Notebook: Brian Kelly Addresses Three Notre Dame Suspensions
One day after the University of Notre Dame announced that sophomore wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and freshman running back C.J. Holmes will be suspended indefinitely from team activities because of a shoplifting arrest last week, head coach Brian Kelly added junior tight end Alizé Mack to the list.
Mack was academically ineligible in 2016, but this time it’s not related to scholastic work.
“All of our players are eligible academically,” Kelly emphasized. “It’s an internal team matter [with Mack].”
Furthermore, Mack is not on indefinite suspension as Stepherson and Holmes are, although he too will not be permitted to travel with the team to the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., versus LSU.
Kelly also confirmed that freshman tight end Brock Wright, who unofficially played 30 snaps in a blocking capacity in short-yardage situations, will be sidelined after injuring the AC joint in his right shoulder during practice last week. The injury required season-ending surgery.
Finally, junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush did not practice on Thursday (Dec. 21) because of a severe migraine headache.
The team will hold a final practice tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 22) before going on a four-day Christmas break and reconvening in Orlando.
“We ask our players to be smart and make good choices,” Kelly said when asked about the suspensions. “You’re always disappointed … I don’t go into this business expecting our kids to be perfect. We expect our kids to make good choices, and when they don’t they have to be held accountable.
“There’s always going to be growing experiences, and the most important thing is to hold them accountable.”
Last Friday, Stepherson was arrested for shoplifting $59 Nautica sweatpants from Macy’s at University Park Mall in Mishawaka. Meanwhile, Holmes allegedly walked out of the store with a $79 North Face coat that was not purchased.
“If I could explain 18- to 21-year-olds and their thought process after being in it for 27 years, I would have written that book already,” Kelly said. “We try to expose our kids to the foundational principles of making good decisions, and if they don’t — they broke one of our commandments: you can’t steal, and they did.
“I can tolerate a lot of things, but I can’t tolerate stealing. That’s why they’re suspended indefinitely and they put themselves in jeopardy.”
Stepherson in particular is in scalding waters because this was not his debut with a law infraction. As a freshman in August 2016, he was arrested in Indiana’s Fulton County with four other teammates for possession of marijuana. He was placed on probation in exchange for a plea deal that mandated drug testing and participation in drug and alcohol programs.
Although Stepherson played as a freshman and was the team’s third-leading receiver (25 catches for 462 yards and five touchdowns), he was in the proverbial dog house throughout the spring of 2017 while not working with the top two units, or even the top three, because of requirements that needed to be met off the field.
Then, Stepherson did not play in the first four games in 2017 reportedly because of a violation of team rules, although the university would neither confirm nor deny it. Still, he ended up leading the team in touchdown catches (five), while averaging 18.9 yards on his 19 catches.
“I’m not going to get into specifics of what his future is going to be,” Kelly said. “It’s clearly a young man that has made a poor choice, and it’s not his first. We’ve got to evaluate all of those things before I make a final decision on his status here within the program.
“It’s whether he’s in the football program or not. Whether you’re in the football program or whether you’ve been dismissed from the university — he’s not going to be dismissed from the university — if I wasn’t to have him back in the football program we want him to maintain his eligibility and stay here at Notre Dame so he can transfer to another program.
“I don’t have to make a decision tomorrow about whether he’s going to play football here or not. I can make that after the game. I’m not in a rush to do it. He’s suspended indefinitely and then I’ll make what I believe is the best decision for our football program.”
When asked why he wasn’t reacting as quickly with Stepherson as he did with senior safety Max Redfield in 2016 — who was arrested with Stepherson that August while also charged with possession of a firearm — Kelly replied it was because of “the severity of the situation” with Redfield.
New Target Practice
With sophomore Chase Claypool (29 catches for 402 yards and two touchdowns) sidelined after his shoulder injury/surgery earlier this month, and Stepherson and Mack (19 catches for 166 yards and one score) all ruled out versus LSU, Wimbush will be without his second-, third- and fourth-leading receivers this season.
Junior Equanimeous St. Brown was the top target with 31 catches for 468 yards and four scores. He will move to the X position where Claypool had aligned, while junior Miles Boykin (nine catches for 151 yards and one touchdown) will shift to the W, or the boundary spot where St. Brown usually played.
Fifth-year senior Cam Smith (eight catches for 60 yards and one score) and juniors Chris Finke (five catches for 84 yards) and C.J. Sanders (one catch for zero yards) also will “float around” at various spots, Kelly said.
Kelly is not concerned about Wimbush developing a chemistry with a less-proven corps of targets. His concentration is on improving mechanics, accuracy, delivering the ball on time and getting it out of his hands quicker.
“Brandon is focusing on Brandon,” Kelly said. “He’s really focusing on his mechanics and being much more consistent throwing the football.”
Defeating LSU, even though the Tigers will be without three of their top players in the front seven, most notably pass rusher supreme Arden Key, will not be done in a one-dimensional fashion, per Kelly.
“We’re going to have to make some throws on the outside,” Kelly said. “This game is going to be about making plays on the outside to get them off us a little bit, and then finding opportunities in the running game.”
Team News & Notes
• Kelly said the team had an 80-play scrimmage on Wednesday — maybe the most in his career — and followed with more physicality today.
“Without any real contact since late November, it was imperative that we play physical, get out there and really give our guys an opportunity to play real football,” he said.
• The Irish head coach indicated there will be a final lifting session with strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis on Friday, and said there have been 10 such workouts since the end of the season.
• Kelly noted that all interviews with fifth-year prospects have been completed but no statements will be made until after the season.
“We know exactly what the plans are,” Kelly said. “All the player [NFL] evaluations have come back, we won’t divulge those. We’ll have them in front of you in Orlando.”
• The collective team fatigue that reached its peak prior to the regular-season finale at Stanford is not an issue now to the Irish head coach.
“They understand the caliber of play, who they’re playing and the way they have to play this game,” Kelly said. “You can tell that in the way they’ve practiced the last few days … you can see the sense of urgency.
“Totally different. There’s a quickness to them, crispness, physicalness, quite apparent yesterday.”
The theme centers on finishing strong with a second 10-win season in three years.
“Do you just want comfort for this three-week preparation or do you want achievement?” Kelly said. “If you want comfort, then let’s just go hoot and holler and have fun down there and not focus on achievement. If you want achievement, then you have to be intentional. You have to focus on your work, and when we’re done with our work, enjoy the bowl game.
“We’ve got to have good practices. We’ve got to continue to prepare the right way and then enjoy what’s been put in front of you. It can’t be all comfort. There’s got to be some work and some intentional focus on what you need to do to beat a very good team in LSU.”
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