Top Storylines From Notre Dame’s First Spring Practice

Hurry up … and now wait.

Notre Dame opened spring drills without full pads and in shorts on a sunny Thursday morning (March 5) at the new Irish Athletics Center.

Now it won’t practice again until Tuesday, March 17, following spring break that runs from March 7-15.

Here were 10 main storylines:

• The lone starter from 2019 who will be sidelined this spring with an injury is senior left guard Aaron Banks, who is recovering from a foot fracture.

Thus, in the opening team drill, senior Josh Lugg was at left guard — and converted sophomore defensive tackle Hunter Spears was behind him.

Lugg started the final five games (and basically six) in 2019 at right tackle when an ankle injury sidelined Robert Hainsey.

Later in 11-on-11 work, Hainsey and fifth-year senior right guard Tommy Kraemer (knee injury in week seven at Michigan that shelved him) were taken out.

The No. 1 line then was comprised of Lugg at right tackle, junior John Dirksen at right guard, junior Jarrett Patterson at center, senior Colin Grunhard at left guard and fifth-year senior Liam Eichenberg at left tackle.

• Both junior linebackers Jack Lamb (hip) and Shayne Simon (surgery on dislocated patella ) are sidelined while recovering from their November injuries.

Lamb could be back by the end of this month, per head coach Brian Kelly, while Simon is expected to be ready for fall camp in August.

Thus, working at Buck linebacker, vacated by the graduated Asmar Bilal, were senior Jordan Genmark Heath and sophomore Marist Liufau.

• Two cornerbacks, sixth-year senior Shaun Crawford (hamstring) and sophomore Cam Hart (shoulder), also were monitored carefully while somewhat limited in drills, or as Kelly referred to it, an “aggressive shadow.”

That allowed sophomores Isaiah Rutherford and K.J. Wallace — who also did some drill work at safety — to see more action.

• Freshman early enrollee wide receiver Jay Brunelle is sidelined while recovering from clean-up work this winter on his shoulder.

• Also shelved with injuries, although in uniform and working out, were senior guard Dillan Gibbons and sophomore defensive tackle Howard Cross III.

• Junior wide receiver Joe Wilkins was not at practice while recovering from a strep throat, per Kelly, who also indicated that senior wideout Isaiah Robertson still is on scholarship with the program but tending to academic matters.

Enrolling this January as graduate transfers were wide receiver Ben Skowronek (Northwestern) and safety Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State).

Listed at 6-2 7/8, 224 pounds, Skowronek worked mainly behind junior Braden Lenzy at X receiver, while the 6-1½, 199-pound Pryor was behind junior Houston Griffith.

Per Kelly, Skowronek was at about 90 percent from an ankle injury that enabled him to take a medical redshirt last season with the Wildcats, where he was a team captain and had snared 110 career passes.

It’s so easy to forget that Griffith was Notre Dame’s top-rated recruit (No. 43 nationally) in 2017, and is now working at his pegged for safety spot after seeing time at nickel as a freshman and auditioning at boundary corner last spring. In one-and-one drills, Griffith had the most consistent success while guarding both tight ends and slot players.

The two most notable were senior Avery Davis moving from running back to slot receiver, while the aforementioned Spears shifted from defensive tackle to left guard.

Davis began his career at quarterback, moved to cornerback and ended up at running back last year, but was not a natural at hitting the holes. He was more effective working in space, which is what slot receiver allows him to do. Last year his six carries netted only 10 yards, but he did catch 10 passes for 124 yards and two scores.

Davis was the lone personnel move at running back, although rumors this winter indicated that a severe injury or imminent transfer also had or was occurring.

Spears changed his number from 90 to 70.

Cross-training also will be going on. We saw sophomore Liufau work at Buck linebacker but also take some reps at rover, likely for specific type of offenses that might be faced.

Sophomore cornerback Wallace also worked for a spell with the safeties.

Junior wideout Kevin Austin (6-2, 210), suspended from game action throughout the 2019 season, still was allowed to practice. It showed in this practice as there were no remnants of rust.

Austin and fellow boundary receiver, fifth-year senior Javon McKinley (6-2, 215), were standouts in the practice with their ball skills, specifically on 50-50 passes and adjusting and timing their moves right to the ball’s flight.

