Five Notre Dame football underclassmen who could play in final six games
With six games remaining in Notre Dame's 2021 season, it's time for head coach Brian Kelly to start thinking about which players he should put on the field in four of them to give those guys valuable experience while maintaining their redshirt status.
"I'm pleased with the development of some of the younger players that if they're pressed into playing time [they can succeed]," Kelly said.
Here are five Fighting Irish players who fit that description.
Kahanu Kia
The No. 37 outside linebacker in the class of 2021 according to Rivals, Kia has come on strong in practices this fall according to Kelly. The 6-1, 217-pound defensive lineman hails from the same Hawaii high school (Punahou) as injured Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau.
Kia is not listed on Notre Dame's three-deep depth chart, so he obviously still has a long way to go in terms of getting on the field for meaningful snaps. But if the Irish find themselves up by a comfortable margin in any games down the stretch, don't be surprised to see him make an appearance.
Xavier Watts
Watts has had an interesting month and a half. Kelly announced after the first game of the season the true sophomore had moved from wide receiver to rover, which is where he is still listed as a third-string option.
Thursday, Kelly said Watts' role has gotten even more complex.
"He's been at the nickel-rover position," Kelly said. "He's cross training. We've got him playing a couple positions. We've got him at nickel. We've got him at safety. We're really trying to add a lot of work to him because we want to get him on the field. This is like preseason camp for him. He's getting a lot of work right now at both safety and nickel as well."
Wide receiver hasn't exactly been a packed position group for the Irish, so it was certainly an eyebrow-raising move to see the 5-11, 195-pound Watts move to rover. However, he certainly has the body type of a defensive back. That's where he might get mop-up duty playing time in the next two months.
Rocco Spindler
The Notre Dame offensive line's struggles have led many fans to question why 6-5, 300-pound Spindler has not gotten any looks at either guard position. Kelly said Spindler is "really close" to being one of Notre Dame's five best offensive linemen, but he had a short explanation for why he hasn't been inserted into the lineup yet.
"He's made great progress, but we want to look toward continuity on that group as well," Kelly said.
Kelly announced a shakeup of that continuity this week, though. Junior Andrew Kristofic will start at guard, presumably on the left side replacing junior Zeke Correll. It might be too much of a change to replace graduate senior Cain Madden on the right side with Spindler. If the situation gets dire for whatever reason, though, Spindler sounds ready to make his debut.
Philip Riley
Notre Dame cornerbacks Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart have had a stranglehold on the position this season. Lewis has played 410 snaps at corner. Hart has played 366.
The only other two players who have played corner for the Irish are senior TaRiq Bracy with 174 snaps and sophomore Ramon Henderson with 57.
Bracy has been Notre Dame's primary nickel corner, but he could have some competition emerging there. The aforementioned Watts is on the rise. So is freshman Philip Riley.
Riley was widely used during fall camp. He's clearly someone the Notre Dame coaching staff is going to trust as an every down corner in the future. It would not be a surprise to see him take on a similar role to Henderson and play a handful or two of snaps in a few games between now and the end of the year.
Gabe Rubio
It's easy to get lost in the shuffle of this Notre Dame defensive line. There are just so many players at all four positions who could be starters. Even though he's a true freshman, Gabe Rubio would not be left off the three-deep on many rosters across the country. But that's the case for him in South Bend.
When the likes of Jayson Ademilola and Kurt Hinish move on, though, Rubio will move up. He'll still have to compete with Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III and Jacob Lacey for playing time, but the situation should be much more manageable for him next year.
Mills has gotten 113 valuable snaps so far this season. Lacey has played 83. Rubio could be close to adding his name to participation charts in the near future. Kelly said the 6-5, 290-pound tackle is close to earning time on the field.
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