Kizer and Zaire both land on Maxwell watch list

Kelly (finally) reveals complex play-calling system

Getty

By Keith ArnoldJul 5, 2016, 12:56 PM EDT

Who called plays last year for Notre Dame? Brian Kelly finally expanded on a subject that he didn’t much want to tackle last season.

Talking with the South Bend Tribune’s Eric Hansen, Kelly talked about the three-headed system that included not just the head coach’s voice, but Mike Denbrock and Mike Sanford.

(There’s plenty more to dig into from the interview, a snippet from the annual preview magazine the Trib releases every summer.)

Here’s Kelly’s explanation on his play-calling system, where he acknowledged that Denbrock is the actual voice calling the plays.

“You have to understand the way I wanted it set up this year. We pretty much had openers, down-and-distance calls that Mike Denbrock and Mike Sanford shared during the week.

“In other words, they crafted and scripted the offense together. I would get asked all the time, ‘Who’s calling the plays?’ They’re really talking on every play.

“And I put Mike Sanford in the box, up top, because he could be the eyes for Mike Denbrock on every down. And they shared in that responsibility. But in actuality giving the play out, Mike Denbrock was giving every single play out.

“Yet if you took Sanford out of the mix, it would be a different dynamic. And if you took Denbrock out of the mix, it would be a different dynamic. I couldn’t tell you who would be calling the plays if they weren’t working together.

“There has to be both of those guys working together, but Mike Denbrock was physically calling the plays.”

There’s been reporting all the way back to the bowl victory over LSU that Denbrock had been the team’s play-caller. But as we see in this explanation, it’s a distinction that probably carries more weight among fans and reporters than it does inside the football program.

While most of us aren’t lip-readers, Kelly also seems very involved with the mechanism of signaling in the play call—from head coach to red army to quarterback. With three voices involved in a constant offensive dialogue—Sanford from the press box and Kelly and Denbrock from the sideline—there’s a balance that the Irish staff clearly got right in this process, a credit to the working relationship (and trust) involved in a coaching structure that had many people wondering if there were too many cooks in the kitchen.

Irish A-to-Z: Corey Holmes

Property of Matt Cashore / Irish Illustrated

Leave a comment

By Keith ArnoldJul 5, 2016, 11:41 AM EDT

Two mostly anonymous seasons gave way to a breakthrough spring for Corey Holmes. Triggering that rise? A blazing 40-yard dash that forced eyes to open on an Irish coaching staff looking to replace speedster Will Fuller and starters Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle.

Now the key is to carry that momentum into the fall. With positional versatility helpful, Holmes now needs to find a niche in the system—a home for him to utilize a skill-set that never seemed to be in question.

With young receivers surrounding him and no true experience to be found at the position, Homes is in perfect position to break loose in 2016.

COREY HOLMES
6′.5″, 190 lbs.
Junior, No. 15, WR

RECRUITING PROFILE

Injuries slowed Holmes during his career at St. Thomas Aquinas, the powerhouse Florida program. But it didn’t stop colleges from chasing him.

The four-star prospect had offers from Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma and many more. He was also an Under Armour All-American.

PLAYING CAREER

Freshman Season (2014): Saw action against Rice and Michigan before spending the majority of the season on the scout team.

Sophomore Season (2015): Did not play, preserving a year of eligibility.

WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR

Feel pretty good about this, considering nobody saw a redshirt coming. The idea of Holmes in the slot seems to be something being explored right now—as well as the deep-ball specialist.

Too many receivers, not enough footballs. I’m putting Holmes into the group that might be able to serve as the “designated deep threat,” and pretty much think 10 catches on the season would make a productive year.

That number could go up if he’s capable of serving as a Z receiver. The slot seems to be the only place—unless injuries strike—where Holmes could carve out a niche, but that would mean that CJ Prosise made a full transition to running back and Carlisle lets injuries get in the way of his final season in South Bend.

While no player wants to hear it, last season’s redshirt was the best thing to happen to Holmes, especially considering the logjam. Because if both Will Fuller and Corey Robinson stick around, it might be 2016 until Holmes has a chance to step forward.

FUTURE POTENTIAL

At his best, Holmes could turn into a TJ Jones type—an undersized, smooth receiver who can also get behind a secondary. But that’ll necessitate taking a big step forward in 2016, the year where he’ll have his best chance to stand out before a group of young and talented receivers find their footing.

