Quick-hitters: Brian Kelly on Jack Coan’s debut, travel plans for opener
Notre Dame leaves for Tallahassee in two days.
Like last year, the time spent on the road will be as abbreviated as possible, head coach Brian Kelly said. The Irish will depart for their Sunday night opener at Florida State (7:30 p.m., ABC) on Saturday evening and return early Monday morning.
Kelly dove further into the travel plans and other topics about the game in his last media availability before the Irish play the Seminoles. Here are some highlights.
On travel logistics
“Our flight is at 5:45 p.m. We’ll do all of our work here. We’ll do all our Friday meetings, mass, pregame meal — all of that will take place on campus. We’ll board the plane, get into Tallahassee, get to the hotel, get a snack. They’ll meet with their families, we’ll have player visitation, and then they’re in bed. That’s the duration we want our guys to have in the hotel. Very low-touch when we get to the sites. That’ll be the case for the year."
On the travel roster
“We’re taking 80 on this trip. We normally take between 65 and 70. The reason for that is the environment they’re going into. We want them to get that experience, that feel of being on the road, the routine of being on the road.
“Most of these guys don’t stick around for more than four years. They’re getting their degree, they’re going on to the NFL or moving on to other opportunities. Let’s get these guys an opportunity to see what it feels like in their true freshman year, because they’ll probably be playing for us the next year."
On expectations for quarterback Jack Coan’s first start
“Poise would be the first one. Decisive. We’re not starting a freshman. We’re starting a guy who has played this game. We want him to be poised and decisive. He has been in this. He has seen it. He knows what it looks like. To be decisive, you have to be confident in your ability. We know Jack is. Go be decisive.
"One of the things we were looking for in the quarterback position is to be aggressive. If you have opportunities to push the ball down the field, let’s go. Those are things we’ve talked with Jack about. He has given us those. Now we have to go do it on Sunday."
On freshman offensive tackle Blake Fisher
“It’s rare not only at Notre Dame, but anywhere in the country, to be able to start as a true freshman on the offensive line. It requires more than just physical ability. You have to be able to handle all the things that happen quickly — blitzes, stunts, movement, recognition. To put all that together at the left tackle position is extraordinary.”
“He should thank his mom and dad. He has great genes. They brought up an extremely gifted young man with great DNA. His parents are great parents. He’s so grounded, humble and works his tail off every day.”
On playing a standalone game on Sunday night
“Our schedule — it’s a mix of ACC games and our natural rivalry games — plus we want to bring some Big Ten games in there and play at different geographical sites throughout the country. That entices student-athletes to look at our schedule. That’s where we get a bit of a bump. Playing on Sunday night, the only game being played on national television, is a bump for us. Those are the things we look for in scheduling.
“We won’t have the off day. We had to put in for waiver to get that. Our guys are going to get back at 4 a.m. on Monday and we’re going to have to turn it right around and get ready for one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference in Toledo.”
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