Notre Dame Seniors Primed To Surge
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Every football season at Notre Dame, or anywhere else, there is at least one player entering his senior campaign whose promising career has been sidetracked. Sometimes it’s because of injury, other times underperformance, playing in someone else’s shadow, dealing with a position change, etc.
Then as a senior, it all comes together and you wonder, “Wow, that was good to see him live up to his capabilities!”
Here are five such candidates this year, with examples from recent seasons at his position. We will not include the three mainstays among the seniors — offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, defensive lineman Isaac Rochell and cornerback Cole Luke — but several others could become “wow factors.”
1. RB Tarean Folston — With a good junior season in 2015, he might well have turned pro after rushing for a team-high 889 yards as a 2014 sophomore. An ACL tear three carries into the season shelved such aspirations.
Even though he has a medical redshirt coming in 2017 if he wants it, Folston recognizes this is a “contract year” for the NFL, so look for him to make the most of it if he stays healthy.
Recent Example: C.J. Prosise began his career at safety and slot his first three years before becoming a 1,000-yard rusher last season and a third-round pick. Jonas Gray (2011) had never rushed for more than 119 yards in a season through his first three years, or even scored a TD, but shined as a senior with 6.9 yards per carry and 12 TDs. Same with Theo Riddick becoming a standout in 2012.
2. NG Jarron Jones — He too was supposed to be off to the pros after the 2015 season, but a torn MCL last August altered plans. Head coach Brian Kelly told him all it takes is “one good season” to reach his goal. He tried to rush back from his injury, but that only negatively affected his rehab.
Providing 40-to-50 snaps a game at nose guard and/or even at three-technique tackle — stamina has been a past issue — could make him a disruptive force in the middle and enhance the overall defense. His absence left a void last season because of his ability to get a strong push up front. If he fulfills his potential, he will become a pivotal figure in 2016.
Recent Example: Entering his final season in 2012, Kapron Lewis-Moore was coming off knee surgery and had seen a couple of sophomore standouts, Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt, move ahead of him. When Lynch transferred that spring, it was like the apocalypse to many of the Irish fandom — but Lewis-Moore stepped in seamlessly and became a superb leader and an often underrated performer during the 12-0 regular season.
3. WR Torii Hunter Jr. — Far and away the veteran of the receiving corps despite only 35 career catches (28 last year), Hunter enjoyed an outstanding spring, especially as a vertical threat. Don’t expect him to be the game-breaker 2015 team MVP Will Fuller was, but he is comparable to and faster than 2013 MVP TJ Jones.
Recent Example: Jones had been a solid complementary option most of his career next to a Michael Floyd or Tyler Eifert, but as a senior he became extraordinary with 70 catches that averaged 15.8 yards, and he tallied 11 overall TDs.
4. OLB James Onwualu — A larger version of 2015 captain/defensive back Matthias Farley, Onwualu quietly begins his third season as a starting Sam linebacker. Like Farley, Onwualu was a wide receiver as a freshman, became a special teams mainstay, and is now a versatile defender in base or sub packages. He has all the earmarks of becoming a captain, too, like Farley did.
“James Onwualu is as solid of a guy as we have relative to how he goes about his business daily with preparation and on-field effort,” third-year defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said. “He’s consistent, very knowledgeable.”
Recent Example: Because Onwualu can be almost a hybrid safety/linebacker at times, we could envision him being like safety David Bruton (2008), who was somewhat overshadowed at Notre Dame but is still in the NFL as a special-teams stalwart.
Onwualu is one of those guys who down the road you could see yourself saying, “He’s been in the NFL six, seven … years already? Who would have thought?"
5. FS Max Redfield — Inexorably referred to as a “former five-star recruit, “Redfield has not shown the overall performance — especially in coverage and positioning — to match his hype, even though his 144 tackles are more than any other returning player on the roster. This spring, he saw early enrollee Devin Studstill take first-team reps away from him, another sign that Redfield is on the clock.
Recent Examples: It took four years before 2007‑11 Irish safety Harrison Smith blossomed dramatically to become a first-round pick and now a current NFL star who just inked a $51-million deal. Likewise with Zeke Motta from 2009‑12, who became the Defensive MVP as a senior. The Irish defense could use a similar breakout from Redfield.
Honorable Mention: The right guard tandem of Hunter Bivin and Colin McGovern. Neither has started a game yet in college, but the opportunity to make an impact is there this season.