk about holistically who are they? From a faith standpoint, very strong young man. From an academic standpoint, he’s right on par with what we believe in. From an athlete standpoint, you’ve seen the film. He can run.
“I call him my throwback player. He’s a down, dirty, old school get it done type of player. It was refreshing to watch his film. He checks every box for us.”
On finding Flemister:
“Dave Peloquin, Bill Rees, and Aaryn Kearney do a great job of finding out who is out and who is available. We knew about him. We were blessed to get him and have him come up and pull the trigger.
“We knew about him for awhile.”
On early enrollee Jahmir Smith:
“You’re talking about a great student, great home life, great faith and someone who can play a significant role on the football field. I’m excited to have him on campus. Anytime you can get a young man here early, it adds to his maturity and his process in regards to developing.
“He’s walking around with a big smile on his face. It’s really good to see.”
On preparing them to play early:
“One thing I have tried to do over the years, you develop a culture within the room, and you find guys to fit the culture. Nothing will change with how I teach them and try to develop them holistically.
“What is exciting is you truly have every guy in that room have the opportunity to compete and contribute. It’s exciting for me, but it’s exciting for them. Guys come and want an opportunity to contribute, and they can do that from the day they walk in the door.”
On run-heavy offense and distributing carries:
“I’d like to think I did a good job of distributing it last year. The goal is always to do whatever it takes. I’ll put a plug in for our OC, I hope we stay run heavy.
“Looking at the guys I have in the room, you give them as much as they can handle. You allow them to do what they do well. It’s interesting because every year is different. We’ll see how it shakes out. It’s week to week to see how guys take on the responsibilities of their role and some guys take off with it, and some guys might need some more time. The goal is always to distribute the work when you can.”
On Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr. avoiding the injury bug:
“Injuries are a part of the game. Those guys trained their butts off last year. It was disappointing for them because they put in the work. Just praying this will be their year. For whatever reason, injuries are part of the game. I want them to stay the course on what they’re doing.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to take advantage of the opportunities this year.”