Transcript: Brian Kelly Post-Practice Press Conference
Today's football practice was at Notre Dame Stadium, which was open to season-ticket holders and university faculty and staff. After practice, head coach Brian Kelly spoke to members of the media on team injuries, the offensive line, the benefits of healthy competition amongst players and more.
On Paul Moala's injury:
Brian Kelly: "Moala had surgery on his thumb. He had a tendon injury, so we reattached that tendon. He should be able to start practicing, I would think, probably Tuesday or Wednesday."
On Michael Young's shoulder:
Kelly: "He landed on his shoulder. I didn't get any further information on him. They had him [off the field] for evaluation, and I didn't get further information."
On the offensive line:
Kelly: "It's a good offensive line — a good group. I think all five of them work well together. When Aaron Banks was home to see on the health of his dad, Trevor Ruhland stepped in and did a great job over the last couple of days — kinda like what we expected prior to his knee giving him trouble in the spring. So those five guys plus Trevor, plus Josh Lugg, who is a Swiss army knife for us, they give us some versatility. But that that group of five is a really good unit that plays well together."
On how left tackle Liam Eichenberg has done in fall camp:
Kelly: "He's been really solid. He's been tested. Hainsey has got most of the work against Julian [Okwara], but there's no day off for Liam with Khalid [Kareem]. I think what I liked about Liam more than anything else in this camp is that he's been steady and he's been consistent.
"I thought at times in the spring there were some ups and downs that were noticeable. Very rarely has it been noticeable — the days that haven't been his best. If he has a day that's not his best, it hasn't been noticeable. I know that doesn't sound like a glowing report, but when your best day is not noticeable, I think that's a really good thing for a left tackle."
On how Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones, Jr. Have looked at the running back position so far:
Kelly: "They are a load; they are a handful. You saw late in the scrimmage the way Jafar runs the football. He's a physical presence. As he gets more confident in what he does — one time he bounced out a play where he's got to take three yards sometimes as a victory. He tends to want a big play every time, but his ability to pass protect and catch the football mirrors what Tony Jones can do.
"Tony had an incredible play on a third-down situation, which we converted across the middle to Chris Finke, where he stepped up in A-gap against the blitzing linebacker, which is indicative of the kind of skill set that he has that's going to help us win football games. I know it doesn't sell subscriptions, but he does for coaches a lot of little things that help you win football games.
"Jafar obviously has a skill set that maybe has a brighter light to it at a times. But both of them together make for a really tandem."
On how Armstrong has done in his second offseason playing running back after transitioning from wide receiver:
Kelly: "It's a cleaner transition in the sense that he knows he's playing running back. We were kind of one foot in, one foot out. Where's he playing? So this is a full commitment to that position. [Running back coach Lance Taylor] has done a great job. He's in Lance's room every day. There's a relationship there that has been building. It's a totally different place than we were last year at this time."
On what Kelly has learned from watching cornerback Troy Pride, Jr. and wide receiver Chase Claypool battle each other in practice every day:
Kelly: "I think it can go one of two ways. One, it can get out of hand emotionally. On the other hand, it can be a union: let's not push each other.
"I think they have found a great balance of pushing each other but knowing where that line is. If they're in a vulnerable position in terms of their body, Troy will make sure that he holds Chase up and vice versa. It's a very healthy, competitive situation that we have going on between those two guys. And that has taken time, quite frankly. Those guys have had their ups and downs in terms of building that relationship, but there's now one built on respect as teammates and competitors that has allowed them both to grow as football players."
On how Kelly wants all players to compete against, respect and push each other:
Kelly: "That's where we want it to end up for everybody. Some of the younger players don't quite understand how to get there yet. They're trying to impress and sometimes they're on the ground and we don't like to see guys on the ground, especially in one-on-ones and seven-on-sevens. That can put us in vulnerable positions. So they're growing; they're understanding. Sometimes it requires us to remind them loudly to do so, but we're getting there. But that would be a great group [in Pride and Claypool] to keep an eye on."
On if Jonathan Doerer has gained separation in the kicking competition with freshman walk-on Harrison Leonard:
Kelly: "I think Jonathan has really been consistent in camp. He's done all the things that we've asked. I don't know that I've ever scripted this much kicking — purposely obviously, to test them and because we had some competition. I would say Jonathan has done a great job of stepping up and proving that he is going to take that job and win that job. We still have some more time, but I would say that he's put himself in a very good position.
"Harrison is very steady as well — a solid kicker. What I liked is today we had some consistency with two kickers hitting the ball and it seemed easy. That's a good place to be."
On if freshman punter Jay Bramblett will also be the holder on field goals:
Kelly: "Yes, he is."
On Shaun Crawford contributing at safety this season:
Kelly: "He's an active player. He's going to help us on special teams, at safety. You'll see him at corner and nickel. He's a guy that is around the ball. You see him when he's out there. He just finds the ball, he's around it and makes tackles. So we're gonna make sure he's on the field. He'll be the first guy in to give a blow at a number of those positions."
On cornerback Donte Vaughn's injury, which limited him in practice:
Kelly: "He's got a quad injury that has limited him in live contact situations: tackling and some of the speed stuff. He's getting close. I think we'll get him cleared probably on Monday or Tuesday of next week."
On if Paul Moala's injury will set him and the Rover position back:
Kelly: "No, he'll be back. You want a young guy to be in there as much [as possible], but Paul's a heady kid. He's locked in. He hasn't missed any meetings. It was an outpatient surgery, so once he's cleared, he'll be back in the mix. [Jack] Kiser has done a nice job in his absence and made a couple of nice plays today. Jack's a smart player too. He missed some time, but I wouldn't expect him to fall too far behind."