'12 AZ WR Davonte Neal (Arizona Transfer)

[dublinirish]

Kelly absolutely believes that if you give him the ball anywhere on the field his offense will score, providing the quarterback doesn't screw it up, the running back doesn't fumble, and the O-Line doesn't allow TFLs. He has this saying: for every 80 yards gained I expect a touchdown. The flip side of that is that he thinks that if you give him the ball around the twenty, he's going to drive it down the field on you. [the offense hasn't stood up to his 80 yards= 7 points rule this year because we don't do as well in the red zone --- some of that is our inability to rapidly deliver passes to the correct receiver with confidence. This weakness has then required Kelly to supplement the offense with an unusual amount of athletic QB running.]

What this says about Davonte is: I believe that Kelly tried him back there to see if he might be able to make chicken soup out of chicken sh!t once in a while. Since that hasn't happened, Davonte's under orders to please just safely catch the ball, unless the punter linedrives one. Ball security, and hand it off to the thing Kelly thinks he can control: the offense.

Tressell Ball minus the Ted Ginn jr. dynamic returns?

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Hey just incase some of u are following @davonteneal19 on twitter...its a fake.

 

[yankeeND]

I've been thinking about Davonte's role for the big game and I feel with this extra practice time coming up it could be a great opportunity for him to make some big things happen vs Bama. I just get this feeling he will give us a glimpse of the future come Jan 7th!

 

[Damion704]

I thought something bad happened.. lol

 

[yankeeND]

Haha yeah we aren't too far away from still putting a little scare in us from thread bumps but things are going rather swimmingly right now! I may be way off base with my thoughts on Neal for the game but I could see I nice little wrinkle with him being the primary option; he just has so much talent waiting to show the world!

 

[illmatic630]

I've been thinking about Davonte's role for the big game and I feel with this extra practice time coming up it could be a great opportunity for him to make some big things happen vs Bama. I just get this feeling he will give us a glimpse of the future come Jan 7th!

i was actually thinking the same thing. wouldn't doubt kelly putting him in for a few plays and letting him loose on a few screen or deeps passes.

 

[yankeeND]

i was actually thinking the same thing. wouldn't doubt kelly putting him in for a few plays and letting him loose on a few screen or deeps passes.

Yes, the stage is set! There is practically 0 film on this kid. He has been such a team player all year! Seems like the first guy out to celebrate with his team mates every time something happens! I just got a good feeling about him. I know there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to even think this it's just that he has x-factor talent and what better place to break on the scene than vs Bama?!

 

[Fbolt]

Agreed with this thought-look at setting up a return on punts. No film on it and with Neal-who has shown he can catch the ball-can then make something happen.

 

[rtrn2glory]

I've been thinking about Davonte's role for the big game and I feel with this extra practice time coming up it could be a great opportunity for him to make some big things happen vs Bama. I just get this feeling he will give us a glimpse of the future come Jan 7th!

i wouldn't count on that...i see someone like TJ Jones or Toma having a bigger role than a guy who hasn't made anything happen all year. nothing against him just saying it is very unlikely

 

[PLACforever]

Please for the love if all things Holy, set up a return!!!!

 

[ThePiombino]

Please for the love if all things Holy, set up a return!!!!

I'd rather they set up a few screens, personally.

 

[Emcee77]

Disappointing year for Davonte. And I don't mean I'm disappointed in him ... I mean he must be disappointed in the staff and their inability to put together a real punt return team. I know playing early was important to him and I am sure he wanted to do more than fair catch the ball.

 

[Chris P. Bacon]

Disappointing year for Davonte. And I don't mean I'm disappointed in him ... I mean he must be disappointed in the staff and their inability to put together a real punt return team. I know playing early was important to him and I am sure he wanted to do more than fair catch the ball.

I'm going to have to politely disagree. Kelly has made numerous comments in front of the microphone stating the reason behind our poor punt returns is due to injury, and I'm sure he harps that to his players, they can't be anymore happier than we are with our return. If Devonte was unhappy with the coaches not giving him more of an opportunity than just fair catching, then he probably could have put more work in practice and seen the field on the offense. I'm guessing his lack of receptions and playing time on the offensive side of the ball is due to him being outplayed by others. He's still a Frosh so that's going to happen, but as Kelly has told the press many times, with our lack of depth in our secondary our special teams and punt returns are going to be very limited to just fair catches. Something as a true Fresh needs to understand, and I think he probably does. He'll be able to perform on a more consistent basis next year once Toma and TJ are gone, he will be the perfect replacement for Toma, I just hope he has the hands like Toma does, based on him being our #1 fair catch guy, I'm guessing he does.

 

[ThePiombino]

I'm going to have to politely disagree. Kelly has made numerous comments in front of the microphone stating the reason behind our poor punt returns is due to injury, and I'm sure he harps that to his players, they can't be anymore happier than we are with our return. If Devonte was unhappy with the coaches not giving him more of an opportunity than just fair catching, then he probably could have put more work in practice and seen the field on the offense. I'm guessing his lack of receptions and playing time on the offensive side of the ball is due to him being outplayed by others. He's still a Frosh so that's going to happen, but as Kelly has told the press many times, with our lack of depth in our secondary our special teams and punt returns are going to be very limited to just fair catches. Something as a true Fresh needs to understand, and I think he probably does. He'll be able to perform on a more consistent basis next year once Toma and TJ are gone, he will be the perfect replacement for Toma, I just hope he has the hands like Toma does, based on him being our #1 fair catch guy, I'm guessing he does.

Agree with most of this, but just to be sure- you know TJ isn't graduating this year, right? We get him one more season.

