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Notre Dame Foootball: Sophomores Who Will Be Counted On In 2017
Notre Dame football will need solid play from several underclassmen in 2017.
Johnny Williams, Kolin Hill, Mykelti Williams , Corey Holmes, Grant Blankenship, Jalen Guyton. Those are names of players that would be on Notre Dame football’s roster in 2017 if they hadn’t transferred.
Add the players who’ve left for the draft and you’d have a staggering number.
As a result, Notre Dame was forced to play many true freshman in 2016. With low numbers of upperclassmen, many true sophomores will be counted on heavily to produce in ’17.
Julian Love and Donte Vaughn both showed they were capable starters last year. Let’s have a look at 5 sophomores who need to step up in ’16.
Daelin Hayes
The Fighting Irish finished with an embarrassing 14 sacks last season. Yes, they were running an incredibly unfit scheme and their Defensive Coordinator was fired after a Week 3 loss to Duke, but they failed to get to the quarterback consistently. Period.
Daelin Hayes was coming off shoulder surgery and was stuck behind upperclassmen Andrew Trumbetti. The fact Trumbetti has only one sack in his career left fans angry that the talented freshman didn’t see the field more.
Hayes also excels in pass coverage as a defensive end, something he will do in exotic blitz scheme’s Elko likes to dial up. Hayes batted a ball in coverage over the middle against Michigan State which resulted in an interception.
Daelin Hayes is a very talented player. Andrew Trumbetti has a lot of starts under his belt but has yet to make an impact. Look for Hayes to take the most snaps at WDE this season. The Fighting Irish defense will be counting on him.
Khalid Kareem
Isaac Rochell is going to be missed this year. He has been the starter at strong side defensive end for the last two years. With his absence, there will be depth and talent issues in ’17.
Other than Kareem, there is Jon Bonner, who is more of an inside type role-player and freshman Jonathon MacCollister, who is far from ready to see the field.
Khalid Kareem was a force at his high school in Pontiac, Michigan. He had 34 sacks in his final two seasons combined. He was once an Alabama commit as well, which certainly tells you something.
Kareem was reportedly very out of shape last spring when he enrolled early and it carried into the season. Hopefully new Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Matt Balis, can whip him into shape and get him prepared to be the force he was at Harrison High School.
With Kareem’s 6’4, 270 pound frame and athletic pedigree, look for him to win the starting SDE position, showing Irish fans that the hype was real.
Chase Claypool
If you ask Notre Dame Football fans which sophomore they’re most excited about, they’ll likely say either Daelin Hayes or Chase Claypool.
Claypool showed his freak athleticism on Special Teams last years as well as in the limited snaps he got at receiver. He made some impressive catches and did well on a few jet sweeps.
Notre Dame will be looking for play makers for Chip Long’s high-flying offense and Claypool has the traits to be the guy. At 6’4.5, 222 pounds, he can dominate defenders physically but also has speed to beat defenses deep.
Look for Long to put Claypool in position to make big plays this year.
Jalen Elliot
Coach Mike Elko will be installing a 4-2-5 base defense. As a result, Drue Tranquill will more than likely be moving to the rover position. Jalen Elliot will have a good shot at the starting strong safety position.
Last season, with looming depth issues, Elliot saw the field often. Safety is a difficult position that isn’t typically held by freshman. Elliot was exploited in the pass game and showed poor angles in the run game.
He also had a few bad penalties at key times.That being said, he also showed flashes of great athleticism. He played quarterback in high school which has given him great intangibles. Good speed and strength was noticeable.
Elliot led his High School team offensively and defensively and is known to be a fierce competitor. Todd Lyght will have the off season to prepare him. He has the talent to become a good defensive back and his teammates will be counting on him.
Devin Studstill
Max Redfield was dismissed in August after being arrested for possession of an unliscensed handgun and marijuana. As a result, Devin Studstill was thrust into starting duties as an early enrollee red-shirt freshman.
Studstill did an adequate job in coverage but was burned at times. He showed that he needs to work on his strength to take down ball carriers. Studstill also needs to work on taking better angles in pursuit and how to shed blocks. He wasn’t very effective in run support.
This season, Studstill will likely be the clear-cut starter. There aren’t many candidates at free safety other than him plus he has a full season of starting experience under his belt.
Mike Elko’s scheme will certainly adjust Studstill’s responsibilities in ’17. Look for the Florida native to show up to Temple bigger, stronger and more prepared.
Many College Football players make their biggest jump in the off season between their freshman and sophomore seasons. The Fighting Irish will need strong performances from these athletes in ’17 if they want to make a run at the College Football Playoff.
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