Many times the coverage was excellent, particularly by junior corner TaRiq Bracy, but the timing in their moves and how they positioned their bodies allowed them to get the ball, even with one hand on a couple of occasions.

Despite both Austin and Davis playing together on offense, both still are donning No. 4. That will eventually have to change.

The eight players who enrolled for the spring semester in January have been assigned their numbers, and here is how they check out height and weight wise:

10 — QB Drew Pyne: 5-11½, 194

11 — CB Ramon Henderson: 6-1 1/8, 182

17 — DE Jordan Botelho: 6-2½, 248

21 — CB Caleb Offord: 6-1, 184

21 — WR Xavier Watts: 5-11¾, 195

81 — WR Jay Brunelle: 6-1 1/8, 196

98 — DE Alexander Ehrensberger: 6-6 7/8, 247

99 — DT Rylie Mills: 6-5 1/8, 259

During warm-ups, the first line is generally comprised of the voices and leaders who will be heard, and also achieved a trust that has been earned among teammates.

In today’s drills, those 13 at the front were quarterback Ian Book, running back Mick Assaf (put on scholarship last December through at least the spring), tight end Brock Wright, offensive linemen Hainsey, Eichenberg and Kraemer, defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji, defensive tackle Kurt Hinish, linebacker Drew White, and cornerbacks Shaun Crawford and Bracy.

From that group will be your 2020 captains.

How refreshing it was to see a punting game inside without hitting the roof.

In the new Irish Athletics Center with a significantly raised roof from that of Meyo Field inside the old Loftus Center (Guglielmino Athletics Complex), sophomore punter Jay Bramblett displayed excellent hang time, which gave the return candidates better and more realistic fielding opportunities.

In line to replace the graduated Chris Finke on punt returns are junior wideouts Lawrence Keys and Austin, sophomore running back Kyren Williams, and cornerbacks Offord and Wallace.

The drills included catching the punt with one hand while holding a football in the other. Offord was the only one in that drills who mishandled two.

Field goal kicking was done outside, where we had no access.

Former Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks (2010-14) was in attendance at the practice, and Kelly noted afterwards that he could be hired in an analyst role on the staff once human resources aspects are cleared.

QB: Ian Book, Brendon Clark, Drew Pyne

RB: Jafar Armstrong, C'Bo Flemister, Jahmir Smith, Kyren Williams, Mick Assaf

Note: Avery Davis moved to slot.

W Receiver (Boundary): Kevin Austin, Javon McKinley, Micah Jones

X Receiver (Field): Braden Lenzy, Ben Skowronek, Xavier Watts

Z (Slot): Lawrence Keys, Avery Davis, Kendall Abdur-Rahman

TE: Brock Wright, Tommy Tremble, George Takacs

LT: Liam Eichenberg, Andrew Kristofic, Cole Mabrey

LG: Josh Lugg, Hunter Spears, Max Siegel

C: Jarrett Patterson, Zeke Correll, Colin Grunhard

RG: Tommy Kraemer, John Dirksen, John Olmstead

RT: Robert Hainsey, Quinn Carroll, Quinn Murphy

Notes: LG Aaron Banks is out this spring while recovering from foot fracture.

Vyper: Daelin Hayes, Ovie Oghoufo, Isaiah Foskey

Three-Technique: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Jayson Ademilola, Rylie Mills

Nose Tackle: Kurt Hinish, Jacob Jacey, Ja’Mion Franklin

Strongside: Ade Ogundeji, Justin Ademilola, Nana Osafo-Mensah

Note: Howard Cross is injured and will not be back until fall camp. Hayes did not participate in team/contact portions of practice, but he was with the first unit during drills.

Rover: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Paul Moala

Mike: Drew White, Bo Bauer, Osita Ekwonu, JD Bertrand

Buck: Jordan Genmark Heath, Marist Liufau, Jack Kiser

Note: Liufau cross-trained at rover during position group drills.

Boundary Corner: TaRiq Bracy, Cam Hart, Caleb Offord

Stud Safety: Houston Griffith, Isaiah Pryor, Litchfield Ajavon

Free Safety: Kyle Hamilton, DJ Brown

Field: Isaiah Rutherford, KJ Wallace, Ramon Henderson

Note: Shaun Crawford, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, did not participate in team or seven-on-seven drills. During that time, Rutherford was actually the second-team boundary corner with Hart to the field, and Wallace cross-trained at free safety.

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