'12 WA RB Keivarae Russell (Notre Dame Signed LOI)

[irishfanjho15]

I like my CBs like I like my women. With loose hips and a short memory.

/thread closer

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

I'm so genuinely excited for this kid. What an awesome way to start your college career.

Performing under pressure is what makes the great ones great. After learning about Keivarae and hearing him speak I have no doubt we have the right man in the right position.

I also have no doubt we, as die hard fans, will show patience and offer encouragement as he assumes this responsibility and takes the lumps he undoubtedly will take.

So incredibly pumped for this kid.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

You only have half the story.

 

[SaltyND24]

Unfortunately, this may be the case. Look, people can talk all day about how special of an athlete Russell is, how great of a story it is, how much he's made of his opportunity, how much they know from watching his high school HIGHLIGHT tape, (and those all may very well be true), etc., but this is still basically a true freshman who has been playing corner for a couple weeks.

Maybe this is a wake up call to Atkinson and Brown. Truth be told, Kelly could line up one of us IE posters to start at CB against Navy and it won't make much difference. Perhaps Atkinson can see this and say, "Damn, coach wasn't kidding around when he said I needed to work on ___ or coach wasn't messing around when he said whoever works the hardest in practice will start."

I don't know. I guess we'll see how all this plays out this year soon enough.

I had 4 career INT's in my interhall days...I'm ready to lace em up if needed! My hips don't lie, but don't call me Shakira!!

 

[irishog77]

I had 4 career INT's in my interhall days...I'm ready to lace em up if needed! My hips don't lie, but don't call me Shakira!!

You're at the top of my Backups list, Salty.

 

[EddytoNow]

If Keivarae is indeed the starter, then I wish him well. He won't be the first freshman to start at Notre Dame, and he won't be the last. If memory serves me right, we've had some darn good football players start as freshmen, including Manti Teo, Jimmy Clausen, and Mike Floyd. Granted they didn't start the first game of the season, but the situation is different with the injury to Lo Wood and no returning starter. The careers of Clausen, Teo, and Floyd turned out pretty darn well. If Russell can play anywhere near the performances of those three, he will be a special player. Only time will tell. For now, if Kelly and Diaco name him the starter against Navy, then he must be the best player available. One only has to remember that last year we had two returning corners with a lot of experience, and that didn't work out so well. I, for one, would rather have Keivarae at corner than last year's starters back.

 

[GBdomer]

The fact that Russell will start after playing corner for three weeks has me jacked. Unreal if you ask me. But holy lord does it have me scared that jalen and josh are not entering second year. O well let her rip boys

 

[IrishLion]

Russell did one thing extremely well in all of the practice videos from camp, and that was defend the pass in the air with tight man coverage. If Diaco gets things called right, or should I say has the opportunity to call a simple scheme for Russell without risking the overall quality of the defense, he will be just fine. As long as he can turn his head and bat down a wounded-duck jump-ball (CoughGaryGrayDenardRobinsonCough), he'll be able to learn on the fly before the big time passing offenses come up on the schedule.

He will get beat, just as even the best corners get beat, but he will also learn as he goes, and make some nice plays as well. He has a veteran defense to help him out on every play too.

And this is assuming that the rumors are correct, and that he has been the no.2 option so far.

 

[Ironman8]

BK made him starting official.

Wow. Let's go Keivarae.

 

[Riddickulous]

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO

 

[irishff1014]

BK made him starting official.

Wow. Let's go Keivarae.

This surprises me. But go get them Keivarae.

 

[Irishnuke]

We better put a lot of heat on Barkley and Landry or we're going to get torched.

 

[irishff1014]

We better put a lot of heat on Barkley and Landry or we're going to get torched.

Give the Kid a shot before we start throwing him under the bus.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The fact that Russell will start after playing corner for three weeks has me jacked. Unreal if you ask me. But holy lord does it have me scared that jalen and josh are not entering second year. O well let her rip boys

GB, I have this confirmed from two sources on the team. JB was making a move on LW, and surpassing him, and KR made a move on JB. Both are rated 3 on Kelly's scale, (can play championship footbal). It sounds as though LW may not have started anyway. And from what I have heard that wow, is valid for KR and JB.

I believe practice has been so tight because a few of these monstrosities are growing. I mean some freshmen and underclassmen are really looking good!

 

[GBdomer]

Jalen I have also heard has been great last two weeks also jay

 

[IrishMoore1]

If Keivarae is indeed the starter, then I wish him well. He won't be the first freshman to start at Notre Dame, and he won't be the last. If memory serves me right, we've had some darn good football players start as freshmen, including Manti Teo, Jimmy Clausen, and Mike Floyd. Granted they didn't start the first game of the season, but the situation is different with the injury to Lo Wood and no returning starter. The careers of Clausen, Teo, and Floyd turned out pretty darn well. If Russell can play anywhere near the performances of those three, he will be a special player. Only time will tell. For now, if Kelly and Diaco name him the starter against Navy, then he must be the best player available. One only has to remember that last year we had two returning corners with a lot of experience, and that didn't work out so well. I, for one, would rather have Keivarae at corner than last year's starters back.

Don't forget that Robert Blanton started at CB as a freshman. Remember his pick 6 against Purdue in 2008? That was a game changing play. Keivarae will be fine.

