Notre Dame releases depth chart for Texas
Keith Arnold
Sep 1, 2015, 12:56 PM EDT
With a large core of returning players, Notre Dame’s depth chart was already a competitive situation. Heading into the season’s first game week, we get our first official look at how the two-deep is shaking out coming out of fall camp.
There are some surprises and some competitions still playing out. Let’s take a look at the competitive picture as Notre Dame heads into the season opener.
OFFENSE
WR
Chris Brown, Sr.
or Corey Robinson, Jr.
WR
Amir Carlisle, GS
or Torii Hunter Jr., Jr.*
LT
Ronnie Stanley, Sr.*
Hunter Bivin, Jr.*
LG
Quenton Nelson, Soph.*
Alex Bars, Soph.*
C
Nick Martin, GS
Sam Mustipher, Soph.*
RG
Steve Elmer, Jr.
Colin McGovern, Jr.*
RT
Mike McGlinchey, Jr.*
Mark Harrell, Sr.*
TE
Durham Smythe, Jr.*
Tyler Luatua, Soph.
or Nic Weishar, Soph.*
or Chase Hounshell, GS
or Alizé Jones, Fr.
WR
Will Fuller, Jr.
Equanimeous St. Brown, Fr.
QB
Malik Zaire, Jr.*
DeShone Kizer, Soph.*
RB
Tarean Folston, Jr.
C.J. Prosise, Sr.*
Thoughts: It shouldn’t be a surprise, but the tight end position looks like the “everybody’s gonna play” situation that we thought it could be, falling in line behind Durham Smythe. Also of note is the ascent of receivers Corey Robinson and Torii Hunter Jr. Both had the “or” in front of their names, essentially designating co-starter status. We assumed that both Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle earned starting duties. They likely did. But this makes it pretty clear that they’re going to be sharing reps, something we already assumed. Lastly, only freshmen Equanimeous St. Brown and Alizé Jones made the offensive two-deep, with Jones part of a four-man back-up group. St. Brown must be the real deal.
DEFENSE
DL
Romeo Okwara, Sr.
Andrew Trumbetti, Soph.
DL
Sheldon Day, Sr.
Jay Hayes, Soph.
DL
Daniel Cage, Soph.
Jerry Tillery, Fr.
DL
Isaac Rochell, Soph.
Jonathan Bonner, Soph.*
LB
Joe Schmidt, GS
Nyles Morgan, Soph.
or Jarrett Grace, GS
LB
Jaylon Smith, Jr.
Te’von Coney, Fr.
LB
James Onwualu, Jr.
Greer Martini, Soph.
CB
KeiVarae Russell, Sr.*
Devin Butler, Jr.
S
Max Redfield, Jr.
Matthias Farley, GS
S
Elijah Shumate, Sr.
Drue Tranquill, Soph.
CB
Cole Luke, Jr.
Nick Coleman, Fr.
Thoughts: Daniel Cage moved ahead of Jerry Tillery for the starting job, with Kelly crediting Cage’s work late in camp for the move. It’s also largely the product of Cage being a better fit for the nose guard spot (or shade technique, as BK called it Tuesday) than Tillery, who is also working as the primary rotation player for Sheldon Day’s three-technique. Everything else on the two deep looks about right, with freshman Nick Coleman backing up Cole Luke and Drue Tranquill serving as the backup to Elijah Shumate, a spot where Avery Sebastian looked close. Both backup safeties, Tranquill and Matthias Farley, will be situational players unless they’re needed to move into a primary role.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK
Justin Yoon, Fr.
John Chereson, Jr.
P
Tyler Newsome, Soph.*
Jeff Riney, Fr.
LS
Scott Daly, Sr.*
Hunter Smith, Sr.*
or Nic Weishar, Soph.*
HOLDER
DeShone Kizer, Soph.*
Montgomery VanGorder, Soph.*
PR
C.J. Sanders, Fr.
Will Fuller, Jr.
KR
Amir Carlisle, GS
or C.J. Sanders, Fr.
or C.J. Prosise, Sr.*
*Denotes additional year of eligibility available.
Thoughts: Perhaps the only surprise here is C.J. Sanders taking No. 1 reps at punt returner over Will Fuller. Kelly reserved the right to swap this out, but I’m guessing Sanders was a more consistent punt catcher, and his lateral quickness is a nice perk, too. (Plus, Fuller is a key ingredient to the Irish offense.) Sanders and C.J. Prosise will backup Amir Carlisle at kickoff returner. If Sanders breaks one, expect him to move up this ladder quickly as well.
