Notre Dame's one positive COVID-19 test announced earlier this week is not a player on the depth chart, Brian Kelly said. Neither is the one player in quarantine after being identified as a close contact.
As of now, the Irish will have their full starting lineup for Saturday's game at Pittsburgh (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Wide receiver and primary punt returner Lawrence Keys III has cleared the concussion protocol and will travel to Pitt. He was the only notable injury absence from last week's win over Louisville. Backup tackle Josh Lugg has an ankle injury and will not play at Pitt.
Here are some other topics Kelly addressed in his Thursday press conference.
On Running Back Jahmir Smith's Decision To Step Away From Football To Improve His Mental Health
“Mental health has been an issue in my 30 years of coaching. It’s just today become, I don’t know if it’s ever easy to talk about, but it doesn’t have a connotation of weakness. Jahmir is the opposite of weak. He’s a strong, young man and I love Jahmir for his courage as much as anything else.
"It connotated weakness, and that’s so far from the truth, especially as it relates to Jahmir. That has always been a concern when you’re playing a competitive game and one where there are so many pressures to live up to expectations, whether they be your own or others, at a national institution.”
On Preparing For Two Pitt Quarterback Possibilities
“Mark Whipple is the key here. You’re preparing for his style of offense as an offensive coordinator and what he likes to do. Going back to when he was (the head coach) at UMass and we played him at UMass (in 2015), we have a good sense of what they like to do and what he likes to do as an offensive coordinator regardless of who the quarterback is.”
On Practice This Week
“We’re really figuring out a lot about how to take our preparation and our process and apply it to the game. Our guys really do a good job of preparing. We probably lacked a little bit of the intensity necessary last week. That has been the focus this week in terms of practice. It has been picking up the intensity level in everything we do and that attention to detail.
"We didn’t have that attention to detail in certain areas, particularly in the red zone, to be effective and the intensity to put our opponent away. That’s about learning how to compete at the highest level. Our guys are learning about that. Even though they’re veteran players, each year is a new year. They’re understanding that as we go into playing on the road for the first time.”
On Why Right Tackle Robert Hainsey Became A Four-Year Starter
“He was well-coached in high school and he came in with a high level of technical ability. He was never out of place in a sense that he didn’t need a ton of work to be ready from a technical standpoint. And he was a really good athlete for his size.
“When you combine those two, he was not a guy who was overweight and we needed to reshape his body. He was fit, he was athletic and really technically sound. He [also] had a high football IQ.”
On The Extra Year Of Eligibility Given To All Players This Season
“2022 affects the numbers. The NCAA is going to allow you to play over that (85-scholarship) number in 2021. In other words, if some decide to come back, the university has the option to fund those scholarships. But you have to make it right in 2022. Those numbers have to be balanced out. We’re looking ahead to manage those numbers.
"A lot of our work is internal. You’re not going to be able to figure out what that looks like from the outside in, because a lot of that has to do with conversations internally about how we manage this. I know that sounds like jumbo talk, but it’s really about conversations that have to be had within these walls about what 2022 looks like with guys who are currently on the roster. I think you know what I mean.”
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