'13 IN ATH Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame Man & Graduate)

AgentJ

AgentJ

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ThePiombino said:
No reason to assume he won't stay for his degree. Nothing he had done or said would lead one to believe he wouldn't graduate first. That said, I highly doubt he red shirts.
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When players see dollar signs, you never know what will happen. Jaylon also is a pretty bright kid... any idea if he could graduate in 3 years?

I know Cody Zeller is on track to graduate in 2.5 at IU... and has the potential to finish in 2 if he chooses to be a bookworm next semester, though I'd doubt it being a top 5 team and a championship run looming.
 
Luckylucci

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He'll probably play very similar minutes to lynch and tuitt as freshman
 
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Ricochet

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Jalyon will essentially be a starter with the amount of PT that he will get but won't actually start.

Ben Councell has to be going nuts as he's been quite good and worthy of PT at the DOG but Spond has been awesome and Jaylon Smith is a once in a generation talent at OLB.

I expect him to share time with Spond but because he is too special to keep off the field that he would be moved around playing multiple positions just to get him out there.
 
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FWIRISH

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Just to let you all know, Jaylon and his trainer have set a target of 240 for when he checks in at ND. They do not make a habit of missing targets and hit them all with Springmann, Eifert, and Goodman. When you see Jaylon in person, you are really taken back by his "athletic appearance". He has absolutely ZERO fat on him and moves effortlessly in play. When I spoke to him the day he pledged to ND he was at about 220. To see that young man at 240 will be something we will relish and opponents will dread!!!
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
IrishLax

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The recent article on ISD by a neutral Texas reporter at the Army practices basically made it sound like he is not just an elite prospect but widely regarded by many people as the single best prospect in the entire class. The praise by his peers like Cravens is insane.

Good time to be an Irish fan.
 
NDPhilly

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And yet ESPN has Matthew Thomas ahead of him due to Thomas playing in the UA game which is televised on ESPN.
 
BeauBenken

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Such high praise by his peers.

Reminiscent of...dare I say it...Manti Te'o?
 
Bobias

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FWIRISH said:
Just to let you all know, Jaylon and his trainer have set a target of 240 for when he checks in at ND. They do not make a habit of missing targets and hit them all with Springmann, Eifert, and Goodman. When you see Jaylon in person, you are really taken back by his "athletic appearance". He has absolutely ZERO fat on him and moves effortlessly in play. When I spoke to him the day he pledged to ND he was at about 220. To see that young man at 240 will be something we will relish and opponents will dread!!!
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This guy knows what he's talking about. AWP does an outstanding job with the fort Wayne talent and has definitely been instrumental in getting the aforementioned players ready for the college game. Eifert was only 215 at the end of his senior year of football but showed up to ND at 245, and it was good weight too. Mike Ledo does an incredible job, so if Jaylon says the target is 240 then you can expect to see him around that weight this fall.
 
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arrowryan

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FWIRISH said:
Just to let you all know, Jaylon and his trainer have set a target of 240 for when he checks in at ND. They do not make a habit of missing targets and hit them all with Springmann, Eifert, and Goodman. When you see Jaylon in person, you are really taken back by his "athletic appearance". He has absolutely ZERO fat on him and moves effortlessly in play. When I spoke to him the day he pledged to ND he was at about 220. To see that young man at 240 will be something we will relish and opponents will dread!!!
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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If he is 240 in June, Spond is going to have his hands very full for Fall camp.

The reason I didn't think he would start is because he is only 225. If he is 240, idk how you could keep him off the field
 
Domina Nostra

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arrowryan said:
If he is 240 in June, Spond is going to have his hands very full for Fall camp.

The reason I didn't think he would start is because he is only 225. If he is 240, idk how you could keep him off the field
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I bet he is the #2 DOG and starts at Nickel.
 
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Bogtrotter07

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I have seen Jaylon play in person. Have spoken to parents of his teammates. Have watched his highlights.

I believe that Jaylon is a high character guy approaching that of a Manti Te'o. Which makes Jaylon 1 of 1.

I think he has all the tools. And he may plug right in.

I believe he will make the 240 and in shape, which was the only thing I noticed about him last fall. (Other than the fact that his coach [eventually fired] should have been cast in the fires of hell for the way he [mis]used Jaylon).

But the conversation above on Jaylon walking in to a starting position on this defense is not based upon anything but fantasy. This All-American game will not even be a good indicator, because guys like AL and EW dominated in their all-star game, yet had a real problem with with the speed of the game. And Diaco's defense has evolved since then.

If you are a big fan, don't press him into a corner on performance, show him the respect and love of letting him grow into the position.

(Drooling and wicked grins are okay.)
 
