Braxton
Cave – Center
Story: A multiple year starter at a position that is
pivotal on the O-line. Braxton was
experienced and strong while providing leadership for the offense as a
whole. Anytime you lose an effective center
there could be issues, since EVERY play starts in his hands. However, it looks like Nick Martin is going
to develop nicely in the center position and provide strength in the middle for
years to come.
Loss / Outlook: Big loss of experience and leadership,
but Martin will make it less noticeable.
Jordan
Cowart – Long Snapper
Story: Jordan
appeared in 44 games over four years with the Irish making him a player who
took a lot of special team’s game experience with him. Sophomore Long Snapper Scott Daily takes over
with a year of practice under his belt but no game experience.
Loss / Outlook: Although the long snapper position
sees very limited field time, it is a very important position. A loss of a four year player who had a strong
hold on the position being replaced with an athlete with no game experience
could be a huge loss. Brian Kelly is
ready to reload with redshirt freshman Scott Daly on scholarship who was named
high school long snapper of the year in 2011.
Tyler
Eifert – Tight End
Story: Even
with only playing three years, Eifert is arguably one of the best tight end in
Notre Dame history. Taking over for
another great Irish tight end in NFL Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph, Efiert had big
shoes to fill and did so in outstanding fashion. The tight end has become an important part of
Kelly’s offense due to Eifert showing flexibility in splitting out wide. There are a number of successors to the
thrown at “Tight End U” but none appearing to be as good as Eifert.
Loss / Outlook:
With Tyler rewriting the Irish record books for the tight end position,
his departure is a very big hit to the offensive game plan for the Irish. All is not lost the list of replacements is
long with potential and possibilities from Troy Niklas who is otherwise
referred to as Hercules and has two years of game experience (one on defense
and one on offense), to incoming freshman Mike Heuerman along with converted
basketball player Joey Brooks and waiting for what we had hoped for in tight
ends Alex Welch and Ben Koyack.
Mike
Golic - Offensive Guard
Story: Two
years ago, looking forward this loss would be inconsequential at best, but Mike
Golic worked his way onto the O-line contributing where he was needed. Coming into South Bend as a legacy with a
huge family name at Notre Dame, Golic did not play his freshman year and saw
very limited time during his sophomore campaign. As a junior, he appeared in 12 games in a
reserved role, enough to prove he should be given a fifth year where he started
all 13 games. Although he was a bit
inconsistent, he did was asked of him and contributed to the offense.
Loss / Outlook: The Irish are pretty solid in
potential on the O-line and should recover well but losing a fifth year leader
on the line is not an easy replacement.
Jake
Golic – Tight End
Story: Another
Golic legacy, Jake played in a handful of games as a reserve and never really
contributed on the field. With a year of
eligibility left and no chance of being given a fifth year in South Bend, Jake
is moving onto the University of Cincinnati.
Loss / Outlook:
As a reserve tight end, he was barely a blip on the radar and with a
stable full of tight ends with potential, the Irish will have plenty of depth
at the position.
John
Goodman – Wide Receiver
Story: A
fifth year player last season, John never lived up to expectations based on his
athleticism but he did prove to be a leader.
Goodman did contribute to the offense in his final year at a higher
level and made some great plays which he will be remembered for, but he will
not be remembered for his receiving statistics.
Loss / Outlook:
He will be missed more as a leader on the team than on the field of
play. Much like the tight end position,
Notre Dame seems to have a healthy stable of receivers to offer depth if not
quality.
Kapron
Lewis-Moore – Defensive End
Story: Like a
fine wine, Kap seemed to get better with time, appearing in 45 games while
starting 42 of them. After an injury in
2011, Lewis-Moore established himself as a leader of the team on and off the
field. Kapron was the elder statesman of
a young defensive line that dominated in 2012.
Loss / Outlook:
From a leadership and experience standpoint this is a sizable loss, but
with names like Tuitt, Day, Jones, Springmann, and Hounshell the future is
promising at this position.
Dan
McCarthy – Safety
Story: After
not playing his freshman year, Dan continued to grow and contribute primarily
on special teams as his career progressed.
Dan brought experience and veteran leadership to the defensive backfield
in 2012 which it lacked.
Loss / Outlook:
The Irish secondary continues to grow and mature. McCarthy’s leadership will be missed, but
overall performance in the defensive backfield will be better in 2013.
Zeke
Motta – Safety
Story: An
athlete who played in 51 games while starting 29 during his Irish career
including playing in every game as a freshman (mostly on special teams), Zeke
fit the roll of a game tried veteran for the defense in 2012. A solid safety lending leadership to a
youthful secondary bolstered their confidence and maturity.
Loss / Outlook:
The Irish secondary will miss his leadership and experience in
2013. There is, however, reason to be
optimistic with both experience and talent returning to the safety position for
the Irish in 2013.
Theo
Riddick – Running Back
Story: This
running back, I mean wide receiver, I mean running back, played wherever and
whenever he was needed proving he was a team player first and foremost and in
the process became a true offensive weapon.
His versatility, coupled with speed and toughness, made him the number
one back (sorry Cierre).