Holmes’ lack of size and physicality has to be a limiting factor. You can work around that when you have speed like Will Fuller. But even if Holmes ran a 4.39 this spring, Fuller ran faster than that before you considered the fact that played even faster in cleats.

To be clear, a Jones-like ceiling would be a great career for a receiver who enters his third season in the program without a catch. The sophomore redshirt was crucial to preserving his development timeline. Now a big third season is equally important.

CRYSTAL BALL

Can Holmes be the breakout star in this offense? He has as good of a chance as anybody. But I’m hesitant to buy in completely to Holmes taking his big spring and bringing that onto the field. I think Holmes is destined to be a specialty guy, the type of over-the-top deep threat that he’s uniquely qualified to be.

Opportunity is there, especially in the slot if CJ Sanders‘ recovery takes more time than the staff wants. But I don’t see Holmes skills playing best inside, but rather on the wide side of the field. That means he’ll need to beat out a talented young player like Equanimeous St. Brown for reps, not necessarily an easy thing.

Maybe a Jones comparison here makes sense. In his second season of eligibility, Jones had 38 catches for 366 yards and three touchdowns. I don’t think Holmes will get 40 targets, let alone catches. But if he averages 15 yards a catch (a big number that would mean he’d be getting mostly downfield targets), he could be an impact player if he made 20 catches. I think that’d qualify as an excellent season.

2016’s Irish A-to-Z
Josh Adams
Josh Barajas
Alex Bars
Asmar Bilal
Hunter Bivin
Grant Blankenship
Jonathan Bonner
Ian Book
Parker Boudreaux
Miles Boykin
Justin Brent
Devin Butler
Jimmy Byrne
Daniel Cage
Chase Claypool
Nick Coleman
Te’von Coney
Shaun Crawford
Scott Daly
Micah Dew-Treadway
Liam Eichenberg
Jalen Elliott
Nicco Feritta
Tarean Folston
Mark Harrell
Daelin Hayes
Jay Hayes
Tristen Hoge

Irish A-to-Z: Tristen Hoge

Tom Loy, Irish 247

4 Comments

By Keith ArnoldJul 2, 2016, 4:29 PM EDT

Notre Dame’s center of the future is fighting to be the right guard of today. Tristen Hoge was one of the few offensive linemen that Harry Hiestand and Brian Kelly have recruited with positional specificity. A multi-year high school center, that still didn’t stop him from cross-training, with his best chance at a starting job in 2016 coming at right guard.

Hoge spent spring trying his best to make a name for himself at the position. While it might not have been enough to earn a starting job, he came out of his redshirt freshman season in the thick of it as a key reserve at two interior positions, poised to be a contributor in the near future.

TRISTEN HOGE
6’4.5″, 300 lbs.
Sophomore, No. 66, OL

RECRUITING PROFILE

U.S. Army All-American. First-team Parade All-American. Two-time state player of the year for Idaho and 247Sports’ No. 1 center in the country. Hoge committed early to Notre Dame, turning down offers from Cal, Florida, Stanford, LSU and UCLA (among others) to come to South Bend. He was an early enrollee.

PLAYING CAREER

Freshman Season (2015): Did not see action, preserved year of eligibility.

WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR

We were right about the redshirt. Now we’ll see how Hoge does with Mustipher entrenched at center.

Hoge isn’t playing in 2015. Not unless something goes terribly wrong. So anything written or assumed about Hoge’s future at Notre Dame won’t need to be decided until after he’s established himself in the system, giving the coaches a very good look at his capabilities to take over the center job as a first-year contributor.

Right now, that seems like the most likely scenario, especially after seeing Sam Mustipher struggle with the consistency of his snaps. But in a depth chart that’s as competitive as the one that currently exists in South Bend, nobody is handed a job. And next spring is critical for Hoge, a 15-practice try-out for a starting job that many assume is his if he’s capable of taking it.

Hoge is in perfect position to take over come 2016, but he’ll have to earn it.

FUTURE POTENTIAL

Hoge has the makings of a multi-year starter on the interior of the offensive line, no small feat in this depth chart. He caught his head coach’s eye last fall—so much so that there was at least talk of potentially taking off his redshirt.

That didn’t happen, and it’s a good thing. Because unless Hoge makes a big rally during camp, he’ll be a key reserve at two positions, with Mustipher able to play a fifth-year at center and other returners slated at both guard positions (depending on who wins the right guard job and how long Quenton Nelson sticks around in South Bend).

