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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
BY LOU SOMOGYI
I
n one way or another, despite a pow‑
erful 6‑3½, 290‑pound frame, senior
defensive lineman Isaac Rochell always
seems to be in someone's shadow.
When he verbally committed to Notre
Dame on June 7, 2012, it was relatively un‑
der the radar because five days earlier the
Fighting Irish landed a pledge from the na‑
tion's No. 1 defensive recruit, linebacker
Jaylon Smith.
When Rochell signed with Notre Dame
in February 2013, it was overshadowed by
the news that California five‑star defensive
lineman Eddie Vanderdoes selected the Irish
over Alabama. It was Vanderdoes — who
would wind up at UCLA a few months
later — who was heralded as the difference
maker along the line to succeed the tandem
of Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt.
As a reserve freshman lineman in 2013,
Senior Isaac Rochell is expected
to be a centerpiece of the 2016 defense
From The Shadows
TO THE SPOTLIGHT