Loss / Outlook:
The loss of Cierre Wood makes the absence of Riddick that much more
devastating. The Irish head into the
2013 campaign with a lot of question marks at running back. Make no mistake, there is a ton of potential
at running back, but the departure of Riddick leaves the Irish short in the
game experience department.
Chris
Salvi – Safety
Story: After
transferring from Butler after one year, Salvi became a fan favorite playing
primarily on special teams in 35 games over three years.
Loss / Outlook:
The Irish will survive at safety and special teams next season without
Salvi. However his “pop” will be missed
on special teams.
Matt
Tansey – Offensive Lineman
Story:
Practice squad player out of New Jersey who has been a walk on since
2012 moving on to become
a Navy pilot.
Loss / Outlook: Another man of character moving
through South Bend and the Navy gains in the process.
Manti
Te’o – Linebacker
Story: I
remember watching the first game Te’o played for the Irish as a freshman and
thinking “this kid is going to be something special.” Little did I know how
true that would be. Manti will go down
as one of the best the Irish have ever had, period. We could go on and on about his greatness but
his accomplishments are already well chronicled.
Loss / Outlook:
There is no replacing the talents of Manti Te’o. On the bright side, the future looks good for
Notre Dame’s inside linebacker corps with fifth year seniors Carlo Calabrese
and Dan Fox as well as Jarrett Grace and Kendall Moore.
Robby
Toma – Wide Receiver
Story: Many
people felt Roma was an add-on with Manti Te’o from Punahou High School in
Hawaii. However, Robby grew into an integral
part of the Irish offense, redefining the slot position. Robby had sure hands, was tough as nails
and had the courage to go over the middle without fear and could add a flash to
offense if needed.
Loss / Outlook:
Robby was a veteran leader on the team and will be missed on the field
and in the locker room. Kelly and his
staff have done a good job getting athletes who can be versatile who need to show
their talents on the field as Toma did.
Ben
Turk – Punter
Story: Turk
became the starting punter six games into his freshman season and never looked
back. Ben was a solid punter until his
senior year where he was exceptional.
Loss / Outlook:
Although most people won’t agree, this could be one of Notre Dame’s
biggest losses. Losing a quality punter
can hurt any team’s field positioning and ability to control the opposing
offense. Junior kick off specialist Kyle
Brindza will most likely add punting duties to his portfolio.
Cierre
Wood – Running Back
Story: Wood
played in 37 games over three seasons averaging 5.4 yards per carry while
racking up nearly 2,500 yards. With a
year of eligibility remaining, Cierre left the Irish to test the waters in the
NFL (where he went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Houston
Texans), as opposed to being the featured back on a team that just went 12-1
and played for the National Championship.
Sorry for my bitterness, but I believe he could have had 1,000+ yards in
2013.
Loss / Outlook:
Wood’s departure leaves the Irish a little cloudy as to having a clear
cut premier back. Notre Dame is as deep
in potential as it is shallow with game experience at the running back position.
Davonte
Neal – Wide Receiver
Story: After
a rocky recruitment and announcement, Neal came to South Bend where he
maintained the Irish’s shaky punt return statistics. After the season he transferred to Arizona.
Loss / Outlook: Neal looked like an supernatural
talent from his high school highlight films and was supposed to spark Notre Dame’s
punt return game last fall, but it did not happen. This transfer came with little surprise and
gives Brian Kelly another scholarship spot to use on someone who wants to be
there.
Everett
Golson – Quarterback
Story: Golson
is academically ineligible for the season.
Stupid is as stupid does. I give
it a 50/50 chance of him returning to South Bend.
Loss / Outlook:
Losing a starting quarterback who took you thorough and undefeated season,
no matter how much he still needed to grow, is still a BIG loss. On the bright side, our back up moving into
the starting role has played in 33 games and has started 18, which is not so
bad. The down side is Zaire will have to
see the field this year and burn a year of eligibility to prepare for the
possibility of starting next year.
Jamoris
Slaughter – Safety
Story: Slaughter
was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after he tore his Achilles
tendon during the third game of the 2012 season. Jamoris was selected in the sixth round of
the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Loss / Outlook:
Loosing a veteran with 39 games played 19 of them as a starter is always
a loss. However, the future looks bright
at the safety position as the Irish have a number of talented options ready to
prove their abilities.
Justin
Ferguson – Wide Receiver
Story:
Ferguson decided to transfer to Western Michigan.
Loss / Outlook:
Although it was for personal reasons and sighting that it had nothing to
do with the school, the departure of Ferguson is more of a symbolic loss then a
tangible one. The Irish are still deep
with potential at the receiver position.
Gunner
Kiel – Quarterback
Story: After redshirting
his freshman year in South Bend and possibly concerned about sitting behind
Golson for a couple of years, Kiel transferred to Cincinnati. It’s been a winding road for a kid who
committed to Indiana, then LSU before signing with Notre Dame and is now at
Cincinnati. All that, and he has never
played a down of college football.
Loss / Outlook:
Prior to losing Golson for the season, it did not seem like a big loss,
but now it is definitely amplified.
Depth at the Quarterback position has taken a hit, especially as he was
seen as the #1 prospect coming out of high school.
