Who will be the successors for offensive tackle Zack Martin, receiver TJ Jones and cornerback Bennett Jackson as Notre Dame’s 2014 football captains?
Junior cornerback KeiVarae Russell should have a good opportunity to be the third junior captain at Notre Dame since 1982.
This looks like one of the tougher seasons to name a clear-cut leader(s). Two of the marquee candidates in the senior class — tight end Troy Niklas and defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt — turned pro after their junior years. But it’s not all about just being a star figure anyway. Louis Nix III qualified for that role, but a captain also has to be a politically correct figure. One of the reasons Nix was not a captain in 2013 was because it would have taken away from his personality and possibly inhibited who he is.
One player at the start of 2013 who had future captain written all over him was junior Mike linebacker Jarrett Grace. Personable and uplifting, fiery, reliable, clean cut record, good student, the top tackler through the first six games of 2013 … but a devastating leg injury last October has required two surgeries and shelved him this spring. His playing status for the fall is somewhat up in the air, and he has a long road to travel just to get back into the lineup.
The projected senior starting quarterback, Everett Golson, is coming off a season of academic suspension, as is top receiving target DaVaris Daniels this spring. It is vital for a captain to not have such blotches, or at least have a season of separation between the incident that had him removed from school. Even with 2013 senior quarterback Tommy Rees — immensely respected by his teammates — it was going to be difficult overcoming the stigma of a 2012 arrest for an off-campus incident with the police, just like it was for receiver Michael Floyd for a 2011 DUI arrest.
Nobody better epitomized all the qualities of a captain than Martin, who held the post in both 2012 and 2013. He was an excellent player for starters, a projected first-round pick. There was no one more punctual or reliable, the consummate Iron Man and model of consistency with a school record 52 consecutive starts. He had no checkered past, was academically sound and could lead by word and example while having universal respect from everyone as a player and person.
Who is the closest in 2014 to having all those qualities? Is this a year to have game-day captains rotating from week to week, like head coach Brian Kelly’s first year in 2010? Will there only be one captain, like Harrison Smith in 2011? Could linebacker Jaylon Smith as a sophomore or Kyle Brindza exclusively as a kicker/punter make history as first-timers in class or by position?
Based on the end of spring, here would be our Top 5 candidates:
1. KeiVarae Russell
It’s not often someone who is entering his junior year is named a team captain. Since 1982, the only two at Notre Dame to receive that honor were quarterbacks: Brady Quinn (2006) and Jimmy Clausen (2009). As long as cornerback Russell stays strong academically, he could be the third.
Russell has started all 26 games the past two seasons, easily the most on the team (offensive lineman Christian Lombard has 20 starts). He has excelled at a high level, and defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks has stated that Russell has the skill sets to be a future first-round pick — maybe even after his junior year. R
ussell has not been shy about putting on the record that he might possibly turn pro after his junior year if he is considered good enough.
Cam McDaniel led the Irish in rushing last year with 705 yards.
A gregarious sort who has even partaken in campus play productions, Russell is the best and most fun interview on the team, similar to Nix last year, but his serious side has emerged much more now too, according to Cooks. This spring, he took errors by his defensive teammates much more seriously and held them accountable. That is a huge step for any player to take, because it means you are becoming good enough to bring others up with you, just like linebacker Manti Te’o did as a 2012 senior.
2. Cam McDaniel
There isn’t anybody on the team who epitomizes the Good Book’s “Parable of the Talents” better than the senior running back. On paper he last year was considered maybe the fifth-best running back on the team, behind classmates George Atkinson III and Amir Carlisle and prized incoming freshmen Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. Yet it was McDaniel who led the team in rushing (705 yards) while providing a primer on toughness and consistency.
Just two years ago, McDaniel was working at cornerback to help any way he could, and was a mainstay on special teams. Deeply religious, he already is engaged to be married, and his commitment to excellence in all areas has been demonstrated.
Only question is what if he is the third-best back on the team this year? Then again, Ned Bolcar was considered the third best linebacker (behind Michael Stonebreaker and Wes Pritchett) on the 1988 national title team, but he still was what you wanted in a captain.
3. Sheldon Day
Another junior, like Russell, all eight of Day’s career starts along the defensive line came last season despite being slowed by a lingering high ankle sprain. Former Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco (2010-13) nicknamed him “The Mayor” because of a personality that made him a magnet toward teammates. He is the proverbial “by example” leader also trying to take on a more vocal role. Having two junior captains, though, would be unique. Day might be a year away, depending how he thrives this year in a three-technique role which probably best utilizes his skills.
4. Austin Collinsworth
The fifth-year senior safety is the McDaniel of the defense with his 11 starts last year when it seemed others might have a more vast array of skills. Plus, Cooks noted that Collinsworth was “light years” ahead of the other safeties this spring in his knowledge base and how to get everyone correctly aligned. The coaches have always placed a high value on his toughness, too.
If for whatever reason Russell is not a captain, then Collinsworth might have the next best chance in the secondary. Having two from the secondary would be unusual. Safeties have been popular choices over the past seven years, including Smith (2011), current graduate assistant Kyle McCarthy (2009), David Bruton (2008) and Tom Zbikowski (2006-07).
5. Ben Koyack
Why not at a school that has been Tight End U. the past 40 years? Overshadowed throughout his career by Niklas and Tyler Eifert, the senior Koyack has a chance now to rank among the best in the country at his position even though he caught only 10 passes last year. Dave Casper had only one catch prior to becoming a senior captain for the 1973 national champs (that's because he played offensive tackle the year prior).
Could Kyle Brindza be the first kicker named a captain at Notre Dame?
6. Joe Schmidt
Who could have ever even envisioned his name brought up at this time last year? Yet both Kelly and new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder were effusive in their praise of the senior Schmidt’s value this spring as a leader at Mike linebacker. We don’t think it will happen because the former preferred walk-on enters his senior year with no career starts on defense, but as an immensely high achiever, he merits a notice.
Could Smith be the first sophomore captain? That would be difficult to envision right now. Even Te’o wasn’t a captain until his senior year.
How about Brindza? We’ve never seen a kicker/punter in that capacity. However, there have been captains exclusively for special teams, most recently linebacker Scott Smith in 2008.
A veteran offensive lineman such as fifth-year senior Lombard or an up-and-coming star there such as Ronnie Stanley also could factor in, although he too is a junior. The staff also likes the demeanor of senior center Nick Martin, Zack’s brother, but he is coming off a major injury.
Maybe in August it will better crystallize.
Notre Dame's 2014 Captains: Best Bets?
