Notre Dame football practice observations, Dec. 12
Notre Dame lifted the curtain on its bowl preparation and allowed reporters to watch the first 40 minutes of Sunday’s practice.
BlueandGold.com was in attendance and has some observations from the viewing period, which consisted of stretching, warmups, a brief one-on-one competition and position drills.
*** This was the first practice where we could see Marcus Freeman up close and in action as a head coach. The takeaway? He operated exactly like he did during open practice in August when he was still the defensive coordinator.
What does that look like? He’s constantly moving around and interacting with players. During stretching, he was going up and down each stretching line dapping up players and greeting them. Even the offensive players. Just like he did in the spring. This is a first-hand look at the kind of infectious energy and outgoing personality you hear about.
*** Freshman offensive tackle Blake Fisher was in full pads and practicing. He has not played since suffering a meniscus injury in the season opener. He was wearing a brace, but he didn’t look restricted in his movements during the portion we watched. Freeman said it’s too early to know if he will be 100 percent cleared for the Fiesta Bowl.
*** Offensive line coach Jeff Quinn was his usual vocal self. His loud, raspy voice was impossible to miss during position drills. He is not a lock to return to his position next year, but he’s coaching through the bowl game and operated business as usual.
*** After stretching, the team began practice with the “opener” – a new component Freeman put in just this weekend. It’s an offense vs. defense drill. Sunday, it was defensive backs vs. wide receivers and tight ends one-on-ones. There were only about five or six in total. The defense won for the second straight day. Saturday was offensive line vs. defensive line one-on-ones.
*** Running back C’Bo Flemister wasn’t dressed in uniform. Neither was safety Ramon Henderson (hamstring). Freeman expects him to be ready for the Fiesta Bowl.
*** Recent NFL Draft entrants Kyren Williams and Kyle Hamilton, who will not play in the Fiesta Bowl, were not present. Freeman, though, said they would be welcomed to watch and will be allowed on the sidelines for the Fiesta Bowl if they want to attend.
“I told them, ‘Absolutely,’” Freeman said afterward. “When you decide to go pro, you’re really saying, ‘I’m moving on and becoming a former player.’ If a former player wants to come to a game, absolutely, we’ll allow it. We love those guys and what they’ve done for our program.
“We have to continue to get this current team ready to beat Oklahoma State, but if those guys want to come to the game, they know they’re more than welcome.”
*** Outside of one dropped pass, freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles looked really good in one-on-ones. Defensive backs were not able to guard him on crossing routes over the middle. Styles was even wide open on the play in which he dropped the pass.
*** Senior wide receiver Braden Lenzy was noticeably a step or two ahead of defensive backs too. He was effective on one-on-ones toward the boundary. Lenzy is coming off one of his best performances of the season with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown against Stanford. He could build on that in the Fiesta Bowl with more productive postseason practices.
*** It was business as usual for the quarterbacks. Graduate senior Jack Coan had the lion's share of one-on-one and routes on air reps with freshman Tyler Buchner and sophomore Drew Pyne splitting time behind him. The competition between Buchner and Pyne should really heat up after the new year.
*** There were a few recruits scattered around the building, putting a bow on an eventful recruiting weekend for Freeman and company ahead of Wednesday's opening of the early signing period. The big screen inside the Irish Athletic Center displayed a montage of highlights from Notre Dame's 11-1 regular season.
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