2016 Notre Dame Football Preseason Top-25 Players

[JD Irish]

Inside the Irish and One Foot Down make lists throughout the season of the top 25 players on the current ND football team based on projected production and/or talent. I thought IE could make these lists too.

Here's mine, summer preseason:

1. QB DeShone Kizer
2. OT Mike McGlinchey
3. SDE Isaac Rochell
4. OG Quenton Nelson
5. CB Cole Luke
6. RB Josh Adams
7. QB Malik Zaire
8. WR Torii Hunter, Jr.
9. NG Jarron Jones
10. RB Tarean Folston
11. MLB Nyles Morgan
12. QB Brandon Wimbush
13. K Justin Yoon
14. OLB James Onwualu
15. CB Shaun Crawford
16. OC Sam Mustipher
17. TE Alizé Jones
18. SS Drue Tranquill
19. WR/PR/KR CJ Sanders
20. LB Greer Martini
21. P Tyler Newsome
22. FS Max Redfield
23. WR Corey Holmes
24. OT Tommy Kraemer
25. WR Equanimeous St. Brown

 

[Shamrock Theories]

Needs Bars and Tillery but good list

 

[ShawneeIrish]

Not a bad list. Wimbush is too high. Add Studstill.

 

[GoIrish41]

Inside the Irish and One Foot Down make lists throughout the season of the top 25 players on the current ND football team based on projected production and/or talent. I thought IE could make these lists too.

Here's mine, summer preseason:

1. QB DeShone Kizer
2. OT Mike McGlinchey
3. SDE Isaac Rochell
4. OG Quenton Nelson
5. CB Cole Luke
6. RB Josh Adams
7. QB Malik Zaire
8. WR Torii Hunter, Jr.
9. NG Jarron Jones
10. RB Tarean Folston
11. MLB Nyles Morgan
12. QB Brandon Wimbush
13. K Justin Yoon
14. OLB James Onwualu
15. CB Shaun Crawford
16. OC Sam Mustipher
17. TE Alizé Jones
18. SS Drue Tranquill
19. WR/PR/KR CJ Sanders
20. LB Greer Martini
21. P Tyler Newsome
22. FS Max Redfield
23. WR Corey Holmes
24. OT Tommy Kraemer
25. WR Equanimeous St. Brown

Are these in order of importance or just a list of 25? Hard to imagine that the 3rd string QB and punter makes a list that does not include Tillery and Trumbetti.

 

[JD Irish]

I don't know, I tried to incorporate both for it to be a general "best players" list. For example with Wimbush, I think he is a really good player, but we obviously won't be seeing him play very much.

 

[Oberon]

I don't know, I tried to incorporate both for it to be a general "best players" list. For example with Wimbush, I think he is a really good player, but we obviously won't be seeing him play very much.

I think it's a good list, but I'd drop Yoon lower, and be inclined to move Newsome up the list. Might be the best player on our defense this year.

I'd also drop J. Jones; he doesn't exactly have the eye of the tiger and will probably end up splitting time with Cage. I hope Coney/J. Hayes/Trumbetti/Tillery have productive years, but realize with BVG in charge, they could really struggle.

On offense, I don't expect much from Holmes this year, but maybe Denbrock will get him ready to go if either ESB or Hunter gets injured. I also bet we'll see a lot of Smythe/Alize, with CJ only contributing on STs.

Just my two cents.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

If it is a top 25 list in order, if Morgan isn't in the top five, and Studstill or Redfield isn't in the top ten, Houston, we have a problem.

Also, Jones doesn't need to be that high, but I believe Crawford does.

I understand it is romantic to have all three quarterbacks on the list, but by virtue of the fact that they all could be, none should be number one.

Torii Hunter, Jr., isn't in the top five?

Newsome could be around twenty, and if Yoon has another All-American season, he should closely follow.

Maybe we could move Onwualu up with Morgan a bit. Their success is paramount to the whole linebacker unit taking a step forward this year.

Good idea!