Domina Nostra

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Bogtrotter07 said:
But the conversation above on Jaylon walking in to a starting position on this defense is not based upon anything but fantasy. . . . If you are a big fan, don't press him into a corner on performance, show him the respect and love of letting him grow into the position.
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Woah there! I am not saying I am going to be disappointed if he is not starting, but I think its alright to project a few freshman to play every year and one or two to start in certain situations.

I thought Neal would be returning punts and starting at slot by the end of the year. I though Shumati or Barratti would be getting munites. Similarly I thought Shepard would eventually start at CB.

This year, I think Smith will start at Nickel (which is a position where coach uses freshmen) and be the back-up DOG. I do not think he pushes out Spond, who I think is NFL-bound. (I also think Bryant will be a regular in the RB rotation.)
 
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Bogtrotter07

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Domina Nostra said:
Woah there! I am not saying I am going to be disappointed if he is not starting, but I think its alright to project a few freshman to play every year and one or two to start in certain situations.

I thought Neal would be returning punts and starting at slot by the end of the year. I though Shumati or Barratti would be getting munites. Similarly I thought Shepard would eventually start at CB.

This year, I think Smith will start at Nickel (which is a position where coach uses freshmen) and be the back-up DOG. I do not think he pushes out Spond, who I think is NFL-bound. (I also think Bryant will be a regular in the RB rotation.)
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I actually wasn't referring to your comment. You are pretty much always spot on from my perspective, and maybe we both suffer from some of the same effects of healthy enthusiasm.
 
Old Man Mike

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Perhaps I've been around too long. All the amazing statements about Jaylon over all the months have "registered" but they have never reached "critical mass" until now. I have been thinking: Wow! this is a REALLY good player and if we weren't so outstanding at the linebacker positions, he might even prematurely start. Well --- I think that I'm wrong. Jaylon Smith seems to be so good that, despite my failure to imagine how to do it, my head says: how can he NOT be on the field?

OK. He STILL is not an EE, so it's asking a bit much not to have Spond/ Grace/ Fox/ Shembo arrayed across the field opening day, as ALREADY the best linebacking corps in the nation [I'm not kidding either --- two of them are UBER-Good {Spond and Shembo}, Fox is REALLY good now, and I just have faith in what Diaco's been saying about Grace]. But what happens as the season creeps forward?

Does Jaylon really alternate with Spond? How do you sub much for an AA quality player? Does Jaylon sub, or even replace, Fox? Kind of hard to see that, but.... When you start thinking "put the supermen on the field", you start saying: "Shembo, yes; Spond, yes; and then don't you have to ultimately say Jaylon Smith, yes? ---" and where does he and Diaco go from there?


I'm completely flummoxed by this. Somehow the enormity of his talent makes me stumble and think: special teams and Nickels don't cut it.



sidethoughts: Does Diaco consider remanufacturing the now 240 pound Councell into a MLB?

Does Kelly get Vanderdoes "plus" and let BOTH Calabreese and Fox go, given the coming of Jaylon and whatever plan they conceive?

Out-of-the-box, but Jaylon Smith's utterly freakish talent is causing chaos, a good chaos, in my imagination.
 
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Me2SouthBend

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I got it. Start 6 LB's. Playing the 3-6-2 defense would revolutionize the game.
 
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Jaylon may very well develop into a full time starter next year, but he has a lot of quality players in front of him (unlike Manti who was able to fill a void).

I'm sure he'll be used in some obvious passing situations. He'll be able to rush the QB and drop into coverage. These two areas are where his athleticism will help him get on the field. As far as 1st and 2nd down, I think it may take him some time to learn to take on blockers at the next level.
 
CanadalovesND

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cyrano said:
Jaylon may very well develop into a full time starter next year, but he has a lot of quality players in front of him (unlike Manti who was able to fill a void).

I'm sure he'll be used in some obvious passing situations. He'll be able to rush the QB and drop into coverage. These two areas are where his athleticism will help him get on the field. As far as 1st and 2nd down, I think it may take him some time to learn to take on blockers at the next level.
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The weight he plans on adding will help with that, then let coaches teach him technique, and he should be fine, especially with his athleticism and explosiveness
 
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Bogtrotter07

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Does Kelly get Vanderdoes "plus" and let BOTH Calabreese and Fox go, given the coming of Jaylon and whatever plan they conceive?
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This is a very good question from OldManMike, (consider the source.)

I got it. Start 6 LB's. Playing the 3-6-2 defense would revolutionize the game.

We were talking about this in a thread earlier, Me2. Basically, your base defensive configuration can load the box, and you can still adequately drop into coverage to blanket them deep. With that kind of speed and mobility at linebacker game-planning ND in the next couple of years is going to be a beach!

OC's, the week before the game are going to be sporting dark circles under the eyes, and living on Maalox.
 
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