Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 105 DEFENSIVE BACKS Rashad Greene, who finished his career as the Seminoles all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. That list also does not include speedy LSU wide receiver Travin Dural, who was shut out by Luke and Riggs in the Music City Bowl. "He really outperformed in our eyes in a number of ways," Kelly said. "If there's a silver lining relative to personnel in the loss of Russell, it's playing Cole Luke and getting him this year." It might prove to be the ultimate blessing in disguise. If Russell does not get suspended, he might be getting ready for his rookie season in the NFL. That would have meant Notre Dame entered the 2015 season with a major question mark at cornerback, given Luke would not have had his chance to shine. That much-needed year of ex- perience not only opened the door for Luke to develop into a standout player, it also allowed him to develop into a leader this spring. "He's a tremendous player," defensive backs coach Todd Lyght said. "I think he's a guy that can make seven-plus interceptions in a season if he can stay healthy. He's a really smart, instinctive player. "He's really good out of his breaks, does a good job communicating with the safeties and linebackers, and talks about what offenses are tying to do and what they need to do to stop it. His game could really go to the next level after a strong spring." Sophomore Nick Watkins and junior Devin Butler provide the Irish coaches with two more rising options on the perimeter of the defense. Butler was able to make two starts in place of an injured Riggs in 2014. Watkins was a highly regarded part of the 2014 recruiting class, and his game began to take off during the spring. While neither player is quite ready for starting roles, both possess the necessary talent to provide quality backup minutes. "When I watch Devin and when I watch Nick, I see tremendous talent and tremendous play-making ability," Lyght explained. "They don't do it at a high level consistently enough where we can be really, really suc- cessful. Consistency is what we need to work on." Watkins has shown himself to be especially promising to the Irish coaches. "Nick Watkins individually made the progress we were hoping he would make," Kelly said during spring practice. "He's playing with a lot more confidence and certainly is somebody we feel like is going to be able to contribute to our football team this year." By the end of spring practice, Watkins had actually surpassed Butler and was starting opposite Luke. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★ National Title Caliber; ★★★ Playoff Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★½ The return of senior KeiVarae Russell should combine with junior Cole Luke to give the Irish one of the nation's premier cornerback tandems. Both have been highly productive players who provide lock-down skills, although Russell sat out 2014. At safety, the athleticism and talent might actually surpass that of the corners. The difference is the level of production. Junior Max Redfield and senior Elijah Shumate have not been able to produce to the level of their raw tools. Until they step up their game there will continue to be more question marks than answers on the back end. If the production and level of play matches the tools, the Irish secondary could be one of the nation's best, a full star higher than currently rated. Experience ★★★ Maybe the top asset Notre Dame has going for it this season is a roster full of expe- rienced players, at least in terms of games played. There has been a lot of talk on the recruiting trail about Notre Dame's lack of depth in the secondary. Looking beyond 2015, this is a concern, but this season Notre Dame returns 41 starts at cornerback, 52 starts at safety and nickel, plus Cal transfer Avery Sebastian has six. If the injuries that hit the group last season are a factor again this fall, the Irish will be in much better position to deal with them. Depth ★★½ All four expected starters have at least 12 starts under their belts. Nickel back Mat- thias Farley has 23 career starts and has played all over the field. Coming off the bench, Notre Dame will have three more players — cornerback Devin Butler, and safeties Drue Tranquill and Sebastian — with at least two career starts, yet sophomore Nick Watkins emerged the most this spring. Nicky Baratti was a top safety reserve and special teams player as a freshman in 2012 before injuries sent him to the sidelines. Notre Dame also welcomes a talented five-man group of freshman that will provide reinforcements. Overall Grade ★★½ Notre Dame has the talent on the edge to compete with anyone. On the back end, there is ability, but the proven production is not there yet. At the very least, the Notre Dame secondary will be good enough to help the defense keep Notre Dame in the top 25 all season. It would not be a surprise if the group proves better than this grade by the time the season comes to a close. Year YPG National Rank 2005 264.6 103rd 2006 203.4 60th 2007 161.6 2nd 2008 195.7 43rd 2009 227.5 76th Year YPG National Rank 2010 215.1 54th 2011 205.8 38th 2012 199.8 25th 2013 198.2 15th 2014 233.0 75th ND'S YEAR-BY-YEAR PASSING YARDS ALLOWED Junior Cole Luke's 11 passes broken up in 2014 tied for the third-best single- season mark in school history, while his 15 total passes defended led the team and was the most by an Irish defensive back in 36 years. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA "He's a tremendous player, and he's a guy that can make seven-plus interceptions in a season if he can stay healthy. He's a smart, instinctive player. He's really good out of his breaks, does a good job communicating with the safeties and linebackers, and talks about what offenses are tying to do and what they need to do to stop it. His game could really go to the next level after a strong spring." DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH TODD LYGHT ON COLE LUKE