 

[Luckylucci]

No info but I am extremely confident that he will be getting a ton of reps during bowl practices, spring, and summer. They want this kid to have the ball he just needed to learn the offense and if he puts his head in the playbook he'll be on the field.

 

[Emcee77]

I'm going to have to politely disagree. Kelly has made numerous comments in front of the microphone stating the reason behind our poor punt returns is due to injury, and I'm sure he harps that to his players, they can't be anymore happier than we are with our return. If Devonte was unhappy with the coaches not giving him more of an opportunity than just fair catching, then he probably could have put more work in practice and seen the field on the offense. I'm guessing his lack of receptions and playing time on the offensive side of the ball is due to him being outplayed by others. He's still a Frosh so that's going to happen, but as Kelly has told the press many times, with our lack of depth in our secondary our special teams and punt returns are going to be very limited to just fair catches. Something as a true Fresh needs to understand, and I think he probably does. He'll be able to perform on a more consistent basis next year once Toma and TJ are gone, he will be the perfect replacement for Toma, I just hope he has the hands like Toma does, based on him being our #1 fair catch guy, I'm guessing he does.

True, Kelly has said this, and no doubt injuries have limited the number of quality guys we have available for special teams, but I'm not going to let the staff off that easy. Even with the injuries, if we had a special teams coach I feel we'd have been able to put together at least a decent punt return. It's not like the guys we have healthy are complete slouches. It seems to me that part of the problem is that the staff is choosing to focus on other areas in their limited practice time and just put on a safe return on gameday. Objectively, I can't say that's the wrong decision, and certainly Coach Kelly knows best, but I think it's fair to say that Davonte must be at least somewhat disappointed that punt return hasn't been a greater success. (Even if you are right and the weak punt return is strictly injury-related, he must still be disappointed, if not with the staff.)

His role on the offense is a totally different issue. There are just capable, consistent upperclassmen ahead of him, and that is what it is. But during his recruitment we promised him he'd be a punt returner right away, and then we nominally followed through with that promise, but as a practical matter he's not getting to return many punts. So if he's a little disappointed, I wouldn't blame him.

 

[STLDomer]

“@rivalsmike: Working on article on highly-ranked guys from 2011, 2012 and 2013 who will break out next season. Davonte Neal is good example. #NotreDame”

“@rivalsmike: See if you can guess any of the 9 that I am sending in for review. Davonte Neal is the first I will give away. Slot starter next year. #ND”

 

[Irishman77]

Golson
Koyack
Daniels
Neal
Brown
Mahone
Day
Jarron jones
Grace

 

[NDinFL]

Golson
Koyack
Daniels
Neal
Brown
Mahone
Day
Jarron jones
Grace

I'd sub out Ferguson for Mahone, mainly because I don't think he will get a ton of playing time

 

[Ironman8]

I'd sub out Ferguson for Mahone, mainly because I don't think he will get a ton of playing time

I think Mahone has a much greater chance of playing time / breaking out next year that Ferguson, personally. Ferg will be behind T.J. Jones, Daniel Smith, Davaris Daniels, and Chris Brown for outside WR, while Mahone got rave reviews on the scout team and will represent our only power / bigger back next year.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Special Teams might not win you the game but they can lose it for you. I think BK is living by this policy right now

From watching the Bears for over a decade, I can tell you that Special Teams can definitely win you the ball game. A touchdown on ST equals the same as a touchdown on offense.

 

[IrishLax]

Going to be interesting to see the dynamic between Carlisle and Neal next year. Carlisle got his nerve condition back to 100% right? Has he been practicing?

 

[STLDomer]

Mikes list is not all ND

“@rivalsmike: Chris Black from #Alabama is another one, good guess by @bamafootball”

 

[NDinFL]

I think Mahone has a much greater chance of playing time / breaking out next year that Ferguson, personally. Ferg will be behind T.J. Jones, Daniel Smith, Davaris Daniels, and Chris Brown for outside WR, while Mahone got rave reviews on the scout team and will represent our only power / bigger back next year.

Intersting points.

I just figured that with Amir, GAIII, and Cam that Mahone wouldn't get too much time.

Not to say that I don't want him to! If he's getting great reviews from the coaching staff, then I hope he sees the field.

 

[STLDomer]

“@rivalsmike: Working on article on highly-ranked guys from 2011, 2012 and 2013 who will break out next season. Davonte Neal is good example. #NotreDame”

“@rivalsmike: See if you can guess any of the 9 that I am sending in for review. Davonte Neal is the first I will give away. Slot starter next year. #ND”

Full list:

- Davonte Neal WR ND
- Chris Black WR Bama
- Adolphus Washington DE OSU
- Thomas Tyner Oregon
- Mike Davis RB SCAR
- Max Wittek QB USC
- Nelson Agholor WR USC
- Ondre Pipkins DT UM
- Aaron Burbridge WR MSU

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

I would like to see him get a hand off on that play where the slot comes in motion and a few variations on that play wouldn't hurt either. Like a fake and toss a bomb to CBeezy...

 

[koonja]

It's not going to happen, but I'd love to see him return the first kick in the big game.

 

[Redbar]

I know this guy will be bringing us to our feet real soon here.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

It's not going to happen, but I'd love to see him return the first kick in the big game.

I actually think Cam should get it if we are looking for field position.

GA3 gets it if we are looking for a TD.

 

[Chris P. Bacon]

I don't know guys, I'm getting a feeling Mr. Neal is going to have a breakout season playing that slot X,Y,Z position after watching him here. Just electric!

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