In today's edition of One Question, Two Analysts, Three Minutes we look at (Way) Off-The-Radar Players. Today, Tim Prister and Tim O’Malley take a deeper dive into the roster examining which players—two defense, one offense—could make a surprise contribution in 2020.

Full transcript:

Tim Prister

This is one question, two analysts, three minutes Our topic today: who are the off the radar players currently at Notre Dame who will emerge this fall.

Tim O’Malley

Off the radar for people who cover them every day is probably a little different because we literally try to think of topics like this all the time and so it eliminates a lot of the rising four stars that are redshirt freshmen and stuff so going really off the radar defensively for me. I think a guy that won't start barring injury, but we'll play a lot because he's worked his way into this role is Justin Ademilola, like Jayson is not off the radar to us. Justin now is finally going from Hey, you know what he makes some plays in those 19 snaps he gets his redshirt freshman are those 35 snaps he gets as a sophomore. Now he's going to be playing 250 Minimum 300 snaps backing up at a Ade Ogundeji. on the strong side, just from watching him make plays in a limited sample size. I think he is a guy that will all of a sudden emerge but not to the senior year Jamir Jones was, you know, a breakout player but I just think that he will be a key cog in Elston’s defensive line.

Tim Prister

I agree with that. And I think the key mover that he's moved from the Viper the weak side to the strong side, I always thought that that was his best position. And I think it's it's a good tandem with Ogundeji., I would also throw in I actually at the top of my list, I would throw in DJ Brown the safety I know there's a lot of talk about Houston Griffith and Isaiah Pryor battling for the spot opposite Kyle Hamilton but remember during the one practice that we had this spring DJ Brown was very, very good. So was Houston Griffith to be fair, but we've heard a lot of positive feedback about DJ Brown what an intelligent player is, knows where to be when he needs to be there which is hugely significant for safety because you have a lot of ground to cover back there. And if you are moving in the right direction before it happens, I think you have a chance to be a starter or at least a third contributor at safety with Kyle Hamilton

Tim O’Malley

And maybe with his corner experience, I know Houston Griffith played corner too but DJ Brown was recruited as a corner and moved to safety so you maybe hope he can lend some coverage to the back end Griffith was forced to play corner he is a natural safety but yeah, it's hey nothing should be promised any of those three guys. So that's that is a real off the radar one though. Yeah, we hear good things about him too. But we've only seen one practice in the last eight months.

Tim Prister

Who do you like offensively Tim?

Tim O’Malley

I don't is he off the radar enough because he's a fifth-year player. But this whole wide receiver core is wide open for a third starter or a third contributor. Can't Javon McKinley make some plays for this team as a fifth-year player? I know he's not the like, the most appealing choice. He was last year because people didn't know him. So they just thought he'd be great. But now that they seen if those warts come out on the players when they are fifth-year seniors. I just feel like I know he made his plays against bad teams, but he just looked like he could make plays finally in a football game, and he scored five touchdowns last year and they weren't giant impact touchdowns one was at Michigan when the game was over, and somewhere just highlight reels against worst athletes, but there is a role for more than Lenzy and Kevin Austin and I don't think it's gonna go to one guy. I don't mean Javon McKinley, because he's probably Austin's position. I just think when you're searching for something in an offense, I think Javon McKinley after his fifth year can provide it otherwise, I think he would have left.

Tim Prister

I don't know where he plays though. Because the W position Austin and Ben Skowronek I mean Skowronek is there to play. He's not here to sit out. So I don't know exactly how he fits in whether he plays an X with Lenzy, but I did want to throw in one more name on the defensive side, Ovie Oghoufo. When we talk about Isaiah Foskey and certainly they love what Isaiah Foskey can do. But we've also seen Oghoufo what an athlete is. On special teams and as a pass rusher I think there's a spot for him as one of those guys that off the radar guys in emerges for Notre Dame thanks for joining us today been listening to one question two analysts and three minutes.