C.J. Sanders 'Slotted' For Many Roles At Notre Dame

The company CJ Sanders (no periods after the initials) put himself in after one football season at Notre Dame is a Who’s Who of playmakers.

The first freshman in school history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same season, Sanders joined Joe Heap (1952), Raghib “Rocket” Ismail (1989), Allen Rossum (1996) and Vontez Duff (2002) to achieve that double feature (1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown did not do both in one season). Heap is the lone three-time Academic All-American in school history and was the No. 8 overall pick in the 1955 NFL Draft; Ismail won the Walter Camp Award and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up as a junior; Rossum ended his college career holding the NCAA record for most career touchdowns on returns (kickoffs, punts and interceptions) with nine, plus is the lone NFL player ever to return a kickoff for a TD with five different teams; Duff earned third-team All-America notice as a junior during an 8-0 start by the Irish.

“I’m a quiet guy, but in the back of my head ... I’ve always dreamed that,” said Sanders who wrote down on his list of individual goals prior to his freshman season to return both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown. “I didn’t tell anybody that was my goal, but I believed it all the time.”

Sanders’ 50-yard score against UMass was the first by a Notre Dame player (and the first under head coach Brian Kelly) in six years, or since Golden Tate did it in a loss at Pitt in 2009. Then Sanders' 93-yard kickoff return for a tally at Stanford in the regular season finale was the first in four seasons by an Irish player, or since George Atkinson Jr. accomplished it as a freshman versus USC in 2011.

At a listed 5-8, 185 pounds, Sanders is the smallest man on the 2016 roster, a quarter inch shorter than safety/classmate Nicco Fertitta. Yet from the opening of preseason camp, Kelly has had huge plans for the speedster who as a junior won the Tennessee Division II state title in the 100 meters (10.76) and 200 meters (21.88).

“CJ Sanders has got to be able to play more of a prominent role,” Kelly said on Aug. 5, the eve of the opening practice. “He got his toes wet a little bit in the special teams games, and we saw his ability there. Now it’s going to have to show itself as an inside receiver.”

Sanders’ progress suffered a major setback in the second week of spring practice when he suffered a hip flexor injury that necessitated surgery. It was scheduled to sideline him four months and required a scooter as his substitute for walking.

“I made a cut full speed and it just tore off the bone completely,” said Sanders of his left hip flexor strain. “That was my first surgery. I didn’t know it was that serious at first, because I was still able to run. … I went home a couple of days recollected myself. It was still just sitting there.”

By June, Kelly was relieved to discover that Sanders was “way ahead” of his recovery period, crediting both trainer Rob Hunt and his staff, plus Sanders’ diligence, for the relatively quick convalescence.

So far this August, Sanders has been a conspicuous target in the skeletal, tempo and full-personnel drills, consistently coming out with the No. 1 unit at the Z (slot) position that saw duties split last season between the graduated Amir Carlisle (412 snaps, 32 catches, 355 yards) and current senior Torii Hunter Jr. (329 snaps, 28 catches, 363 yards), who is now mainly stationed at former All-American Will Fuller’s X position on the wide side of the field.

Because Sanders was sidelined the final three weeks of spring and limited in his work this summer, it was a bit of a surprise that from Day 1 this August he was with the first unit, especially after junior Corey Holmes made some progress there this spring and had the fastest 40 time (4.39) in winter testing (Sanders was at 4.49).

Holmes has been working with Hunter at the X, although both could still line up at the slot too, if needed. However, whereas the X is akin to a clean-up hitter in baseball who will be expected to hit the deep ball on occasion, the slot is more of a “small-ball” figure who can consistently find seams between linebackers, safeties or the nickel back, find gaps in the middle — and even maybe extend consistent singles into doubles and triples.

Sophomore walk-on Chris Finke (5-9 ¼, 180 pounds) also fits that mold, as can Holmes), and he is the top competition to Sanders for punt return duties as well. That doesn’t mean slot figures are “profiled” by just a certain size or body type. Another CJ — as in Prosise, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year and is now a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks — played slot as a 220-pound junior in 2014 before moving to running back as a senior.

Sanders is a miniature version of the 2014 Prosise, one who could possibly get the ball into his hands about six to 10 times per game via screens, quick outs, hitches or digs, on jet sweeps as a runner while going in motion, or on returns.

“I feel like I’m really shifty, I’m good with the ball in my hands, just being able to read different coverages and the nuances of the defense,” said Sanders of his role at slot. “Reading coverage and being shifty is really important … I’m not the biggest guy in the world, but with Coach [Mike] Denbrock I’ve been able to read coverages and break away from defenders.”

He is taking some limited reps after bouncing back from major surgery, but just like last year, slot is expected to be a position with plenty of rotation. Patience also will be essential in not trying to do too much out of the gate.

“The big thing now is being smart,” said Sanders of splitting time at slot. “I get sore now and then (physically), but that’s a good thing.”

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