Calling a 300-pound guard who’s taller than 6-foot-4 undersized doesn’t make much sense. But Hoge’s work in the weight room is what’s allowing him the chance to play, and he’ll need to keep adding mass before he’s confused for someone like Quenton Nelson and has the ideal bulk for a guard job.

CRYSTAL BALL

I see Hoge as the key backup at center and guard, called into action only if there’s injury at center or if Hunter Bivin fails to lock down the starting job at guard. There were some in the program who thought Hoge had a chance to win the right guard job outright this spring, so don’t be surprised if he’s one of the young players making noise come camp this August.

Irish A-to-Z: Jay Hayes

Irish247, Tom Loy

2 Comments

By Keith ArnoldJul 1, 2016, 11:48 AM EDT

A freshman season with a redshirt burned in November. A sophomore year with a redshirt earned begrudgingly.

Entering his third season in the program, Jay Hayes has a chance to erase any conversation about “will-he-play-or-won’t-he?” Because Hayes is a key piece of the puzzle for the Irish on the defensive front.

Spring practice saw Hayes move to the forefront, a surprise contender for a starting job at weakside defensive end. Recruited (and built) like a defensive tackle, Hayes isn’t your prototype edge player. But he’s one of the big reasons Brian Kelly is optimistic that his defensive is going to take a step forward in Brian VanGorder’s third season.

JAY HAYES
6’3″, 285 lbs.
Junior, No. 93, DE

RECRUITING PROFILE

A four-star, Top 250 prospect. Hayes was one of New York’s top recruits, with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and USC.

With tweener size, Hayes projection seemed somewhere between defensive end and defensive tackle, with many projecting a career at three-technique.

PLAYING CAREER

Freshman Season (2014): Saw action in the season’s final three games, taking off his redshirt and playing against Louisville, USC and LSU. Suffered an ankle injury against USC, but did manage to return for the bowl victory against LSU.

Sophomore Season (2015): Did not see action, preserving a year of eligibility.

WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR

Didn’t see the redshirt coming. (Maybe Hayes didn’t either?)

Hayes will be one of Keith Gilmore’s test cases. The veteran defensive line coach was brought in to get the next wave of players ready along the defensive line, and Hayes certainly fits in that first tier.

At this point, you can’t feel 100-percent positive about Day or Jones until you see them running and fully healthy in fall camp. (That’s the pessimist that doesn’t naturally come out in me.) So if there’s any issue with either of those two, you’ve got to assume that Hayes is going to be the beneficiary—ready or not.

Notre Dame could use a disruptive force along the defensive line, especially with a pass rush all but missing in action last season. Is Hayes that player? I don’t get the feeling he is, though it’s certainly not a prerequisite for a defensive tackle.

Either way, Hayes has the makings of a good one. We’ll find out how good come September.

FUTURE POTENTIAL

If Hayes is a starter on the defensive line, he’s on a trajectory that Brian Kelly felt fairly confident about when he decided to put Hayes on the field late in the season as a freshman. Kelly referenced the decisions to leave early by both Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt when putting Hayes into action, noting that great defensive linemen don’t stick around for five seasons.

If Hayes is able to work his way into that echelon of lineman, the Irish will be very happy. Because with just three games played and a two career tackles to his name through two seasons, he didn’t exactly sprint out of the gates.

Kelly made reference to Hayes a few times this summer as a guy flying under the radar. That feels like a genuine prediction when you consider his comments from 2014 and his depth chart move last spring.

Is Hayes a dominant college player? Hard to tell without seeing him get a chance. But that his head coach believes big things are coming is a good sign.

CRYSTAL BALL

When Notre Dame lines up on defense against Texas, expect to see Hayes opposite Isaac Rochell at defensive end. Notre Dame’s front four will be among the largest in the country if that happens—two 290-pound defensive ends and two 300-plus pounders in the trenches.

That said, if Hayes is going to stick at end, he might spend the summer slimming down. Shedding 10 pounds and playing closer to 275 might give him an extra half-step, something that could come in handy when coming off the edge.

But even without a weight loss, Hayes is going to have a productive season. If healthy, I’ve got him penciled in for double-digit starts, approaching ten TFLs, and the second most tackles on the defensive line.