Quick Hitters: Brian Kelly April 29 Press Conference
Notre Dame is just a few days away from the Blue-Gold Game. On Thursday, the Irish held the 14th of their 15 spring practices, and head coach Brian Kelly spoke with reporters afterward via Zoom.
Here are some of the topics he addressed.
On Using The Blue-Gold Game To Evaluate Players
"I think we've taken the time to balance the roster. We're going to play a game, Blue versus Gold. So I think I'm more interested in putting guys in competitive situations, getting an opportunity to see some guys that we believe that we need to count on in the fall.
"I thought it was important that we put them in a team-like atmosphere and play the game. Now there are some guys that, obviously, we've got a good feeling for and you'll see very little of them.
"I think it's very strategic, but the emphasis here is getting into a competitive situation, putting some of these key players in a game-like situation, so we can see how they handle themselves for the first time in a more expansive role."
On QB Tyler Buchner
"I also think that in this game, we're going to probably let Tyler Buchner, in the first half, not have a red jersey on. He hasn't played in a year. We're going to use the first half to allow him to really be part of this game without a red jersey. If he's in there, we'll see a little bit of his escape-ability."
On LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Developing Into A Likely First-Round Pick
"Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, what we thought we had with him, immediately, was somebody that was going to be a playmaker on defense. We saw a guy that closed on the ball, had really good instincts. You just didn't know when that would occur, and then it happened early in his career because he played so explosively. I just think we were all pretty excited about an elite athlete, and it was just going to be a matter of time when he picked up on things.
"I think quite frankly, we adapted to him and did a really good job of adapting to his skill set, which we should, right? When you get a player of that capability and that ability, it needs to show itself. We did a pretty good job of putting the defense together and not making it so he couldn't get on the field early.
"[His coaches are] going to love him because he's a tool that you can use in many different situations in the NFL."
On The Process Of Naming A Starting QB
"The naming of a quarterback is really a year-to-year process when we're talking about not having an incumbent. When there's an incumbent, there are no questions, right? It's when you don't have the incumbent, is it better to name it after the spring?
"I've always felt like when it's clearly in the best interests of the team and morale and it can influence you moving forward, you should probably name the quarterback. I don't know that we're in that position right now because we're getting really good leadership from those guys.
"I don't feel like that's going to move the needle in the locker room at all at this point. I kind of like the competition that continues to go.
"It's really spirited, and I think I'm leaning towards making that decision in camp when we come in, more so than maybe establishing that sometime after the spring. It's those factors that go into making those kinds of decisions."
On Safeties Houston Griffith And DJ Brown
"As it relates to DJ [Brown] and Houston [Griffith], we came into the spring, and I know in my mind in particular, not knowing. They hadn't played a lot of football and [we] had some questions.
"I don't have any questions about either one of these guys and their ability to do the job that we're asking them to do.
"I've named captains for the Blue and the Gold, and the captains are Shayne Simon and Houston Griffith. It's based upon the work that they've done over the past four weeks as ‘SWAT team’ members. Both of them accumulated more points than anybody on either roster, so I wanted to award them accordingly.
"Houston has done it in the weight room. He's done it in spring ball. He solidified his position. What I like about DJ is he's playing within himself, he is playing to his strengths. With Kyle [Hamilton] coming back, to have those three guys and in a solid position and now working towards that fourth. that's a pretty good feeling after the spring."
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