In a normal year without a free season of eligibility, Notre Dame would have had six freshmen burn their redshirts by playing in more than four games.
Running back Chris Tyree, tight end Michal Mayer, defensive tackle Rylie Mills, defensive end Jordan Botelho, cornerback Clarence Lewis and cornerback Ramon Henderson have all played at least five games this year, over the threshold for a redshirt season.
It’s possible the eligibility freebie altered Brian Kelly’s thinking on deploying them, with four years left no matter how much they played. In all likelihood, he would have limited Henderson’s part-time punt team usage to four games instead of five. Maybe Botelho’s kickoff and punt coverage terror would’ve been restricted to preserve a redshirt.
But after 10 games, it’s pretty clear Tyree, Mayer and Lewis would’ve been destined in a non-COVID year for the season-long roles they have claimed. Mills, even on a deep defensive line, looks the part and has played at least 20 snaps in each of the last three games.
A freshman is Notre Dame’s fifth-leading tackler (Lewis), its No. 2 running back (Tyree) and second-leading receiver (Mayer). As long as Jayson Ademilola (knee) is out, Mills has his place as the second-team three-technique tackle. And as the Irish hit the most important part of their schedule, starting with the ACC Championship Game against Clemson Dec. 19, all are right about at the top of their games. The freshman mental roadblock appears to be in the past.
Or in Mayer’s case, it never really occurred. At least according to Kelly. He hasn’t been without missteps, such as his one-yard catch on fourth-and-three against Syracuse where he had the first down but ran backward. But those have been anomalies.
Mayer and Tyree, both former top-100 recruits, snatched important roles from the start of the year. Mayer is Notre Dame’s primary tight end in 11 personnel and has taken 23 of his 30 catches for a first down. Tyree is up to 891 all-purpose yards, second behind running back Kyren Williams, as Notre Dame’s No. 2 back and kickoff returner.
“Mike didn’t hit a roadblock, but there’s a lot going on,” Kelly said. “The tight end position, as you know, there are some complexities with different looks each week relative to what’s going on. And at the running back position, where Chris has to deal with picking up different blitzes and pressures, reads in the run game and catching the ball out of the backfield.
“Those two guys in particular have handled themselves from that end of it really well. I’d even lean towards Chris not blinking at all and maybe even getting better as the season has gone on. We were pretty excited about his performance on Saturday because if you closely look at what we did with him, we brought him into the game with two backs because we wanted to get him more action.”
Lewis’ grip on the starting field corner job has strengthened in the last month. He has out-snapped junior TaRiq Bracy 209 to 56 since Nov. 7. He played 58 snaps to Bracy’s five Saturday against Syracuse, making 12 tackles.
“He has the traits you like,” Kelly said. “Certainly, the physical traits. He has a tough demeanor. We need to get to translating more of the attention to detail and the habits from practice and preparation to performance.
“It’s really about the details of the position that we need to get better at. A lot of it has to do with just taking your eyes off the quarterback, getting them back towards the man and really being disciplined in that in his preparation.”
In 65 snaps since Nov. 14, Mills has 2.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and a third-down run stuff. He played 60 snaps in Notre Dame’s first seven games, with a chunk of those coming in the second half of a Sept. 19 blowout of South Florida. The former four-star recruit came to Notre Dame as a defensive end, but moved inside when he arrived.
“Rylie was learning a new position, really,” Kelly said. “Now that he has his understanding down, that’s why you’re seeing him play more football for us.”
Awards And Honors
Several of college football’s individual awards release their list of semifinalists this week, and Notre Dame players dotted them. A look at those named to the trimmed-down candidate pool:
• Lott IMPACT Trophy (best defensive player “based on character and performance”): linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is one of 24 semifinalists.
• Outland Trophy (best interior linemen): Left tackle Liam Eichenberg made the cut to six semifinalists.
• Maxwell Award (player of the year): Quarterback Ian Book is on the list of 18 players up for the honor.
• Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player): Owusu-Koramoah and safety Kyle Hamilton made the cut to 18.
• Davey O’Brien Award (best quarterback): Book and 16 others made the cut.
• Doak Walker Award (best running back): Williams made the list of 10 semifinalists.
Other Notes
• Fifth-year senior wide receiver Bennett Skowronek was selected to play in the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl, all but signaling he won’t be back next season. The grad transfer from Northwestern has 21 catches for 344 yards and a team-high five touchdowns this season.
• Williams, Lewis and receiver Javon McKinley were named the ACC’s player of the week at their respective positions. Williams has been the ACC Running Back of the Week five times this year. He topped 1,000 yards rushing on Saturday, with 1,011 through 10 games.
• Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea is a candidate for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach. He was one of 56 assistants nominated for it.
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