It is disappointing though that the other guys were beat out by a true frosh who's only played the position for a few weeks.

 

[Buster Bluth]

We better put a lot of heat on Barkley and Landry or we're going to get torched.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Could be a situation where all three play routinely, moving from one side to the other, JB, KR, and BJ. I was trying to splain that. JB made a major push on LW, I think they were going to name him as a starter. In addition to being absolutely consistent, (his shortcoming), he is developing some BLINDING speed. May be the fastest burst around, and he can keep it going, do you believe that?

And then what KR has done is unreal. Looks better than anything we had last year and that is nothing derogatory to Robert Blanton.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Don't forget that Robert Blanton started at CB as a freshman. Remember his pick 6 against Purdue in 2008? That was a game changing play. Keivarae will be fine.

It is disappointing though that the other guys were beat out by a true frosh who's only played the position for a few weeks.

Good point, but I think you are going to find five guys playing a lot this year. Of course you have better sources than me, bro!

 

[Irishnuke]

Give the Kid a shot before we start throwing him under the bus.

Not throwing him under the bus. I'm making a point about our secondary. Those two are probably the best two QBs in the country. They torch experienced secondaries. Our secondary is not experienced. The D has to put pressure on those two or they'll light us up. That's not a knock on KR, it's reality. I expect KR to be a very good CB in time but he's going to need some help, especially this year.

 

[Grahambo]

The fact that Russell will start after playing corner for three weeks has me jacked. Unreal if you ask me. But holy lord does it have me scared that jalen and josh are not entering second year. O well let her rip boys

Basically where I'm at. While it's great for Russ, doesn't necessarily make it a good thing. Hard to throw a kid under the bus who has practiced at the CB position at a top D1 program for 3 weeks beating out guys who have at least 1 year under their belt.

I really pray that it works but still not sure if he is the best of the least or is actually legit.

 

[IrishLax]

First frosh CB ever at ND to be a day 1 starter. And it wasn't even his primary position in HS. Regardless of how we try to spin it, this is more of a commentary on our woeful depth than anything else. Lord help us if anyone else in the secondary goes down.

 

[PraetorianND]

Basically where I'm at. While it's great for Russ, doesn't necessarily make it a good thing. Hard to throw a kid under the bus who has practiced at the CB position at a top D1 program for 3 weeks beating out guys who have at least 1 year under their belt.

I really pray that it works but still not sure if he is the best of the least or is actually legit.

I'm not all that surprised. When you see the kid on camera you can tell that he is very smart, high energy, and passionate. Combine all of that with his outstanding athletic ability and he's going to go far. I think he also has a lot of leadership potential and Kelly sees that and what's to get him the experience to start filling that role.

This guy is going to be a star, I've said it before and I'm even more convinced now.

 

[PraetorianND]

I'm glad you feel that way and stand by what you believe.

I'm just a bit more reserved. In the end, we both want and pray the same thing occurs.

I think he'll make mistake as any young inexperienced player does. But I think that he's going to do a great job and develop. I hope I'm not wrong!

 

[Old Man Mike]

What almost all of our guys on a "Kelly Roster" have are elite talent [speed, brains, athleticism] for the jobs they are asked to attempt. What Kelly and the staff are constantly demonstrating is their own talent for "player development". They are also geniuses on "system". We need to happily watch the guys that the Staff has had some real time with dazzle us, and watch appreciatively as the guys who are just getting the full Kelly Staff effect evolve into dazzlers in time. I am expecting good football out of this bunch, and improving football as the season goes forward.

I think that we should not bore the ears off one another by reflecting on how our de novo corners are going to be burned by Matt Barkley and Landry Jones. Who isn't? Bringing our alleged "inadequacies" up against those two is a straw man against which to judge any corners. Plus, everyone other than the deepest homers has predicted us to lose about five games this year [USC and Oklahoma always being the first two names off the list] and now we're complaining that our corners will not let us win them all.

I will be delighted if we play the type of Notre Dame football that the majority of our players indicates that we're capable of this year. If that's not good enough for 13-0 so be it --- big surprise. If we go 8-5 again, I predict that it will be because of QB, not Keivarae Russell or Bennett Jackson and their friends. If QB is at "good-not-have-to-be-great" levels, then I predict 10-2, with a victory over one of the impossible-to-beat teams. Fingers crossed against significant injuries of course. Diaco is going to find a way to hold down his end. Kelly needs to find a QB to hold down his.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Wow, I wish I could have even thought that, let alone said that!

 

[irishff1014]

It is good to have players that will move around to help the team win.

 

[jmoodie]

From Deinhart's visit to Michigan today: "Speaking of true freshmen, I asked Hoke how many could play roles this season, and he said as many as 12." UM has several true freshman in competition for key positions in the defense and along the oline. This doesn't mean we should be thrilled that a true freshman is starting at CB, but I'd prefer an athlete at CB to a freshman on the interior OL. Any day of the week - especially Saturdays.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Who would have guessed that Russell would end up being the most important player in the 2012 class?

 

[ACamp1900]

I am going to lie to myself and say that I know this is because KR is just that much of a stud and not because Brown and At aren't as good as we all assumed...