Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly admitted Saturday after the Irish's first fall camp practice that this time every year the coaches become as excited as the players getting back to work, so perhaps the attention to detail when building and sticking to a practice plan can slip a bit.
Kelly pointed to slowed and tired players toward the end of the first practice as one example of perhaps the coaches not building the best workout for day one.
“Maybe we needed to do a little bit better of a job today in managing practice. I think we pushed our guys pretty hard today,” Kelly said immediately after the players cleared the field. “There was a bit of fatigue at the end of practice so I think we have to do a little bit better job as coaches, and then our players have to adjust as well, right.”
That said, Kelly explained his satisfaction with what he saw in many other areas of the first practice. The players weren’t in full pads, but for the first time since spring ball, they worked in helmets and with the extra weight of Spider Pads.
“I really liked the way they went about practice,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t about winning the drill, being relative to production, it was much more about, ‘How was my technique, did I execute it the right way?’ And so their mindset was excellent that way.
“We got enough veterans out here that they understand how to practice and then our player-led practices through the summer were obviously effective in terms of them understanding.”
When asked in the spring to evaluate his team, Kelly said it was “good” but still needed to become “great.” Kelly laughed off a subsequent question about reaching greatness. He explained the past few months were about physical conditioning and team bonding first and building greatness second, especially after losing so many key pieces from last year’s team.
“Last year, I had veterans. A bomb could’ve went off, and that group, it wouldn’t have bothered them,” Kelly said. “This team needed be together this summer and they came together. Now it’s about building this football team from a technical standpoint, and from a tactical standpoint, and a mental standpoint so when we get to Florida State and they start doing ‘the chop,’ we don’t run for the exit. So we got some work to do over the next 24 days.”
Liking The Leaders
It was obvious Saturday which players Kelly is looking at to lead his team.
A group of 12 Irish — including 10 seniors — led the team through calisthenics and stretching drills to start practice.
That leadership line was made up of seniors Avery Davis, Drew White, Kurt Hinish, Jonathan Doerer, Shayne Simon, Josh Lugg, Jay Bramblett, Jarrett Patterson, Bo Bauer and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, along with juniors Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams.
Graduate senior quarterback Jack Coan and senior safety Houston Griffith were not part of that group but Kelly also mentioned those veterans as two other players the Irish coaches put in leadership roles.
“I think I can confidently say it is the deepest group of leaders that I’ve had here,” said Kelly, who will unveil his team captains on Monday.
When asked about the kind of leadership style Coan brings, Kelly raved about his projected opening-day starter. He said Notre Dame didn't seek Coan from the transfer portal so he could support the quarterbacks already on the Irish roster.
Kelly is expecting Coan's experience to carry into fall camp and the regular season.
"We didn't take him because he didn't play before," Kelly said. "We took him because he had battle-tested experience in the Big 10 and a very good program, and quite frankly one we respect in Wisconsin and Coach (Paul) Chryst and what they do."
COVID Matters
A breakout of COVID-19 last September closed campus, put 45 Irish players in some form of isolation or quarantine protocol and shut the entire football program down for about two weeks.
And while no such unfortunate repeat event is expected this fall, the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta Variant has Kelly and the entire football program on alert if precautions and safeguards are eventually needed again.
Notre Dame is requiring all of its students to either be vaccinated or go through an exception process in order to remain unvaccinated, and Kelly said that 95% of his players are already vaccinated.
“Because of that, we’re in a good position to not require our guys in workouts to wear masks, or when we are eating,” Kelly said. “But if things change, then we’re prepared certainly to do that.”
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