This is going to be one hell of an interesting Spring for ND football. Starting positions are not necessarily decided in Spring alone, but it offers a great opportunity for players to separate from the competition. You can make an argument for multiple position fights, but the three areas that intrigue me the most are:
QB is the obvious starting point. Angeli has done everything asked of him and done it well when given the opportunity. He’s our only QB with anything close to experience. Carr shined last Spring and gets accolades galore over his poise and passing skills and commitment to constant improvement. Minchey has a great arm and superior running ability, and seems a really good fit for Denbrock’s offense. Really hope one separates from the others, but doubt it. Kind of expect this decision to be drawn out to Fall with hopes of keeping all three on the roster.
OL presents some tough decisions as well. Lambert and Craig and Knapp and Black stand out to me as the big question marks. I think Jagusah and Schrauth and Wagner are locks to start. Craig was a tremendous upgrade when he captured the center position, but he is a question mark because of his knee injury and surgery. Knapp was very good on rushing plays and average or below average on passing plays as our left tackle, but showed tremendous poise, really good skills, and excellent feet for a third string freshman thrown into the starting job a week before playing TAM. But Knapp does not have prototypical size for LT at ND, and his skills seems perfect of playing inside. The assumption is both Craig and Knapp start again this season, and if so, the only question is where Knapp plays…LT or guard, and that then determines where Jagusah plays. Under this scenario, I prefer left to right Jagusah- Knapp- Craig-Schrauth-Wagner. But is either or both Lambert and Black too good to keep off the field, and what about Absher, who is also a talented monster? I continue to think Craig is the key. If not fully recovered, I think Knapp moves to center, Lambert or Black to LT, and Jagusah to guard.
DL has so many unknowns. Out of an eight man rotation, about the only two that are locks and healthy are Young and Rubio. We know that Botelho and Traore are going to play a ton, just not sure when. Burnham and Jr were major contributors last season, but will likely find their numbers reduced by the return B and T. Does Onye return healthy and in playing shape to pair with Rubio? Does the Louisville portal transfer win that spot? Does Mukum or Dixon elevate? Where is Vernon in all of this? Can Hinish add good weight? Does Saviano earn a rotational role? Can Thomas build on his freshman resume? Does true Freshman Burgess become this year’s Young? Etc…etc….
Spring practice starts in something like twelve days, and I for one am looking forward to reading how these position battles develop, and looking forward to folks here posting what they are reading or hearing. I need my ND fix!
QB is the obvious starting point. Angeli has done everything asked of him and done it well when given the opportunity. He’s our only QB with anything close to experience. Carr shined last Spring and gets accolades galore over his poise and passing skills and commitment to constant improvement. Minchey has a great arm and superior running ability, and seems a really good fit for Denbrock’s offense. Really hope one separates from the others, but doubt it. Kind of expect this decision to be drawn out to Fall with hopes of keeping all three on the roster.
OL presents some tough decisions as well. Lambert and Craig and Knapp and Black stand out to me as the big question marks. I think Jagusah and Schrauth and Wagner are locks to start. Craig was a tremendous upgrade when he captured the center position, but he is a question mark because of his knee injury and surgery. Knapp was very good on rushing plays and average or below average on passing plays as our left tackle, but showed tremendous poise, really good skills, and excellent feet for a third string freshman thrown into the starting job a week before playing TAM. But Knapp does not have prototypical size for LT at ND, and his skills seems perfect of playing inside. The assumption is both Craig and Knapp start again this season, and if so, the only question is where Knapp plays…LT or guard, and that then determines where Jagusah plays. Under this scenario, I prefer left to right Jagusah- Knapp- Craig-Schrauth-Wagner. But is either or both Lambert and Black too good to keep off the field, and what about Absher, who is also a talented monster? I continue to think Craig is the key. If not fully recovered, I think Knapp moves to center, Lambert or Black to LT, and Jagusah to guard.
DL has so many unknowns. Out of an eight man rotation, about the only two that are locks and healthy are Young and Rubio. We know that Botelho and Traore are going to play a ton, just not sure when. Burnham and Jr were major contributors last season, but will likely find their numbers reduced by the return B and T. Does Onye return healthy and in playing shape to pair with Rubio? Does the Louisville portal transfer win that spot? Does Mukum or Dixon elevate? Where is Vernon in all of this? Can Hinish add good weight? Does Saviano earn a rotational role? Can Thomas build on his freshman resume? Does true Freshman Burgess become this year’s Young? Etc…etc….
Spring practice starts in something like twelve days, and I for one am looking forward to reading how these position battles develop, and looking forward to folks here posting what they are reading or hearing. I need my ND fix!
