Let’s have a look back.
Quarterbacks
Quarterbacks were going to headline the Notre Dame offseason one way or another, whether with a position battle or a departure. The Irish had both.
Everett Golson and Malik Zaire duked it out throughout the spring for the starting quarterback job, though Irish head coach Brian Kelly indicated the competition would carry into the fall. That, of course, won’t be the case any longer after Golson announced last month he’d be transferring from Notre Dame.
“After much thought, prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to graduate from Notre Dame and transfer to another school effective immediately,” Golson said to FOX Sports in a statement.
Less than two weeks later, Golson announced he’d transfer to Florida State.
“We, of course, have approached our preparations for the upcoming season with this possibility in mind,” Kelly said in a statement at the time of the initial transfer announcement. “The emergence of Malik Zaire, based on his performance in the Music City Bowl win over LSU, and throughout spring practice, has given our staff supreme confidence that he can lead our team to great success in 2015.”
Julio Cortez/Associated Press
Malik Zaire
So there it is. Zaire will quarterback the Irish in 2015. He’s only attempted 35 career passes, but the redshirt sophomore did claim Music City Bowl MVP honors.
“I think anytime that you’re sharing a position versus going out there, you can sense in the meetings there’s a confidence and you’re always looking to him for the answers,” Kelly said of Zaire earlier this week. “So he’s obviously feeling as though he needs to live up to that expectation too.”
Zaire will make his second career start in 85 days against Texas.
KeiVarae Russell and Ishaq Williams
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
KeiVarae Russell
After missing all of last season during and after Notre Dame’s investigation of suspected academic dishonesty, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive lineman Ishaq Williams are back—to varying degrees.
Russell, who started 26 games in his first two seasons at cornerback, is expected to return to the squad in the coming days. The senior announced on his Facebook page at the end of May that his expected return had become official.
“Love my school and my teammates,” Russell wrote on May 29. “Excited to go help lead this team to success. Officially accepted back at Notre Dame!! Back on campus in [two] weeks!”
Russell then posted the following note Thursday.
Russell’s return is a major addition to a potentially budding secondary. Fellow corner Cole Luke posted a strong sophomore season, and safeties Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate showed growth during the spring.
“He’s an alpha player,” Kelly said of Russell on Tuesday. “He’s got that warrior personality where he will hold others accountable. You add him to the mix with a Joe Schmidt. And you add him to a Jarrett Grace. That changes the personality of our defense from what it was late in the year when we really didn’t have those personalities on the field.
“And we all know what he has from an athletic standpoint.”
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Ishaq Williams
Williams’ situation is less defined. Kelly said Tuesday that the big-bodied defensive end from New York is back in school at Notre Dame and is participating in team workouts. Kelly said confidently that Williams will receive his degree from the university. The head coach said the football component for Williams is “a lot more complicated” and deals with “NCAA eligibility.”
Williams will be on scholarship even if he’s ruled ineligible to play, Kelly said. In that case, Kelly said it’s possible the scholarship could be counted differently.
Coaches
Mike Monaco
While it doesn’t exactly parallel last season’s coaching carousel, in which offensive coordinator Chuck Martin and defensive coordinator Bob Diaco both left for head coaching jobs, this offseason featured similar movement on the coaching staff.
Assistant coaches Tony Alford (Ohio State), Kerry Cooks (Oklahoma) and Matt LaFleur (Atlanta Falcons) all moved elsewhere. Kelly brought in offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford, running backs coach Autry Denson, defensive line coach Keith Gilmore and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght to replace them.
In Sanford, Notre Dame adds a 32-year-old coach who has already made stops at Boise State, Stanford, Western Kentucky and Yale.
“Mike Denbrock and I had a long conversation about this,” Kelly said during the spring. “We agreed at the end that what we were looking for was somebody that could turn the room upside down. We didn’t want somebody to be equal.”
Kelly and Sanford agreed the new coach’s primary job is to develop the quarterbacks.
“Whether it was this year or any other year, there’s a great amount of scrutiny on the quarterback position,” Kelly said when announcing the new coaches. “Mike understands that. He welcomes that challenge.”
Meanwhile, Alford and Cooks were widely regarded as top recruiters, and their presence could be difficult to duplicate, at least in the short term. With roughly eight months until national signing day, Notre Dame’s class of 2016 sits at just six members.
Roster Movement
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Hegarty
Golson, Russell and Williams drew the bulk of the in-and-out attention during the spring and early summer, but Notre Dame also lost versatile offensive lineman Matt Hegarty, who started 11 games in 2014.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Hegarty decided to spend it at Oregon. He announced his intention to leave Notre Dame in March.
“Unfortunately, I have already had to miss a precious amount of football battling back from my stroke, and I value every rep and opportunity going into my final year of college ball that much more,” Hegarty said in a statement to ESPN.com’s Matt Fortuna. “My goal is to contribute this season, continue to develop my skills and pursue my dream of playing in the NFL. Because of this goal, I have asked for a transfer to play at another school where I can contribute more on the field.”
Kelly left spring ball very high on his offensive line, both in terms of the first unit’s ability and the overall depth. The Irish bring back three linemen—Ronnie Stanley, Nick Martin and Steve Elmer—with multiple career starts.
On the other side of the trench, second-year defensive lineman Jhonny Williams will transfer, according to multiple reports Thursday. Tyler James of the South Bend Tribune first reported the news.
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