Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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murphy's Law dan murphy Dame's group could not say the same. They were, in comparison, suburbanite high schoolers bumping into their tougher contemporaries on a field trip to the big city. There were exceptions. Redshirted defensive end Jarron Jones, for example, spilled into the folded chairs surrounding him, advertising the size that will perpetuate the SEC comparisons on Notre Dame's defensive line. To reach Alabama's stratosphere, where a team can absorb the loss of four first-round draft picks and keep on rolling, that type of size needs to be the rule, not the exception. How then did Notre Dame fight outside its weight class, and convince so many it had a shot to win? They made the most of their men under the tent. While football and most of the world around it dives deeper into specialization, Notre Dame is stepping in the other direction. Maybe they aren't completely alone in their philosophy, but Brian Kelly and his staff have done as good a job as any in turning their lineup into a collection of Swiss Army knives. Senior running back Theo Riddick caused matchup problems this season as a fully functional wide receiver while leading the team with 917 rushing yards and a cloud-of-dust mentality. Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert was listed as "tight end" simply so he knew which meeting room to attend before practices. The current staff is working to duplicate those type of players with their own recruits. Sophomore Troy Niklas flipped from defense to offense to help establish the double tight end look that made the Irish so flexible this season. Cornerback KeiVarae Russell made the Freshman All-America team during his first year playing the position. Notre Dame doesn't recruit tight ends and cornerbacks. They recruit for "skill" players, "power" players and an in-between group of "big skill" players. "The more you can do, the more we can use you," recruiting coordinator Tony Alford said. "You go out and find the best athletes." Alford said he scours gym classes, basketball practices and any opportunity he can find to see if a prospect is versatile. If he has those multi-dimensional traits, the stock "goes off the roof." Notre Dame might never be able to fill the stands with bodies like Alabama does. The academic requirements, cold weather and dearth of homegrown talent don't disappear with a 12-0 season. In the next month, they will add another layer of depth to help with practice and injuries and attrition. They'll take another step in the right direction under Kelly. More importantly, they will once again add a handful of players that will end up moving in directions they aren't currently anticipating. Make room under the tent. ✦ Dan Murphy has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2011. He can be reached at dmurphy@blueandgold.com