Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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82 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW However, he will concede that his 60 snaps per game began to take a toll in the closing part of the season and reduced some of his effectiveness. "It just keeps compounding and your body is really tired at the end of the year," Rochell said. "Now we're at the point where we've got more depth and more guys that we can trust and guys that are starting to be more productive, so hopefully that won't be the case this year." "I don't think it was a specific time or a specific game, but just generally speak‑ ing as the season progresses you start to feel it." • Rochell is a little rangier, while the quicker Day was more compact at 6‑2, 285. Day was more explosive off the ball, but the powerful Rochell did 28 reps of the 225‑pound bench press last year (Day did 21 at this year's NFL Combine). "It's kind of pointless if you're really strong and can't put it into football terms," said Rochell, humbly downplaying his strength. • Entering his senior season, Day had 96 tackles, 16.5 stops for loss and 3.5 sacks. Rochell has more total stops (112), slightly fewer tackles for loss (15) and the same amount of sacks (3.5). His seven QB hurries last year were second to Day's 13. Captain Material Unlike Day, Rochell did not submit any paperwork to the NFL after his junior season to see where he stood. The McDonough, Ga., native was unique in today's college football culture because he had virtually no curiosity about his NFL standing, even though a professional football career is in the making. "I knew I wanted to come back, first off to get my degree, and second, I want to put myself in the best position [for the future]," said Rochell, who is majoring in political science. "I don't want to go into a situation where it's kind of iffy. Who knows what is going to happen? I want to feel confident in the process so it's not stressful." Among the two schools to offer the four‑ star prospect were the two who met for the national title last year — Alabama and Clemson — and the McDonough, Ga., na‑ tive seemed destined for the Tigers until mother Gina "made me" visit Notre Dame in the spring of 2012. Soon thereafter, he gave his pledge and did not take an official visit to any other school. "I wouldn't come to spend three winters up here and be in the snow for three years, to not get my degree," Rochell noted while cracking a smile. "It's a blessing to be here, and I believe there is a reason I'm here. I think one of the reasons is to get my degree, so I'm not going to waste an opportunity that has been given. "I don't think about [the NFL] that much. If I do, I try to squash it because we have a mission here and a focus here, and my job right now is to be on a team that's going to potentially win a national championship. All that [other] stuff is not in the forefront of my mind." Replacing the leadership of Day is an in‑ tangible that can't be measured, but Rochell emphasized that it was Day's substance, not flamboyance, that had people follow him. "The biggest thing Sheldon did was he was just the best at what he did," Rochell said. "You kind of had no choice but to listen to him and follow him. He was charismatic and you trusted him. Last year we had close D‑line and we want to maintain that culture where we trust each other. "I just want the guys to be able to trust me and know that I have their backs. Everything else kind of feeds out. You can't force your‑ self into a role, nor can anybody else force you into a role. It's just a matter of feeling it out, working hard and building trust. … I think I'm just inherently in a position where I have to assume that role." Physically and mentally, Rochell is primed to have a strong senior‑year impact like Day did last season. "Everybody has an individual job," Ro‑ chell said. "I want to be the best defensive lineman in the country." Strong Roots Earlier this year, the first of Steve and Gina Rochell's two sons, Matt, graduated from the Air Force Academy after starting all 39 games his last three years. "I want to be the best defensive lineman in the country." ROCHELL Rochell did an internship last year for a Street Bean Coffee Shop in the Seattle area that is dedicated to assisting homeless young people by training and employing them for a better future. He also has helped in local community outreach programs, including taking youngsters Christmas shopping. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BENNETT/LIGHTHOUSE IMAGING