Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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1. Quenton Nelson, OG — No player on Notre Dame's roster was as physically dominant during the 2016 season as the junior left guard. His strong player earned him third-team All-America honors by the Associated Press. The 6-5, 329-pound Nelson — named Offensive Lineman of the Year by his team- mates — was ranked eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision by Pro Football Focus among offensive guards. He did not allow a sack and gave up just one quarterback hit in 2016 (on 456 pass attempts). With much of the focus on the offensive line centered on the performance of left tackle Mike McGlinchey, Nelson quietly went about his business en route to a terrific season. 2. DeShone Kizer, QB — No player entered the 2016 season with higher expecta- tions, and while the junior signal-caller had some struggles during the 4-8 cam- paign, the overall production for the Toledo, Ohio, native was strong. Kizer completed 212 of 361 passes for 2,925 yards with 26 touchdowns, and rushed for 472 yards and eight touchdowns. He was voted team MVP by his teammates at the awards banquet Dec. 9 and was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft (52nd overall) by the Cleveland Browns in April. 3. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR — Kizer's favorite target was clearly the sopho- more wide receiver, Notre Dame's 2016 Offensive Player of the Year. St. Brown led Notre Dame with 58 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns. His yardage total ranked fifth in the nation among sophomores and freshmen. While he was a bit of a question mark entering the season, Brown quickly proved he belonged by catching touchdown passes in four of the first five games. His emergence at receiver helped alleviate the loss of star Will Fuller to the NFL after the 2015 season. 4. James Onwualu, LB — The team's Defensive Player of the Year, the senior linebacker was perhaps the most consistent performer on the defensive side of the ball. The team captain finished his Irish career by starting all 12 games and recording 75 total tackles (38 solo), a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, five passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The receiver turned linebacker used his intelligence to make plays, becoming a versatile weapon for the Notre Dame defense. Put all over the field in a variety of roles, Onwualu was counted on for leadership and performance throughout a trying season. 5. Nyles Morgan, LB — After a standout freshman season in 2015, Morgan was considered the next big- time linebacker at Notre Dame. A sophomore season in which he barely played quieted the hype, but he pro- duced a breakout season as a junior in 2016. Morgan, the Defensive Newcomer of the Year for the Irish, finished with a team-high 94 tackles, including six for loss and four sacks. Stepping into the position vacated by Joe Schmidt, Morgan more than held his own, steering the Notre Dame defense through a coordinator change and multiple ups and downs throughout the year. Morgan returns in 2017 as an unquestioned leader on the defense and a potential All-America candidate under new defensive coordinator Mike Elko. 1. Jarron's Big Day Against Miami — Fifth-year se- nior Jarron Jones had one of the most dominant days by a defensive lineman in Notre Dame history against Miami in October. Jones, a native of Rochester, N.Y., finished with seven tackles, including six for loss and one sack. The six tackles for loss were the most by a Football Bowl Subdivision player in a game in 2016. The 6-5, 315-pounder became the 23rd FBS player with at least six tackles for loss in a game since 2000. The Irish had 12 tackles for loss, their most in a game since 2005, and limited Miami to 18 rushing yards. Jones was named the Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. 2. St. Brown Torches Syracuse — Already off to a torrid start to his sophomore season, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown wasted little time making his presence felt against Syra- cuse Oct. 1. The Anaheim, Calif., native re- corded four catches for 182 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game. On the fol- lowing series, St. Brown caught a 67-yard touchdown toss. In the 50-33 win at MetLife Stadium in East Ruther- ford, N.J., the Irish had five scoring plays of 50 yards or more, with St. Brown accounting for two of them. Though the 6-5, 204-pounder entered the season with just one career catch, he jumped out to a hot start (25 catches for 541 yards and six scores through five games) that put him ahead of Will Fuller's All- America pace in 2015. 3. Kizer Shines Vs. Longhorns — Notre Dame en- tered the season with a quarterback competition between junior DeShone Kizer and senior Malik Zaire, but Kizer quickly ended any debate. Kizer hit St. Brown on a fade route for a 13-yard score on the opening possession and then found St. Brown up the left seam for a 30-yard gain later in the first half. Texas jumped ahead 31-14 in the third quar- ter but Kizer got hot and brought the Irish back. A 29-yard Kizer scoring run made it a 31-21 game and he hit senior Torii Hunter Jr. for a score on Notre Dame's next possession. Kizer lofted a perfectly placed fourth-quarter pass to running back Josh Adams for a 17-yard touchdown to give Notre Dame a 35-31 lead. Kizer finished with six total touchdowns. 4. Adams Runs Over Trojans — Sophomore running back Josh Adams ran for a career-high 180 yards in a 45-27 loss at USC. Against a Trojan defense that had held six of its previous seven opponents to season-low point totals, Adams was highly effective. On Notre Dame's first offensive play, he took a handoff to the right and cut up the middle of the Trojan defense, racing 74 yards down to the 1-yard line. Even without his long run, Adams ran for an average of 6.6 yards on his other 16 carries. While he didn't find the end zone, he provided a bright spot in the season-ending loss. 5. Love Stifles Army — A week after making eight tackles (one for loss) against Navy, freshman corner- back Julian Love had another stellar outing against triple-option opponent Army. Despite being limited early in the week with con- cussion-like symptoms (tests revealed there was no concussion), Love started at free safety against the Black Knights and had three tackles and his first career interception in the 44-6 win. After being gashed by Navy's option the week before, Love and Notre Dame defended Army well, allowing just 229 rushing yards, 242 total yards and six points. TOP FIVE GAME PERFORMANCES Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Jarron Jones was a disruptive force in Notre Dame's 30-27 win over Miami Oct. 29, recording six tackles for loss and one sack among seven total stops. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA TOP FIVE PLAYERS Senior linebacker James Onwulau was tabbed as the team's Defensive Player of the Year after compiling 75 total stops (38 solo), a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, five passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA