Practice Report: Offense - Pete Sampson

Before getting too far into this, it’s worth remembering many of the drills during Saturday’s workout were set up for the offense to have success. Notre Dame emphasized lots of “low red zone” work, which basically means from the 10-yard line and in. That doesn’t leave the offense with a lot of real estate to gain for success. It also means quarterbacks faced tight windows that are tough to fit if there’s any inaccuracy.

By and large, Brandon Wimbush and Ian Book fit those tight windows on Saturday, which set the tone for a productive day for Notre Dame’s offense. Here’s a position-by-position look at the Irish offense as spring ball approach its halfway point.

QUARTERBACK

Based on limited exposure to practices, it’s hard to tell how much of a competition is actually afoot between Wimbush and Book considering Wimbush takes virtually every snap with the starting offense, despite some mix and match with the wide outs and tight ends. Most of Wimbush’s completions went to Miles Boykin, Michael Young and Chris Finke, whereas Book is working more with Javon McKinley, Freddy Canteen and Jafar Armstrong.

In the scrimmage that ended practice neither quarterback led a scoring drive. Those periods included just one big play, a 39-yard connection between Book and McKinley off a play action fake from a zone read look. The fake cleared out the linebackers, with McKinley working in front of the cornerback over the middle and catching a great ball from Book for the explosive gain.

For the scrimmage, Book finished 4-of-8 for 59 yards* (estimated yardage) while taking a sack. Wimbush went 3-of-5 for 13 yards, scrambling for a first down and taking a sack. He had a route jumped by Te’von Coney late in the scrimmage that proved to be his last rep.

For both quarterbacks, this felt like a typical afternoon but slightly improved from last season.

Wimbush didn’t always see defenders, but he seemed more accurate on the shorter stuff during 7-on-7 periods. When Wimbush missed it was often intermediate and it sailed high. There was a pass over the middle to Miles Boykin that left the receiver totally exposed to a shot Nicco Fertitta didn’t take. Wimbush missed Boykin high later along the sideline too while trying to throw into traffic. Ball placement may never be a strength here.

For Book, his quality on touch passes into coverage is a differentiator from Wimbush, at least today, which showed on a 20-yard gain to Boykin along the sideline. Book had to put touch on that pass, dropping it over a defender playing the flat but with enough zip to get it to Boykin before going out of bounds. Nice ball.



The negative with Book is the occasional throw he shouldn’t make, which today meant forcing one along the sideline to a wide out covered up by Nick Watkins. The senior cornerback got a hand on the ball and Jalen Elliott picked off the deflection.

Surprised at the workload of Avery Davis considering the competition between Wimbush and Book. He got plenty in 7-on-7. He’s still off the pace of Wimbush ad Book, but he worked almost exclusively at quarterback today and just about passed the eye test as a No. 3. He had a nice touchdown on a crossing route to Brock Wright in the red zone work. The scrimmage was a struggle for Davis, just four plays, one completion and two near interceptions. The first was a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage. The second was a pass Houston Griffith got his hands on but couldn’t catch. Earlier in the week I said I needed to see more of Davis as a potential receiver or running back to know if he could really do it. Didn’t get any of that today. Jury still out.

RUNNING BACK

Not a ton to report on the running backs during a practice geared toward the pass game (including some throws from the one-yard line). But if how the reps were divided up means anything, it’s Dexter Williams, Tony Jones Jr., Jafar Armstrong and Jahmir Smith, in that order. Williams is by far the most explosive of Notre Dame’s backs and I’d probably say that if Josh Adams remained on the roster. It’s no secret what Williams needs to do to lock up the job: Play tougher and master the playbook. It’s hard to show that during a spring practice in late March. But that’s the mandate and it’s not negotiable with the coaching staff. Williams also caught a touchdown from Wimbush during red zone work.

Want to see more from Smith, who was very productive on Saturday by early enrollee standards. It’s not uncommon for those players to be lost right now, but Smith seemed to have a basic understanding of what was happening based on his workload. During 1-on-1 tackling drills, which is basically an offensive and defensive player running at one another from 10 yards apart, Smith beat Devin Studstill twice. He also got smoked by Fertitta.

More impressed by Armstrong at receiver on Saturday than at running back. During the red zone drill the sophomore twice beat Donte Vaughn for touchdowns, showing good ball skills. On the first, Vaughn was actually flagged for pass interference but Armstrong still made the grab. On the second, Armstrong stopped on an underthrown ball, jumping back to make the catch. Armstrong seemed to tweak his left foot late in the practice and got minor medical attention.

Worth noting, Armstrong trucked Donte Vaughn during tackling drills and power through the cornerback’s chest. Outstanding stuff.

WIDE RECEIVER

Notre Dame doesn’t have the second coming of Will Fuller, Golden Tate or Michael Floyd out there, but this was still an impressive day. The vibe around the Irish when Equanimeous St. Brown left was that he’d prove to be replaceable this season. If Saturday is more rule than exception, I think that vibe (to be honest, I thought it was way too optimistic at the time) might prove to be right.

First, say a prayer for Nick Watkins after the move Michael Young put on him during 1-on-1 tackling drills. I don’t know how many shakes Young made, but Watkins got posterized by the sophomore while grasping for air. That is one quick dude. Young also made a decent touchdown grab from Wimbush in red zone when the quarterback went through his progressions before finding Young flashing toward the sideline for the score. Young also showed some nice deep speed early in practice when he ran right by Troy Pride to get open.

Not sure I see the gap between Boykin and the rest of Notre Dame’s wide outs that Brian Kelly does, at least based on Saturday. Boykin was solid and has expert ability in using his body to shield defenders along the sideline or boxing them out for jump balls. Is he a true No. 1? I don’t know. Will he put up better numbers than St. Brown did last year? I’d bet on that. Boykin also smoked Alohi Gilman during the 1-on-1 tackling drill.

Chase Claypool remained limited by a red jersey but didn’t practice like it. There was a one-handed super grab, some other competitive catches and a concentration drop late in practice that would madden any coach. Claypool scored during red zone work. During scrimmage periods he even got tackled to the ground, probably a good thing considering he’s coming back from shoulder surgery.

I was skeptical going into spring ball, but like what Javon McKinley has shown to date. Doesn’t have great speed but can beat defenders if he gets a step. Scored multiple touchdowns during red zone work and made some competitive catches. It’s hard to see him as more than Notre Dame’s fifth-best receiver right now, but early impressions this spring have elevated McKinley from another guy on the roster to somebody who could help the offense come fall. His contested catch against Julian Love early in practice was particularly impressive.

Micah Jones is more of the typical early enrollee compared to Jahmir Smith. Didn’t see the wide out get a meaningful rep in 7-on-7 or scrimmage situations. Pretty typical.

TIGHT END

Yes, it’s March. But hear us out. Alizé Mack looked incredible on Saturday. The tight end bossed defensive backs during red zone drills, making one-handed catches (plural) and looking like the matchup nightmare so many – including Notre Dame’s coaching staff – have been waiting on since he signed three years ago. The Mack that showed today was not a player with one career touchdown grab. He was a future pro. Nicco Fertitta, Jalen Elliott and Jordan Genmark Heath were all victims. The play Mack made on Elliott was maybe the most impressive. Mack caught a crossing pass over the middle with Elliott trailing. Not only did the safety not make up ground on Mack after the catch, he lost it. Elliott might not be the second coming of Harrison Smith, but it’s not a bad athlete either. Mack just made him look that way.

Hilarious moment that may only amuse me: During the red zone drill Cole Kmet made a beautiful box out of Jordan Genmark Heath, catching the ball while falling out of bounds for a touchdown. Afterward, Kmet politely flipped the ball to the ref, which would have made sense if this was a game. The ref basically flipped the ball back and directed Kmet back to the huddle. The next time Kmet scored, with Jalen Elliott draped all over him, the freshman tight end understood. Not much else to say on Kmet. He’s the heir to Notre Dame’s reputation as Tight End U, which has lost a step since Tyler Eifert.

Brock Wright remains limited after last December’s shoulder surgery but appears close to full contact based on how he’s used in practice. Wright got second-team reps and made some competitive catches in traffic. That included a touchdown against Houston Griffith in red zone work. Still, the best of Wright’s game is power, and Saturday wasn’t a time to show it. On top of that, Wright has only recently returned to the bench press. Privately, the training staff believes his physical rebuild from surgery last winter will be brief.

Nic Weishar and George Takacs remain out.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Not a ton to report from this position beyond who was used where and how much.

The most interesting thing I saw was the right tackle rotation between Tommy Kraemer and Liam Eichenberg, with each getting first and second team work depending on the period. There are a couple ways to look at the rotation. On the one hand, maybe Kraemer isn’t taking a step forward after a solid sophomore year. On the other, maybe Eichenberg made an off-season move and the coaching staff wants to make sure he’s ready to play. He’s too impressive physically to keep on the sidelines.

All that said, if Notre Dame made an offensive line depth chart today, it would be left tackle Robert Hainsey, left guard Trevor Ruhland, center Sam Mustipher, right guard Alex Bars and right tackle Tommy Kraemer. That makes the second team as left tackle Aaron Banks, left guard Josh Lugg, center Colin Grunhard, right guard Dillan Gibbons and right tackle Liam Eichenberg.

What would success look like for Jeff Quinn this spring? My educated guess would be settling Hainsey on the left side, making sure Eichenberg is ready as the third tackle and developing Lugg and Ruhland to both be ready to play. It’s easy to imagine the Irish rotating again on the line, or at least being willing to rotate. Having seven linemen the staff can trust would be a win.

Very curious to see Aaron Banks this spring after a source told me I wouldn’t recognize the sophomore after his off-season under Matt Balis. That source was right. Banks looks like an oversized left tackle that should probably be on the right, but he moves incredibly well for his size. The Irish probably don’t need him to play real reps under next year, but Banks feels like a multi-year starter down the road.

Should Colin Grunhard be handling Darnell Ewell 1-on-1? That’s happening.

Practice Report: Defense - Tim O'Malley

Notre Dame practiced for more than two hours today, its fifth practice of spring ball 2018 and the third in full pads. The session included a tackle-to-the-ground scrimmage at its conclusion with several competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 (4:00 offense) intermixed. The excessive 7-on-7, plus 1-on-1 actions results in a pass-heavy observation report below:

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Julian Love rotated out of the starting boundary role today in an effort to give Nick Watkins more reps. Joining Watkins (boundary corner) on the field side was Shaun Crawford with Jalen Elliott (boundary) and Devin Studstill (field) as the safeties. Troy Pride and early enrollee Houston Griffith backed Crawford while Love, and subsequently Donte Vaughn rotated behind Watkins.

Alohi Gilman and Jordan Genmark Heath worked primarily as the No. 2 safeties while Nick Coleman and Nicco Fertitta manned the third team. At one point, Gilman worked with the first unit over Studstill while Coleman repped with the 2s and once with the first group.

(Note: The presence of Love with the second team all of practice is a clear indicator that rotation was the point of today’s secondary. Don’t read too much into Nick Coleman’s presence with the 3s.)



One-on-One Tackling Drills: About 20 reps between the defensive backs going in short space against the receivers and running backs with the following highlights:

-- A diving (nice form) ankle tackle by Houston Griffith vs. fellow early enrollee Micah Jones. Griffith dragged down Jones on the pairs’ ensuing rep together and applied solid contact first.

-- Nicco Fertitta with a pop on early enrollee Jamir Smith.

-- After whiffing badly vs. Miles Boykin on their first rep, Alohi Gilman rebounded for a perfect form tackle vs. the massive senior on the next.

-- Julian Love put the clamps on Javon McKinley with a shoulder through the hip…just like they draw it up.

-- Jordan Genmark-Heath with a wrap-up and drive tackle vs. Jafar Armstrong.

-- Good footwork by Shaun Crawford to stay on his feet and force Chris Finke out of bounds

-- Griffith put the hammer on Jahmir Smith. Yikes.

-- Devin Studstill with an ankle tackle on Boykin.

The lowlights (if you’re a DB):

-- Jahmir Smith ran through Devin Studstill on the opening rep.

-- Jafar Armstrong absolutely ran through Donte Vaughn.

-- Chris Finke dusted Nick Watkins twice, once with a quick cut, once by simply being too fast to the sideline

-- Michael Young did him one better vs. Watkins with a stutter-cut, one that drew a loud “Ohhhhh!” from the coaches clinic patrons and players alike.

-- Micah Jones ran through Donte Vaughn

-- Troy Pride whiffed on Javon McKinley

The Michael Young fake-out of Watkins cannot be overstated…

Pass Coverage: Plenty of one-on-one and 7-on-7 action today. A few notable takeaways

-- Jordan Genmark-Heath often draws the short straw of facing the towering Cole Kmet in such situations. Kmet used a hand-slap to move Genmark-Heath for a stick route gain of about 12…Jalen Elliott later broke up a slant route intended for Kmet. Nice play by the rising junior safety considering Kmet is difficult to get in front of on such a route…Troy Pride, Nick Watkins, Jordan Genmark-Heath, Jalen Elliott, Alohi Gilman, all recorded a competitive pass defended…Tremendous jam at scrimmage by Watkins vs. Claypool to stone the junior target. Not in heavy contact (to the ground) due to shoulder surgery, Claypool still catches everything that touches his hands…

-- Julian Love was beaten deep on a post route by Javon McKinley in 11-on-11 full contact. Love had previously eaten up McKinley when the latter attempted a slant route in 7-on-7 action….Love lost to Miles Boykin twice in one-on-one drills including a great stutter-slant by the senior to set up an out route for the catch…Devin Studstill was burned badly by Chris Finke who dropped the perfect pass. Finke had made a one-handed post-route touchdown highlight reel catch vs. high school teammate Nick Coleman earlier in the week…Griffith was beaten deep by McKinley but the pass sailed deep…Brock Wright got the freshman on a deep cross, too.

-- Alizé Mack ran away from Jalen Elliott (who never gained ground) on a crossing route that resulted in a 50-yard score (one-on-one drill)…Troy Pride with great catch-up speed after Michael Young lost him on a hesitation move deep.

-- I asked quarterback Brandon Wimbush today to name one defensive back that’s impressed him. Other than Julian Love, Wimbush said, “Alohi. He’s going to help us.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Jerry Tillery attended today’s practice in a T-shirt and shorts (concussion suffered Tuesday) while Jonathan Bonner worked only lightly. Bonner wore a wrap on his right wrist. In the program’s concussion protocol, Tillery is projected to return on Tuesday. Bonner, it is assumed, would have practiced fully today if it were September rather than March. The team’s new starting nose tackle (DT last year) was lauded by defensive line coach Mike Elston for his technique earlier this week.

“Bonner is such a tactician with his hands I think he can make a huge impact at the nose,” said Elston when discussing the switch between his 5th-year senior and Tillery inside.

The starting duo’s absence resulted in a two-man rotation at both defensive tackle and on the nose with Kurt Hinish backed by Darnell Ewell (nose) and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa ahead of Micah Dew-Treadway at defensive tackle (three-technique).

-- Ewell had a rough day save for one snap. After getting into a mild altercation with redshirt-freshman guard Dillan Gibbons, Ewell’s next snap included major backfield penetration to help create a TFL. I watched Ewell for the remainder of practice (literally every snap…and that won’t happen again this spring) and he was rendered completely ineffective by Gibbons and at times, Josh Lugg.

Ewell needs to be in much, much, much better football shape.

-- Dew-Treadway recorded a very athletic pass defended, chasing quarterback Avery Davis on a roll right. The “lone survivor” from the DT class of 2015, MDT leapt in the air at full speed to breakup the 11-on-11 attempt. If Dew-Treadway can continue to improve and provide five snaps per half inside it would prove invaluable over the long haul for Tillery and Tagovailoa-Amosa in front of him.

DEFENSIVE ENDS/DROP

Jay Hayes has a noticeably wider frame than Khalid Kareem…Not a great day from either but they got after it earlier this week…Quiet day today from Ade Ogundeji who was the star of a full pads practice on Thursday…Daelin Hayes’ strength gain is apparent on the edge. He had two good practices vs. the run this week in terms of securing the boundary side…

Julian Okwara showed well Thursday and was a touch quiet today.

Mike Elston has five guys that can help him at DE (Hayes, Kareem, Ogundeji plus D. Hayes/J. Okwara.) He might have a sixth in Jamir Jones but that won’t be known this spring. Jones needs a summer of training at the position to secure a spot in the sub packages.

This might be the best overall position on the football team though it’s bereft of a star.

LINEBACKERS

Absent today: Redshirt-freshman Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who was involved in a school-related project along with walk-ons Logan Plantz and Brian Ball.

-- Drew White was out of uniform, his foot in a boot with crutches.

-- Asmar Bilal looked good in 11-on-11 after a tough go of it in 7-on-7. Bilal also worked some at Buck though the No. 2 there was D.J. Morgan who recorded a TFL in scrimmage.

Notre Dame will replace Bilal in Nickel packages – the thing is, opponents are allowed to pass on 1st-and-10, too. Still, Bilal looks like an ascending player after an impossibly unproductive season last fall. (You’d be amazed to see how little he produced in a fair number of snaps post-Temple.)

But my observation just today: he’s a pretty violent tackler in pursuit.

-- Jonathan Jones is noticeably thinner in the waist (shaped like a V.) He appears to be in very good shape and the junior (RS-Soph) will win the backup Mike linebacker job by default. And by default, I mean that in every sense of the word. He’s not getting challenged.

Unrelated: Jones was absolutely engulfed on one scrimmage play by Tommy Kraemer. When Jones retaliated and hit Kraemer post-whistle, the latter barely noticed.

-- Can D.J. Morgan emerge as the backup Buck? The early enrollees (Jack Lamb, Bo Bauer, and Ovie Oghoufo) barely repped today – when the third-string defense came in, Notre Dame’s starting linebackers reentered to spell the No. 2s. They have 10 spring practices including the Blue Gold Game to earn the staff’s trust. The trio finally came in for the final segment of scrimmage.

-- Te’von Coney had a Pick 6 this week and a pass defended in scrimmage today. Linebackers coach Clark Lea acknowledged Thursday that Coney struggled mightily in coverage last season with Lea blaming himself in that regard.

Said Lea of Coney: “I take responsibility and I need to coach him better in coverage. He’s a very capable coverage player. One thing in him coming back is us joining arms and working toward that vision. I’m excited for him to grow in that way and that makes him a more complete player.”

-- Speaking of which: Drue Tranquill is going to be an intriguing cover ‘backer from an inside position.