Notre Dame Spring Preview & Superlatives
Spring practice starts this week with two introductory sessions on Tuesday (March 6) and Thursday (March 8) before the school and team go on spring semester break from March 9-18.
Practice then will not resume until Tuesday, March 20 before concluding with the annual Blue-Gold Game on Saturday, April 21.
Overall, Notre Dame returns 10 of 11 starters on defense and what we will refer to as six of 11 on offense.
That group on offense that took “starter snaps” for the year is quarterback Brandon Wimbush, wide receiver Chase Claypool, center Sam Mustipher, right guard Alex Bars, and the 2017 co-starting right tackle tandem of Robert Hainsey (489 snaps) and Tommy Kraemer (484 snaps), one of whom is likely to switch to a new position in 2018.
The 65 career starts returning along the offensive line (52 by Bars and Mustipher) are surprisingly close to the 75 from 2017.
On defense, the returning starters are ends Jay Hayes and Daelin Hayes (no relation), tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, linebackers Te’von Coney and Drue Traquill, safeties Nick Coleman and Jalen Elliott, and cornerbacks Julian Love and/or Nick Watkins/Troy Pride Jr.
On special teams, kicker Justin Yoon and punter Tyler Newsome have started each of the past three seasons, while long snapper John Shannon begins the second of what is projected to be a four-year starting career.
Here is the breakdown of most career starts, with the number in parentheses indicating the number of starts last year.
Most Career Starts Offense
OG Alex Bars — 27 (13)
C Sam Mustipher — 25 (13)
QB Brandon Wimbush 12 (12)
TE Alizé Mack — 11 (6)
WR Chase Claypool — 8 (8)
OT Tommy Kraemer — 10 (10)
TE Nic Weishar — 4 (1)
OT Robert Hainsey 3 (3)
RB Tony Jones — 1 (1)
QB Ian Book — 1 (1)
WR Miles Boykin 1 (1)
WR Chris Finke 1 (1)
Most Career Starts Defense
S Drue Tranquill — 29 (13)
DL Jerry Tillery — 28 (13)
CB Julian Love — 21 (13)
LB Te’von Coney — 16 (7)
DL Jonathan Bonner — 14 (13)
CB Nick Coleman — 14 (12)
DE Jay Hayes — 13 (13)
S Jalen Elliott — 13 (13)
DE Daelin Hayes — 12 (12)
CB Nick Watkins — 10 (9)
S Devin Studstill — 9 (0)
CB Troy Pride — 7 (4)
CB Donte Vaughn — 4 (0)
CB Shaun Crawford — 3 (1)
Most Career Rushing Yards
1. Brandon Wimbush, 899 yards — His 803 yards on the ground last year at a stellar 5.7 yards per clip were second most ever among Irish quarterbacks, behind Tony Rice’s 934 in 1989.
2. Dexter Williams, 641 — The numbers improved from 81 as a freshman, to 200 as a sophomore and 360 last year — but can he be a lead back who can carry at least 10 times a game while also being assignment conscious?
3. Tony Jones Jr., 232 — Saw his first career action last season while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
4. Ian Book, 207 — Some nifty footwork in the Citrus Bowl from the sophomore quarterback aided the comeback win.
Most Career Passing Yards
1. Brandon Wimbush, 1,887 — 1,870 came last year, but among 110 Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks who qualified with enough pass attempts, he finished 86th in efficiency with a 121.4 rating.
2. Ian Book, 456 — His 14-of-19 effort for 164 yards with two fourth-quarter TD passes in the 21-17 Citrus Bowl victory make him a worthy candidate to challenge for the starting role.
Most Career Catches
1. Chase Claypool, 34 — Began to bloom some as a sophomore last season with 29 receptions for 402 yards, but December shoulder surgery might limit him this spring.
2. Alizé Mack, 32 — Enigmatic tight end has NFL potential and made several huge plays as a 2015 freshman before becoming ineligible in 2016 and going through an inconsistent 2017.
3. Miles Boykin, 18 — Can he build on his MVP performance in the Citrus Bowl after having mainly been in the background?
4. Chris Finke, 16 — Former walk-on also is the top punt return man.
5. Nic Weishar, 15 — Caught two scoring passes last year at tight end and has returned for a fifth season.
6. Michael Young, 4 — As a freshman, he snared a six-yard touchdown from Book during the dramatic Citrus Bowl rally.
Most Career Tackles
1. Drue Tranquill, 206 — The fifth-year senior captain’s 85 stops last year (10.5 for loss) at rover were third most on the team, and he will move to Buck this spring, per the coaching staff.
2. Te’von Coney, 191 — Paced the unit in stops last season with 116, with a team-high 13 behind the line of scrimmage. Seriously contemplated turning pro before returning as the projected Mike linebacker.
3. Julian Love, 113 — Combines unique blend of tackling and coverage skills as one of the nation’s top returning cornerbacks.
4. Jerry Tillery, 105 — Also nearly turned pro, and he will shift to three-technique where his playmaking skills are expected to be highlighted more than at nose tackle. His 5.5 career sacks are the most on the roster.
5. Nick Coleman, 66 — Senior safety could be challenged for starting spot by now eligible Navy transfer Alohi Gilman.
6. Jalen Elliott, 57 — Started all 13 games at safety last year and, like Coleman, will face more competition this season.
7. Devin Studstill, 56 — Started nine games at safety as a 2016 freshman before the combination of Coleman and Elliott moved ahead of him.
8. Jonathan Bonner, 44 — Opted to return for fifth season along the line after originally planning otherwise, and will line up at nose tackle.
9. Daelin Hayes, 41— Started all 13 games at drop end and is the lone Rivals five-star recruit on the roster after the graduation of guard Quenton Nelson.
10. Jay Hayes 39 — Started all 13 games at strongside end and joins Bonner as a fifth-year figure this season who started every game in 2017.
Most Career Interceptions
Cornerback Love had three of his four last season, returning two for scores (and nearly the third as well). He also set a single-season school record for passes broken up (20) and defended (23).
Linebacker Tranquill and nickel Shaun Crawford have three interceptions apiece.
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