Quick Thoughts on Spring Position Changes
There was a lot to take in after Brian Kelly’s opening of spring ball press conference today. There was a lot of news and I'm more intrigued by most of it than feeling high or low on any of it. Intrigued enough that I’ve got some quick thoughts on the position changes and a player who lost some weight from the start of last season to now.
Let’s get right to it:
- Even though it probably means he is a long shot at best to win the quarterback job, I like the idea behind moving Avery Davis around to other positions and that Kelly mentioned he would play some special teams.
Davis is an athlete. So if he’s not going to be the number one or number two quarterback this year, that's still to be determined, then let him be an athlete somewhere else on the field that can help the team. I wouldn’t expect running back to be one of those spots and as Kelly mentioned, “I’m not sure he’s a running back.” That makes a whole lot of sense to me because of Davis’ stature and giving him a shot as a receiver that could occasionally be an option on jet sweeps or gadget plays is much more practical.
I don’t think him being used this way necessarily means his days at quarterback are numbered either. Others have been used at different positions and then come back to where they started behind center before. But what this means is that Davis can be of more use to the team in other capacities rather than being stuck on the bench if he doesn’t win the job. It’s a good call by him and the coaching staff.
- I love the idea behind having a wide receiver/running back hybrid like a CJ Prosise or Theo Riddick as Kelly mentioned when discussing what they are looking for with Jafar Armstrong. That type of player is missing in this current offense and we know that Prosise and Riddick were all-purpose beasts for the Irish (1,337 yards for Prosise in 2015 and 1,287 for Riddick in 2012). I’m not sure Armstrong is capable of doing what those guys could do, but I guess we’ll get a chance to see.
This exact role could be something that Tariq Bracy could be groomed for in the future as well if they don’t have him play corner. I don’t think Bracy will ever be big enough to be a feature back, but he has the potential to be a weapon on offense if used as more of a hybrid.
- I already wrote about Hainsey being the potential left tackle last week and Kelly indicated Hainsey will get the first crack at the job this spring. He would make three straight right tackles that slid over the left side for the Irish after the blindside starter graduated.
I guess what we don’t know right now is what the staff thinks about Liam Eichenberg with this move and where he may fit. We'll have to find out if Tommy Kraemer is going to stick at right tackle or move inside to guard as many expected him to.
- I still consider that Drue Tranquill coming out at Buck and Asmar Bilal slotting in at Rover as a big audition process. How it starts out on day one of spring could end up being much different by the time April rolls around.
The most interesting part of finding the three starters at Rover was Kelly mentioning Isaiah Robertson as a possibility there. That's pretty much what I expected out of Robertson back when he committed to Notre Dame, but he obviously came in and started out as a safety.
The fact that they are thinking about him there says it all about the free safety depth last year with him listed as the number two free safety on the depth chart. Free safety to linebacker is not exactly a normal transition and Robertson was always more of a fit at strong safety, but they had too many of those already.
- Mike and I actually spoke about Drop being the best position for Jamir Jones this morning when we recorded the Overtime segment of Power Hour. I’m excited to see him compete at that spot.
With him, Daelin Hayes, and Julian Okwara all there, is someone going to separate from the pack? It would be ideal if all three ascended and the Irish could send waves of edge rushers at opponents like some of these other programs.
That’s a development that everyone would love to see happen starting this spring.
- There wasn’t any huge changes that caught my eye with weight gains or losses from the updated roster except for one. Jordan Genmark Heath dropping to 211 is very interesting. He was 220 at the start of last season. I think if he had gone the other way, a move to linebacker seemed like his destiny. Now at 211 pounds, he’s likely entrenched as a safety.