Notre Dame Adds Some Nips And Tucks To Lineup

Successful position changes, or tweaks, have often been the hallmark of stellar coaching at Notre Dame, or anywhere. Through the first six seasons under head coach Brian Kelly there have been mainly positives from such changes. They paid off in 2015 the way they did in 2012 — and will need to in 2016 as well to be back in the College Football Playoff hunt.

Thinking back to the 12-1 campaign in 2012, look at the shifts in the secondary: One cornerback, freshman KeiVarae Russell, was moved from the running back/slot receiver position he was recruited to play, while the other — Bennett Jackson — enrolled as a receiver. Moving in to start the final 10 games at safety was Matthias Farley, who was redshirted the previous year as a freshman receiver.

On offense, there were a few significant nip or tucks to the lineup. Top rusher Theo Riddick was moved from slot receiver, while former outside linebacker Troy Niklas started eight games at tight end to form a strong tandem with Tyler Eifert — who basically became an outside receiver to compensate for the graduation of first-round pick and Irish record-setting pass catcher Michael Floyd. Thus, Niklas became the in-line figure.

The 2015 team that was in the four-team College Football Playoff hunt heading into the regular-season finale was laden with position changes/tweaks on both sides of the ball:

• C.J. Prosise began his career at safety, auditioned at outside linebacker, began developing at slot receiver as a junior with 29 catches — and then finished as the top rusher as a senior with 1,032 yards, 6.6 yards per carry and a team-high 11 touchdowns. (Meanwhile, Amir Carlisle, who began his career at running back, moved to slot receiver.)

• Four of the five starters along the offensive line changed positions during their careers: Steve Elmer shifted from tackle, where he was not as effective in space, to guard; Nick Martin from guard to center, which he had never played; the left guard tandem of Quenton Nelson and Alex Bars was originally considered tackles; and tackle Ronnie Stanley played on the right side in 2013 instead of the left.

• On defense, early enrollee Jerry Tillery was pegged as Stanley’s heir at left tackle on offense, but instead was switched to nose guard during the spring and was a co-starter there in the fall.

• Weakside end Romeo Okwara was formerly a linebacker, while eventual Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith moved both inside and outside to maximize his myriad skills.

• Sam linebacker James Onwualu had moved over from receiver his freshman year (when he started two games) and is a prime candidate to be a team captain in 2016.

For the most part, the position changes made by Kelly and Co. have reaped huge benefits. There aren’t many dramatic switches this season, but there are notable tweaks — particularly along both lines — that will play a role in deciding the team’s success:

1. Mike McGlinchey/Offensive Line — A carbon copy move of soon-to-be first-round selection Stanley, who in 2013 started all 13 games at right tackle and then was shifted to left tackle in 2014 to replace first-round pick and current All-Pro Zack Martin. Likewise, the 6-7½ McGlinchey started all 13 games in 2015 and is now “in line” to groom as the next esteemed, highly coveted left tackle at Notre Dame.

Equally pertinent is the alignment on the left side with McGlinchey and Nelson, which Kelly believes will be one of the most prominent in the country.

Line coach Harry Hiestand recruits, emphasizes and develops versatility, and this year’s unit mirrors the flexibility of his recent editions. In addition to McGlinchey’s switch, Bars moved from left guard to right tackle, right guard Hunter Bivin was a reserve tackle last year, and center Sam Mustipher had been recruited as a guard (like Nick Martin, he had no experience at center).

2. Torii Hunter Jr. — This is comparable to Riddick in 2012. On the surface it was not a big deal, because Riddick was originally signed as a running back and he moved back to his original spot. Likewise, Hunter was a wideout who is now back home on the perimeter after playing slot receiver last year, where he was confined mainly to quick, short, intermediate routes.

Hunter can still play in the slot, but he lined up everywhere this spring and will be called on often to be a prime vertical threat (like the 50-yard catch in the Blue-Gold Game) to help compensate for the loss of All-American Will Fuller. Hunter might be the Prosise of 2016 in that he was basically in the background his first two seasons (including redshirting as a freshman), began to make inroads as a junior, and is primed for a strong senior campaign in a different role.

3. Alizé Jones — Staying on the 2012 theme, Jones appears headed for an Eifert-like hybrid role. Yes, Jones’ official title still is “tight end,” but the Irish have several other capable candidates there with Nic Weishar (a team-high 286 snaps at the position last year), original 2015 starter Durham Smythe (prior to two surgeries) and recently converted defensive lineman Jacob Matuska, who at 6-4½ and 275 pounds can provide a potential in-line blocking presence the other three might not.

“He can’t be a guy who’s in a rotation as the third tight end on the field,” Kelly said of Jones last weekend. “That’s pretty clear.”

The solution? Shift him to the boundary (W) or other areas, as the Irish did with Eifert. That position could use some help too with the graduation of Chris Brown and the uncertain football future of Corey Robinson. At 6-4½ and 233 pounds (what Jones said his real weight is as opposed to the 240 on the roster), Jones also has been drawing comparisons to former Michigan tight end-turned-receiver Devin Funchess, who in college was listed around 6-5, 230.

“I really, really, really like that,” a smiling Jones said last week when asked about playing the ‘W’ and elsewhere. “I’m still learning it, though. It’s different out there.

“You have to be able to get off press coverage. You have to really be a great route runner. The coaches want to be able to look at me and feel confident they can put me out there in any situation.”

4. Jay Hayes/Jerry Tillery — Last year, the redshirted Hayes was grooming as the potential successor to Sheldon Day. Instead, at 290 pounds this spring, he was moved to weakside end to complement and co-start with junior classmate Andrew Trumbetti, who at 255 pounds is more effective as a speed rusher off the edge.

Meanwhile, it is former nose guard Tillery who has played at three-technique, but is in a developmental phase. Possibly, that could lead to nose guard Jarron Jones, sidelined last year with a torn MCL, to shift over to the three. Either way, Hayes will be called upon to be a much more significant factor along the defensive line

5. Asmar Bilal — Like Jaylon Smith before him, Bilal lined up at Sam as a freshman, where he redshirted, and he appeared to possess the frame and athletic skills to perhaps even line up at safety if needed.

Instead, both were shifted to Will linebacker out of necessity in their sophomore seasons. Bilal’s head was swimming in the early part of spring, but both Kelly and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder cited him among the most improved players in the lineup when spring drills concluded. Bilal and sophomore classmate Te’von Coney, sidelined this spring because of shoulder surgery, are green, which could lead to junior Greer Martini — also a Sam last year, but capable of playing any of the three linebacker spots — becoming a candidate at Will as well.

“He just needs to see plays,” VanGorder said of Bilal’s development this spring. “Lot of cleaning up to do in reaction, how to diagnose. Not where we’d like them to be.

“But he’s got a good sense of urgency and it’s getting better, and he’s a very good athlete, very good physical traits. He’s going to be a good player for us.”