Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 83 American and all-time Notre Dame leading tackler Bob Crable in 1980 (linebacker Ned Bolcar in 1988-89 and defensive end Grant Irons in 2000-01 were seniors and fifth-year seniors as two-time captains). This season, Day is expected to join fellow Indianapolis native Nick Martin, the starting center, as the 19th and 20th two-time captains for the Fighting Irish football team. Such prominence didn't seem to be in the cards years ago. "My younger days I was definitely try- ing to find myself as a man, and I kind of ventured out," Day said. "But after seeing the lifestyle they lived and the things they were doing, I couldn't see myself there in the long run. "My mother kind of instilled things in us to make sure that we stayed on the straight path. Stay away from the wrong people be- cause all they can do is break you down. We lived by that and made decisions for our- selves. It was trusting in ourselves, and her building a trust in us through that. … I had to make a decision in my younger days, and I feel like I made the right decision." Upon enrolling at Indianapolis Warren Central in 2008, Day was entering a school that ranked near the bottom in standardized testing, but in 2007 was ranked No. 3 nation- ally by Sports Illustrated in athletics, includ- ing tops among public schools. "Football was the main thing," Day said of Warren Central's eight state titles since 1984. "Athletes kind of came in and came out. They went to college, and many times they didn't finish. I wanted to change that mold. The class before me and mine kind of changed the culture as far as academics and caring about the overall community." A four-star recruit and one of the top de- fensive line prospects in the country, Day said the selection of Notre Dame was rela- tively easy because of the values being in sync with each other. "I get to go to one of the most prestigious academic schools and also a school that is known for football," he said. "Why lower myself to just going to a school that is just good in football? I always wanted to hold myself to a higher standard, and that's what I'm getting here." While acknowledging that his academic focus might have taken away some of his football concentration, Day has no regrets. "It's kind of a give-and-take situation," he said. "I'm going to give a little more on the academic side even though I know it's go- ing to kind of affect my performance on the football field, but I'm also going to give 110 percent on the football field because I know it will make me better in the long run." The give-and-take applies to his role as a vocal leader, too. "Once you feel like the players have ac- cepted you as a leader… it's all about learn- ing your team," Day said. "Once your team- mates know how everything works and what Coach [Brian] Kelly wants, you know how to speak up and voice your opinion. Or if somebody has an issue you kind of voice it to the coaches. It's being that mediator." Or sometimes even the mayor. Senior Day Curiosity about where he stood in the 2015 NFL Draft made Day fill out an early entry evaluation form. It wasn't a surprise that the feedback was "stay in school," whereas with classmate and left tackle Ron- nie Stanley, he was at worst projected as a second-round pick. Nevertheless, the return of Stanley and Day to anchor both lines was possibly the most important off-the-field development this season if Notre Dame is to be in College Football Playoff contention. Yet whereas Stanley is already projected as potentially a top-10 pick in 2016, Day is aspiring to put together his first complete season in college. As a freshman during Notre Dame's run to the BCS National Championship Game, Day provided valuable aid as the first reserve along the defensive front (23 tackles, 3.5 for loss and two sacks) that featured captain and fifth-year senior Kapron Lewis-Moore, junior Louis Nix at nose guard and sopho- more Stephon Tuitt, with the latter two both garnering some All-America recognition. When Day enrolled early, his assigned "big brother" mentor was 2011 Freshman All-American Aaron Lynch. However, the Florida native Lynch was so miserable up north, he left the program during spring practice, so Lewis-Moore became Day's model to emulate. "He was always the guy bringing us up with positive vibes no matter what was go- ing on," Day said of Lewis-Moore. "When something was wrong, he was the first per- son in your face. He was making sure you were all right, but also beating you down at the same time. "He found that happy medium where he was a leader, but he could also be your friend. He did a lot of great things around here that changed the culture for the better. He's had an effect on me." Upon Lewis-Moore's graduation, Day entered the starting lineup as a 2013 sopho- more, but an ankle injury in game three, at Purdue, sidelined him a couple of weeks and inhibited his play most of the season. Still, he finished with the second-most tackles (33) among the defensive linemen. "I played tentatively and was just emo- tionally down because of the injury," he ad- mitted. Last year, he was the recipient of the Notre Dame Moose Krause Lineman of the Year Award after recording 40 tackles (24 solo), tying Jarron Jones for most among the linemen; ranking second on the team in quarterback hurries (nine, four of them ver- sus Michigan in the second week); and tying for second in tackles for loss (7.5). Alas, after starting the first 10 games, a knee injury (MCL sprain) sidelined him the majority of the Northwestern game, and then Louisville and USC. The vulnerable Irish defense without his presence, and those of many others, yielded an average of 41.0 points in those three losses. Although far from 100 percent, his pres- ence at tackle served as a valuable boost (in- cluding a fumble recovery by Day) in Notre Dame's 31-28 Music City Bowl victory over LSU that restored huge hopes in 2015 with seasoned veterans dominating the offensive and defensive lineups. This spring, while splitting reps was a popular item of discussion along the front line, Day was the clear mainstay. "Sheldon has separated himself," first- year Notre Dame defensive line coach Keith Gilmore said of the unit's standout at pri- marily the three-technique. "I don't know if there's anybody that really matches him per se and takes reps away." "A healthy, dominant season," said Day when asked about his personal goal in 2015. "I feel like I have the physical traits to be- come one of the best defensive tackles in the country. When people bring up my name, I want them to respond, 'Oh, that guy' — kind of have a little spunk when they say my name and remember who I am as a player and as a person." He seems on schedule for it … even if most of his life he's been ahead on it. ✦ Last season, Day became just the third Notre Dame junior since 1981 to be named a team captain. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND