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Quick-Hitters & Video: Brian Kelly On Positive Tests, Injuries, More

Notre Dame announced Monday four players tested positive for COVID-19 between Tuesday and Friday of last week, and six others were placed into quarantine. None of them played against South Florida.

The team was administered 232 tests last week.

The ACC's 10-day isolation protocol will knock the four who tested positive out of practice this week. Those in quarantine due to contact tracing must stay there for 14 days and will miss the upcoming game at Wake Forest.

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Brian Kelly also met with reporters Monday and said safety Kyle Hamilton “looks pretty good.” He missed the 52-0 win over USF with an ankle issue suffered against Duke.

"The expectation there is he would start to ramp it up and get into some practice this week," Kelly said.

Wide receiver Bennett Skowronek did not play after sustaining a hamstring issue against Duke. He is "day-to-day" per Kelly.

“Skowronek ran today," Kelly said. "We’ll see where he is tomorrow. We’ll put him through some more football-related drill work that assimilates his route-running If he feels good and he’s not too sore after that, we’ll have a conversation with our trainers as to whether that dictates a next-level move, if he gets to look at some practice.”

Here are some other topics Kelly discussed.

On Jack Kiser Potentially Keeping The Buck Linebacker Job

“He could Wally Pipp some guys on offense as far as I’m concerned. It was fun to watch him. He’s a good player. We have a lot of good players that when given the opportunity, will Wally Pipp you. That’s a great thing. It’s a tribute to him and being prepared. His preparation is outstanding. We have some other guys like that too.”

On Building The Depth To Survive Losing Three Starters

“You look at in terms of what you do in the offseason. You come here with an expectation to play. Our players come here with an expectation they’ll compete. We make certain all of our players are prepared. Offseason, weight room, conditioning, we’re understanding all those guys make sure their numbers might be called.

"We hold a standard and develop a standard that requires all those players to be alert, be ready. There’s no coasting. You don’t take the year off and say, ‘All right, I’m not going to play.’”

On RB C’Bo Flemister’s 127-Yard Day

“He’s a hard runner. He’s difficult to tackle. He plays with very low pads. I haven’t done this yet, but I’d say his yards after first contact are as good as anyone we have. He’s a guy you have to wrap up. he has that high knee kick, low pads. I know our guys do not like to tackle him.”

On Protocols For Players In Quarantine And Isolation

“We have a protocols for when they can be released, and it has been in place since June. We’ll continue to utilize that when we have players in quarantine. Isolation is a little different. If you have tested positive, you have to go through a different procedure or protocol. You have to have an EKG and a number of different evaluations first before you can come back.”

“When they are able to test negative twice, they can begin a modified conditioning program. When they come after 14 days on their own, they have a modified quarantine workout program that gets them back and in shape.”

On His Potential Replacement If He Can’t Coach

"We have a succession plan in place for myself and each and every coach on the staff in terms of the responsibilities and the duties. Mine are not singular in terms of one coach taking over. There are different responsibilities. I’m not going to get into who that person is at this time. Hopefully we don’t have to. But we have it detailed out across the board at all positions.”

On Cam Hart Coming In Early For Nick McCloud At CB

“We wanted Cam to get many reps. He needs a lot of work out there. This was a great opportunity for him to get that work. He was coming off shoulder surgery last fall, didn’t have spring ball. Nick, he had been getting a lot of work. We thought it was a great opportunity to dial it back.”

On Wake Forest DE Carlos Basham

“We’ve seen great defensive ends before. This is another one you have to game-plan for. You have to make some decisions. Are you going to use a tight end to extend him out wider, give yourself a chance to get him outside the pocket? Do you chip him with a back? Do you double him?

"All these things have to be factored in. Do you run toward him or away from him? Do you option him? We’re not reinventing the wheel against a great player. We have to take all those things into consideration, and we have to block him one-on-one too.”

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