Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 39 CHIP'S IN CHARGE A focal part of head coach Brian Kelly's overhaul of his program was finding an offensive coordinator he could trust enough to relinquish full control of the offense to. It would appear he's found that in Chip Long. "He's been tremendous," Long said of Kelly. "He's been a great as- set. After practice he'll come and see some things that I'll miss on the prac- tice field, but see on the film. He's been awesome." It's going to be Long's offense to call, but Kelly will still be involved, which the coordinator views as a positive. "At the end of the day he's still my boss and the head coach, and we're going to have the culture that he wants," Long explained. "I think he likes the direction I'm taking the offense. "If he sees something, we're going to do what he wants to do, because he's obviously the head coach. He has a tremendous, tremendous mind for the game, and I think he likes a lot of what we do." A CROWDED ROOM There's no shortage of names on Notre Dame's wide receiver depth chart. Yet it's been said multiple times during preseason camp that junior Equanimeous St. Brown is the lone player through Aug. 20 at the position to lock up a starting spot. "The breadwinner here from last year is 'EQ,'" wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander said. "We're basing success on the little things, like the traits Coach Kelly has estab- lished and the daily grind." There are plenty of other players competing for reps at the position, including the two graduate transfers Cam Smith and Freddy Canteen, as well as freshmen Michael Young and Jafar Armstrong. There's also return- ing players like Kevin Stepherson, Chase Claypool, Javon McKinley, Miles Boykin, Chris Finke and C.J. Sanders. Alexander said it can be challeng- ing to sort it all out, but having that many options isn't a negative. "There's still time for us to set who may be the top three and who may be the first guy to go in after that," Alexander said. "Not necessarily who is behind or who is a backup, but who's that next guy in after you put three receivers on the field." ✦ Mike Elston returns to coaching the defensive line group and expects a much better unit with more experience and fresh faces. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Quoting The Assistant Coaches Quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees on quarterback Brandon Wimbush: "I think he's ready. He's contin- ued to understand what it means to be ready. I also don't think you really know until something doesn't go great. Going through camps, and the ups and downs that happen naturally, [you learn] 'I have to be better, I have to prepare myself, I need to watch more film, I need to study.' "I try to give him as many supplemental tools to get him ready as I can. It's up to him to use those and use his own methods to push himself." Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand on starting center Sam Mustipher: "Sam is on a mission to be the best player he can. I'm really pleased with the direction he is going, his attitude about how to get better, what to improve. He takes coaching really well and continues to keep pushing to be better." Special teams coach Brian Polian on his approach this time around at Notre Dame compared to first stint: "When I got here I was 29. I was young. It was my first exposure to Power Five football. I was trying to get to know Charlie [Weis] and how everything was going to work with him. "I think I'm just more comfortable in my own skin now." Linebackers coach Clark Lea on freshman Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who doesn't even turn 18 until November: "He's a very talented player, but a very raw player. He can do certain things better than anyone we have. What he lacks is that depth and understanding of how the defense functions and his role. … For us, it's putting him in positions to lean on that raw skill set and to help us to win games." Running backs coach Autry Denson on juniors Josh Adams and Dexter Williams and sophomore Tony Jones Jr.: "Position versatility is what we have a lot of. My job is to equip them with different weapons. "Their job is to use the one the fits their God-given talents and abilities. They all do that very well." Defensive backs coach Todd Lyght on sophomore Julian Love cross training at cornerback and safety: "It's been really, really good. Julian has very good football intelligence, and he understands the scheme. "He's doing a little bit of crossover work, and I think he's the type of player that can have success on the inside and outside." — Corey Bodden and David McKinney