5 Players Notre Dame Needs to Have a Great Spring
Every year when spring ball starts, there are more than a few players on Notre Dame’s roster where it’s pretty much now or never for them to emerge on the field. As individuals, those players need to do well for themselves or else they might not ever crack the lineup for the Irish.
On the other side of things, there are players that Notre Dame as a program needs to take a step forward this spring. They are already projected to be contributors, but the coaching staff should expect them to be more than that.
With a big spring, these players could propel their trajectories this fall to much higher heights. And if they surpass expectations, it can help Notre Dame do the same as a team in 2018.
Tony Jones Jr.
Jones Jr. already was an important part of the team last season. It might not have shown in the box scores, but he was really the number two back all season long behind Josh Adams despite being the fifth leading rusher on the team.
That’s because Jones Jr. does all the little things well. He will throw a big block on designed quarterback runs. He’ll pick up the blitz on a 3rd down. Even though he only caught two passes, he has shown reliable hands as a pass-catcher in practice. Basically, Chip Long can call just about any play out of any formation with him in the game.
Jones Jr. can play in all situations. It’s still expected he’ll do that this year no matter if he is the number one back or not, but it would be great if he could do more than that. He’s shown flashes of it in practices during his first two years on campus, but in order to earn number one status, he’s got to do it all the time.
There are still some question marks surrounding Dexter Williams with his ability to block and catch the football. Those don’t exist with Jones Jr., but there was a wide gap between him and Williams when it came to producing big chunk runs.
Notre Dame needs that gap to close and they need Jones Jr. to show he is capable of being “the guy” at running back. If he does that, then the other backs can be there to compliment his all-around game.
Alohi Gilman
I know this might not exactly be fair to a transfer who didn’t play and therefore didn’t contribute on the field last season. But given the play at the position in 2017, the coaching staff needs Gilman to step up and be a player at safety this spring.
They don’t need him to to just show that he can compete and play this season. They need him to prove he is a starter and a be a high-level starter at that.
Notre Dame needs someone to make plays at the safety position. Gilman was a playmaker as a true freshman at Navy with five pass breakups, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble return for a touchdown. The three guys who played the most snaps at safety for the Irish had less combined production in 2017 than Gilman had as an individual in 2016.
Notre Dame is desperate for someone that can make a difference at safety. Gilman is the best candidate on campus to be that someone.
Alex Bars
When you lose two All-Americans on the offensive line, it’s too much for anyone to expect that they can be replaced the next season. However, that doesn’t mean that Notre Dame won’t need players to step up and be great.
Two-year starter and captain Sam Mustipher is going to be relied on heavily, but even more so than Mustipher, the player the team needs to be great on the line is Alex Bars. He’s another two-year starter and he’s had spurts of really good play. He’s also had inconsistencies in pass pro and finds himself on the ground a little too often when he misses blocks.
This year they need him to go from solid to great (or at least close to it). Bars is not Quenton Nelson. He can move people at the point of attack, but he’ll never be the mauler and destroyer of worlds that Q was. Bars will have to be great doing it his way with the help of new offensive line coach Jeff Quinn.
The Irish need him to be if they are going to be anywhere close to as strong on the line as they were in 2017.
Cole Kmet
Nic Weishar is going to be limited this spring recovering from an injury. It’s the same thing with Brock Wright. Early enrollee George Tackacs is dealing with a knee injury too. That means just about all the reps in team situations are going to go Alize Mack and Cole Kmet. It’s a huge opportunity for both of them this spring to establish themselves.
To me, the spotlight will especially be on Kmet. With Mack, it’s hard to know what Notre Dame will get from him. He’s had some struggles both on and off the field. He had a strong spring in 2016, but then ended up missing that season due to academic issues. If he has a strong spring this time around, people can only be cautiously optimistic about him.
It’s different for Kmet where there is more unknown about him. All we know right now is the small bits of potential he showed in fall camp and in limited opportunities to play last season. Scratching the surface is probably not even the appropriate way to describe where things stand with him right now.
With the loss of the two talented receivers, Notre Dame needs at least one of their tight ends to step up and help shoulder some of the receiving load. Kmet breaking through and having a monster spring is needed to show that they can project a tight end to be a factor this fall.
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
I know Jonathan Bonner moving to 1 technique and Jerry Tillery sliding over to 3 tech killed the momentum of MTA being a starter this season. But just because that move happened doesn’t mean they don’t need him to make a leap with his play.
Great teams don’t just have a rotation on the defensive line. They can send quality players out in waves and can overwhelm opposing offenses when they do that.
That’s why they need MTA to be as good as a starter even if he isn’t the first one on the field at 3 technique. The less of a drop off between him and Tillery, the higher the potential the defense has to be great.
The Irish already have a handful of defenders that everyone expects to be dominant. If that lists grows this spring with a player like MTA joining the list, then the sky will be the limit for Clark Lea’s group.