Quick-hitters: Brian Kelly on Purdue, Jordan Botelho, quarterbacks
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly spoke with reporters via Zoom Thursday for the final time before the No. 12 Irish (2-0) host Purdue (2-0) on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
Here are some of the topics he addressed.
On Purdue All-Big Ten wide receiver David Bell
“He creates issues. If you play him man-to-man, his runs after the catch are deadly. You have to employ a variety of looks. You have to be in some bracket coverage. You have to be in some trail coverage. You have to be able to play some robber. It really stresses what you do relative to your normal coverages. If you just played him in man, you’re going to be in a difficult position.”
On Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer
“He’s extremely accurate. That’s probably the most challenging part. He knows where to go with the football. He has two outstanding weapons. He keeps plays alive. He doesn’t take sacks and gets rid of the football. More than anything, you have a pro-style quarterback who doesn’t make big mistakes. He doesn’t turn the ball over, doesn’t take negative plays.”
On Notre Dame quarterbacks’ practice reps
“All three are getting reps. Jack [Coan] continues to be the starter, so he’s getting the bulk of the reps. We’ll continue to grow the package for Tyler [Buchner] as it relates to what his skill set is. That’ll continue to grow. And Drew [Pyne] needs to get those reps to keep him sharp. It’s a management of those three. We feel comfortable with it. We don’t feel like we’re shorting anyone in one particular area.”
On recruiting linebacker Jack Kiser, who has a lot of Purdue connections
“We took the helicopter down to see Kiser. … It was a quick trip down. Just to have that kind of player in this geographical area, you want to make sure you’re making them feel it. Getting on a helicopter, making our presence known in the area was a part of our process and wanting him to feel special and how much we wanted him to come to Notre Dame. Obviously, a great player, but such a great fit — great student.”
On defensive end Jordan Botelho, who is available this week
“Jordan can help us at the vyper position. He brings pass-rush ability. He brings third-down depth for us with rushing the passer. We were a little thin there. That’s going to be really welcomed to our unit."
On rover Xavier Watts and his transition from WR
“We thought we could get him in the game [against Toledo] in a limited role. We were still in a position where we needed to play a multiple-call defense, and he wasn’t ready to do that. We’re getting him closer to that. We expect him to contribute for us this year on the defensive side of the ball.”
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @tbhorka and @ToddBurlage.
• Like us on Facebook.