Ishaq Williams At 6’5” 255 lbs. his time will come. However, he has only recorded one tackle in the Michigan game. I hope to see him more this season and also hope we did not burn a year of eligibility for one tackle in a loss.
George Atkinson III He has been a bright spot in a relatively poor special teams year, including a kickoff return for a touchdown. George only has a couple of rushes and one reception coming out of the backfield on offense.
Evert Golson The best thing Golson has done for the team this year was act as the Air Force option type quarterback on the practice squad. I would be happy if the only other contribution he makes this year is to do it again in preparation for Navy. He will be a huge part of Notre Dame’s football future, so let’s not limit that by using a year of eligibility for a handful of plays.
Stephon Tuitt Although I would like to see Tuitt used more, I am very happy with what I have seen so far. I like the fact that it looks like he can play defensive end and at the nose, and at 6’6” 295 lbs., this kid is only going to get bigger and better.
DaVaris Daniels A great athlete who we will see a lot more in the future (not so much this year), but look for him to help on special teams and on the offense.
Ben Koyack I was hoping Ben would not have to play this year and keep a year of eligibility, but injuries and circumstance forced him into action. He has played well, more so blocking than receiving, and the game reps will serve him well in the future.
Aaron Lynch A very good football player, a great freshman football player. Lynch is a man among boys in this freshman class. The scary thing is he is still learning the game at the college level. He has made an instant impact and is the best freshman on the field right now. I remember saying “I can’t believe we get to see three more years of guy,” when Manti was a freshman.
Jalen Brown Don’t expect to see Jalen playing cornerback this season.
Kyle Bindza Kyle has done more than hold his own on kickoffs. Kyle is the future of the Irish kicking game for the next four years. He has a super strong leg and his performance should only improve.
Ben Council At 6’4” 230+lbs., he has good size for a freshman linebacker. Kelly seems pretty set with his linebacker rotation so we may not see him on the field this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him. I hear good things out of practice about Council and look forward to seeing him in a game.
Cam McDaniel After watching Cam’s high school scouting footage I was very excited to see him play. However, I wish it would have been next year. With Wood and Gray being so dominant, I doubt he will see much action. Even in the case of an emergency, Theo Riddick could help, and George Atkinson III has already burned a year of eligibility for kickoff returns and also could be used in a pinch.
Eilar Hardy Hardy was a four year starter at the high school level but will have to wait another year to see the field in South Bend.
Eric Lee As a walk-on, Eric has a long road to hoe and as a wide receiver/running back he also has a line of guys to leap frog to see the field. Lee was a three-sport, hard working athlete in high school and had interest from Division II and III schools but had his heart set on Notre Dame. The next Rudy?
Joe Schmidt A walk-on linebacker who had interest from schools like USC, Arizona, Cincinnati and Air Force, Schmidt has been on the travel list and has a fan in Brian Kelly. “He's a good player. Tough, physical, got a great sense for the ball. He's just in a tough position, but he's going to play for us. That guy is going to be on the field. He's a football player. I like that kid”
Connor Cavalaris Former high school teammate of Tommy Rees, Connor chose to be a walk-on for the Irish as opposed to taking chances on getting offers from other schools. He strikes me as the kind of kid whose hard work will pay off, just not this year.
Matthias Farley Wide Receiver at the most recognizable college football program in the country who did not start playing football until his junior year in high school (he played soccer). The fact he is playing at this level with only 2 years of organized football under his belt is amazing enough, but I doubt he’ll play this year.
Josh Atkinson Brother of George Atkinson III who has already seen action this year, Josh has not hit the field yet but there has been some chatter that may end soon.
Chase Hounshell Chase is the inspiration for this piece. Hounshell had his debut against Air Force (4 tackles, 1 solo and 3 assisted) and stood out right away. I thought we were all set at defensive end and there would be no need to introduce another into game time, especially a freshman. However, I loved watching this kid play and look forward to seeing more of him.
Brad Carrico Carrico was an early enrollee from Dublin, Ohio (Brady Quinn’s hometown), which is no surprise because he was the first Irish commit of 2011. At 6’5” 290+lbs. and watching his scout films he will be an anchor on the O-line for years.
Anthony Rabasa Anthony has a lot of accolades coming out of Miami, Florida. All that is moot until spring practice, as he is having season ending shoulder surgery.
Troy Niklas Man-child. Out of high school he was recruited as an offensive tackle by USC, tight end by Stanford and defensive tackle by Notre Dame, who is now using him at outside linebacker. Since he’s been at South Bend he has been nicknamed Hercules.
Jarrett Grace Another player from Ohio. Although the word is that he is doing very well in practice, because of depth issues he probably won’t see the field this season.
Conor Hanratty I am thrilled Conor has not and in all probability will not play this year. He comes highly touted and at 6’4.5” 315 lbs., you can’t teach size.
Tony Springmann At 6’5.5” 280+lbs., Sprinmann, who attended the same high school as wide receiver John Goodman and Tyler Eifert, has been listed as a defensive end and nose guard. At either position I hope I don’t see him on the field this season and he saves a year of eligibility for the future. And the red hair and beard just seems to fit in at South Bend.
Nick Martin Younger brother of starting junior offensive lineman Zack Martin will save a year of eligibility and surely up the offensive line for the future while getting valuable practice experience.
Matt Hegarty Another good sized freshman offensive lineman who does not have to be rushed into action and will have four years of eligibility left at the end of the year as well as valuable training and practice.
Jordan Prestwood A Florida State commit who changed his mind and ended up at Notre Dame will have to sit out this year due to NCAA rules. He was highly recruited and received offers from many big name schools, but we’ll have to wait to see his abilities at the collegiate level.
Connor Little Closer than I’ll ever get to playing in South Bend, even though he’ll never see game time.
Overall, the current batch of freshmen are exceeding expectations this season and are setting up nicely for the future. I am not thrilled about burning a year of a kid’s eligibility for kicks, but I think Brian Kelly has a method to his madness. I just hope he keeps it under control as the season progresses.
The defensive side of the ball is downright scary with potential with guys who are contributing now. Add in Louis Nix who redshirted next year, and this defense could be legendary.
With Matt Hegarty, Brad Carrico, Conor Hanratty, Nick Martin, Jordan Prestwood and Ben Koyack the offensive line’s future feels secure.
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