Notre Dame Pre-Spring Superlatives On Offense
Upgrading the star power and production at the skill positions on offense and at cornerback on defense are deemed the next areas where Notre Dame must elevate to move from top 7-15 level to more consistent top tier standing.
This is especially evident when previewing the offense this spring and assessing who will pick up the slack as runners and receivers.
MOST CAREER RUSHING YARDS
1. Ian Book 1,033 —Only the fifth quarterback in Notre Dame history to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground, joining Tony Rice, Tom Clements, Joe Theismann and Brandon Wimbush.
His 546 yards last season (4.9 yards per carry) were the second best on the team, behind the graduated Tony Jones Jr.
2. Jafar Armstrong 505 — Former receiver has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons, so durability is the prime concern. The robust 6-1, 220-pound figure also had to adjust his pad level as a runner and reading holes.
Armstrong rushed for 383 yards and 5.3 yards per carry in 2018 as a sophomore, took on the lead role last spring, but after an injury on the opening series of the season he finished with merely 122 yards rushing and 2.7 yards per carry.
3. Jahmir Smith 208 —Never quite asserted a complementary role behind Jones last season as a sophomore after Armstrong’s injury, with his 180 yards averaging 4.3 yards.
This will be a crucial spring for both he and classmate C’Bo Flemister to come more to the forefront
4. Braden Lenzy 200 — As a sophomore wide receiver last season, Lenzy helped compensate for the lack of speed on the edge with 13 jet sweeps that averaged 15.4 yards, highlighted by 51- and 61-yard scoring runs versus USC and Boston College, respectively.
5. C’Bo Flemister 162 —Had his moments as a sophomore in 2019, notably rushing for five touchdowns (second to Jones’ six), but averaged only 3.4 yards per rush.
Like classmate Smith, can he win enough trust from the staff to be more than a niche back?
6. Lawrence Keys III 45 — Like classmate and fellow wideout Lenzy, the slot man was used on jet sweeps and averaged a healthy 7.5 yards per attempt.
7. Avery Davis 10 — Former quarterback and cornerback had an audition at running back too, but his six carries managed on 10 yards. The better production for the speedster came at receiver (10 catches, 124 yards, two scores).
With 5-9, 205-pound scat back Kyren Williams (four carries, 26 yards) redshirted last season as a freshman and incoming top-100 freshman speed merchant Chris Tyree enrolling in June, the competition for carries is going to be stiff.
MOST CAREER PASSING YARDS
1. Ian Book, 6,118 — If Book stays healthy, only Brady Quinn’s 11,762 yards through the air would be the most ever at Notre Dame.
But this is not about raw numbers. Book finished 24th nationally in passing efficiency in 2019 (149.1 rating, down from a year earlier), and he needs to be in the top 10 for the Fighting Irish to be a Playoff contender, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
The only other pass by a returning quarterback was a 22-yard screen for a touchdown from freshman Brendon Clark to Lenzy during the 66-14 blowout of New Mexico.
MOST CAREER CATCHES
1. Jafar Armstrong 27 — He nabbed 14 for 159 as a sophomore and 13 for 97 last season. Receiving comes natural to him, as it should.
2. Tommy Tremble, 16 — Utilized often in two-tight end sets with Cole Kmet, who turned pro this winter and skipped his senior season, his four touchdown catches are twice as more than anyone else.
3. Lawrence Keys III 13 — Now a junior and with Chris Finke graduated, the position is his for the taking this spring.
4t. Braden Lenzy, 11 — His vertical speed and elusiveness was demonstrated with a 23.1 average per catch, two of them resulting in scores.
4t. Javon McKinley, 11 — As a senior last year he grabbed his first career catches and made the most of them with four scores and 24.4 yards per reception, although all were in either blowout situations (positive and negative). There is still some murkiness on whether he will be granted a fifth season.
The aforementioned running back Davis also reached double-digit catches last year, while tight ends Brock Wright and George Takacs snared a scoring pass in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The ultimate X-factor on offense is rising junior Kevin Austin, who caught five passes for 90 yards as a freshman but last season was able to only practice with the team but not play because of an imposed suspension.
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