 

[ThePiombino]

Not sure how you can have a list based on BOTH production and/or talent. Feel like it has to be one or the other. How can Wimbush, who may not see a single snap, be ranked higher than at least 1/2 our starters?

 

[Shamrock Theories]

If it is a top 25 list in order, if Morgan isn't in the top five, and Studstill or Redfield isn't in the top ten, Houston, we have a problem.

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[Bogtrotter07]

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I particularly like that third question mark from the right in the top line.

But that skipped line followed by a single question mark, TWICE! Noice!

If we don't have some defensive productivity nearing the top of the list this year, we are going to be in trouble.

Here is One Foot Down's midseason assessment from last season :

The Final List

Midseason

Rank Player Previous Change
1 Jaylon Smith 2 +1
2 CJ Prosise 14 +12
3 Will Fuller 3 0
4 Sheldon Day 5 +1
5 Ronnie Stanley 1 -4
6 DeShone Kizer NR +20
7 Isaac Rochell 12 +5
8 Nick Martin 13 +5
9 KeiVarae Russell 4 -5
10 Elijah Shumate 18 +8
11 Mike McGlinchey 11 0
12 Cole Luke 9 -3
13 Chris Brown NR +13
14 Steve Elmer 16 +2
15 Jerry Tillery NR +11
16 Justin Yoon NR +10
17 Joe Schmidt 8 -9
18 Quenton Nelson 21 +3
19 Max Redfield 15 -4
20 Romeo Okwara NR +6
21 CJ Sanders NR +5
22 James Onwualu NR +4
23 Daniel Cage NR +3
24 Amir Carlisle 22 -2
25 Josh Adams NR +1

(Pre-Season top 25 that fell off the list)

Matthias Farley
Torii Hunter Jr
Tyler Newsome
Alize Jones

• Jaylon Smith tied for first in our staff rankings for the preseason, and we gave the tiebreaker to Ronnie Stanley. He's now alone in first.
• A lot of consistency in ballots for the top five - that's a group that will be playing on Sundays very soon.
• Breaking down the top 25 by class (for simplicity's sake, counting "redshirts"): 7 freshmen, 1 sophomore, 9 juniors, 8 seniors.​

 

[Shamrock Theories]

I particularly like that third question mark from the right in the top line.

But that skipped line followed by a single question mark, TWICE! Noice!

If we don't have some defensive productivity nearing the top of the list this year, we are going to be in trouble.

Here is One Foot Down's midseason assessment from last season :

Mmmk. If you are ranking players based on what you hope will happen, go ahead lol

I was going off of how good they actually are.

 

[IrishLion]

I think you could do a list that takes into account all three big things: talent, production, and importance.

It's an interesting exercise when trying to figure out how a guy that lacks big-time talent, but is still super important (Joe Schmidt?), would fit into the equation.

Also interesting to figure out how much you should weight the importance of the kicker/punter compared to position players. I think Justin Yoon would be much more important on a team that runs 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust with a stellar defense than he is for ND because of the aggressive nature of the offense.

 

[koonja]

The real QU is top 25 best bodies. Sculpted freaks with 10 pack abs win football games, not football players.

 

[GoIrish41]

Here is my list, based on potential production and importance this year.

1. QB DeShone Kizer
2. OT Mike McGlinchey
3. SDE Isaac Rochell
4. DT Jerry Tillery
5. MLB Nyles Morgan
6. RB Tarean Folston
7. RB Josh Adams
8. OG Quenton Nelson
9. CB Cole Luke
10. WR Torii Hunter, Jr.
11. WR Equanimeous St. Brown
12. QB Malik Zaire
13. NG Jarron Jones
14. DE Trumbetti
15. TE Alizé Jones
16. OLB James Onwualu
17. K Justin Yoon
18. FS Max Redfield
19. CB Shaun Crawford
20. OC Sam Mustipher
21. SS Drue Tranquill
22. WR/PR/KR CJ Sanders
23. LB Greer Martini
24. P Tyler Newsome
25. WR Corey Holmes