Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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104 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL A year ago, the Irish secondary appeared to be a team strength. Then-junior KeiVarae Russell was a potential All-American at cor- nerback, fifth-year senior cornerback Cody Riggs had transferred from Florida to Notre Dame, fifth-year senior safety Austin Collin- sworth was a team captain coming off a strong finish to the 2013 season, and safety Max Redfield was poised for a breakout sophomore season. For a short time in fall camp, the secondary was the most impressive unit on the defense. Then one by one, it fell apart. First came Russell's suspension after an investigation into academic dishonesty. Two days before the opener, Col- linsworth was lost to a knee injury and he ended up making merely two starts while playing in only four contests. A promising secondary was gutted. Riggs also missed two whole games (Arizona State and USC) and large chunks of two others (Northwestern and Louisville). The end of the season, however, provided a glimmer of hope and started the slow rise in expectations for the 2015 group. Cornerback Cole Luke was outstanding throughout his sophomore year, while safeties Redfield and Elijah Shumate, a junior, finished strong after uneven campaigns. Redfield was dominant in Notre Dame's 31-28 victory over LSU in the Music City Bowl, making 14 tackles (10 solo). Shumate set a career high with 13 tackles in the regular-season finale at USC, sending himself into the offseason a far more confident player. Once again, the Irish secondary is being talked about as a potential team strength. But after last season's run of misfortune, it is more of a cautious optimism. Russell's return to the secondary has created inspired excitement. When Notre Dame started fall camp a year ago, he was considered the top player on defense after capping off the 2013 season with three passes broken up and a key interception in Notre Dame's 29-16 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Rutgers — the best game of his career. Russell was a leader on the defense and on the verge of becoming one of the nation's premier cornerbacks. He entered the season on the watch list for both the Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy, both of which are given to the nation's top defensive player. "He wants to be that [Darrelle] Revis, he wants to be that [Patrick] Peterson," Kelly said prior to Russell's suspension, alluding to two of the top corners in the NFL. "He wants to be the very best at his position, and he's driven to be that player. … We are excited about having a player that has that kind of passion and desire to want to be great, and he's moving in that direction." His 2014 season lasted barely a week, but Russell vowed it would not be the end of his Notre Dame career. "I will be back at this University in June 2015 ready to go in the sum- mer," Russell wrote on Instagram. "Let me assure everyone that I will use this time to come back stronger mentally and physically. This hurdle won't stop me from fulfilling my dreams. I am going to come back bet- ter than ever!! Seven months of constant training & work on my craft at Cornerback. I love my family, friends, fans, and my team! I am going to come back as the best corner in college football. TRUST ME." Russell is now re-enrolled at Notre Dame, meeting the first half of the promise he made last October. His next goal is fulfilling the second vow, to become the best cornerback in the country. "He's an alpha player — he's got that warrior personality where he will hold others accountable," Kelly said in early June. "You add him to the mix with a Joe Schmidt, you add him to a Jarrett Grace, and that changes the personality of our defense from what it was late in the year when we really didn't have those personalities on the field. "We all know what he has from an athletic standpoint and his ability to play the cornerback position." With Russell out in 2014, the cornerback position went from a major strength to having a major void. "You don't replace KeiVarae Russell. He's one of the best corners we've had here in a long time," Kelly said after Russell was suspended. "But we'll find a way." That he certainly did. Stepping into the starting right cornerback position was Luke. The Arizona native responded by being Notre Dame's most consistent de- fensive player, and at times he was dynamic. He finished his sophomore season with 48 tackles (sixth on the team), 11 passes broken up (a team best and tied for the third-best single-season mark in school history) and four interceptions (tied for the team lead). His 15 passes defended were the best season total from an Irish defensive back in 36 years, and he did it against top competition. Luke faced teams that had five wide receivers picked in the first four rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft — not including Florida State wideout BY THE NUMBERS 7 The number of defensive backs that return with at least two career starts at Notre Dame. This does not include safety Avery Sebastian, who made six starts at California. 15 Passes defended by cornerback Cole Luke as a sophomore in 2014, the most at Notre Dame since Dave Waymer's 15 in 1978. 233.0 Passing yards allowed per game by the Notre Dame defense in 2014, which ranked No. 75 nationally. DEFENSIVE BACKS READY FOR A RESURGENCE After a tumultuous season in 2014, the Irish secondary is prepared to bounce back After a one-year hiatus, senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell — who started all 26 games his first two seasons in South Bend, compiling 109 tackles and three interceptions — is back to anchor the Irish secondary. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS